Not Your Usual Founding Father: Selected Readings from Benjamin FranklinThis engaging book reveals Benjamin Franklin’s human side—his tastes and habits, his enthusiasms, and his devotion to democracy and the people of the United States. Three hundred years after his birth, we may remember Franklin’s famous Autobiography, or his status as framer of the Declaration of Independence and the peace with Great Britain, or his experiments in electricity, or perhaps his sage advice on diligence and thrift. But historian Edmund S. Morgan invites us to meet the man himself, a sociable, good-natured, and extraordinary human being with boundless curiosity about the natural world and a vision of what America could be. Drawing on lifelong research in the vast Franklin archives, Morgan assembles both famous and lesser-known writings that offer insights into this founding father’s thinking. The book is organized around four major themes, each with an introduction. The first section includes journal excerpts and letters revealing Franklin’s personal tastes and habits. The second is devoted to Franklin’s inexhaustible intellectual energy and his scientific discoveries. The third and fourth chronicle his devotion to serving the people who became the United States both before and after the Revolution and to advancing his democratic vision of their future. Franklin’s humanity and genius have never seemed more real than in the pages of this appealing anthology. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 31
Page xii
... different . In 1754 he proposed a plan of union for England's North American colo- nies . It was accepted by a congress of representatives but then rejected by all the colonies . In 1775 , at the Continental Congress , he proposed ...
... different . In 1754 he proposed a plan of union for England's North American colo- nies . It was accepted by a congress of representatives but then rejected by all the colonies . In 1775 , at the Continental Congress , he proposed ...
Page 1
... different times in his life . In this part we try to catch him in the more mundane , everyday activities , thoughts , and relationships that oc- cupy all of us . First , a word about what is conspicuously missing here : his role as a ...
... different times in his life . In this part we try to catch him in the more mundane , everyday activities , thoughts , and relationships that oc- cupy all of us . First , a word about what is conspicuously missing here : his role as a ...
Page 23
... different Grains of Sand in an Hourglass . Such an Assembly cannot easily become dangerous to Liberty . They are the Servants of the People , sent together to do the People's Business and promote the public Welfare ; their Powers must ...
... different Grains of Sand in an Hourglass . Such an Assembly cannot easily become dangerous to Liberty . They are the Servants of the People , sent together to do the People's Business and promote the public Welfare ; their Powers must ...
Page 26
... different relationships with six women who were important to him over the course of his life : Catharine Ray Greene , a long - time friend both before and after her marriage ; Mary ( Polly ) Stevenson Hewson , the daughter of Franklin's ...
... different relationships with six women who were important to him over the course of his life : Catharine Ray Greene , a long - time friend both before and after her marriage ; Mary ( Polly ) Stevenson Hewson , the daughter of Franklin's ...
Page 34
... different Causes may club in producing the effect , but the Effect itself is certain . Never was I in a Place of greater Industry , Wheels and Looms going in every House . As soon as we left Abbeville the Swarthiness re- turn'd . I ...
... different Causes may club in producing the effect , but the Effect itself is certain . Never was I in a Place of greater Industry , Wheels and Looms going in every House . As soon as we left Abbeville the Swarthiness re- turn'd . I ...
Contents
1 | |
Part II Nature observed | 67 |
Part III A continental vision | 141 |
Part IV War peace and humanity | 219 |
Chronology | 289 |
Credits | 291 |
Index | 297 |
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