Benjamin stood on his tiptoes, trying to see over the edge of the tall printing press. His master, Mr. Franklin, was setting tiny metal letters into a wooden frame. Each letter had to be placed backward so it would print correctly on paper.
"Come here, Benjamin," Mr. Franklin said. "It's time you learned to set type." Benjamin was nine years old and worked as an apprentice in the print shop. It was 1723 in Philadelphia, and printed materials were precious.
Mr. Franklin showed Benjamin the type case. Capital letters were in the upper part of the case, and small letters were in the lower part. "Why do we call them uppercase and lowercase?" Benjamin asked. "Because of where they're stored!" Mr. Franklin answered.
Benjamin practiced picking up the tiny letters and setting them into the composing stick. It was difficult work. The letters were small, and he had to place them backward and upside down. When he made a mistake, he had to remove all the letters and start over.
After the type was set, Mr. Franklin inked the press. He placed a sheet of paper on top and pulled the large lever. The press squeezed the paper against the inked type. When he lifted the paper, Benjamin could see clear black letters.
"Read it aloud," Mr. Franklin said. Benjamin read the news story about ships arriving from England. "We made this! We printed words that people will read!" he exclaimed.
Mr. Franklin nodded. "Information is power, Benjamin. A printing press spreads knowledge. When people can read news and books, they can make better decisions. They can learn new things. They can think for themselves."