Benjamin Franklin American Life Walter Isaacson. Walter Isaacson: Benjamin Franklin

What is this book about

A fascinating biography of one of the founding fathers of the American state, a story about the life and formation of the personality, views and political convictions of the great scientist, diplomat, inventor, politician. This is a wonderful historical canvas, created on the basis of personal records, letters of Franklin, as well as numerous testimonies of his contemporaries.

The author of this book is the famous biographer Walter Isaacson. He wrote an international bestseller - a biography of Steve Jobs, as well as biographies of Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger and a number of major American political figures.

Who is this book for?

For those who are interested in biographies of prominent personalities, American history, historical literature.

Why we decided to publish this book

A shy and brash young man who arrived many, many years ago in Philadelphia, managed to do so much in life that it is sometimes breathtaking. This is the story of a man not only endowed by nature with a number of abilities and worthy qualities, but also an active, sensible worker. Why not a role model?

Interesting Facts

Many believe that Benjamin Franklin was the President of the United States. Partly because his last name is consonant with the names of American presidents: the 14th - Franklin Pierce and the 32nd - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and also because the hero of this book looks at us from every 100-dollar bill. Such an honor, in the general opinion, was awarded only to presidents.

It was Benjamin Franklin who owns the patent for the invention ... rocking chairs and the authorship of the first maps of the Gulf Stream, whose speed, width and depth were measured with his active participation. He invented lightning rods, bifocal glasses, came up with a small-sized economical oven for the home, put forward the idea of an electric motor and predicted the advent of cryonics.

It is Benjamin Franklin who owns the expressions that have long become winged:

A big empire, like a big pie, is most easily eaten from the edges.

Marriage without love is fraught with love without marriage. In this world, only death and taxes are inevitable.

If you want to know the shortcomings of a girl, praise her in front of her friends.

If you want to get rid of a guest who bothers you with his visits, lend him money.

If you want to have leisure, don't waste your time.

If you want to sleep soundly, take a clear conscience to bed with you.

It is easier to suppress the first desire in yourself than to satisfy all subsequent ones.

A master at making excuses is rarely a master at anything else.

One move equals three fires.

Experience is a school where lessons are expensive, but it is the only school where one can learn.

Spend less than you earn - that's the philosopher's stone.

On our website you can download the book "Benjamin Franklin. Biography" by Isaacson Walter for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read a book online or buy a book in an online store.

Politician, scientist and writer Benjamin Franklin lived an amazing 84-year life. He invented, published newspapers, made scientific discoveries, was a diplomat, author of literary works and one of the creators of the US Constitution. This man laid the foundations of what we now call the American character: practicality, multiplied by vigorous activity and the ability to enjoy life. He became a true hero for his country and its calling card, albeit on a hundred dollar bill.

Walter Isaacson. Benjamin Franklin. - M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2013. - 480 p.

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Chapter 2. Pilgrim's Progress. Boston, 1706-1723

The surname "Franklin" comes from the medieval English concept frankeleyn (literally "free owner"). The end of Cromwell's Puritan rule and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to the oppression of the Puritans.

Among the greatest romantic myths about America, the one that says that the main motive of the first settlers was the acquisition of freedom, in particular religious freedom, prevails. Like most romantic American myths, this one is true. For many Puritans in the 17th century, the wave of migration to Massachusetts was a journey in search of religious freedom (as were several subsequent influxes that formed America). Many regarded it as an escape from persecution and a desire for independence. But, as with most American myths, some aspects of reality are embellished. Many Puritan settlers, like many like them in the future, craved primarily material gain. For most Puritans, the journey to the unknown land was undertaken for both religious and financial reasons.

Benjamin's father, Josiah Franklin, had seventeen children (from two wives). Such fertility was common among healthy and strong Puritans.

Young Benjamin in 1718 became an apprentice to his older brother James, who was a printer and newspaper publisher. Franklin trying to become less quarrelsome and less confrontational. This image helped to win over and charm people. Having matured, he thus coped with a few, but sharp-tongued enemies, each of which was cunning and insidious. Intractability, as he understood, was "a very bad habit": constantly contradicting everyone, he aroused people's "disgust and, possibly, created enemies for himself." Franklin would later say, with a touch of dry irony, about disputes: "Reasonable people, in my experience, rarely take part in them, except perhaps lawyers."

Franklin discovered a method of argument invented by Socrates: a person asks a series of unobtrusive questions, he is answered, no one is offended. "I abandoned the manner of rude contradiction" and, in accordance with the Socratic method, "assumed the posture of a humble questioner." By asking seemingly innocent questions, Franklin was able to get people to make concessions that gradually helped him prove any necessary assertion.

Chapter 3 Philadelphia and London, 1723-1726

At 17, Benjamin fled from Boston to Philadelphia. His savings were only one dollar and about a shilling in copper coins. Philadelphia, with its two thousand inhabitants, was the second largest city after Boston. In addition to the first Quakers (followers of one of the Puritan movements adhering to the principles of humanism and non-violence), who settled there fifty years before the events described, the city was inhabited by enterprising Germans, Scots and Irish.

Within a few months, Franklin was taught lessons by four people. These were lessons about rivalry and resentment, pride and modesty. Throughout his life, he occasionally had enemies. But this happened to him less often than to most people, especially to those who achieved no less than he did. The key to his ability to earn more respect than discontent (at least when he was in charge of order) lay in the ability to ridicule himself, his simple demeanor and the ability to peacefully carry on a conversation.

Franklin came to the conclusion that man is a social being, and for him the worst punishment would be exclusion from society.

Chapter 4. Printer. Philadelphia, 1726-1732

Since there was no mold making in America, Franklin invented his own. He became the first in America to make a mold. One of the most popular modern typographic fonts known as Franklin Gothic, which is often used for newspaper headlines, was named after him in 1902.

Rice. 1. Modern use of Franklin Gothic

Franklin was an excellent network worker. He liked to combine civic and social life with entrepreneurship. He demonstrated this approach by founding a club of young business people in the autumn of 1727. Everyone knew him as the Leather Apron Club or the Junta. Franklin taught his friends to prove their point with guesses and questions, and to be naïvely curious in order to avoid contradictions that might offend people. "Any expression of peremptory opinion or outright contradiction was prohibited under pain of small monetary penalties." This is the style of discussion he would adopt at the Constitutional Convention sixty years later.

Franklin jotted down the most common gaffes in the conversation, "which evoke dislike." The most serious of these was "excessive talkativeness, which invariably arouses resistance." Other gaffes are a disinterested look, too frequent references to one's own life, revealing personal secrets, recounting long and meaningless stories, open contradiction, discussion or scolding about various issues, permissible only in small reasonable doses, spreading scandals.

Franklin published an essay The nature and necessity of paper money(not found in Russian). In October 1729 he became publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin turned his ostensible modesty into an aphorism anticipating an attack on his own faults: "He who trains himself to walk quietly past the shortcomings of his neighbors will receive much more favor from the world when he himself makes a mistake." Even as Franklin became more politicized, he was able to keep his newspaper from being blatantly biased. He expressed his beliefs from the publisher's point of view in a famous issue of the Gazette entitled "In Defense of the Printers." This text remains one of the best and most persuasive exculpatory speeches of the free press.

Franklin summed up the philosophy of Enlightenment journalism in a sentence now often posted on the walls of newsrooms: “A basic tenet of printers is that if two people have different opinions, both should be heard; only if Truth and Error play by the rules, the former will surely defeat the latter.”

One client asked a young printer to publish in the Gazette what Franklin considered "obscene and defamatory." In order to determine whether I should publish an article or not, I went home in the evening, purchased a twopenny loaf of bread from the bakery, and, having pumped water from the pump, made myself supper; then he wrapped himself in his coat and lay down on the floor. So I slept until morning. Then, taking out another loaf and a mug of water, he had breakfast. This way of life did not give me the slightest inconvenience. Having discovered the ability to live in this way, I firmly resolved never to sell my beliefs in the press, not to succumb to corruption, not to abuse powers in order to ensure a more comfortable existence for myself.

Franklin figured out how to make tough decisions. He divided a sheet of paper into two columns, writing "For" in one upper corner, and "Against" in the second. Then he wrote down argument after argument and weighed how important each one was. Once he applied this method, thinking about whether to marry. The balanced arguments eventually formed in favor of Deborah, and in September 1730 they began their married life together. There was no official ceremony. They entered into a kind of civil marriage. Their union remained mutually beneficial, though not at all romantic, and lasted until Deborah's death forty-three years later. As Franklin would soon write in Poor Richard's almanac: "Keep your eyes wide open before marriage and half-lidded after," and again: "Frugality is an enriching virtue, a virtue that I myself could not have got, but I was so lucky that I found her in a wife who has become happiness for me.

Franklin came up with a list of twelve virtues that he considered essential:

Abstinence: eat not to satiety; drink not to the point of intoxication.
Silence: to speak only what will be useful to other people or to yourself; avoid empty talk.
Order: each thing has its place; every business has its time.
Decisiveness: to have the determination to do what needs to be done; without delay, do what is decided.
Thrift: Spending money only to benefit others or yourself (i.e. not wasting).
Diligence: do not waste time; always do something useful; get rid of unnecessary things.
Sincerity: do not resort to offensive lies; keep thoughts pure and fair, treat words the same way.
Justice: do no harm to anyone, do not allow injustice and do not neglect good deeds, which are among the duties.
Moderation: avoid extremes; hold back feelings of resentment as much as possible.
Cleanliness: not to allow uncleanness of the body, clothing or dwelling.
Calmness: not to worry about trifles, as well as because of ordinary or inevitable events.
Chastity: to indulge in love only to preserve health and procreate, never to do so out of boredom, weakness, to the detriment of oneself or the well-being and reputation of another.

Franklin became a preacher of tolerance. He felt that the abundance of theological disputes causes ferment in society, and the attempt to ascertain the divine facts is still beyond the capabilities of mortal man. He also did not consider such activities socially useful.

The publication of Poor Richard's Almanac, which Franklin undertook at the end of 1732, served two purposes related to his good-by-good-works philosophy: making money and popularizing virtue. In the twenty-five years that the almanac came out, it has become a model of American humor.

Franklin's talent was the ability to invent a few new aphorisms and improve many old ones, making them more meaningful. For example, from an old English proverb: “Fresh fish and newcomers smell good until three days have passed,” Franklin did this: “Guests, like fish, start to smell bad after three days.” The following best aphorisms are known: A fool is he who makes a doctor his heir. You need to eat to live, not live to eat. Those who live in hope run the risk of dying hungry. Multiplying wealth, multiplies care. Love your enemies because they will tell you about your shortcomings. You are as guilty of your shortcomings as you are annoyed at being reproached for them. God helps those who help themselves.

The Almanac made Poor Richard a success and made his creator rich. The almanac was sold annually in ten thousand copies, overtaking rivals.

Chapter 5. Public figure. Philadelphia, 1731-1748

A distinctive feature of Franklin was a developed sense of civic duty. He cared more about behavior in society than about inner piety, was more interested in building the city of man than the city of the Lord. Such a communal outlook in the 1730s would lead Franklin, a printer in his twenties, to the idea of launching various social organizations with the help of the Junta, including a take-out library, a fire brigade, a corps of night watchmen, and later a hospital, a militia, and a college. “The good that people can do alone,” he wrote, “is small compared to what can be done together.”

While he was inculcating these traditions (which have become an invariable part of American life), his organizational drive and lively character made him an influential person. “Americans at any age, with any lifestyle and any character, are forever creating associations,” Tocqueville said in amazement. “In this way, they have hospitals, prisons and schools” (see).

In 1743, eleven years after the birth of Frankie, who died early, a girl was born into the Franklin family. Named Sara after Deborah's mother. Deborah had only one daughter (and an illegitimate stepson). By the standards of colonial America, for a strong woman, this is a very small number of children; in the average family of that time, the norm was about eight.

In 1748, at the age of forty-two, Franklin retired and handed over the publishing business to senior worker David Hall. He saw no reason to continue doing his usual job and earn even more. Now, as Franklin wrote to Cadwallader Colden, he would "spend his spare time reading, studying, experimenting, and associating freely with honest and honorable men who have honored me with their friendship."

Chapter 6. Scientist and inventor. Philadelphia, 1744-1751

In scientific research, Franklin was driven mainly by pure curiosity and awe of discovery. However, he always remembered that his goal was to make science useful. For example, Franklin found that dark fabrics absorb heat better than light fabrics, and concluded that “black fabric is not very suitable for wear in hot sunny climates,” and the walls of a fruit drying shed should be painted black.

In the early 1740s, Franklin invented an open stove that could be built into fireplaces to provide maximum heat while reducing smoke and fuel. For the rest of his life, Franklin improved his chimney and fireplace designs. But what is commonly known today as the Franklin oven is a much simpler device than it was originally intended.

Franklin also designed the first urinary catheter used in America. Franklin's discovery that the generation of a positive charge is accompanied by the creation of an equally negative charge is known as the conservation of charge. Franklin experimented by capturing and storing electrical charges in the simplest form of a capacitor, called a Leyden jar after the Dutch town where he invented it. He built a series of sheets of glass flanked by metal, charged them with wire, and then gave the name of the new device - "the so-called electric battery."

But perhaps the most significant were experiments with lightning. Franklin assumed the same nature of electricity and lightning, and invented the lightning rod. Because of this, Franklin suddenly became famous. In the summer of 1753, Harvard and Yale awarded him honorary degrees, and the Royal Society of London gave him the prestigious Copley Medal, the first person to live outside Britain.

The lack of knowledge of the theoretical foundations was the reason that Franklin, with all his ingenuity, did not become either Galileo or Newton. He was more of an experimenter-practitioner than a systematic theorist. As with ethical and religious justifications, Franklin's scientific work was recognized not so much for its abstract theoretical value, but for the fact that it had discovered facts that had practically useful applications.

Chapter 7 Philadelphia, 1749-1756

When one of the members of the Philadelphia Assembly died in 1751, Franklin took his seat by a vote. Thus began Franklin's political career, which lasted for thirty-seven years until he retired as president of the Pennsylvania Executive Council. He proposed to sweep, pave and light the city streets.

Franklin, at Albany in 1754, helped develop the principles of federalism—orderliness, balance, and enlightenment—the very ones that ultimately formed the basis for the unification of the American nation. The central government would deal with issues such as national defense and expansion into the western lands, but each colony would be governed by its own constitution and local authority. Unfortunately, this did not bear any fruit. Albany's plan was rejected by all colonial governments because it encroached on their power, and shelved in London because it gave too much power to the electorate and encouraged dangerous unity among the colonies.

Chapter 8 London, 1757-1762

The Pennsylvania Assembly decided that the tenacity of the hosts could no longer be tolerated. In January 1757, the members of the Assembly voted to make Franklin their representative in London. Its purpose, at least initially, is to influence the members of parliament, more specifically, the owners of the colony, so that they become more favorable to the Assembly in the matter of taxation and others. If the original plan did not work, he was to discuss these issues with the British government. It was originally planned that Franklin would stay in England for 5 months, but it turned out to be 5 years. Despite the fact that his mission failed. He obviously didn't want to go home...

In 1759, Franklin went to Scotland, met with the outstanding minds of the Scottish Enlightenment - the economist Adam Smith, the philosopher David Hume, and the jurist and historian Lord Kames.

Franklin cut short his trip to Europe to return to London to attend the coronation of King George III in September 1761. Still a proud supporter of the British monarchy, he had high hopes for the new king and believed that he would help protect the colonies from the tyranny of the masters. In America, the French and Indian War effectively ended when England and her colonies seized control of Canada and the Caribbean sugar islands that belonged to France and Spain. However, after this, an even larger conflict between Britain and France unfolded in Europe, known as the Seven Years' War, which lasted until the conclusion of the Treaty of Versailles in 1763.

Franklin's mission to London ended with mixed results. The dispute about the taxation of the owners of the colony was resolved for some time by a compromise. It also managed to partially remove the differences on the issue of raising funds for the defense of the colonies at the end of the French and Indian War. Unresolved, however, remained the main issue - colonial rule. For Franklin, who saw himself as equally British and American, the answer was obvious. The powers of the colonial assemblies must be strengthened until they become an exact copy of the powers of Parliament. The English on the American side of the ocean should have the same privileges as the English in England. However, after five years in England, he began to realize that the Penns are not the only ones who see things differently.

Chapter 9 Philadelphia, 1763-1764

As a major publisher and later postmaster, he proved to be one of the few who looked at America as a whole. for him, the colonies were not just heterogeneous territories. He saw them as a new world, held together by common interests and ideals.

Modern election campaigns are often criticized for the excessive use of negative information, and the modern press is accused of being rude and obscene. But today the most vicious reciprocal attacks of political opponents pale in comparison with the pamphlets circulated before the elections to the Assembly in 1764. Pennsylvania survived the campaign as Franklin did, and American democracy learned that it could thrive with unrestricted and even excessive freedom of expression. As the 1764 election showed, American democracy is built on a foundation of unfettered freedom of speech. In subsequent centuries, the prosperous nations were those that, like America, felt comfortable in the most acute internal political controversy.

Chapter 10 London, 1765-1770

Franklin was eager to prevent a split. The solution to the problem, from his point of view, was to provide the colonies with representation in parliament. Franklin warned: time is running out. “Not so long ago, the colonies would have considered it an advantage and an honor to be allowed to send their representatives to Parliament,” he wrote to a friend in January 1766. “Now there comes a time when they become indifferent to it and probably won’t ask for it, although they might agree to such an option if it is offered to them. But the hour will come when they will certainly reject it.”

On February 13, 1766, Franklin had the opportunity to present his views to Parliament. His spectacular appearance, subtly orchestrated by the parliamentarians who supported him, was an example of the skillful use of lobbying and theatrical techniques. In a single day, he became a major champion of the cause of American independence and brilliantly restored his reputation at home.

Chapter 11 London, 1771-1775

Franklin was critical of England's mercantilist trade laws, which were intended to suppress production in the colonies. However, in letters sent from a trip in 1771, he gave detailed recommendations for the development of silk-spinning, weaving and metallurgy industries that could help the colonies become self-sufficient.

At the end of June, 1771, Franklin was deep in thought. Career prospects were unclear, and his mind was increasingly occupied with the history of the family. Thus conditions were created for the realization of the longest of his literary plans - "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin". Thanks to hundreds of editions in almost all existing languages, it has become the most popular autobiography in the world (published in Russian under the title Way to wealth. Autobiography).

For many years, Franklin developed his own system of social beliefs, which was a mixture of liberal, populist and conservative ideas and became one of the archetypes of the philosophy of the American middle class. He praised diligence, enterprise, frugality and self-confidence. On the other hand, he also advocated civic cooperation, social charity and the voluntary association of people to improve everyday life. Franklin distrusted the elites and the rabble alike, and opposed the transfer of power to the nobility and the unruly mob, as a man with a shopkeeper's philosophy feared manifestations of class struggle. He had an innate belief in the need for social mobility and the possibility of increasing social status through hard work.

Franklin warned about the dangers of social dependency, but also offered his own version of the economic theory of the flow of money. The more the rich and society as a whole earn, the more money will find its way to the poor. “The rich don't work for each other.<…>Everything they or their families use or consume is produced by the working poor.” The rich spend money on clothes, furniture and housing, enabling the poor to earn a livelihood. "Our working poor receive every year the entire net income of the nation." He also opposed setting a higher minimum wage. "You can pass a law that raises wages, but if our manufactured goods are too expensive, they cannot be sold abroad."

Franklin was a supporter of traditional English liberal values - freedom and individual rights. With all this, on the question of slavery, which was of great importance, he had not yet completed his moral evolution. In an effort to defend the preservation of slavery in America, Franklin used unworthy arguments. He even resorted to outright juggling of facts. At the same time, the Franklin family continued to keep slaves.

In most of the letters written in early 1773, Franklin sought to ease tensions between England and the colonies. When the Massachusetts Assembly passed a resolution of insubordination to Parliament, Franklin made an effort to keep the British from overreacting. In order to express his point of view without arousing unnecessary hostility, Franklin turned to his favorite genre of satire in two anonymous pamphlets written for English newspapers in September 1773. In particular, it said: "First of all, gentlemen, you should consider that a large empire, like a large pie, is most easily eaten from the edges."

In January-February 1775, Franklin engaged in a tumultuous series of new meetings in the name of a salutary compromise. He spent March 19 in the company of Edmund Burke, an eminent Whig philosopher and orator. Three days later, Burke delivered his famous but useless "Reconciliation with America" speech in Parliament. "Great empire and small minds don't mix well," he proclaimed. War seemed inevitable.

Chapter 12 Philadelphia, 1775-1776

While returning home, Franklin dipped a homemade thermometer into the ocean waters. Three or four times a day, he measured the temperature and entered the data into a table. Franklin studied the course of the Gulf Stream. The maps he published and the results of his temperature measurements are presented on the NASA website, which indicates that they coincide surprisingly with the results of measurements taken from modern satellites using infrared sensors.

On the night of April 18, 1775, while Franklin was in the middle of the ocean, a troop of British soldiers headed north from Boston to arrest the initiators of the Boston Tea Party, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and seize military equipment collected by their supporters. Paul Revere sounded the alarm, and after him other people who remained unknown to history began to do so. So when the British soldiers reached Lexington, they were met by seventy American "people's militia soldiers" (curious and diametrically opposed reflections on Paul River are contained in the books and). During the all-day retreat towards Boston, more than two hundred and fifty British soldiers were killed and wounded by the American militia.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when America passed the point of no return, realizing the need and desirability of complete independence from Britain. It is even difficult to say when this moment came for certain specific people. Franklin, who for ten years teetered on the edge between hope and despair regarding a breakup, voiced his personal opinion to family members during a meeting at Trevos in 1775. Several events occurred that forced him to go into rebellion: disrespect, broken hopes, betrayal and English laws hostile to America.

For a long time he cherished the idea of concord, according to which Britain and America could prosper in an expanding empire. But I felt that this was possible only if Britain stopped enslaving Americans through trade laws and taxes imposed from across the ocean. Once it became clear that Britain was not going to give up the absolute subjugation of its colonies, the only way out for the Americans was the struggle for independence.

As a leader who traveled very frequently and was minimally committed to local interests, Franklin had long supported the idea of creating a Confederacy - ever since the plan he drew up in Albany in 1754. The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, presented to Congress on July 21, 1775, like the plan put forward at Albany, contained the beginnings of a significant conceptual breakthrough that ultimately determined the federal structure of America on the principles of the division of power between the central government and state governments. The confederation would henceforth be known as the United Colonies of North America.

According to Franklin's proposal, the Congress was to consist of one house, in which each state would have a representation proportional to the population. Congress was to have the power to impose taxes, declare war, direct the army, create international alliances, settle disputes between colonies, form new colonies, issue a single currency, create a postal system, regulate commerce, and enact laws "necessary for the general welfare."

Under the new conditions, Franklin was responsible for creating a system of circulation of paper money, which was one of his old hobbies. As usual, he immersed himself in the details. Using botanical knowledge about the structure of the veins of the leaves of various trees, he himself created designs for banknotes in order to make it as difficult as possible to counterfeit them.

On August 2, 1776, at the official signing ceremony for the text of the Declaration of Independence inscribed on parchment, Congress President John Hancock affixed his signature with the famous curlicue to the document. “We should not try to go our separate ways,” he declared. “We all need to come together.” According to one of the early American historians, Jared Sparks, Franklin replied: "Yes, of course, we must rally, otherwise we will surely hang alone." Their lives, like their fame, were at stake.

One of the key questions was what is being created - a confederation of independent states or a single state. Or more specifically, should each state have one vote in Congress, or should it receive votes in proportion to its population? Not surprisingly, Franklin preferred the second option, not simply because he himself came from a large state, but because, in his opinion, the people, not the states, should give power to the national Congress. Besides, it would be unfair to give the small states the same representation as the big ones. “A confederation built on such monstrously unjust principles cannot last long,” he predicted. Congress voted in favor of giving each state one vote.

In the summer of 1776, a congressional committee, operating in strict secrecy, assigned Franklin the most dangerous, difficult, and exciting of all his public missions. He had to cross the Atlantic once more, become ambassador in Paris and beg from France, enjoying a rare state of peace with England, help and alliance, without which America could hardly count on victory.

Franklin took his two grandchildren with him and set off on October 27, 1776 aboard a small but fast American warship, aptly named the Reprisal.

Chapter 13 Paris, 1776-1778

For the French, Franklin - a scientist who curbed lightning, and a tribune of freedom - was a symbol of both the virtuous rural liberty romanticized by Rousseau (see for more details), and the rational wisdom of the Enlightenment, glorified by Voltaire. For more than eight years, he will play both roles perfectly. In the good-natured and unhurried manner so adored by the French, he embodied the image of America as a healthy and enlightened state fighting against the corrupt and irrational old order.

By early 1778, the second Congressional envoy, Lee, and Franklin barely spoke. "I have a right to know the reasons why you are treating me this way," Lee wrote after a flood of outraged emails went unanswered. Franklin burst into the most angry words he had ever written: “Sir, it is true that I have left some of your letters unanswered. I don't like responding to vicious attacks. I hate controversy. I'm old, I won't live long, I have a lot to do and I don't have time to bicker. If I have often received and endured your dictatorial remarks and reproaches, leaving them unanswered, then attribute it to true reasons - my concern for the glory and success of our mission, which would suffer from our quarrels, my love of peace, my respect for your good qualities and my pity for your diseased mind, which endlessly torments itself with jealousy, suspicions and fantasies. Other people think you are sick, attribute bad intentions to you, or refuse to respect you. If you do not cure yourself of irritability, you will end up in the madness of which it is the harbinger, as I have seen on many occasions. God bless you from such a terrible disaster. And for the love of all that is holy, I beg you to leave me alone.”

Like Franklin's other famous angry letter, in which he calls his friend Strachan an enemy, this also remained unsent, although he considered every word in it. Franklin was not usually in the mood for quarrels, and now, as he himself noted, he was getting too old for them. Instead of this letter, he wrote Lee a slightly milder reply the next day.

Franklin won a diplomatic campaign equal in importance to the Battle of Saratoga. Yale historian Edmund Morgan goes even further, calling it "the greatest diplomatic victory ever achieved by the United States." Franklin's triumph made it possible for America to win the final victory in the Revolutionary War and at the same time avoid the lasting embarrassment that would have hampered it as a new nation.

Chapter 16 Philadelphia, 1785-1790

In 1785, Franklin crossed the Atlantic for the 8th time.

The need for a new federal constitution became apparent within months of the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. By 1786 the situation looked threatening. Thirteen states enjoyed independence not only from Britain, but also from each other. During the unusually hot summer of 1787, the Convention met in Philadelphia for the obvious purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation.

Over the next four months, many of Franklin's favorite thoughts - about a unicameral legislature, about establishing an executive council instead of the office of president, and about not paying salaries to officials - were politely listened to and, sometimes with a little bewilderment, shelved. However, Franklin had three unique qualities. It was they who made him a key figure in a situation where the historic compromise reached by the convention saved the nation.

First, Franklin had a better understanding of democracy than most of the delegates, who treated the word and the idea as more dangerous than desirable. Franklin, not recognizing the power of the mob, advocated direct elections, trusted the average person and opposed everything that carried the spirit of elitism. The constitution he drafted for Pennsylvania provided for direct elections to a unicameral legislature and was the most democratic of all the constitutions of the new states. Secondly, Franklin traveled more than all the other delegates and knew well not only the states of Europe, but also thirteen states, and perfectly understood what they had in common and how they differed. The position of postmaster helped create unity in America. Third, and most importantly, Franklin was the embodiment of the tolerance and pragmatic compromise that characterized the Age of Enlightenment. "Both sides must give up some of their demands," he preached in one of his speeches.

As the days grew hotter, so did the debate over representation. Franklin tried to restore calm, and this time he did it in an unexpected way. In his speech on June 28, he suggested that each meeting should begin with a prayer. Franklin found it useful to remind the demigod convention that they were in the face of a mighty God and in the face of history. To succeed, they had to feel a sacred fear of the enormity of the task before them and be humble, not self-confident. Otherwise, he concluded, "we will be divided by petty, private, local interests, our projects will fail, and we ourselves will become the talk of the town and cover ourselves with shame in the eyes of future generations."

Franklin succinctly formulated the problem: “All the diversity of opinion boils down to two points. If proportional representation is used, the small states claim their freedoms will be threatened. If the principle of equality of votes is introduced, then the large states declare that their money will be in danger. Thereafter, using a simple analogy based on his love of craftsmen and construction, he gently emphasized the importance of compromise. “When you need to make a wide table that does not fit through the door, the craftsman slightly reduces the size of the tabletop and slightly widens the doorway, ensuring that the sizes of both match. Similarly, in our case, both parties must give up part of their demands.

Finally, he offered a reasonable compromise. In the lower house, representatives would be directly elected in proportion to the population of each state, but in the Senate "the legislatures of the states would select and send an equal number of delegates." The House of Representatives will deal with issues of taxation and spending, and the Senate with the approval of senior officials and issues of state sovereignty.

Franklin argued that Congress should have the power to impeach a president. In the past, when impeachment was not provided for, the only way the people could eliminate a corrupt ruler was to kill. Franklin argued unsuccessfully for the direct election of federal judges instead of delegating their appointment to the president or Congress. Franklin opposed granting the right to vote only to those who met certain property criteria: "We must not belittle the human dignity and civic spirit of the common people." In these matters, he successfully defended his point of view. Only on one issue did Franklin take a position that might seem less than democratic, although he himself did not think so. Federal officials, he argued, should not be paid. He based his position on a belief in citizen volunteers and on a longstanding conviction that the pursuit of profit had completely corrupted the English government.

“There are two passions that have a powerful influence on human affairs. It is ambition and greed; lust for power and lust for money. Separately, each has a great stimulating power, but when they are combined in the same person, they produce the most powerful effects in the minds.<…>And what type should be attributed to people who will seek to gain advantages through numerous intrigues, fierce struggles and endless mutual insults of the parties, smashing the most worthy reputations to smithereens? These places will certainly not be appointed by wise and moderate people who love peace and order, the most worthy of trust. They will be impudent and cruel people with strong passions and an indefatigable desire to satisfy their selfish interests.

The delegates managed to reach a number of compromises. The system turned out to be as close to perfection as mere mortals can afford. From the first words: "We, the people." and until the carefully weighed compromises and balances that followed, it was an orderly system in which the power of the national government, like the power of the states, emanated from the population. Thus, this document put into practice the motto of the great state seal proposed by Franklin in 1776 - E Pluribus Unum ("Out of many, one").

His famous saying is widely known: "In this world, only death and taxes are inevitable."

At the very end of his life, Franklin took on one of his last public missions - a moral crusade against slavery. The transformation of Franklin's views reached its apogee by 1787, when he led the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. One of the arguments against the immediate abolition of slavery, which Franklin shared for the time being, was that it would be impractical and unsafe to free hundreds of thousands of adult slaves and try to make them members of a society in which they were not ready (in 1790 of the four million population of the United States, almost seven hundred thousand were slaves).

On behalf of the Society, in February 1790, Franklin submitted a formal petition to Congress to abolish slavery. “All people are created by the Almighty God in His own image and likeness, and all are objects of His care and equally deserve happiness,” it proclaimed. It is the duty of Congress to "extend the good of liberty to the people of the United States," and this must be done "without distinction of color."

Franklin's most important religious role is that of an apostle of religious tolerance. He donated funds to all religious denominations in Philadelphia and opposed the use of religious oaths in the constitutions of Pennsylvania and the United States.

At eleven o'clock on the evening of April 17, 1790, at the age of eighty-four, Franklin died.

Chapter 18. Conclusion. Historical reflections

Franklin became the spiritual patron of the adherents of moral self-improvement. Dale Carnegie studied The Autobiography when he wrote his famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People, which, after being published in 1937, created a vogue that continues to this day for books containing simple rules and secrets on how to achieve success in business and personal life. Franklin's Autobiography became "the first and greatest careerist textbook ever written."

Stephen Covey, a recognized master of the genre, drew on Franklin's system to create a bestseller and, in parallel, a chain of stores selling FranklinCovey organizers and other accessories embodying Franklin's ideas.

Bonvivant (French for “well-living”) is a person who loves to live for his own pleasure, richly and carelessly; goofy, merry fellow.

Benjamin Franklin

An American Life

Published with permission from JSIMON & SCHUSTER Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.

Legal support of the publishing house is provided by the law firm "Vegas-Lex"

Katy and Betsy, as always...

CHAPTER 1 Benjamin Franklin and the Finding of America

This man's arrival in Philadelphia is one of the most famous pages of autobiographical literature: a filthy seventeen-year-old fugitive, brash and shy at the same time, climbs out of a boat and, moving down Market Street, buys three plump buns. But wait a minute! There is something more here. Peel off a few layers of time and you will find it is already sixty-five years old. He peers into the past, sitting in an English country house, and describes this scene, pretending to write a letter. And all so that his son - an illegitimate son, elevated to the post of royal governor and claiming to be aristocracy - remembers his real roots.

A close look at the manuscript will reveal another layer. In the sentence referring to that first journey down Market Street, there is an insert in the margin telling how our hero passed through the house of his future wife, Deborah Reed. “She was standing at the door, saw me and thought, quite rightly, that I make a terribly ridiculous and ridiculous impression.” And before us appears, albeit in just a few strokes, the image of a multifaceted man, whom the whole world knows as Benjamin Franklin. First, we have a young man in front of us, then an elderly gentleman who evaluates himself from the height of his life, and even later - the main face of his wife's memories. The short self-description is aptly concluded with the words "quite rightly" written by the elderly Franklin about himself: they surprisingly coexist with self-irony and pride, which he felt about his incredible achievements.

Benjamin Franklin is a "founding father", friendly to everyone. Colleagues of George Washington hardly allowed themselves to pat the stern general on the shoulder, and we cannot imagine such a thing. Jefferson and Adams look just as intimidating. But Ben Franklin, this conceited city businessman, seems to be made of flesh and blood, not marble; call him - and he will turn to you from the historical stage, and his eyes will gleam behind the glasses. Without resorting to grandiloquent rhetoric, he speaks to us from the pages of his letters, humorous notes, autobiography, and his openness and clever irony are so modern that they can take over minds today. We see his reflection in the mirror of our time.

During his eighty-four years of life, he established himself as a major American scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist. In addition, he was, if not the most influential, but a very practical politician. And scientists: by flying a kite, he proved the electrical nature of lightning, and also invented a device with which it was possible to tame it. He came up with bifocals and self-contained stoves, maps of the Gulf Stream, and the theory of the contagious nature of the common cold. He launched various community projects, such as a book lending library, a college, a volunteer fire corps, an insurance association, and grant funds. He created a model of foreign policy in which idealism and realism merge together, and in domestic policy he proposed constructive programs for the unification of the colonies and the creation of a federal model of national government.

But the most interesting discovery ever made by Franklin was his own personality, which he constantly rethought. Being America's first outstanding publicist, in his works he constantly tried to create a new type of American, and he took the material from his own soul. He carefully built his image, exposing it to the public and improving it for posterity.

In part, Franklin did this in the name of image. As a young printer in Philadelphia, he carted rolls of paper down the street to appear industrious. As an elderly diplomat in France, he wore a fur hat to pass for a sage from the outback. In between, he created the image of a simple but purposeful merchant, zealously promoting the virtues - diligence, thrift, honesty - inherent in a good shopkeeper and a useful member of society.

But the image he created was based on real personality traits. Born and raised among the common people, Franklin, at least for most of his life, found a common language more easily with artisans and thinkers than with the established elite, he was allergic to the pathos and privileges of hereditary aristocracy. No wonder throughout his life he signed "B. Franklin, printer.

From this attitude to life, perhaps Franklin's most important idea arose: the idea of an American national identity based on the positive traits and values of the middle class. Since he instinctively adhered to democratic principles (which was not characteristic of all the “founding fathers”) and at the same time snobbery was completely alien to him, faith in the wisdom of the average person lived in him. He felt that the new nation would become strong at the expense of the so-called middle class. In his teachings, Franklin celebrated the qualities of this social stratum, and his projects for strengthening citizenship and the common good were created in order to do justice to the new ruling class - the common people.

The complex relationship between the various facets of Franklin's character - ingenuity, innate wisdom, Protestant morality, free from dogma - and his principles (some he firmly adhered to, in others he was willing to compromise) indicates that each new angle of view reflects and refracts changing the values of the nation. He was vilified in romantic periods, made into a hero during the heyday of entrepreneurship. Each era evaluated it in a new way, and by this assessment one can judge the era itself.

Franklin's personality resonates in a special way in 21st century America. A successful publisher and consummate networker, resourceful and curious, he would be at home in the information revolution. His relentless pursuit of being among the most gifted and successful people made him, in the words of public critic David Brooks, "the founding father of the yuppie". You can easily imagine what it's like to drink beer with him after work, show him how to use the latest digital device, share business plans for a new venture, and discuss the latest political scandals or strategic ideas. He would laugh at fresh jokes about a priest and a rabbi or a farmer's daughter. We would admire his ability to be both serious and self-deprecating. It would become clearer to us how exactly he tried to achieve balance in a difficult situation - in pursuit of reputation, fortune, earthly virtues and spiritual values.

Some people who see Franklin reflected in the modern world are disturbed by his pettiness and spiritual complacency, which they think has permeated the culture of materialism. They believe that Franklin teaches us to live only with practical matters, pursuing material goals, ignoring a spiritual existence. Others, contemplating the same image, marvel at the middle-class values and democratic sentiments that now seem to permeate all social types, including the elite, the radicals, the reactionaries, and other hostile members of the bourgeoisie. These people see Franklin as a role model in terms of personal qualities and sense of civic dignity - categories that are often lacking in modern America.

What is this book about

Who is this book for?

A shy and brash young man who arrived many, many years ago in Philadelphia, managed to do so much in life that it is sometimes breathtaking. This is the story of a man, not just endowed with nature nearby...

Read completely

What is this book about
A fascinating biography of one of the founding fathers of the American state, a story about the life and formation of the personality, views and political convictions of the great scientist, diplomat, inventor, politician. This is a wonderful historical canvas, created on the basis of personal records, letters of Franklin, as well as numerous testimonies of his contemporaries.

Who is this book for?
For those who are interested in biographies of prominent personalities, American history, historical literature.

Why we decided to publish this book
A shy and brash young man who arrived many, many years ago in Philadelphia, managed to do so much in life that it is sometimes breathtaking. This is the story of a man not only endowed by nature with a number of abilities and worthy qualities, but also an active, sensible worker. Why not a role model?

Interesting Facts
- Many believe that Benjamin Franklin was the President of the United States. Partly because his last name is consonant with the names of American presidents: the 14th - Franklin Pierce and the 32nd - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and also because the hero of this book looks at us from every 100-dollar bill. Such an honor, in the general opinion, was awarded only to presidents.

It is Benjamin Franklin who owns the expressions that have long become winged:

A big empire, like a big pie, is most easily eaten from the edges.
Marriage without love is fraught with love without marriage.
In this world, only death and taxes are inevitable.
If you want to know the shortcomings of a girl, praise her in front of her friends.
If you want to get rid of a guest who bothers you with his visits, lend him money.
If you want to have leisure, don't waste your time.
If you want to sleep soundly, take a clear conscience to bed with you.
It is easier to suppress the first desire in yourself than to satisfy all subsequent ones.
A master at making excuses is rarely a master at anything else.
One move equals three fires.
Experience is a school where lessons are expensive, but it is the only school where one can learn.
Spend less than you earn - that's the philosopher's stone.
3rd edition.

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Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin. Biography

Benjamin Franklin

An American Life

Published with permission from JSIMON & SCHUSTER Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.

Legal support of the publishing house is provided by the law firm "Vegas-Lex"

* * *

Katy and Betsy, as always...

CHAPTER 1 Benjamin Franklin and the Finding of America

A close look at the manuscript will reveal another layer. In the sentence referring to that first journey down Market Street, there is an insert in the margin telling how our hero passed through the house of his future wife, Deborah Reed. “She was standing at the door, saw me and thought, quite rightly, that I make a terribly ridiculous and ridiculous impression.” And before us appears, albeit in just a few strokes, the image of a multifaceted man, whom the whole world knows as Benjamin Franklin. First, we have a young man in front of us, then an elderly gentleman who evaluates himself from the height of his life, and even later - the main face of his wife's memories. A short self-description is aptly completed with the words "quite rightly" written by the elderly Franklin about himself: they surprisingly coexist with self-irony and pride, which he felt about his incredible achievements. 1
To find out how the "Autobiography" was written, see below, and also approx. 304.

Maps of the Gulf Stream and the theory of the infectious nature of the common cold. He launched various community projects, such as a book lending library, a college, a volunteer fire corps, an insurance association, and grant funds. He created a model of foreign policy in which idealism and realism merge together, and in domestic policy he proposed constructive programs for the unification of the colonies and the creation of a federal model of national government.

Franklin's personality resonates in a special way in 21st century America. A successful publisher and consummate networker, resourceful and curious, he would be at home in the information revolution. His stubborn pursuit of being among the most gifted and successful people made him, in the words of public critic David Brooks, "the founding father of yuppies". 2
yuppie ( English Yuppie, an abbreviation for Young Urban Professional Person) - literally translated "young urban professional", the self-name of a layer of American society, consisting of young wealthy people building a career, setting themselves the goal of achieving business success and material well-being. Note. ed.

". You can easily imagine what it's like to drink beer with him after work, show him how to use the latest digital device, share business plans for a new venture, and discuss the latest political scandals or strategic ideas. He would laugh at fresh jokes about a priest and a rabbi or a farmer's daughter. We would admire his ability to be both serious and self-deprecating. It would become clearer to us how exactly he tried to achieve balance in a difficult situation - in pursuit of reputation, fortune, earthly virtues and spiritual values. 2
David Brooks, Our Founding Yuppie, Weekly Standard, October 23, p. 31. The word "meritocracy", which I have used with care in this book, can be a source of controversy (meritocracy; in translation it is replaced by a combination of the words "stubborn desire to be among the most gifted and successful people." Note. ed.). It is often used to refer in general terms to a change in social status and zeal, akin to those that were inherent in Franklin. The term was coined by British sociologist Michael Young (who would later ironically become Lord Young of Darlington) in The Rise of the Meritocracy, 1958 (The Rise of the Meritocracy. New York: Viking Press) as a way of ridiculing the a new class of elite, based on a "limited score" IQ and educational credentials. The Harvard philosopher John Rawls, in A Theory of Justice (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971, 106), used it more broadly to mean "a social order [that] follows the principles of a career open to talented people." This concept is best described by Nicholas Lehmann in The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy Meritocracy (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999), which outlined the history of individual learning ability tests and their impact. on American society. In Franklin's time, Enlightenment thinkers (like Jefferson, the founder of the University of Virginia) felt that it was necessary to replace the hereditary aristocracy with a "natural" aristocracy, who, on the basis of their "merits and talents," would be selected from the people at an early age and raised as administrators. Franklin's representations were more extensive. He believed that if any person is encouraged by showing him his capabilities, then he, showing diligence, diligence, virtue and talent, will be able to succeed as much as possible. It will further become apparent that his program of the educational institution (in the future - the University of Pennsylvania, radically different from the University of Virginia) was focused not on weeding out the elite, but on encouraging and enriching all "purposeful" young people. Franklin proposed a more equal and democratic approach than Jefferson, formulating a system which, as Rawls would later establish (p. 107), would ensure that "educational resources will not be distributed exclusively or necessarily in accordance with the prospect of their return, as is the case with trained productive capacities, but also in accordance with their significance for the enrichment of the personal or social life of citizens. Franklin thought not only about making society as a whole more productive, but also about the development of each individual.

Of course, admiration and enthusiasm, as well as distrust, will always remain. However, the lessons that Franklin taught us in his life are much more difficult than those that his admirers and opponents draw. Both sides too often take for granted the image of the purposeful pilgrim that he created in his autobiography. They mistake good-natured moralizing for a fundamental belief that predetermined all his actions.

His moral teachings are built on the sincere conviction that a virtuous life, when a person serves his beloved country and hopes to be saved thanks to his good deeds, is right. On this basis, he linked together personal and social virtues and, based on modest evidence, suggested that it was God's will - as he understood it - that our earthly virtues are directly related to heavenly ones. He put such content into the motto of the library he founded: “The most pleasing deeds to God are good deeds for the sake of people.” Compared to contemporaries like Jonathan Edwards 3
Edwards, Jonathan (1703-1758) - one of the leaders of the religious revival in New England. Puritan and Calvinist at the same time. Note. ed.

Believing that all people are sinful and are in the power of an angry God, and salvation is possible only through prayer, Franklin's statements may seem somewhat presumptuous. In a sense, this is true, but they were sincere.

Whatever position you take, it is useful to reacquaint yourself with Franklin: having done this, you will be able to resolve the most important question - how to live life usefully, virtuously, with dignity, filling it morally and spiritually? And, for that matter, which of these virtues are the most significant? For Franklin, these questions were always important, both in maturity and in rebellious youth.

Chapter 2
Boston, 1706–1723

The Franklin family of the village of Acton

At the end of the Middle Ages, a new social class arose in English villages - people who had material wealth, but did not belong to the titled aristocracy. They were proud of their achievements, but did not make any special claims, they were assertive in the struggle for their rights and the independence of the middle class. They got the name "Franklins" (franklins) from the medieval English concept of frankeleyn (literally "free owner"). 3
Autobiography 18; Josiah Franklin to BF, May 26, 1739; editor's preface in newspapers no. 2, 229; Tourtelotte 12. Franklin, in a footnote to his Autobiography, indicates how the concept of "free landowner" (franklin) was used in England in the 15th century. Some analysts, including his French admirers, pointed out that the surname Franklin in the 15th century was common in France, in the province of Picardy, and his ancestors may have come from there. His father Josiah Franklin wrote: “Some believe that we have a French surname, which used to sound like “Franks” (Franks); others associate it with a free family (the family of the Franks), which was free from vassalage and widespread in those ancient times; others believe that the surname came from the name of a bird with long red legs. Franklin himself thought he had almost certainly found the right explanation when he said that the name came from a class of English independents called "Franklins" and, importantly, he believed it. The Oxford English Dictionary defines franklin as "a class of landowners, of free but not noble birth, who are next in society to the aristocracy." Its origins lie in the word frankeleyn, meaning "freeman" or "landowner" in Middle English. See J. Chaucer, The Franklin's Tale or The Frankeleyn's Tale, at www.librarius.com/cantales.htm.

When did surnames come into use? 4
In English culture, the process of the emergence of surnames as common generic names was generally completed by the 15th century, although in some areas (Wales, Scotland) it continued until the 18th century. Note. ed.

Upper-class families were most often referred to by the names of their holdings (for example, Lancaster or Salisbury). Estate owners sometimes used the names of local landscapes, such as Hill or Meadows. Craftsmen, inventing surnames for themselves, often made references to the profession (for example, a certain Smith family, Taylor or Weaver 5
The meaning of the surname Smith (Smith) is a blacksmith, Taylor (Tailor) is a tailor, Weaver (Viewer) is a merry fellow, a reveler, a reveler. Note. ed.

). For some, the surname Franklin was most suitable. The earliest references to Benjamin Franklin's ancestors that have been found relate to his great-great-grandfather Thomas Franklin, or Franklin, who was born in 1540 in the village of Acton in Northamptonshire. Tales of his independent nature have become part of family lore. “Our simple family entered early into the process of the Reformation 6
Reformation ( lat. reformatio - "correction, restoration") - a mass religious and socio-political movement in Western and Central Europe (XVI - early XVII centuries), aimed at reforming Catholic Christianity in accordance with the Bible. Its beginning is associated with the speeches of Martin Luther, doctor of theology at Wittenberg University. Note. ed.

Franklin wrote. “There were times when we were in danger because of protests against Catholicism.” When Queen Mary launched a bloody campaign to support the Roman Catholic Church, Thomas Franklin kept a banned English Bible on the back of a folding chair. This chair was turned over, placed on your knees - and the Bible was read aloud, however, as soon as the bailiff passed by, the book was immediately hidden 4
Autobiography 20. Josiah Franklin to BF, May 26, 1739. The story of the stool and the Bible is told in a letter to Josiah Franklin, but BF says he heard it from his uncle Benjamin. For genealogy, see document #1: xlix. The printed edition of Autobiography, based on Max Farrand's version (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1949), uses a slightly different line: "Our humble family embraced the Reformation early."

One gets the impression that the persistent and at the same time reasonable independence of Thomas Franklin, combined with intelligence and resourcefulness, were passed on to Benjamin four generations later. Dissenters were born in the family 7
Dissenter ( English dissenter - “dissenting”) - this is the name in England for a person who renounces official religion. Wed Russian "dissident", or "dissenter". Note. ed.

And non-conformists, burning with the desire to challenge the government, but at the same time they were not ready to become fanatics. They were smart artisans and inventive blacksmiths with a real thirst for knowledge. Avid readers and writers, they had deep convictions—but they knew they had to be handled with care. Outgoing by nature, the Franklins often became confidantes of their neighbors, proud of their middle-class status as independent shopkeepers, merchants, and free landowners.

The assumption that a person's character can be determined by finding out about his family roots and identifying certain patterns inherent in his personality may turn out to be a common biographer's delusion. Yet the legacy of the Franklin family seems like fertile ground for exploring our hero's life. The character of some people is highly determined by where they live. To understand, for example, the biography of Harry Truman, you need to know the structure of Missouri in the 19th century; it is also a must to delve into the history and geography of Texas to explore the life of Lyndon Johnson 5
As does David McCullough in his biography of Truman (Truman, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992) and Robert Caro in The Path to Power (New York: Knopf, 1982).

But the location did not have such a strong influence on the fate of Benjamin Franklin. It so happened that his family members did not live in one place: most of the younger sons of middle-class artisans made their careers, leaving their hometowns where their fathers lived. Thus, our hero was influenced by family and origin rather than the place in which he lived.

Franklin himself held the same view. “I have always liked to collect stories and legends about my ancestors,” he opens his autobiography with this phrase. As a mature man, Franklin had the pleasure of traveling to Acton, talking with many distant relatives, studying parish records, and painstakingly transcribing the epitaphs engraved on the gravestones of his family members.

The dissent that he discovered was inherent in his family was not limited to matters of religion. Thomas Franklin's father was reportedly a practicing lawyer and sided with the common people who were being tried under an article known as "fencing". According to it, land-owning aristocrats could close their estates and not let the poor farmers who herded their flocks in the area go there. And Thomas's son Henry spent five years in prison for writing poetry that, as one of his contemporaries remarked, "affected the personalities of influential people." The tendency to rebel against the elite and create mediocre poetry lived on for several generations of Franklins.

And Henry's son, also Thomas, possessed traits that later showed up vividly in the character of his famous grandson. He was a sociable guy, loved to read, write and repair various utensils. In his youth, he designed a watch from scratch that worked throughout his life. Like his father and grandfather, he became a blacksmith, but in small English villages blacksmiths were jack-of-all-trades. According to his nephew, “for a change, he also mastered the craft of a turner (he processed wood on a lathe), a gunsmith, a surgeon, a scribe - his handwriting is the most beautiful of all I have seen. He studied history and had some skills in astronomy and chemistry." 6
Autobiography 20; "A Short Description of the Family of Thomas Franklin of Acton" written by Benjamin Franklin, Sr. (BF's uncle), Yale University Library; notebook for writing down poems, memorable aphorisms and quotes by Benjamin Franklin, Sr., given in personal papers, volume 1; Tourtellot 18.

His eldest son, having taken over the management of the family business, also became a blacksmith and succeeded, in addition, as a school owner and tax collector. But our story is not about older, but about younger sons 8
According to medieval law, which was in force even in the time of the Franklins, the elder brother inherited the family business, while the rest arranged their destinies depending on their own abilities and inclinations. Note. ed.

: Benjamin Franklin was descended from the youngest of all younger brothers for five generations. When a person is at the very bottom, he has to achieve everything himself. For people like the Franklins, this usually meant moving out of villages like Acton (too small for more than one or two of the same profession to thrive) to a larger city where they could acquire a profession.

It was a common practice - including in the Franklin family - to send younger brothers to study with older ones. When Thomas' youngest son Josiah Franklin 9
See the list of names for a brief description of the persons mentioned in the book. Note. ed.

In the 1670s he left Acton for nearby Oxfordshire (a trading town in Banbury), he joined his older brother John, with whom he was friendly. In Banbury, he opened a shop selling and dyeing silk (after the harsh days of the Cromwell protectorate 10
The Cromwell Protectorate refers to the period in English history (1653–1659) between the English Revolution and the Stuart Restoration. This time was marked by conflicts between the government of Oliver Cromwell and the English Parliament and the loss of a number of rights and freedoms in the country. Note. ed.

Restoration under the reign of King Charles II 11
The King of England and Scotland, Charles II, or Charles II Stuart (1630–1685) was crowned in 1650 in Scotland, but before the Restoration of royal power in 1660, he was forced to hide in the country or on the continent from the persecution of O. Cromwell. After the Restoration, he executed the murderers of his father, King Charles I, and the remains of Cromwell, like other leaders of the revolution, were dug out of their graves, hanged and quartered by his order. Under Charles II, a division of power between the king and parliament was established, and Tory and Whig political parties were formed. He showed sympathy for Catholicism, which caused displeasure of representatives of the Anglican Church. Note. ed.

Led to a short flourishing of the clothing industry).

While at Banbury, Josiah was caught in the second great religious crisis in England. The first was the work of Queen Elizabeth: she wanted the Church of England to turn from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism. Later, however, Elizabeth and her supporters faced pressure from those who wished to go even further, "cleansing" the church of any trace of the Roman Catholic tradition. The number of Puritans increased 12
Puritans - followers of Calvinism in England and Scotland in the XVI-XVII centuries. They demanded the transformation of the Anglican Church in the spirit of Protestantism and its complete deliverance from Catholic elements. Note. ed.

Followers of the Calvinists 13
Calvinists are followers of Calvinism who developed the teachings of the leader of the Reformation of the Church in Switzerland (mid-16th century) Jean (John) Calvin. The main feature of his teaching is the idea of unconditional predestination: God predestined some people to salvation, and others to perdition. This doctrine formed the basis of the second branch of Protestantism after Lutheranism - Calvinism. Calvinists call themselves Reformed and call their society the Reformed or Evangelical Reformed Church. Note. ed.

Protecting the purity of faith from any hint of Catholicism; their voices were especially pronounced in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. They emphasized parish self-government, emphasizing the need for sermons and Bible study during services. At the same time, they abhorred many of the decorations characteristic of the Anglican Church, considering them a pernicious legacy of Rome. Despite their views on personal morality, the Puritans reached out to some prominent members of the middle class, emphasizing the importance of meetings, conversations, sermons, and personal understanding of the Bible.

By the time Josiah arrived in Banbury, the city was literally torn apart by religious strife (during one of the clashes, a crowd of Puritans knocked over the city's famous crucifix). The Franklin family also split, but not before the crisis. John and Thomas III remained in the bosom of the Anglican Church; their younger brothers Josiah and Benjamin (sometimes called Benjamin Sr. to distinguish him from his famous nephew) became dissenters. But when it came to religious disputes, Josiah was never fanatical. There are no records of family feuds for the reasons described above. 7
BF to David Hume, May 19, 1762.

Hike to the wild lands

Franklin would later claim that it was the desire to "enjoy the benefits of his religion while remaining free" that led his father Josiah to emigrate to America. To some extent, it was. The end of Cromwell's Puritan rule and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to the oppression of the Puritans, as a result of which many apostate ministers were expelled from their pulpits.

But Josiah's brother Benjamin Sr., in deciding to move, was apparently right when he paid more attention to economic factors than to religious ones. Josiah was not so zealous in his profession of faith. He was close to his father and older brother John, both of whom remained Anglicans. “The evidence suggests that the Puritan Franklins Benjamin Sr. and Josiah were driven more by a desire for independence coupled with enthusiasm and practicality than by conviction,” wrote Arthur Turtellot, author of a comprehensive book about Franklin’s first seventeen years. 8
Tourtellot 42.

Josiah's greatest concern was whether he could support his family. At nineteen he married Anne Child of Acton and brought her to Banbury. Three children were born one after another. Immediately after graduation, Josiah began working in his brother's shop, who paid him a salary. But the business did not provide enough money to support the two rapidly growing Franklin families, and the law made it impossible for Josiah to master a new craft without training and practice. As Benjamin Sr. said, "since he could not achieve what he wanted, in 1683 he went to New England, leaving his father and relatives."

The history of the migration of the Franklin family, like that of Benjamin Franklin himself, allows us to observe the ways in which the American national spirit was formed. Among the greatest romantic myths about America, the one that says that the main motive of the first settlers was the acquisition of freedom, in particular religious freedom, prevails.

Like most romantic American myths, this one is true. For many Puritans in the 17th century, the wave of migration to Massachusetts was a journey in search of religious freedom (as were several subsequent influxes that formed America). Many regarded it as an escape from persecution and a desire for independence. But, as with most American myths, some aspects of reality are embellished. Many Puritan settlers, like many like them in the future, craved primarily material gain.

However, the strict separation of these motives indicates a misunderstanding of the philosophy of the Puritans - and of America itself. For most Puritans, from the wealthy John Winthrop to the poor Josiah Franklin, the journey to the unknown land was undertaken for both religious and financial reasons. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was, after all, built by investors like Winthrop. It was to become a commercial enterprise - and at the same time a divine "city on a hill." The Puritans could not think in an either-or way, separating spiritual and temporal motives. Indeed, among all that they bequeathed to America, there was a Protestant ethic that taught people that religious and economic freedom are connected, that diligence is a virtue, and financial success does not have to be contrary to the salvation of the soul. 9
John Winthrop, Model of Christian Charity (1630), www.winthropsociety.org/charity.htm; Perry Miller, Errand into the Wilderness. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1956. See also Andrew Delbanco, The Puritan Ordeal (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989); Edmund Morgan, Visible Saints: The History of a Puritan Idea. New York: NYU Press, 1963; Herbert Schnader, The Puritan Mind. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1958.

The Puritans scorned the old Roman Catholic belief that holiness required abstaining from financial concerns. On the contrary, they preached that enterprise is both a gift from God and an earthly duty. What the literary historian Perry Miller calls "the paradox of Puritan materialism and spirituality" was not a paradox for the Puritans themselves. Making money was one way to glorify God. Cotton Mather 14
Cotton Mather (Mather) (1663-1728) - Puritan American preacher, religious moralist, biologist and physician, writer, President of Harvard (1685). First American to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for research in zoology. Works: "The Wonders of the Invisible World" ("The Wonders of the Invisible World", 1693); "The Great Deeds of Christ in America" ("Magnalia Christi Americana, or The Ecclesiastical History of New England", 1702), "Christian Philosopher" ("Christian Philosopher", 1721), "The Striving for Good" ("Essays to Do Good" , 1710). Franklin admitted that this book left a deep mark on his life. He proved himself not from the best side during the trial of the Salem witches - innocent people accused of witchcraft and doomed to torture and execution. For some time, Mather represented the interests of the American colonies in England at the court of James II (1685–1688). Then he became one of the leaders of the uprising against the influential supporters of Jacob in the American colonies. Note. ed.

He formulated this in his famous sermon "The Christian and His Calling", read five years before the birth of Franklin. This sermon is very important because it helped a person to pay attention to "certain daily activities, because a Christian should devote most of his time to glorifying God, doing good deeds for others and benefiting himself." It is very convenient to consider that God favors people who are diligent in their earthly calling, and, as will be said later in the almanac 15
In the XVIII century. An almanac was a literary collection of works by various authors. However, Franklin's almanac, more than others, expresses the views of one author. Note. ed.

Poor Richard, "helps those who help themselves" 10
Perry Miller, "Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards" in Major Writers of America. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1962, 84; Tourtellot 41; Cotton Mather, A Christian at His Calling, 1701, see: personal.pitnet.net/primarysources/mather.html; Poor Richard's Almanac, 1736 (based on Aesop's fable Hercules and the Charioteer, ca. 550 B.C.) and Algernon Sidney's Discourses on Government, 1698, and others).

Thus, the Puritan migration created the prerequisites for the formation of some of the qualities of Benjamin Franklin, as well as America as such: the belief that spiritual salvation and worldly success are equally important, that enterprise brings a person closer to God, and that freedom of thought and entrepreneurship are closely related. .

Portal for the student. Self-training

Walter Isaacson Benjamin Franklin. Biography

* * *

CHAPTER 1 Benjamin Franklin and the Finding of America

Chapter 2 Boston, 1706–1723

The Franklin family of the village of Acton

Hike to the wild lands

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