Benjamin Franklin

Born into the family of a Boston candlemaker, Benjamin Franklin turned the lessons of his humble beginning into seasoned wisdom that helped found a new nation and define the American character. In this biography, Edwin Gaustad takes his point of departure on the question of whether young people should adopt the model of this American character or whether the heroic image needs to be tempered. Gaustad presents a chronological account of Franklin's life, emphasizing Franklin's character and peronality, quoting carefully from Franklin's own extensive writings. In addition to six sidebars of primary resources, this biography contains black and white illustrations, a chronology, list of historic sites, further reading, and an index.