Benjamin Franklin In London: The British Life Of America's Founding Father (lewis Walpole Series In Eighteenth-c)
by George Goodwin /
2016 / English / PDF
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An absorbing and enlightening chronicle of the nearly two
decades the American statesman, scientist, author, inventor, and
Founding Father spent in the British imperial capital of colonial
America
An absorbing and enlightening chronicle of the nearly two
decades the American statesman, scientist, author, inventor, and
Founding Father spent in the British imperial capital of colonial
America
For more than one-fifth of his life, Benjamin Franklin lived in
London. He dined with prime ministers, members of parliament,
even kings, as well as with Britain’s most esteemed
intellectuals—including David Hume, Joseph Priestley, and Erasmus
Darwin—and with more notorious individuals, such as Francis
Dashwood and James Boswell. Having spent eighteen formative
months in England as a young man, Franklin returned in 1757 as a
colonial representative during the Seven Years’ War, and left
abruptly just prior to the outbreak of America’s War of
Independence, barely escaping his impending arrest.
For more than one-fifth of his life, Benjamin Franklin lived in
London. He dined with prime ministers, members of parliament,
even kings, as well as with Britain’s most esteemed
intellectuals—including David Hume, Joseph Priestley, and Erasmus
Darwin—and with more notorious individuals, such as Francis
Dashwood and James Boswell. Having spent eighteen formative
months in England as a young man, Franklin returned in 1757 as a
colonial representative during the Seven Years’ War, and left
abruptly just prior to the outbreak of America’s War of
Independence, barely escaping his impending arrest.
In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful
account of Franklin’s British years. The author offers a
rich and revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures
in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held
perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. It is
an enthralling study of an American patriot who was a fiercely
loyal British citizen for most of his life—until forces he had
sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant
revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine.
In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful
account of Franklin’s British years. The author offers a
rich and revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures
in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held
perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. It is
an enthralling study of an American patriot who was a fiercely
loyal British citizen for most of his life—until forces he had
sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant
revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine.
