Not Your Usual Founding Father: Selected Readings from Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (PDF)

Description

An eminent Franklin scholar introduces us to the gregarious founding father who would be a welcome guest at any dinner table This 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.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “A fine collection, greatly enhanced by Morgan’s sprightly and readable introductions.”-Gordon S. Wood, Brown University “Of all the truly great American historians, Edmund S. Morgan comes closest to capturing the spirit of Benjamin Franklin’s prose in his own work: enlightening, plain, witty, democratic, cosmopolitan, and crafty in the best sense of the word. Here he arranges an expert’s tour through Franklin’s writings, offering readers a continual Christmas.”-Sean Wilentz, author of “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln” “What James Boswell did for Samuel Johnson, Edmund Morgan has now done for Benjamin Franklin, here allowing us into a conversation that brings the great man to life in all his Protean splendor.”-Joseph J. Ellis, author of “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation”” ” “Edmund Morgan, the most distinguished of Benjamin Franklin’s scholars and fans, has put together a glorious compendium of his writings that reminds us how delightful and witty he was. You will be mesmerized-and find out what that word really means!”-Walter Isaacson, author of “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” About the Author Edmund S. Morgan, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University, was recently honored with a special citation from the Pulitzer board for what Pulitzer officials described as “his creative and deeply influential body of work as an American historian that spans the last half century.”

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐It’s illuminating reading Franklin’s own words, rather than through the filter of some historian. What was really going on in America at the time is vividly understood.

⭐What a fantastic read. Going back in history and reading personal and professional correspondence of one of America’s most patriotic founders. Incredible, could not put it down. New understanding of events and reasons for our departure from tyranny.

⭐This book should be required reading in school. It shows the origins of our revolution and points out the flaws in our current political state. Old Ben was involved in much of the founding fathers efforts and documents in his writings how our country came to be, and gives some insight into how we got to where we are today.

⭐Just started reading it, but so far it’s fun, informative and entertaining. He truly wasn’t what we consider as one of the stiff lipped founding fathers.

⭐

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