By: Anton Massopust III
In the latest documentary from Ken Burns, he tells us of the extraordinary life of Benjamin Franklin. He was an inventor, Statesman, ambassador American Hero, Postal Inspector, and the starter of the first volunteer firefighter regiment in America. In Part 1: Join or Die he talks about Franklin’s early life. He ran away from Boston as a teenager from the Puritan lifestyle. He fled to Philadelphia where he became a Quaker and then became a newspaper printer, eventually becoming an columnist, and writing his most famous work, Poor Richard’s Almanac where he wrote his most famous quotes such as: Guests, like fish stink after 3 days and “Three can keep a secret if two are dead,” and, “Time is money,” and “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise,” and so on. His young son William who became the Royal Governor of New Jersey helped him with the first lightning experiments to harness electricity. The idea of the battery came from a military term with the way cannons were placed. Benjamin Franklin helped invent the lightning rod protecting many businesses and churches from getting struck by lightning. He helped to redesign the stove and called it the Franklin Pot Belly Stove. Franklin never patented his inventions because he wanted to benefit mankind. Franklin lived in London for a short time and consider himself an Englishman at first. When struggle started to happen in the United States, he tried desperately the end any conflict between the Colonies and Great Britain. His son, William went on to become a Royal Governor, attending King George’s coronation and returned to New Jersey (Not mentioned, but shown in the Proprietary House, Perth Amboy). Benjamin Franklin was still highly praised but went to a place called the cockpit in Great Britain and Franklin was ridiculed by the British. He was dismissed from his post as Postmaster General, so he went back to his family in Philadelphia although his Common Law Wife, Deborah Reed had passed away.
In Part 2: The American Dr. Franklin became a diplomat for the United States when they started to begin the framework for the Declaration of Independence. At first, many people did not think that he would even side with the Patriots because of his British influence, but he was so quiet that John Adams thought that he was asleep in his chair at the First Continental Congress. Franklin eventually tried to get Canada on our side when he was still in Great Britain, but he heard about the Boston Massacre and the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. He heard his daughter about what the British had done, and he was outraged. He believed that America should become independent of Great Britain. One of these old friends, Lord Admiral Howe tried to negotiate peace before the Revolutionary War got started. Howe tried to convince Franklin with a delegation of John Adams and Mr. Rutledge met with Lord Admiral Howe in order to try to avoid bloodshed. After a long meeting, the men parted with good company but with no results. Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence along with the founding fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He is eventually made ambassador to France and convinced the French to bring them in on the Patriot side. He brings to Marquis De Lafayette who becomes a second son to George Washington and Barron Von Steuben who trained the American Army. After a huge victory at the Battle of Saratoga, the French are finally convinced to have an alliance of friendship and a military aide and give America exactly what they needed in order to defeat the British.
On the other hand, son William eventually arrested by American Soldiers and taken to Connecticut, but because of his dealings with the Loyalists he’s eventually sent to the public jail where he stayed until he was eventually traded for other prisoners of war.
Benjamin Franklin’s diplomatic skills helped the Americans win the American Revolution. After a huge victory at the Battle of Yorktown, the French Fleet prevent their escape and the British are defeated and forced to surrender. The French love Benjamin Franklin and he stays in France for a long time and eventually he returns home. Doctor Franklin is present at the Treaty of Paris which officially ends the Revolutionary War. He returns home a hero and becomes an abolitionist against slavery.
Ken Burns documentaries are always interesting and his use of photographs, letters and good choice of the voice actors who portrayed historical figures.
Mandy Patinkin voiced Benjamin Franklin and reprising his role from the Television Miniseries is Paul Giamatti as John Adams, Josh Lucas as William Franklin, and Peter Coyote as the narrator. This is a good start to finding out about Benjamin Franklin and understanding the man he was and how valuable he was to our democracy. The documentary is available on PBS and on DVD. I highly recommend this documentary and it is a good lesson for kids.
