Title

Franklin : the essential founding father

Description

Biography of Benjamin Franklin.

Identifier

1026137

895261634

Creator

Srodes, James

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

2002

Program air date: May 19, 2002.

Publisher

Regnery Pub.

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Subject

"Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790."

"Statesmen--United States--Biography."

"Scientists--United States--Biography."

"Inventors--United States--Biography."

"Printers--United States--Biography."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

This work may be protected by copyright laws and is provided for educational and research purposes only. Any infringing use may be subject to disciplinary action and/or civil or criminal liability as provided by law. If you believe that you are the rights-holder and object to Mason’s use of this image, please contact speccoll@gmu.edu.

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on front free endpaper, verso, half-title and title page: Junto, Masons, Union Fire Company, Penn. Gazette, Quakers, Franklin Stove, Leyden Jar, Kite of experiment. U. of Penn., fund raising for Free Hospital, first fire insurance, first modern postal delivery system, Royal Society. 1744- 1.6 mill. inhabitants by 1760 only 45% of settlers English in New York; 40% in New Jersey. Observations-B.F. wrote first time about slaves p 107; Anti-German, B.F. a racist. B.F. wrote his autobiography in 1788--he was 82. Thomas and Richard Penn held title to 45 million acres in Pennsylvania. Franklin sick for a year after arrival in London 1757. Malaria/fever. Autumn 1762--Return to Phil p 170. Supporters give a hero's welcome. Critics: expense of mission, lascivious pursuit of women. Pop. 25,000 largest city in colonies. Franklin returns to Phillie from London on May 5, 1775--Lex and Concord April 19. Britain had only 45,000 troops in the entire empire. 8 million Brits. Franklin's two best skills. 1. Plotting strategy in private; 2. Writing documents for public purposes. Franklin and Jefferson--brightest minds of the American Enlightenment p 269. The French--supported Independence. b. Jan 6, 1706 was moved Jan 17; d. April 17, 1790. Tues. Apr 4, 1 p.m. 5'10". Didn't drink--lots of water--while with the printer in London. Swimming teaches. Back to Phillie--1725 Deborah marries John Rogers--he leaves in 2 years. Boston roots--wanted to become a better person--was a deist. Back to Phillie--Oct 1726 from London. Sir William Keith was a fraud. William Penn dies 1718. He could coldly cut people off when he didn't respect them. 1727 found Junto conversation club--made friend that lasted 30 years. Pleurisy almost killed--he wrote an EPITAPH p 53. Religion p 54--great force of Providence. 13 virtues. By 1730 Ben ran a print shop, a newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette and a small store that sold stationary, father William, illegitimate son. Thomas Penn--Franklin's nemesis, came to U.S. from Britain-29 yrs. old. Poor Richard's Almanak-1733-a fictional character sayings footnote p 66. B.F. a Mason. Molasses Act of 1733--the seed of American Revolution. Feud with his half brother James. Not much od a speaker-backroom negotiator. P. 123 London--ship rode at anchor into summer, B.F. was on board 1757. Lamb checks each of bbok sections on the Contents page and adds Geo III- In London on Chapter 8 A New Nemesis. Notes: "Burning ambition--1748 he was 42, 84 years was the essential American," "whirlwind," "laugh, serious, ruthless," "26 years," "French and Indians 1753," "Bostonian, best writer, not a Quaker," "Son William illegitimate," "wife Deborah behind," "father Josiah," "1683 father to Boston," "Anne 7 children," "2nd wife Abiah 10 children," "Slavery legal in Mass until 1776," "13 people around table," "Books a luxury," "chosen child," "head of class," "a printer," "press," "1719 Boston Gazette," "first and foremost a printer," "books," "debate," "female learning," "improper," "my writing," "don't contradict," "small pox," "16 yrs old publisher," "Silence Dogwood," "Cotton Mather," "moved NYC," "Phillie," "1724 back to Boston," "Gov. Keith's printing project," "women of Phillie," "Deborah Reed," "London 1724," "50 x's larger Boston," "George I no English," "Robert Walpole," "London fatal disease," "15,000 Africans living in Britain 2/3rds slave," "200 book shops," "Ben 19," "Gov Keith fraud," "ambition," "affair Mrs. T, morally a drift, deism," "swimming," "back to Phillie, Deborah Read married Jon Rogers 1725," "Franklin 21, rules of conduct," "Thomas Denham, the shop," "Penn dies 1718," "1729 Ben's pleurisy," "Samuel Keimer," "Keimer takes him back," "Ben quits," "Junto club," "EPITAPH," "religion and Jesus," "awe of his God," "13 virtues," "God," "Print shop," "studied German," "1735 John Peter Zenger," "smallpox," "William's mother," "Deborah marries, common law," "Quaker, colony named," "William dies 1718," "one of 8 weekly," "plenty of servants," "Poor Richard," "Pappy/Debby," "Debby stayed him," "The Library Company," "B.F. devious," "Gazette journal of record," "smallpox," "little sympathy for Indians," "Andrew Bradford, James Logan, Andrew Hamilton," "16 years before Penn sees Franklin," "ADD for B.F.," "German, French, Italian, Latin, Greek," "study of natural science," "kidney stones," "electricity," "Leyden jar," "1749 lightening rod," "pre-Christmas dinner w. electricity ," "the kite experiment," "kite trial," "postal delivery system," "French and Indian Was 1754," "iron," "B.F. slaves," "Geo Wash 22 yrs.," "B.F. Copley medical 1753," "summer 1757 voyage to London," "Falmouth," "Peter Collisin," "William 27," "new clothes, wigs," "B.F. John Hanbury," "Lord Grenville says nature of constitution," "King rules," "U.S. never self-sufficient," "B.F. on Thomas Paine," "Thomas's home," "1757 ill malaria, fever for 2 months," "Dr. Fothergill," "a book," "B.F. about Penns 1759," "B.F. about William Smith," "B.F. no such idea," "summer 1755," "radical view, society own," "British empire," "1760 Geo II dead, Geo III," "Franklin liked Geo III," "power," "colonists loyal subjects," "Thomas Penn," "Channing Cross home," "1st change in attitude toward blacks," "Samuel Johnson spurned Franklin," "Wigs," "William got woman pregnant," "David Hume first philosopher," "1761 losses B.F.'s folly and grand living," "Oxford 1762 honorary degree," "Billy's wife, B.F.'s displeasure," "B.F. cut off his son and fiancée, 5 years away, return to America," "Return home to Phillie-autumn 1762," "royal charter," "3000 lbs," "travels the colonies on postal matters," "visited son," "B.F. 57, slow to mend," "Amherst smallpox," "letter to Fothergill," "Betty's mother Barbara house servant," "a sneer," "more taxes," "1764 political campaign," "Sugar Act," "No paper money," "James Otis taxation w/o representation," "letter to Peter Collinson," "Franklin loses vote," "back to London," "he loved London," "William Strahan," "Polly 173 letters," "illegitimate daughter," "Catharine Ray affair," "romance, letters," "Catharine married William Greene," "the painting," "no mistress!" "sexual edge," "unfair taxing," "Stamp Act," "violent backlash," "if this be treason," "King Geo III gets control," "sea change coming," "Lees Arthur, William." "John Dickinson," "1771 B.F. warns," "written 5 years before Lexington," "couldn't be bribed," "B.F. multiple agent," "tea law," "violence in Colonies," "Irish and Scots," "David Hume," "Adam Smith," "B.F. was 65," "grandson Benjamin," "steam engine 1771," "dissecting," "found skeletons 225 yrs later," "sexual experimentation," "wild orgies," "Satire 1773," "B.F. rebellious," "March left London," "son William wouldn't resign; he was 45," "the rout at Concord," "France," "colonies must be crushed," "asleep during debates," "gout, boils, fatigue," "hot summer," "Harrison, Dickinson, Johnson, Jay, foreign service," "March 1776 Franklin-70," "to Canada, 14th colony?" "Son William jailed," "Dec of Independence," "T.J. draft," "haste," "Adams wrongfully recalled," "Declaration, Franklin edits," "19 of 21 accusations stood," "slavery," "RI, Conn bans on slavery," "Benjamin Rush," "changes disappointed," "4 states hung back," "12 states on July 2," "no record," "Penn constitutional convention," "Franklin," "Model Treaty," "Franklin to Brits Lord Howe," "bleak for Americans," "trip to Staten Island," "Franklin, Adams, Rutledge meet Howe," "Franklin, Silas Deane, Arthur Lee--sent to the court of Louis 16 1776, his 7th crossing of the Atlantic," "Passy, 9 servants, 1000 bottles," "3 commissioners: Franklin, Deane, Lee," "Deane dies bankrupt," "Lord North offered house rule to colonies," "Lee to B.F.," "John Adams," "Adams vs. Franklin," "B.F. to Congress," "Adams memoir about Franklin," "waited for Mr. Franklin," "Adams about B.F.," "France, King Louis, 20 million livres," "Congress not hearing from B.F.," "Adams in Paris, 1780," "Adams barred in France," "new commissioner," "Adams's health, goiter," "new love object," "B.F. letter on the ladies," "love peaked 1778," "Abigail about Anne-Catherine," "his loves shared him," "1781 Oct 19 Yorktown," "70,000 men sent to US.," "praise of France," "Geo. Mason," "James Wilson reads speech," "39 signed," "B.F. to Yale Pres Ezra Stiles--a creed."