entered the employ of a cutler. At age 13 he was apprenticed to his brother James, who had recently returned from England with a new printing press (Benjamin Franklin, Funk & Wagnall's Online Encyclopedia). Benjamin learned the printing trade, devoting his spare time to the advancement of his education. As an avid student and reader of classic and contemporary writers, Franklin quickly became adept at writing, and he soon developed his own unique prose style. Franklin's brother, James Franklin, founded and created his own newspaper, called The New England Courant. Franklin spent his days delivering the newspaper, and worked all night writing articles for it.
             In October of 1726, Franklin returned to Philadelphia to continue his trade. In September 1729, he bought the Pennsylvania Gazette, a boring, poorly edited weekly newspaper. Using his wit and tact, Franklin quickly turned the newspaper around, making readers more appreciative of the newspaper. A year later, Franklin married a Philadelphia woman named Deborah Read.
             These articles, published anonymously, won wide notice and acclaim for their observations on the current scene. Because of its liberal bias, the New England Courant frequently incurred the displeasure of the colonial authorities. In 1722, as a consequence of an article considered particularly offensive, James Franklin was imprisoned for a month and forbidden to publish his paper, and for a while it appeared under Benjamin's name (Benjamin Franklin, Funk & Wagnall's Online Encyclopedia).
             After a disagreement with his brother, Franklin left Boston for Philadelphia. He arrived there in 1723, and continued his trade as a printer. Through his work, he was able to attain many friends, one of which was Sir William Keith - the governor of Pennsylvania. Keith advised and persuaded Franklin to go to London to refine his writing and printing skill and to purchase equipment to return to the colonies...