Not Your Usual Founding Father: Selected Readings from Benjamin Franklin
Eminent in Franklin studies and the author of an outstanding biography (Benjamin Franklin, 2002), Morgan explains that this anthology differs from the typical selections of writings by founders, which showcase themes of revolution, war, and political philosophy. Here Morgan pursues the man himself, particularly Franklin's fascination with the curiosities of human behavior. While public affairs are often the overt subject, these pieces show Franklin as a naturally sociable man. Nothing exasperated him quite as much as the attitudes of British leaders, many of whom he knew directly as a colonial agent in London, toward America in the 1760s, yet Franklin is shown preserving civility, at the least, and friendship, if possible. Framed by Morgan's context-setting commentary, Franklin's humane solicitude and observational acuity surface in varied places (on ship, in Parisian salons) and in varied formats (personal letters, published satires) in such a way that readers encounter directly Franklin's seeming simplicity, which actually masked a deep complexity and which continually makes him the most interesting founder.Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.