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.