Benjamin Franklin - The First American, and perhaps the best

In this excellent work covering the illustrious life and career of Benjamin Franklin, the author, H.W. Brands brings an extraordinary person vividly to life for the reader. Brands is a professor of history at Texas A&M University and is clearly very well grounded in both the lore and the facts of Franklin's story. The First American is an unapologetically ambitious work, yet the author's reach has not exceeded his grasp. Brands has achieved an admirable balance between a scholarly style and level of detail, and the average work fit for consumption by the general public.

Brands does seem to have committed the biographer's sin of falling in love with his subject, a failing easily understood when one remembers that his subject is Benjamin Franklin. Despite that crowded pitfall, Brands does not attempt to hide Franklin's few faults, shortcomings or political blunders. Given that he has taken Franklin's own writing as the primary source material, it is understandable that Franklin's failings are not overemphasized. Who among us commits our failures to paper?


Format

The book covers the life of Franklin (1706-1790) chronologically, beginning actually before his birth with some background on his parents. There are 28 chapters, each of which covers two to seven years of Franklin's life except for the first which deals with his birth to his adolescence.

There is an incredible hook of a prologue which deals with an episode from Franklin's adult life. The prologue portrays a pivotal moment in history: Franklin is a colonial representative in London, where he has worked for many years attempting to mend the differences between the mother country and her colonies. He has been embraced and celebrated by most of the London populace, yet he has powerful enemies in Parliament. In this episode, Franklin is publicly excoriated, slandered and mocked in the House of Commons. Every attempt is made to humiliate him during a two hour tirade. Yet Franklin utters not a word in his own defense, nor makes any response to rebut the attacks on the colonial petitions. This is the signal event which irrevocably changed Franklin from a loyal if disheartened Briton into a reluctant but determined American.

The scholar in me also values the 25 pages devoted to source notes at the back of the book. Personally, I would prefer to have actual footnotes or at least numbered endnotes interspersed throughout the text. But I realize that many readers are put off by such academic trappings, and as this book is clearly aimed at a general audience, Brands probably made the better call by placing simple source notes at the end of the book. There are subdivisions which correspond to the chapters of the book, each source note being listed by page number and quotation.

There is also a short epilogue and an index at the end of the book.


The Life of Franklin

How am I to summarize the life of such a man as Benjamin Franklin? Brands manages to charm us with Franklin's story before he has even left childhood. Most of us can call up an association of Franklin and a kite, but Brands tells us that as a boy Franklin combined his favorite two pastimes, swimming and kite flying, into a means of transportation. Being undecided as to which activity he most wished to indulge in, Ben lofted his kite into the windy skies and took to the bay. Delighted with the novel combination, Ben found that his kite was pulling him along the shoreline and he let it carry him much farther than he had planned to swim that day.

Franklin has been called a once-in-a-century genius. This book will certainly do much to substantiate such a claim. His scientific, literary and political accomplishments are literally the stuff of legend. He was a patriot in the best sense of the word, an inventor of diverse and useful things, a humanitarian, a philosopher and philanthropist.

An inventor of diverse objects, Franklin gave us bifocals, the Franklin stove, a musical instrument called the armonica (which Mozart and Beethoven wrote music for) and the lightning rod. He had a broadly inquiring mind and an inability to be idle. This lead him constantly to observe and question both the natural world around him and human society. Furthermore, he speculated upon his observations and met or corresponded regularly with scientists active in many different areas of research. On two of his Atlantic crossings (which generally lasted 6-7 weeks in his day) he took frequent measurements of the water temperature using a simple thermometer in order to make a map of the Gulf Stream.

As a statesman, Franklin was shrewd, circumspect and patient. His aversion to direct contradiction, avoidance of argument and his forbearance of personal attacks allowed him to pursue his objectives doggedly while making surprisingly few enemies. Neither did his fame, influence or achievements attract their fair share of envy. He was self-effacing, always conscious of his humble beginnings and lack of formal education.

As a political philosopher, Franklin held an enduring belief that the destiny and fortune of the colonies and the country they became depended ultimately on the virtue of the American people. He deeply admired the common virtues of industry and thrift that he saw in his fellow Americans. Furthermore, he saw these virtues as both the cause for and the way to independence from England. Throughout his life he embraced religious tolerance and kept his personal religious beliefs to himself. He believed that with the growing popularity of religious tolerance, war would consequently diminish.

I have tried here to give you just a taste of the man. After reading this book I have a deep appreciation for just how much I, as an American, am in debt to Franklin. Every person who enjoys any of the dwindling freedoms afforded to the populace in the United States ought to understand where those freedoms come from, how they were won and at what cost and by whom. Franklin is indeed one of the foremost Americans to this very day.


Style

As a writer, Brands possesses that happy gift of showing - rather than telling - the qualities of an individual. Brands does not need to declare Franklin a genius or a patriot; he reveals Franklin so well that readers cannot refrain from drawing these conclusions for themselves.

There is scarcely a page in this book that does not contain Franklin's own words. In fact, Brands states that Franklin's own writings were the primary sources for this work. Other than the slightly antiquated style of writing found in Franklin's letters or other historic documents, the writing in The First American is plain spoken and unshowy. I appreciate the easy style that Brands used here; it didn't distract my attention from the fascinating story that was being told.


Shortcomings

As a matter of policy, I always try to find something to criticize in a book or anything else I review. I'm very hard pressed to come up with anything in this instance. There were a few questions that I felt were left unanswered by the book, but these were questions which the author explained cannot be answered from the historic record. The only other thing that would have improved my reading pleasure would have been if the dates covered in each chapter had appeared along with the chapter titles at the top of each page. Occasionally, I lost track of the date and had to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself what years were being covered. All in all, very few complaints.


My reaction

I was immediately drawn into the story of Benjamin Franklin, a man whose name I've always known but whom I had no especial admiration for. Before I was one third of the way into the book, that had changed dramatically. I was most interested in Ben's life in the colonies and so I found the sections devoted to his long residence in London and Paris less enjoyable, but there were always enough wonderful details about his everyday life to keep me reading eagerly.

Towards the very end of the book, when it became apparent that the ailing Franklin was near his end and going to die while still in public service, I actually became quite saddened. It touched me deeply to realize that this larger than life figure never enjoyed the much longed for retirement that he so richly deserved. A letter from George Washington to Franklin that implicitly acknowledged his imminent and inevitable death actually made my eyes mist up. I felt as if I had suffered a personal loss in reading about the death of man who died almost two centuries before I was born. This is, to say the very least, a rare occurrence for me when reading a book. The First American has given me an enormous respect and gratitude for this most prominent of our founding fathers.


I recommend this book for...

This book could justly be considered essential reading for anyone concerned with American history. Some would say this should apply to all Americans. I would go so far as to include those interested in British colonial history as well. Judging from the length and quality of the subject matter, The First American is clearly intended for a general adult audience. Certainly the scope and tone of the book places it beyond most young adolescents. However, I think a motivated 16 year old could read and enjoy this book.


Final Thoughts

This is the only biography I have ever read of Benjamin Franklin. It's possible The First American may omit less flattering aspects of Franklin's career or character; I have no way of knowing. Be that as it may, I feel enriched by having read Brands' work and inspired to continue reading about early American history. This motivation to continue reading will, on the whole, compensate for any shortcomings of a single book. I recommend this book very highly, and most especially to American readers.



To those interested in early American history, I would also highly recommend:
• Patriarch - Richard Norton Smith's excellent volume on George Washington's presidency
• John Adams - McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of our unsung second president
• Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams - Lynne Withey's examination of a very hands-on First Lady
• Understanding Thomas Jefferson - E.M. Halliday's unveiling of our most enigmatic president
• Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero - for those interested in reading just a bit further afield
• A Midwife's Tale - a fascinating look at life in pre-revolutionary Maine based on the journal of midwife