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. |
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Results 1-5 of 31
Page 9
... French King for his palace at Versailles, but was cast away upon this island, and by Sir Robert himself in his life-time applied to this use, and that the whole monument was finished long before he died, (though not fixed up in that ...
... French King for his palace at Versailles, but was cast away upon this island, and by Sir Robert himself in his life-time applied to this use, and that the whole monument was finished long before he died, (though not fixed up in that ...
Page 24
... , so that I understand French better by the help of my spectacles.— Adieu , my dear Friend , and believe me ever . Yours very affectionately B. Franklin 2 Friendship and flirtation. M ost of Franklin's correspondence was [ 24 ] THE MA N.
... , so that I understand French better by the help of my spectacles.— Adieu , my dear Friend , and believe me ever . Yours very affectionately B. Franklin 2 Friendship and flirtation. M ost of Franklin's correspondence was [ 24 ] THE MA N.
Page 34
... French ; but the latter have , with their Knavery the most Politeness . The Roads we found equally good with ours in England , in some Places pav'd with smooth Stone like our new Streets for many Miles together , and Rows of Trees on ...
... French ; but the latter have , with their Knavery the most Politeness . The Roads we found equally good with ours in England , in some Places pav'd with smooth Stone like our new Streets for many Miles together , and Rows of Trees on ...
Page 36
... 'd , and the Stones being gener- ally Cubes , when worn on one Side may be turn'd and become new . The Civilities we every where receive give us the strongest Impressions of the French Politeness . It seems to be a [ 36 ] THE MA N.
... 'd , and the Stones being gener- ally Cubes , when worn on one Side may be turn'd and become new . The Civilities we every where receive give us the strongest Impressions of the French Politeness . It seems to be a [ 36 ] THE MA N.
Page 37
... French- man . Only think what a Figure I make in a little Bag Wig and naked Ears ! They told me I was become 20 Years younger , and look'd very galante ; so being in Paris where the Mode is to be sacredly follow'd , I was once very near ...
... French- man . Only think what a Figure I make in a little Bag Wig and naked Ears ! They told me I was become 20 Years younger , and look'd very galante ; so being in Paris where the Mode is to be sacredly follow'd , I was once very near ...
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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