Benjamin Franklin

Book

Benjamin Franklin / Edmund S. Morgan.

Morgan, Edmund S. (Edmund Sears), 1916- (Author).

Summary:

Benjamin Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. He was also a pioneering scientist, a best selling author, the country's first postmaster general, a printer, a bon vivant, a diplomat, a ladies' man, and a moralist-and the most prominent celebrity of the eighteenth century. Franklin was, however, a man of vast contradictions, as Edmund Morgan demonstrates in this brilliant biography. A reluctant revolutionary, Franklin had desperately wished to preserve the British Empire, and he mourned the break even as he led the fight for American independence. Despite his passion for science, Franklin viewed his groundbreaking experiments as secondary to his civic duties. And although he helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, he had personally hoped that the new American government would take a different shape. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed the public interest before his own desires.

Record details

ISBN: 0300095325 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 9780300095326 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: xi, 339 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Publisher: New Haven : Yale University Press, c2002.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:: An exciting world -- "A dangerous man" -- An empire of Englishmen -- Proprietary pretensions -- The importance of opinion -- Endgame -- Becoming American -- Representing a nation of states -- A difficult peace -- Going home.