Product Description

The Real Benjamin Franklin: The True Story of America s Greatest Diplomat

There are many Benjamin Franklins. Or at least he has taken on many different forms in the history books and conversations of the last two centuries. Some historians have shown us an aged statesman whose wise and steadying influence kept the Constitutional Convention together in 1787, while others have pictured a chuckling prankster who couldn t resist a funny story. More recently, a certain brand of biographers and journalists have conjured up sensational tales of a lecherous old diplomat in his seventies who enjoyed illicit affairs with adoring young French women. And a few years ago Franklin even reappeared as a British spy! Some of these myths are now being repeated and embellished in school textbooks and educational television programs.

Which of all these Benjamin Franklins, if any, is real? This book is an attempt to answer that question. Or, more accurately, it is an attempt to let Franklin himself provide the answer. The Real Benjamin Franklin makes no effort to develop another fresh interpretation of the Sage of Philadelphia. Instead, it seats us across the table from the one person who really knew Benjamin Franklin- -that is, Franklin himself- -and gives him an opportunity to explain his life and ideas in his own words. Part I of this book details his exciting biography, and Part II includes his most important and insightful writings. In both sections, Franklin s words are carefully documented from original sources.

This volume is part of a series being published by the National Center for Constitutional Studies, a nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to restoring Constitutional principles in the tradition of America s Founding Fathers. The AMERICAN CLASSIC SERIES is designed to revive an intelligent appreciation of the Founders and the remarkable system of free government which they gave us. The nation these men built is now in the throes of a political, economic, social, and spiritual crisis that has driven many to an almost frantic search for modern solutions. The truth is that the solutions have been available for a long time- -in fact, for nearly two hundred years- -in the writings of our Founding Fathers!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5796 in Books
• Published on: 1982-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 504 pages

Customer Reviews

Get to know the REAL Benjamin Franklin...
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is well written... even young children could enjoy the stories. Franklin was a remarkable man, he was a man of character. He excelled in many areas as a scientist, inventor, and politician. There are many lies being told about him today to defame his character, and this book will help you understand the REAL man!

The Real Ben Franklin
I have read all of the latest and many earlier biographies of Benjamin Franklin. This work hits the mark on showing his human side, his intellectual rigor, and is also very good on his interactions with the other Founders. I found it more readable than other Franklin biographies. I recommend this book highly and believe it would also be a great text for our educators at the high school level or higher. Of course, History and its significance to people today is not really taught in high school much anymore. I wonder what people like old Ben would make of our glaring ignorance of our own history.

Impossible to Know the Real Anybody
Andrew M Allison undertook the daunting task of writing a comprehensive biography of one of America's greatest leaders, Benjamin Franklin; touting to reveal the "real" man. Come on; we'll never know for sure what really made this man tick. However, let's be satisfied with knowing that Franklin was one of the most remarkable human beings ever to walk the planet. And that's not so bad.

In this day and age, information seems so important; but trying to depict the "real" anybody is an impossible task. Sure, we can read their writings & interview scores of people, but will the "real" truth ever be known? It's not likely.

Still, this is a very well written and documented effort; it makes for a fascinating perspective of this mythical legend. Obviously, this was a man of great intelligence and enormous complexity. What was he really like? It's hard to say; but he was certainly a very colorful individual, that's for sure. His contribution to American society cannot be diminished; and that alone is good enough for me.