Hero of the Revolution: Benjamin Franklin

Students interpret Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon, Join or Die. Then they examine his role as an American statesman. Next they review some of his other accomplishments and write a short report on one of them. Finally, they analyze a saying from Poor Richard’s Almanack.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

Overview

In this experience, students interpret Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon, “Join or Die.” Then they examine his role as an American statesman. Next they review some of his other accomplishments and write a short report on one of them. Finally, they analyze a saying from Poor Richard’s Almanack.

If you have access to leveled readers that include a biography of Benjamin Franklin, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 40–60 minutes or several days, depending how much time you want to give students to research their short reports

Vocabulary words:

opinion
exaggerate
statesman, stateswoman
ambassador, diplomat
alliance

Objectives

Describe the political, scientific, and cultural contributions of Benjamin Franklin
Evaluate Poor Richard's Almanack as an expression of colonial America

Engage

Benjamin Franklin played an important role in colonial America and the early United States. He made contributions in many areas, including politics, science, and culture. In this experience, you will learn about Franklin's life and some of his many accomplishments.

Objectives

Describe the political, scientific, and cultural contributions of Benjamin Franklin
Evaluate Poor Richard's Almanack as an expression of colonial America

A snake cut into pieces with the initials of the names of the colonies; the cartoon has the title: Join, or Die

Cartoon by Benjamin Franklin (1754)

A political cartoon is a drawing that expresses an opinion about a political person, event, or issue. Cartoonists often use humor, symbols, or exaggeration to make a point.

The political cartoon shown above was drawn by Benjamin Franklin during the French and Indian War. The cartoon became very popular just before and during the American Revolution.

What do you think that Franklin is trying to say by creating this cartoon? Hint: The initials stand for the names of the colonies. For example, N.Y. is New York.

Post your answer

Benjamin Franklin was expressing his opinion that if the colonies did not cooperate and act together, they would all fail.

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