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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary,
1706-2006
A Website Written in Poor Richard Script, comp. & ed. by Mark Rothenberg
Illustrations courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of State, National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration, The U.S. Library of Congress, & U.S. Fermi National Laboratory: DOS portrait, Franklin's map of the Gulf Stream, the Report on Electricity that made him an international celebrity, an arresting statue at the university of Pennsylvania, a famous illustration urging Revolutionary War era American unity, a portrait from the Fermi Lab.
Contents
Tercentennary, General Assessments, & Biography
French & Indian (Seven Years') War Participant
American Revolutionary & Founding Father
U.S. Constitutional Convention & Bill of Rights
Creator of Institutions & Educational Reformer
Son, William: The Disowned Disciple
State of Franklin (or Frankland, in East Tennessee)
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Tercentennary, General Assessments, & Biography
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary) http://www.benfranklin300.com/
Official tercentenary site, includes a calendar of events, links to a series of international commemorative exhibits, publications, lectures, demonstrations, information on the many facets of his life, relations, inventions, writings, other work, and more. A good starting point.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, ed. by Charles W. Elliot (1909) http://eserver.org/books/franklin/
8 clickable chapters, and an introduction that includes a chronology and some well-selected web links.
An Enlightened American: Benjamin Franklin (Thinkquest.org) http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/home.htm
Following a brief introduction, are 12 valuable links: Biography, Complete Works, Inventions, Quotations, Wit & Humor, Interesting Facts, Genealogy, References (5 rated recommended readings), a Search feature, Guest Book, About (site description), and Award Gallery.
Ben Franklin (HistoryNet.com) http://www.historynet.com/historical_figures/3343481.html
Links to 2 articles: America's Inventor, and Revolutionary Spymaster
Ben Franklin: An Extraordinary Life, An Electric Mind (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/index.html
Ben Franklin -- Facts and Fallacies, by J.A. Leo LeMay, H.F. DuPont Winterthur Professor of English History (University of Delaware. UDaily) http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/franklin061605.html
A fascinating ramble, sorting legend from truth, with some interesting twists and turns.
Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man (The Franklin Institute) http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm
Deceptively simple. But follow the links on aspects of his creativity, to a Franklin FAQ, to lesson plan ideas, links, readings, and a Franklin glossary.
Benjamin Franklin and His Times, by Holland Thompson (About.com) http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/Invent_Franklin.htm
A clickable 5 part series, with links to other websites about Franklin.
Category: Benjamin Franklin (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Benjamin_Franklin
Contains 30 clickable sub-categories, including places named for Franklin, some of his works, inventions (bifocals, Franklin Stove, glass armonica, lightning rod, phoenetic alphabet), family, associations, sites associated with him, and more.
The Electric Franklin (U.S. History.org) http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/index.htm
The Franklin Trail (Benjamin Franklin House, U.K.) http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org/site/sections/about_franklin/trail.htm
Frankliniana: A Modest, Selected Bibliography of Works by & About Benjamin Franklin
the Patchogue-Medford Library (The Patchogue-Medford Library)
Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin (U.S. History.org) http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm
Albany Plan of Union 1754 (The Avalon Project at Yale Law School) http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/amerdoc/albany.htm
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Hutchinson proposed this plan (full text) to the British Parliament to unite the administration of the colonies, which crashed on the rocks of local politics and the empire's colonial policy. But, it set a precedent for the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution which would follow. Interestingly, Hutchinson and Franklin would find themselves on opposites sides of a civil war, in the American Revolution.
Benjamin Franklin's Years in London, by Joan Paterson Kerr (American Heritage.com) http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1976/1/1976_1_14.shtml
Measuring Franklin's Impact (Newsday, Inc. Long Island: Our Story) http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs330a,0,5978044.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigation
French & Indian (Seven Years') War Participant
Ben Franklin [French & Indian War] (OldeToolShop.com) http://oldetoolshop.com/trekking/library/benfranklin.html
Colonel Benjamin Franklin, by Williard Sterne Randall (Wisconsin's 7th District American Legion. Article originally appeared in MHQ: Quarterly Journal of Military History) http://webpages.charter.net/wisconsinlegion-7thdistrict/Benjamin_Franklin.htm
French & Indian War political, social, and ethical wrangle for the hearts and minds of Pennsylvanians, and a military expedition west. Also recounts his son, William's more active military role.
American Revolutionary & Founding Father
Franklin's Articles of Confederation; July 21, 1775 (The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Journals of the Continental Congress) http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/contcong/07-21-75.htm
Full text with strike-outs.
Ben Franklin: First American Dilpomat (U.S. Department of State) http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/ar/14308.htm
There is heated debate as to his effectiveness in this role. See, e.g., David McCullough's John Adams.
Jefferson Wrote the Declaration's First Draft, But It was Franklin's Editing that Made a Phrase Immortal, by Walter Isaacson (Time, Online Edition. The Amazing Adventures of Ben Franklin. How They Chose These Words) http://www.time.com/time/2003/franklin/bfdeclaration.html
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 (U.S. Library of Congress. American Memory Project) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
Try the "Search All" feature in the upper left, or limit it to one of the collections (or their sub-collections), and enter "Benjamin Franklin" for multiple results. Then view the transcribed text.
U.S. Constitutional Convention & Bill of Rights
Benjamin Franklin on the Federal Constitution: Speaking Before the Convention in Philadelphia, 1787 (Lexrex.com) http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/writings/franklin_on_const.htm
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 2774-1774 (U.S. Library of Congress. American Memory Project) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
Try the "Search All" feature in the upper left, or limit it to one of the collections (or their sub-collections), and enter "Benjamin Franklin" for multiple results. Then view the transcribed text.
Benjamin Franklin, Letter to the London Packet, 3 June 1772, Papers, 19: 163-68: Amendment 1 (Religion) (The Founders Constitution. Document 14) http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions14.html
Creator of Institutions & Educational Reformer
American Philosophical Society, Founded by Franklin in 1743 (Electric Franklin. Franklin's Philadelphia) http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/aps.htm
Ben Franklin, Friend of Libraries, by Larry T. Nix (The Library History Buff) http://www.libraryhistorybuff.com/benfranklin.htm
Overview of Franklin's interest in libraries and activities in pursuit of learning and conveying learning.
The Library Company: Founded by Franklin in 1731 (The Electric Franklin. Franklin's Philadelphia) http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/library.htm
The first public library in any of the 13 colonies, also serving as the first library of Congress.
Penn in the Age of Franklin, 1740-1790 (University of Pennsylvania. Library & University of Pennsylvania. University Archives and Records Center) http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/franklin/index.cfm
That is the University of Pennsylvania, which was founded by Franklin.
Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania, by Benjamin Franklin [1749] (University of Pennsylvania. University Archives and Records Center) http://www.archives.upenn.edu/primdocs/1749proposals.html
Ben Franklin's Vision of an Ethical Society, by John Hoad, Ph.D. (Ethical Manifold. Ethics to Live By: Ideas and Their Action Consequences) http://hoad.ethicalmanifold.net/archives/000116.html
Benjamin Franklin and Cotton Mather, by John H. LeinHard (University of Houston. Engines of Our Ingenuity, No. 1611) http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1611.htm
Includes clickable audio version. A lesson in humility.
Benjamin Franklin, Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress (1745) (Swarthmore College. Social Sciences Division. History) http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/51-fra.html
Ben Franklin and the Armonica (Gigmasters.com) http://www.gigmasters.com/armonica/index.asp
Reviews Ben Franklin's interest in music, history of his invention, includes a schedule of performances, and including those on Long Island (and elsewhere).
Ben Franklin: A Documentary History, comp. by J.A. Leo Lemay (University of Delaware. Department of English) http://www.english.udel.edu/lemay/franklin/
A tour de force, chronologically arranged. Franklin, day-by-day.
Benjamin Franklin: A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress (Library of Congress. Manuscript Division) http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/mss/eadxmlmss/eadpdfmss/2003/ms003048.pdf
Benjamin Franklin...in His Own Words (U.S. Library of Congress. Exhibits. American Treasures) http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/franklin-home.html
Benjamin Franklin Quotes (Brainy Quote.com) http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin.html
A nice and reasonably lengthy selection of often well-known quotes.
Journal of Occurences in My Voyage to Philadelphia on Board the Berkshire, Hentry Clark, Master. from London (1726) (University of Groningen. Faculty of Arts. From Revolution to Reconstruction) http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1726-1750/franklin/voy.htm
Franklin was 20 years old at the time.
Miscellaneous Benjamin Franklin Collections, 1710-1822 (American Philosophical Society) http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/f/franklin/franklinmisc.htm
Writings of Benjamin Franklin, comp. by Peter Roberts http://www.geocities.com/peterroberts.geo/BFrWr.html
Includes a selection of autobiographical works, selections from Poor Richard's Almanac, 1733-1759, his speeches at the Constitutional Convention, his political, economic, scientific & inventive, philosophic & religious writings, will, selected letters, misc. other writings, and collected works.
Writings of Benjamin Franklin: London, 1757-1775 (The History Carper) http://www.historycarper.com/resources/twobf3/letter2.htm
Part of a series of 5 online volumes, to which you may click, and read some fascinating material. Vol. 1 includes his selected writings from Boston & London, 1722-26, Vol. 2: from Philadelphia, 1726-57, Vol 3: from London, 1757-1775, Vol. 4: from Paris, 1776-1785, & Vol. 5: from Philadelphia, 1785-1790.
Benjamin Franklin and the Discovery of Electricity (Americans.net. The American Revolution) http://www.americanrevolution.com/BenjaminFranklinElectricity.htm#lightning%20bells
Benjamin Franklin -- The Science Years (School-for-Champions.com) http://www.school-for-champions.com/biographies/franklin2.htm
Also contains links to their Benjamin Franklin -- The Publishing Years and Benjamin Franklin -- The Statesman Years.
Franklin on Electricity (Library of Congress. Manuscript Division. Reason; American Treasures of the Library of Congress) http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr042.html
Franklin's Electricity, John H. Leinhard (University of Houston. Engines of Our Ingenuity, No. 510) http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi510.htm
Clickable audio version, as well.
The Inventions of Benjamin Franklin (About.com. Inventors) http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfranklin_inventions.htm
Covers the armonica, Franklin stove, lightning rod, bifocals, existence of the Gulf Stream, Daylight Savings Time.
Son, William: The Disowned Disciple
William Franklin (Burlington, N.J.) http://08016.com/wfranklin.html
Benjamin Franklin's son, who shared in many of his more famous father's inventions and endeavors. William served as Royal Governor of New Jersey, bitterly split with his father over the American Revolution, to become a major Loyalist leader, and eventually an exile. [For more on the father-son relationship, try the book, A Little Revenge]
State of Franklin (or Frankland, in East Tennessee)
The State of Franklin, by John Preston Arthur (1914), html version by Jeffrey C. Weaver (1998) (History of Western North Carolina) http://www.ls.net/~newriver/nc/wnc6.htm
Detailed account
Timeline of Franklin Events (RootsWeb.com. The Lost State of Franklin) http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/franklin.htm
Chart