The Age of Benjamin Franklin

187 Pages·2018·17.46 MB·English

by  Robert J. Allison

Topic Subtopic
From the Revolutionary fervor to the taming of electricity, get to know the
quintessential American. History Modern History
The Age of
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“Pure intellectual stimulation that can be popped into h
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the [audio or video player] anytime.” A
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—Harvard Magazine e o Benjamin Franklin
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“Passionate, erudite, living legend lecturers. Academia’s e
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best lecturers are being captured on tape.” ja
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—The Los Angeles Times i Course Guidebook
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“A serious force in American education.” a
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—The Wall Street Journal k Professor Robert J. Allison
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n Suffolk University
Robert J. Allison is a Professor of History at Suffolk University in
Boston. He also teaches history at the Harvard Extension School.
Professor Allison earned his Ph.D. in the History of American
Civilization from Harvard University. His books include The
American Revolution, The Boston Massacre, and The Boston Tea
Party. Professor Allison has edited books on American history
spanning from the colonial period to the 20th century. He has
won teaching awards from both Suffolk University and the
Harvard Extension School.
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Course No. 8517 © 2018 The Teaching Company. PB8517A k
PUBLISHED BY:
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without the prior written permission of
The Teaching Company.
ROBERT J.
ALLISON, PH.D.
Professor of History
Suffolk University
Robert J. Allison is a Professor
of History at Suffolk University
in Boston. He also teaches
history at the Harvard Extension School. Professor Allison graduated
from the Harvard Extension School with an A.L.B. before earning a
Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from Harvard University.
At Suffolk University, he received the Student Government
Association’s Distinguished Faculty Award and Outstanding Faculty
Award. At the Harvard Extension School, he received the Petra
Shattuck Distinguished Teaching Award.
Professor Allison’s books include The American Revolution: A Very
Short Introduction; The Crescent Obscured: The United States and
the Muslim World, 1776–1815; Stephen Decatur: American Naval
Hero, 1779–1820; The Boston Massacre; A Short History of Boston; A
Short History of Cape Cod; and The Boston Tea Party. He has edited
books on American history spanning from the colonial period to the
20th century.
Professor Allison was a consultant to the Commonwealth Museum
in Boston, which presents the story of Massachusetts through its
historic documents, and he is on the board of trustees of the USS
Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which tells
The Age of Benjamin Franklin | i
the story of the treasured fighting ship. He is also vice president of
the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, the president of the South
Boston Historical Society, and an honorary member of The Society of
the Cincinnati.
Professor Allison’s other Great Course is Before 1776: Life in the
American Colonies. ■
ii | Professor Biography
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Professor Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Course Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Lecture Guides
LECTURE 1
Benjamin Franklin and the American Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
LECTURE 2
Meet the Franklins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
LECTURE 3
Benjamin Franklin’s Boston Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
LECTURE 4
Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
LECTURE 5
Benjamin Franklin in London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
LECTURE 6
Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Postmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The Age of Benjamin Franklin | iii
LECTURE 7
Benjamin Franklin: Scientist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
LECTURE 8
Benjamin Franklin and Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
LECTURE 9
Benjamin Franklin’s Religious Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
LECTURE 10
Benjamin Franklin: American Satirist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
LECTURE 11
The Musical Benjamin Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
LECTURE 12
Benjamin Franklin: Ladies’ Man? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
LECTURE 13
Benjamin Franklin: A Reluctant Politician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
LECTURE 14
Benjamin Franklin and the American Indians . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
LECTURE 15
Benjamin Franklin and Slavery in America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
LECTURE 16
Benjamin Franklin and Colonies vs. Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
LECTURE 17
Benjamin Franklin and the Crisis of 1773 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
iv | Table of Contents
LECTURE 18
Benjamin Franklin and Colonial Independence . . . . . . . . . . 120
LECTURE 19
Benjamin Franklin and the Age of Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . 129
LECTURE 20
Benjamin Franklin: Acclaimed in France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
LECTURE 21
Benjamin Franklin: Making Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
LECTURE 22
Benjamin Franklin: Framing the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
LECTURE 23
Benjamin Franklin’s Critics and Enemies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
LECTURE 24
Benjamin Franklin’s Remarkable Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Supplemental Material
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Image Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
The Age of Benjamin Franklin | v
vi | Scope
SCOPE
THE AGE OF
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
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Revolutions in thought, society, science, and politics
transformed the world in the 18th century. Benjamin
Franklin was a key figure in all of them. This course will
explore the many facets of this century—the rise of cities like
London and Philadelphia, the spread of newspapers and
magazines, the discovery of new scientific principles, and
the emergence of a new political philosophy—through
the life of one of the most notable Americans.
Franklin was born poor to a large family in Boston; he
was the youngest son of a soap- and candle-maker. The
family could only afford to keep him in school for a year.
An apprenticeship with his brother did not work out, though
Franklin learned the printing trade and had his first taste of
literary success. He ran away to Philadelphia at the age of 17
and remade his life, becoming a successful printer and retiring
at the age of 42 to pursue an interest in scientific experiments.
Franklin’s experiments with electricity brought him international
renown. His organizational capacity also brought him into politics,
as he served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became its leader
in a fight with the colony’s ruling Penn family. For 15 years he
represented Pennsylvania as a lobbyist in London, using his time to
The Age of Benjamin Franklin | 1
build connections with the British Empire’s leaders. As the deputy
postmaster, he organized a postal network in the American colonies.
He also secured his son’s appointment as governor of New Jersey.
As tensions grew between the British government and the American
colonies, Franklin was called upon to explain the American position
to Parliament; he thought the empire would be stronger with
America in it, and America would benefit from its connection to
the empire. But as the two sides became increasingly estranged,
Franklin chose sides and became one of the leaders in a movement
for independence.
After signing the Declaration of Independence, he sailed for France,
spending eight years near Paris. He secured France’s support for
the United States and ultimately British recognition of American
independence. At the age of 79, he made his eighth crossing of
the Atlantic, returning home to Philadelphia. There, he was elected
president of Pennsylvania and sent as a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention.
In this course, we will meet Franklin and his family, his friends, and
his enemies. Through his life, we will see how the printing press and
scientific revolution were transforming the world, and how a new
world of liberty and individual autonomy was being born. ■
2 | Scope