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Oxford University Press, USA
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
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The tenth and youngest son of a poor Boston soapmaker, Benjamin Franklin would rise to become, in Thomas Jefferson's words, the greatest man and ornament of his age. In this short, engaging biography, historian Edwin S. Gaustad offers a marvelous portrait of this towering colonial figure,
illuminating Franklin's character and personality.
Here is truly one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable, a man who, with only two years of formal education, became a printer, publisher, postmaster, philosopher, world-class scientist and inventor, statesman, musician, and abolitionist. Gaustad presents a chronological account of all
these accomplishments, delightfully spiced with quotations from Franklin's own extensive writings. The book describes how the hardworking Franklin became at age 24 the most successful printer in Pennsylvania and how by 42, with the help of Poor Richard's Almanack, he had amassed enough wealth to
retire from business. We then follow Franklin's next brilliant career, as an inventor and scientist, examining his pioneering work on electricity and his inventions of the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, as well as his mapping of the Gulf Stream, a major contribution to navigation.
Lastly, the book covers Franklin's role as America's leading statesman, ranging from his years in England before the Revolutionary War to his time in France thereafter, highlighting his many contributions to the cause of liberty. Along the way, Gaustad sheds light on Franklin's personal life,
including his troubled relationship with his illegitimate son William, who remained a Loyalist during the Revolution, and Franklin's thoughts on such topics as religion and morality.
Written by a leading authority on colonial America, this compact biography captures in a remarkably small space one of the most protean lives in our nation's history.
Author: Edwin S. Gaustad
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 02/06/2006
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.40h x 6.40w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780195305357
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 9.9
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 87998 / Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2006 pg. 17
Library Journal 01/30/2006
illuminating Franklin's character and personality.
Here is truly one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable, a man who, with only two years of formal education, became a printer, publisher, postmaster, philosopher, world-class scientist and inventor, statesman, musician, and abolitionist. Gaustad presents a chronological account of all
these accomplishments, delightfully spiced with quotations from Franklin's own extensive writings. The book describes how the hardworking Franklin became at age 24 the most successful printer in Pennsylvania and how by 42, with the help of Poor Richard's Almanack, he had amassed enough wealth to
retire from business. We then follow Franklin's next brilliant career, as an inventor and scientist, examining his pioneering work on electricity and his inventions of the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, as well as his mapping of the Gulf Stream, a major contribution to navigation.
Lastly, the book covers Franklin's role as America's leading statesman, ranging from his years in England before the Revolutionary War to his time in France thereafter, highlighting his many contributions to the cause of liberty. Along the way, Gaustad sheds light on Franklin's personal life,
including his troubled relationship with his illegitimate son William, who remained a Loyalist during the Revolution, and Franklin's thoughts on such topics as religion and morality.
Written by a leading authority on colonial America, this compact biography captures in a remarkably small space one of the most protean lives in our nation's history.
Author: Edwin S. Gaustad
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 02/06/2006
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.40h x 6.40w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780195305357
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 9.9
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 87998 / Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2006 pg. 17
Library Journal 01/30/2006
About the Author
Edwin S. Gaustad is Professor of History and Religious Studies Emeritus at the University of California at Riverside. He is the author of many books, including Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America, Church and State in America, Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson, and Roger Williams (another book in the Lives and Legacies series).
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