Final answer:
At 12 years old, Benjamin Franklin began his training as a printer, later writing an autobiography about his life's journey which illustrates the American Dream. Frederick Douglass at a similar age confronted the struggles of enslavement, drawing hope from a book that featured a dialogue ending in emancipation. Franklin's later achievements include his work on Poor Richard's Almanack, the Treaty of Paris, and contributions to the founding of the U.S.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Benjamin Franklin was 12 years old, he was already in the process of training as a printer, which served as the foundation for his future endeavors as an inventor, scientist, writer, and statesman. Franklin, later in life, wrote an autobiography that detailed his own "rags to riches" story, encapsulating the essence of the American Dream of upward social mobility. Another figure who faced hardships at a young age was Frederick Douglass, who mentions in his writings that around the age of 12, he was already grappling with the grim reality of being a lifelong slave. This realization was spurred by his reading of "The Columbian Orator," which included a dialogue that resulted in a slave's voluntary emancipation, planting seeds of hope and resistance in Douglass's young mind.
Franklin's accomplishments, such as publishing Poor Richard's Almanack, promoting colonial unity with the Albany Plan, and his role in major historical events like the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, including his participation in the signing of the Treaty of Paris, were critical. His writing, diplomacy, and advocacy significantly impacted the formation and development of the United States.