Editing Benjamin Franklins Philadelphia (section)

== Arrival and Early Career ==

Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia in October 1723, a seventeen-year-old runaway from his apprenticeship to his brother James, a Boston printer. He famously walked up Market Street carrying rolls of bread, exhausted and nearly penniless, passing his future wife Deborah Read, who observed him from her doorway. The young Franklin found work in the printing trade and quickly demonstrated the intelligence, ambition, and social skills that would characterize his career. After a sojourn in London to acquire printing supplies—and a taste of metropolitan culture—Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1726 and began building the business and civic enterprises that would make him the city's most prominent citizen.<ref name="isaacson">{{cite book |last=Isaacson |first=Walter |title=Benjamin Franklin: An American Life |year=2003 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York}}</ref>

By 1730, Franklin had established himself as a successful printer, publishing ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' and the enormously popular ''Poor Richard's Almanack''. His printing business provided the financial foundation for his later pursuits, generating steady income while allowing Franklin to participate in public life. The ''Gazette'' became one of the most influential newspapers in the colonies, covering local and international news while advocating for Franklin's views on matters from civic improvement to imperial politics. The ''Almanack'', published annually from 1732 to 1758, combined practical information (weather predictions, astronomical data) with the aphorisms attributed to "Poor Richard"—homespun wisdom that promoted industry, frugality, and common sense.<ref name="lemay">{{cite book |last=Lemay |first=J.A. Leo |title=The Life of Benjamin Franklin |year=2006 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>