The Age of Benjamin Franklin

In Franklin's unfinished autobiography, he creates a persona for himself as a role model others may follow; there is more to Franklin than he shows on the page; surveying the book offers some foundational insights into his life and his worldview.

The Franklins are a typical 18th-century family, extended across space; filled with comedy and tragedy, wealth and poverty; meeting his parents and siblings; learning the story of his wife and first-born son; accompanying Franklin on his travels.

One may associate Franklin with Philadelphia, but his roots lie in Boston; many of the virtues Franklin cultivates throughout his life grow from the values of the Boston Puritans; witnessing the events that Franklin experiences in his youth.

Shifting attention to the City of Brotherly Love; 18th-century Philadelphia is one of the leading cities in British America; it is one of the leading cities in the British Empire; what makes this city so important; how the city shapes Franklin.

If Philadelphia is one of the British Empire's leading cities, London itself becomes the metropolis of the Western world, the largest city in Europe and the nexus of global trade; getting to know this city; examining some of Franklin's pastimes.

A major revolution in the 18th century thanks to the printing press; the rise in literacy, the spread of ideas and the creation of communities across oceans reshapes the world's intellectual landscape; delving into Franklin's career as a printer.

The 18th century sees scientific paradigms shift; Franklin is a scientist, or as he would term it, a "natural philosopher"; his scientific contributions would earn him a place in the history books; examining some of his major inventions and ideas.

Unpacking Franklin's greatest scientific contributions, which are in the field of electricity; reviewing his most important discoveries, experiments and contributions; reflecting on the lasting legacy of Franklin as a scientist.

Franklin lives through both a great age of rationality and a religious revival; Franklin is a close friend of both evangelist George Whitefield and skeptic David Hume; what Franklin makes of these divergent intellectual movements.

The 18th century is also the golden age of satire, which provides an excellent way to question authority and challenge received wisdom; Franklin is among peers with Swift, Defoe and Voltaire; he used personas like Silence Dogood to critique society.

Among Franklin's lesser-known abilities are his musical talents, which make use of his rational mind; the world of 18th-century music; Professor Allison reveals Franklin's musical prowess, including the invention of a new musical instrument.

Franklin is called everything from a "babe magnet" to "the founding flirt"; although he is married and had a family, he also has a number of unconventional liaisons; considering the many women in Franklin's life; his relationships with them.

Franklin's disposition makes him reluctant to enter politics; this hesitant politician becomes one of the most important political figures in the English-speaking world; surveying Franklin's entry into politics; his style as a politician.

Franklin knows more about Native Americans than modern historians do; the Iroquois, Delaware and other natives loom large in his world; witnessing his negotiations with these groups; reflecting on his views toward American Indians.

Franklin's attitudes toward race and slavery change over the course of his life; he owns four slaves, yet he comes to despise the institution; surveying the institution of American slavery; going through Franklin's life as he wrestles with slavery.

Franklin's attitudes toward the British Empire shift as Parliament struggles to govern far-flung colonies; Franklin's role as an American agent to London while tensions rise between Britain and the colonies; a drumbeat of war begins to be heard.

The tensions between Americans and the British; in the wake of the Tea Act and Boston Tea Party, Franklin in London as an agent for the American colonies struggles to patch the relationship and salvage the empire; by 1775, a break is imminent.

Franklin plays a central role in America's declaration of independence, the formation of a new government in Pennsylvania and diplomatic forays to Canada and France; the lessons the reluctant politician learns that help him navigate a new world.

The late 18th century is an age of political and philosophical revolution due to the spread of Enlightenment values; Franklin is the American counterpart of his friends David Hume and Voltaire; viewing the world with reason and skepticism.

In December 1776, Franklin travels to Paris as an ambassador; journeying with him through France over the next nine years; how he adapts to French politics and culture; how he cultivates an image of himself as a representative of the New World.

Franklin's mission is one of complicated diplomacy; bringing France into a military alliance with the U.S.; speaking to other European powers to support the American cause; a peace treaty with Great Britain; his strategy for achieving these ends.

When Franklin returns to America, he hopes to enjoy life as a private citizen; public duty calls once again; although America has won its independence, many challenges remain; delving into the debates and trials of a new nation.

Franklin writes a blueprint for how to win friends; he is much more complicated than the persona he creates; from his beginnings as a ruthless businessman to his half-century as a political player, he develops numerous critics and even enemies.

Franklin's legacy is as extraordinary as his life; why he is remembered so fondly when so many of his contemporaries are forgotten; considering why Franklin's legacy has endured; examining the many ways he is remembered by posterity.