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 43
Page 6
... numbers of abandoned children in both England and France continue an exchange prompted by Whately's appointment as treasurer of London's Foundling Hospital . Franklin was fond of children and ever eager to sup- port efforts for their ...
... numbers of abandoned children in both England and France continue an exchange prompted by Whately's appointment as treasurer of London's Foundling Hospital . Franklin was fond of children and ever eager to sup- port efforts for their ...
Page 28
... number of the ladies of Paris . When he discovered that they were as fond of raillery as he was , and considerably more practiced at it , he indulged himself without restraint and soon became known as a gallant and a wit . Anne - Louise ...
... number of the ladies of Paris . When he discovered that they were as fond of raillery as he was , and considerably more practiced at it , he indulged himself without restraint and soon became known as a gallant and a wit . Anne - Louise ...
Page 33
... and that they had been furnish'd with a good sensible Instinct instead of it . At Dover the next Morning we embark'd for Calais with a Number of Passengers who had never been before at Sea . They FRIENDSHIP AND FLIRTATION [ 33 ]
... and that they had been furnish'd with a good sensible Instinct instead of it . At Dover the next Morning we embark'd for Calais with a Number of Passengers who had never been before at Sea . They FRIENDSHIP AND FLIRTATION [ 33 ]
Page 36
... Number of Statues , Figures , Urns , & c in Marble and Bronze of exquisite Workmanship is beyond Conception . But the Water- works are out of Repair , and so is great Part of the Front next the Town , looking with its shabby half Brick ...
... Number of Statues , Figures , Urns , & c in Marble and Bronze of exquisite Workmanship is beyond Conception . But the Water- works are out of Repair , and so is great Part of the Front next the Town , looking with its shabby half Brick ...
Page 48
... Number of the King's Subjects , in a new Country that really wants People ? I own it , I should think it a Praise - worthy , rather than a punishable Action . I have debauched no other Woman's Husband , nor enticed any Youth ; these ...
... Number of the King's Subjects , in a new Country that really wants People ? I own it , I should think it a Praise - worthy , rather than a punishable Action . I have debauched no other Woman's Husband , nor enticed any Youth ; these ...
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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