Benjamin Franklin is commonly recognized as a printer as he had created one of the largest printing businesses in colonial America. He loved to read and he taught himself to be an author by rewriting his favorite written work. He had lots of success by writing an almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Franklin was initially a loyalist but he gradually began to turn to independence. He tried convincing the king and parliament to take action by preventing any conflicts. His change from a loyalist to patriot ended up splitting his family since his son, William, became a leader in the loyalist cause. He went to France to ask for help because he needed them to be an ally since they had a strong military to fight against England.