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The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin Paperback – March 12, 2002

by H. W. Brands (Author)

4.7 920 ratings

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PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • Benjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this “thorough biography of ... America’s first Renaissance man” (The Washington Post) by the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, bestselling historian, and author of Our First Civil War.

"The authoritative Franklin biography for our time.” —Joseph J. Ellis, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers

Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin's "life is one every American should know well, and it has not been told better than by Mr. Brands" (The Dallas Morning News). From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America’s independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world’s most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant.

Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin’s greatness and humanity, The First Americanis a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.

Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: ANDREW JACKSON, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE UNION (Ulysses S. Grant), TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt) and REAGAN.

Print length

784 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Anchor
Publication date

March 12, 2002
Dimensions

5.2 x 1.3 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0385495404
ISBN-13

978-0385495400
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Popular Highlights in this book

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“So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do.”
Highlighted by 286 Kindle readers
I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of every body.
Highlighted by 283 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“H.W Brands has given us the authoritative Franklin biography for out time.” —Joseph J. Ellis author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers

“Like its subject, this biography is both solid and enchanting.” —The New Yorker

“[A] biography with a rich cast of secondary characters and a large and handsome stock of historical scenery. . . . Brands writes clearly and confidently about the full spectrum of the polymath’s interests. . . . This is a Franklin to savor.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Benjamin Franklin’s life is one every American should know well, and it has not been told better than by Mr. Brands.” —The Dallas Morning News

“A vivid portrait of the 18th-century milieu and of the 18th-century man. . . . [Brands is] a master storyteller.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“A thorough biography of Benjamin Franklin, America’s first Renaissance man. . . . In graceful, even witty prose. . . . Brands relates the entire, dense-packed life.” —The Washington Post

“A lively re-introduction to Franklin. . . . Rich in the descriptions of settings, personalities, and action. . . . [Brands] offers . . . a succession of amusing anecdotes and vivid tales.” —The New Republic

“Comprehensive, lively. . . . [Brands] is a skilled narrator who believes in making good history accessible to the non-specializing book lover, and the general reader can read this book with sustained enjoyment.” —The Boston Globe

From the Back Cover

He was the foremost American of his day, yet today he is little more than a mythic caricature in the public imagination. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps "the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography.
Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin was in every respect America's first Renaissance man. From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America's independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world's most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin's greatness and humanity, The First American" is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.

About the Author

H. W. BRANDS holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for The First American and Traitor to His Class.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A lesser man would have been humiliated.
Humiliation was the purpose of the proceeding.
It was the outcome eagerly anticipated by the lords of the Privy Council who constituted the official audience, by the members of the House of Commons and other fashionable Londoners who packed the room and hung on the rails of the balcony, by the London press that lived on scandal and milled outside to see how this scandal would unfold, by the throngs that bought the papers, savored the scandals, rioted in favor of their heroes and against their villains, and made politics in the British imperial capital often unpredictable, frequently disreputable, always entertaining. The proceeding today would probably be disreputable. It would certainly be entertaining.
The venue was fitting: the Cockpit. In the reign of Henry VIII, that most sporting of monarchs in a land that loved its bloody games, the building on this site had housed an actual cockpit, where Henry and his friends brought their prize birds and wagered which would tear the others to shreds. The present building had replaced the real cockpit, but this room retained the old name and atmosphere. The victim today was expected to depart with his reputation in tatters, his fortune possibly forfeit, his life conceivably at peril.
Nor was that the extent of the stakes. Two days earlier the December packet ship from Boston had arrived with an alarming report from the royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson. The governor described an organized assault on three British vessels carrying tea of the East India Company. The assailants, townsmen loosely disguised as Indians, had boarded the ships, hauled hundreds of tea casks to deck, smashed them open, and dumped their contents into the harbor forty-five tons of tea, enough to litter the beaches for miles and depress the company's profits for years. This rampage was the latest in a series of violent outbursts against the authority of Crown and Parliament; the audience in the Cockpit, and in London beyond, demanded to know what Crown and Parliament intended to do about it.
Alexander Wedderburn was going to tell them. The solicitor general possessed great rhetorical gifts and greater ambition. The former had made him the most feared advocate in the realm; the latter lifted him to his present post when he abandoned his allies in the opposition and embraced the ministry of Lord North. Wedderburn was known to consider the Boston tea riot treason, and if the law courts upheld his interpretagtion, those behind the riot would be liable to the most severe sanctions, potentially including death. Wedderburn was expected to argue that the man in the Cockpit today was the prime mover behind the outburst in Boston. The crowd quivered with anticipation.
They all knew the man in the pit; indeed, the whole world knew Benjamin Franklin. His work as political agent for several of the American colonies had earned him recognition around London, but his fame far transcended that. He was, quite simply, one of the most illustrious scientists and thinkers on earth. His experiments with electricity, culminating in his capture of lightning from the heavens, had won him universal praise as the modern Prometheus. His mapping of the Gulf Stream saved the time and lives of countless sailors. His ingenious fireplace conserved fuel and warmed homes on both sides of the Atlantic. His contributions to economics, meteorology, music, and psychology expanded the reach of human knowledge and the grip of human power. For his accomplishments the British Royal Society had awarded him its highest prize; foreign societies had done the same. Universities queued to grant him degrees. The ablest minds of the age consulted him on matters large and small. Kings and emperors summoned him to court, where they admired his brilliance and basked in its reflected glory.
Genius is prone to producing envy. Yet it was part of Franklin's genius that he had produced far less than his share, due to an unusual ability to disarm those disposed to envy. In youth he discovered that he was quicker of mind and more facile of pen than almost everyone he met; he also discovered that a boy of humble birth, no matter how gifted, would block his own way by letting on that he knew how smart he was. He learned to deflect credit for some of his most important innovations. He avoided arguments wherever possible; when important public issues hinged on others' being convinced of their errors, he often argued anonymously, adopting assumed names, or Socratically, employing the gentle questioning of the Greek master. He became almost as famous for his sense of humor as for his science; laughing, his opponents listened and were persuaded.
Franklin's self-effacing style succeeded remarkably; at sixty-eight he had almost no personal enemies and comparatively few political enemies for a man of public affairs. But those few included powerful figures. George Grenville, the prime minister responsible for the Stamp Act, the tax bill that triggered all the American troubles, never forgave him for single-handedly demolishing the rationale for the act in a memorable session before the House of Commons.
Grenville and his allies lay in wait to exact their revenge on Franklin. Yet he never made a false step. Until now. A mysterious person had delivered into his hands confidential letters from Governor Hutchinson and other royal officials in Massachusetts addressed to an undersecretary of state in London. These letters cast grave doubt on the bona fides of Hutchinson, for years the bête noire of the Massachusetts assembly. As Massachusetts's agent, Franklin had forwarded the letters to friends in Boston. Hutchinson's enemies there got hold of the letters and published them.
The publication provoked an instant uproar. In America the letters were interpreted as part of a British plot to enslave the colonies; the letters fueled the anger that inspired the violence that produced the Boston tea riot. In England the letters provoked charges and countercharges as to who could have been so dishonorable as to steal and publish private correspondence. A duel at swords left one party wounded and bothparties aching for further satisfaction; only at this point--to prevent more bloodshed--did Franklin reveal his role in
transmitting the letters.
His foes seized the chance to destroy him. Since that session in Commons eight years before, he had become the symbol and spokesman in London of American resistance to the sovereignty of Parliament; on his head would be visited all the wrath and resentment that had been building in that proud institution from the time of the Stamp Act to the tea riot. Alexander Wedderburn sharpened his tongue and moved in for the kill.
None present at the Cockpit on January 29, 1774, could afterward recall the like of the hearing that day. The solicitor general outdid himself. For an hour he hurled invective at Franklin, branding him a liar, a thief, the instigator of the insurrection in Massachusetts, an outcast from the company of all honest men, an ingrate whose attack on Hutchinson betrayed nothing less than a desire to seize the governor's office for himself. So slanderous was Wedderburn's diatribe that no London paper would print it. But the audience reveled in it, hooting and applauding each sally, each bilious bon mot. Not even the lords of the Privy Council attempted to disguise their delight at Wedderburn's astonishing attack. Almost to a man and a woman, the spectators that day concluded that Franklin's reputation would never recover. Ignominy, if not prison or worse, was his future now.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor; Reprint edition (March 12, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 784 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385495404
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385495400
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.043 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 1.3 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #38,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #32 in U.S. Colonial Period History
- #45 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #186 in Political Leader Biographies

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H. W. Brands

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H.W. Brands taught at Texas A&M University for sixteen years before joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History. His books include Traitor to His Class, Andrew Jackson, The Age of Gold, The First American, and TR. Traitor to His Class and The First American were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

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derrick

An in-depth look at America's founding (grand)father

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013

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I love studying American Revolutionary history. The stories of the founding fathers, the course of the war for Independence, and the setting up of our nation are all topics that fascinate me tremendously. I have a continuously growing library of books dedicated to this topic, but for the longest time I was missing anything related to the life of Benjamin Franklin. So I was very excited to discover this book and eager to begin reading it as soon as it arrived in the mail.
What a treat this book is! Clearly the author enjoyed researching the life of Benjamin Franklin for he is so incredibly thorough about nearly every possible aspect of this biography. As a reader I got a remarkably clear picture of the evolution of Benjamin Franklin's character throughout his life. Drawing from Franklin autobiography, innumerable letters he wrote to friends and colleges, and the insights of Franklin's contemporaries, I could not help but be impressed by the depth of primary source documentation that was presented here. It must've taken years for the author to find all this information and then even longer to organize it all into this wonderful and throughly readable book.
Benjamin Franklin led an amazingly fascinating life. His mind never stops turning, his pen never stopped writing, and the world never stopped becoming better for it all. He was loved the world over, admired for his many scientific and diplomatic achievements, and successful in nearly everything he did. But I had no idea that he did so much! Presented here are stories ranging all the way back to the youth of this great man and all the way up to just before his death. And it seems like the man never spent any time just being lazy. He was always moving. He was always exploring, discovering, and accomplishing. In this book you see detailed Franklin's hard work ethic and the many accomplishments that that work ethic brought him along with great respect from nearly everyone around him. You see the enemies that Franklin's accomplishments generated, some being enemies out of mere jealousy and others out of political differences. And you see how Franklin dealt with those enemies with wisdom and wit. You see Franklin's love of the ladies how he would playfully pursue them. You see Franklin's reluctant entrance into politics and how greatly he would influence the politics of our young country once he finally entered the game. But even more interestingly than all this you see how each and every one of these attitudes of Franklin's changed throughout the course of his life. Every page is full of quotations and evidence from primary sources! It is like a treasure chest of historical voices right at your fingertips. And all the fun little stories that the author throws into his writing concerning different episodes in Franklin's life are precious. By the time you're done with this book you know Franklin. You know him very well.
All in all this is a great book, very readable, lots of fun, with not a single boring section anywhere. Order it and get ready for real treat.

14 people found this helpful

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S. Schrock

Excellent Read!

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023

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I did not know a lot about Benjamin Franklin when I bought this book. I was prepared for it to be a bit boring but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It definitely reads more like a novel than a biography and I loved all the little details the author included to make him human and approachable.

Having read other books about that time in history, I was not surprised by his flirtations - they are mentioned frequently in other books. I did not know that his son was on the other side of the aisle politically and I'm interested in reading more about that relationship.

I often wondered if he was a born again Christian and the book did not resolve that question for me. I want to think that he was but his comments about Jesus: "I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as it probably has, of making his doctrines more respected and better observed, especially as I do not perceive that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure." His next sentence, "I shall only add, respecting myself, that, having experienced the goodness of that Being in conducting me prosperously through a long life, I have no doubt of its continuance in the next, though without the smallest conceit of meriting such goodness," is redeeming in that he is not counting on God based on his own merit. At this point his questions are answered and I sincerely hope I will see him in heaven.

I am grateful for Benjamin Franklin and all the other founding fathers who gave their lives to this country. I'm afraid they would turn over in their graves and howl in protest to see what is currently happening. In regard to that, the last line of the book is telling. When a matron asked what he and the other delegates had produced, he said, "A republic, if you can keep it."

Definitely recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

2 people found this helpful

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Zintka

Good, (very) solid biography

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024

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I'm glad I read this biography. It does seem to ramble at times, and his affection for Franklin may be too evident, but it is an well-done book on an interesting topic, and takes its time with Poor Richard and the Colonial History, not just electricity, the Cockpit, and the young Republic.

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Andrew Dockrill

Awesome

Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2014

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I take pride in knowing my history. I believe their is a saying that goes "one must first know the past in order to predict the future" something along those lines. I love historical literature, reading books about historical figures just makes me go bananas and this book did not let me down. It was very interesting, mind you it dragged on at times but its a biography so it comes with the territory but it was very worth while and I quite enjoyed it, would definitely read it again and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys informative history books.

Joao Paleta

Good Content vs Bad Content

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2014

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In: joaopaleta.com

Reading Benjamin Franklin’s Biography, “The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Brands, H.W.” (and by the way what a great reading, what a great story and what a great man) I came to realize that you cannot trust everything is told to you, everything you read or everything you see. You have to question it (the Why) and use your own judgement. To filter.

Mr. Franklin was the Post Master for the colony (America) he had a printer shop (this is 18th Century), actually he had equity in several printer shops, he had royalties fees from all printings sold in all printer shops he was shareholder in, he sold raw materials to them and he was the main content producer. His goal? To sell (One example is his “Poor Richard’s Almanack” that was sold by the thousands between 1732 and 1758) and make money so he could build passive income enough which in turn would allow him to dedicate his time to his passions, including Science. He retired at the age of 42 and for another 40 years he managed to influence the course of American History. He was a (is) an inspiration, a producer of Good Content and developed an ingenious Business Model to make money out of it.

Today you have billions of currency being made out of what is now called the self-help industry, books, audio-book, workshops, theories, techniques, etc. being sold worldwide. A lot of it is Bad Content. Do the authors really want to help you? Are they inspirational? or they just want to help themselves and make money? Big difference.

I like Business. So for self-help with “Good Content”, with “Good Business Model” and that were highly influenced by Benjamin Franklin whom I admire, I recommend you:

- “Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People” (1936)

- “Stephen Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (1989)

And as for self-help advise follow only if given 1. by people that love you 2. by people that are smart and 3. by people that don’t have a personal interest.

João Paleta

2 people found this helpful

Andrea

On time and as ordered

Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2021

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On time and as ordered

Daniel Kolasinski

Comprehensive & Entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2013

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You certainly get value for money with this book as the author covers Franklin's life in excellent detail. Despite Franklin being a perfect biographical subject he was involved in a political world that could be inaccessible to the general (UK) reader. In my opinion, the author pitches these sections of the book perfectly as to make them interesting and very readable - Please don't worry that this is merely a political biography as Franklin's interests were too diverse to let that happen.

As someone pretty ignorant of the subject, I particularly enjoyed learning about Franklin's involvement in US Independence and as a result am prompted to read further on this period of US history.

This was one of the best biographies I have read and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the life and times of one of history's greatest characters. I will also be reading more from the author, H.W Brands.

8 people found this helpful

P Leyshon

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2015

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Very comprehensive and well structured. First part can come across as hard going to those who want to skip to Franklin the revolutionary but necessary to see the change in attitude that made him so.

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