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Benjamin Franklin is one of the best known and most widely admired
figures in American history. His wit and charm make him endearing;
his practical intelligence and commitment to middle-class virtues
like thrift and industry make him admirable. Indeed to many he is
'the first American'. Ironically, this identification of Franklin
with American popular culture diminishes the breadth and depth of
his contributions to modern political thought. The present volume
provides the textual foundation for a fuller understanding of
Franklin's thought, and represents a major addition to the
Cambridge Texts series. Readers interested in the Autobiography
will find a new and complete edition based on the original
manuscript. Those interested in the full range of Franklin's
political ideas will find a selection of his most important
letters, essays and pamphlets. Alan Houston's lucid introduction
brings life to these texts and sets them in their proper historical
context.
This fascinating book explores Benjamin Franklin's social and
political thought. Although Franklin is often considered "the first
American," his intellectual world was cosmopolitan. An active
participant in eighteenth-century Atlantic debates over the modern
commercial republic, Franklin combined abstract analyses with
practical proposals. Houston treats Franklin as shrewd, creative,
and engaged--a lively thinker who joined both learned controversies
and political conflicts at home and abroad. Drawing on meticulous
archival research, Houston examines such tantalizing themes as
trade and commerce, voluntary associations and civic militias,
population growth and immigration policy, political union and
electoral institutions, freedom and slavery. In each case, he shows
how Franklin urged the improvement of self and society. Engagingly
written and richly illustrated, this book provides a compelling
portrait of Franklin, a fresh perspective on American identity, and
a vital account of what it means to be practical.
A Nation Transformed highlights the ways in which England was transformed during the second half of the seventeenth century. In sharp contrast to those who have emphasized continuity and the persistence of the ancien régime, the contributors argue that England in 1700 was profoundly different from what it had been in 1640. Essays in the volume deal with changes in natural philosophy, literature, religion, politics, political thought, and political economy, each illuminating the ways in which early modern England became one of the first modern societies.
Bulletin Of Purdue University, V38, No. 1a, December, 1937. Studies
In Higher Education, V32.
A Nation Transformed is a major collection of essays by a mix of
young and eminent scholars of early modern English history,
literature, and political thought. The fruit of an intense
interdisciplinary two-day conference held at the Huntington
Library, California, it asks whether and in what ways the culture
and politics of early modern England was transformed by the second
half of the seventeenth century. In sharp contrast to those who
have emphasised continuity and the persistence of the ancien
regime, the contributors argue that England in 1700 was profoundly
different from what it had been in 1640. Essays in the volume deal
with changes in natural philosophy, literature, religion, politics,
political thought, and political economy. The insights offered
here, based on innovative research, will interest scholars and
students of early modern history, Renaissance and Augustan
literature, and historians of political thought.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the best known and most widely admired
figures in American history. His wit and charm make him endearing;
his practical intelligence and commitment to middle-class virtues
like thrift and industry make him admirable. Indeed to many he is
'the first American'. Ironically, this identification of Franklin
with American popular culture diminishes the breadth and depth of
his contributions to modern political thought. The present volume
provides the textual foundation for a fuller understanding of
Franklin's thought, and represents a major addition to the
Cambridge Texts series. Readers interested in the Autobiography
will find a new and complete edition based on the original
manuscript. Those interested in the full range of Franklin's
political ideas will find a selection of his most important
letters, essays and pamphlets. Alan Houston's lucid introduction
brings life to these texts and sets them in their proper historical
context.
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