Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (PDF)

Description

In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America’s founders helped define our national character.Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin’s life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation’s alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.

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⭐While it is probably impossible to single out one individual as the most important figure in early American History, it is difficult to dispute that Benjamin Franklin was a most interesting and multi-talented individual in that period. His occupations included printer, writer, publisher, editor, scientist, inventor, statesman, postmaster, and diplomat. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, The American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia’s first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania. In Walter Isaacson’s biography, every aspect of the life story of this founding father was told in a style which is both engaging, humorous, and touching.After meticulously describing the events before, during and after the American Revolution, Isaacson’s summed up Franklin’s contributions by pointing out that he was the only person to sign all four of its founding papers: the Declaration of Independence, the treaty with France, the peace accord with Britain, and the Constitution.It was interesting to learn that Franklin’s proposed experiments to show that lightning was electricity and that metal rods could be used to snatch lightning from the sky were communicated to his English friend Peter Collinson in 1750, which were presented to the Royal Society in London and then widely published. It was translated into French in early 1752. King Louis XV asked that the lab tests be performed for Franklin, which they were in February by three Frenchmen. On encouragement from the King, the three went on to perform the lightning rod experiment on May 10, 1752. This was before the famous Kite experiment performed by Franklin, assisted by his son William, in June 1752. He was thus well-known and respected before he was sent to France as Ambassador, and his fame certainly helped with securing the aid of France in the Revolutionary War, without which History would likely be very different.In describing Franklin’s scientific contributions and inventions, Isaacson went much beyond Electricity and the Lightning Rod. Some of Franklin’s discoveries included that dark fabrics absorb heat better than bright ones and northeaster storms travel up the coast from the south in the opposite direction from their winds. He and Captain Timothy Folger published the Gulf Stream Chart detailing the North Atlantic Ocean circulation patterns. Besides the lightning rod, Franklin also invented the bifocal lens and a wood-burning stove that could be built into fireplaces to maximize heat while minimizing smoke and drafts. For his achievements, he received honorary degrees from Yale, Harvard and the College of William and Mary. On the other side of the pond, he received honorary doctorate degrees from Oxford University and the University of St. Andrews. He was elected the first American member of the Royal Society of London.The path of Franklin as a writer was rather interesting. His formal education consisted of two years at Boston’s Latin School but did not graduate. Most of his education he picked up on his own through voracious reading. Among his favorite books were John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” and Cotton Mather’s “Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good.”. In particular, he was fond of reading the deft essays by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in The Spectator, a London daily that flourished in 1711-12. These essays probed the vanities and values of contemporary life. Franklin began writing and publishing essays under various pseudonyms, the first one being “Silence Dogood” in his brother James’ paper in Boston and later a series of “Busy-Body Essays” in Andrew Bradford’s paper Mercury in Philadelphia. These writings were not only satires and criticisms of contemporary issues but they also contained Franklin’s self-help rules. When Sir William Keith, then Governor of Pennsylvania, saw a letter Franklin wrote to a brother-in-law explaining why he was happy in Philadelphia and had no desire to return to Boston, the Governor was so impressed that “a missive so eloquent had been written by a lad so young”, he pledged to sponsor Franklin to England to procure printing equipment for a second newspaper in Philadelphia. So Benjamin went to England for the first time in 1723, at the age of 17. The pledge was never honored by the Governor.Franklin became a popular writer when he published Poor Richard Almanack in his own paper the Pennsylvania Gazette under the pseudonym “Richard Saunders”. His fame as a writer was further consolidated with the publication of his autobiography. Although the autobiography was incomplete and published after his death, it has become one of the classics of the genre. It is amusing that the one book David Crockett carried to his death at the Alamo was Franklin’s autobiography.Franklin’s relationship with his family members, as well as his extraordinary ability to befriend a number of ladies, in America, London, as well as in Paris, is told in exquisite detail in the book. One of these lady friends, Polly Stevenson, travelled from London to Philadelphia to be with him in his final days and was at his bedside when he died. It is sad to read that he and his wife, Deborah, was an ocean apart during 15 of their last 17 years of marriage and he was not present when she died. Franklin and his son William were on opposite sides of the American Revolutionary War and they never reconciled. It was also sad to learn that many of Franklin’s French friends were brutally killed during the French Revolution. On the other hand, it was amusing to read about Franklin’s suggestion to a young lady friend on the art of procuring pleasant dreams. Humors such as this are scattered throughout the book.It is surprising that a person as accomplished as Franklin had drawn fierce criticisms from people who had not made significant contributions to society. These are summarized in the last chapter of the book, which ends with Isaacson’s strong rebuttal to these criticisms.Many well-known quotes attributed to Franklin first appeared in Poor Richard Almanack, ranging from the amusing, serious, to profound. I think Franklin would be delighted to see this review ending with several of the quotes below:“Fish and visitors stink in three days.”“Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.”“Religion is important, but too much of it is worse than none at all.”

⭐Recently, I have been spending time exploring the lives of America’s founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin was someone that I thought I knew. In grade school we learn about the pithy Philladelphia boy who rose from poverty to wealth, flew a kite in a rain storm, and became an immortal figure in the “Pantheon” of the American founders. However, I discovered that I really did not know Franklin very well at all; the one-dimensional description that I knew was not sufficient to capture the essence of this complicated man. Walter Isaacson carefully depicts one of the most controversial and beloved founders in our history. Isaacson is not a historian but he certainly does a great job and often proves to be objective in his analysis; albeit, not as objective as I would always liked him to have been. There are many admirable qualities about this work and there are a few things that I thought could have made the book a much stronger work. Here are a few pros and cons about the book that might help you in your decision to purchase it.Isaacson is very passionate for his subject and that is something that he cannot keep veiled very well. The beginning of the book starts out slow but once he gets moving then he keeps a strong steady pace. It is refreshing to see a writer with so much enthusiasm for his subject and while some historians frown on that; I don’t. I like the way he traces Franklin’s life and family history. In fact, his family history really gives us a context for understanding the way Franklin thought and acted. His strong puritanical upbringing did not make him a religious man, but it did tend to create a desire to be socially proactive. In fact, I appreciate the way that Isaacson traced the religious journey of Franklin and I wish that more authors would concentrate on this aspect of the political/ social figures they are writing about. Franklin’s religious life is not one that is static but rather one that was constantly evolving and moving towards a more coherent view. His religion like everything else in his life, was strongly pragmatic. In many ways, we find in Dr. Franklin that strong American pragmatism that has come to define the American people in the past and present.Franklin’s home life was a very slippery slope and it was difficult to know what to make of his relationship with family. Franklin had a son born out of wedlock and their relationship was rocky thoughout his life, and particularly at the latter end. He had a grandson by this son that was also born out of wedlock and yet he loved this boy, perhaps even more than his own son. His marriage to Deborah was also very strange. Some historians have concluded or at least suggested that Franklin did not love her. He spent years of his life away from her and his letters do not reveal a tender affection towards her. Yet, Isaacson suggests that there is a way in which Franklin did regard her. Many have painted him as a philanderer whose nefarious dalliances and sexual escapades are among the most outrageous among the founders. Isaacson suggests that while Franklin certainly had emotional affairs that he remained faithful to his wife. To be honest with you, it seems a little difficult to believe. It is hard to imagine that a man who sits in a bathtub with another woman is not physically involved with her. I think he is right that we should assume that Franklin was probably not as wild as he is taken to be, but I am not convinced of his monogamy. This was an area where I felt the authors personal feelings for his subject may have interfered with his better judgment.The writing style of the author was easy and generally engaging despite the fact that I thought he had a weak beginning. There were a few discrepancies that caught my attention and I will have to read a great deal more about this topic to be certain. Most people know that John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were selected to help Thomas Jefferson in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Most historians seem to suggest that Adams was the one who really pushed for Jefferson to write it and states his reasons as: 1. Jefferson is a Virginian and a Virginian should be at the head of this business. 2. Jefferson was liked while he thought himself to be obnoxious and not well liked by many in Congress. 3. Jefferson is a far more eloquent writer than the others. Isaacson suggests that it was Franklin who said this not Adams. This seems to be a mistake as Franklin is the one who is thought to have suggested Jefferson change “sacred and inviolable” to “inalienable” because the former smacked of the pulpit. I think that it was in fact Adams who stated the three basic reasons that Jefferson should write the document. Franklin was not obnoxious and seemed to always be generally well thought of and that alone caused me to question Isaacson on this point. There were other small issues that I wondered about through the book. Generally, he seemed to be factually accurate and his writing style was interesting enough to attract a reader who may not be prone to read history books.I was happy to see that this writer spent a great deal of time salvaging the reputation of Franklin. His reputation has suffered as he is often portrayed as an intelligent man that prone to buffoonery. Certainly, he had a sense of humor and he could be somewhat crude. The funniest piece I read was his fake letter to the royal academy of farts. However, to see Franklin as a mere jester is to miss the force of his convictions, visions, and political prowess. Franklin had the foresight to see that America needed to unite along the lines of the Iroquois Confederacy long before many others. He was a man who believed in internal improvements, pragmatic scientific discovery, and a strong middle class. His vision for this nation has been a strong guidepost for two centuries of American thought. His work as a diplomat in France is a model for modern diplomacy. He was a fox when it came to dealing with other humans and his penchant for compromise is what helped to give us the constitution that we know have.Overall, it was a good work that serves as a solid starting point for Franklin’s life. He honored Franklin and while he was often soft on his shortcomings he did not altogether deny them. His portrayal of Adams seemed a little warped and his dislike of Adams bled through the descriptions. While I know that Adams had a side that made him a hard man to deal with, I did not always feel that he gave hm enough credit. His ending was solid and I love the way that he wrapped up the loose ends by explaining what happened to Franklin’s family and close friends. It would have been nice if the book had included images so as to see some of the people that are discussed throughout the book. These are just minor complaints and do not detract from the work in any significant way.I will give it 1 star for readablity, 1 star for solid research, 1 star for bibliography, and 1 star for content. As far as the last star is concerned I would take away 1/2 star for minor discrepancies and a 1/2 star for the slow and laborious start to the book.

⭐Way too much detail in this biography of Benjamin Franklin. Undoubtedly well researched but could have been reduced in size to good effect. I lost interest when only a third of the way through.

⭐Great read for those unfamiliar with American history, good quality bought second hand from world of books

⭐Excellent telling of a life well lived

⭐good book.ray steel.

⭐Good price. Quick delivery.

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