John Adams

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, David McCullough writes, was "not a man of the world" and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders. He found reason to dislike sectarian wrangling even more in the aftermath of war, when Federalist and anti-Federalist factions vied bitterly for power, introducing scandal into an administration beset by other difficulties--including pirates on the high seas, conflict with France and England, and all the public controversy attendant in building a nation.

Overshadowed by the lustrous presidents Washington and Jefferson, who bracketed his tenure in office, Adams emerges from McCullough's brilliant biography as a truly heroic figure--not only for his significant role in the American Revolution but also for maintaining his personal integrity in its strife-filled aftermath. McCullough spends much of his narrative examining the troubled friendship between Adams and Jefferson, who had in common a love for books and ideas but differed on almost every other imaginable point. Reading his pages, it is easy to imagine the two as alter egos. (Strangely, both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) But McCullough also considers Adams in his own light, and the portrait that emerges is altogether fascinating. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- "the colossus of independence," as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

Like his masterly, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Truman, David McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. It is both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, much of it drawn from an outstanding collection of Adams family letters and diaries. In particular, the more than one thousand surviving letters between John and Abigail Adams, nearly half of which have never been published, provide extraordinary access to their private lives and make it possible to know John Adams as no other major American of his founding era.

As he has with stunning effect in his previous books, McCullough tells the story from within -- from the point of view of the amazing eighteenth century and of those who, caught up in events, had no sure way of knowing how things would turn out. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, the British spy Edward Bancroft, Madame Lafayette and Jefferson's Paris "interest" Maria Cosway, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, the scandalmonger James Callender, Sally Hemings, John Marshall, Talleyrand, and Aaron Burr all figure in this panoramic chronicle, as does, importantly, John Quincy Adams, the adored son whom Adams would live to see become President.

Crucial to the story, as it was to history, is the relationship between Adams and Jefferson, born opposites -- one a Massachusetts farmer's son, the other a Virginia aristocrat and slaveholder, one short and stout, the other tall and spare. Adams embraced conflict; Jefferson avoided it. Adams had great humor; Jefferson, very little. But they were alike in their devotion to their country.

At first they were ardent co-revolutionaries, then fellow diplomats and close friends. With the advent of the two political parties, they became archrivals, even enemies, in the intense struggle for the presidency in 1800, perhaps the most vicious election in history. Then, amazingly, they became friends again, and ultimately, incredibly, they died on the same day -- their day of days -- July 4, in the year 1826.

Much about John Adams's life will come as a surprise to many readers. His courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits that few would have dared and that few readers will ever forget.

It is a life encompassing a huge arc -- Adams lived longer than any president. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, from the Court of St. James's, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation, to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

Customer Reviews:

John Adams.......2007-10-17

This book should be required reading for school kids, newly naturalized citizens, and those who take freedom for granted. John Adams gave his life to making the Revolution's concepts become a reality. He was
"truly" the founding father of all fathers.

Many today profess to being a patriot but they are not!

Grand. Historic. Inspiring........2007-10-04

JOHN ADAMS is a fascinating portrayal of one of America's most influential founding fathers.

With this book and his other best-selling historical novels, John McCullough has clearly emerged as the nation's storyteller, reminding Americans of their founding principals, the formative issues and defining struggles of the day as well as the courage and sacrifices of the men and women whom history called, blood and bone.

The story of John Adams begins in the colony of Massachusetts. Son of a preacher, Adams graduated from Harvard University, became a lawyer and married his lifelong friend and partner, Abigail. Despite his devotion to his wife, hearth, and home, he was soon thrust into the political debate of the day and would spend most of his public service away from those he held most dear. With a handful of patriots, Adams would become the voice of democracy and its republican government. As Adams said, the "American Revolution" occurred long before the war in the hearts and minds of his countrymen.

Adams played a central role in defining, delivering and defending the government of the confederation and later, the United States of America. He wrote the Massachusetts Constitution (which would serve as a guide to the United States Constitution years later) and defended the Jeffersonian draft of the Declaration of Independence. His towering intellect, articulate speech, and unshakeable integrity made him a powerful, compelling, and key revolutionary character. If Jefferson was the pen, Adams was the voice of the revolution and the new republic.

Adams served as ambassador to France, Netherlands, and Britain providing leadership, guidance and treaties at critical junctures in history. In due course, Adams served as Vice President to George Washington and as the second President of the United States.

John Adams comes to life in the pages of this historical novel. We experience his victories and failures, exultation and depression, certainty and uncertainty. Adams emerges heroically, yet humanly, as a man for his time.

Our Mis-understood President.......2007-09-25

Many of us will accept any book by McCollough, but this is his best. Thankfully it does not go into avery detail of his life, it rather brings him to life. We see bith John and Abigail as warm human beings who made major sacrifices for their beloved country. As the story moves along we gain insight into other revolutionary leaders, e.g., Thomas Jefferson, George Washington et. al.

This is the perfect book for the person who lovesAmerican history and the one who thinks it might be fun to learn something about it. Scholar and casual reader will benefit from this work.

One of the Best Books I have read.......2007-09-16

While I agree this book is not a complete history of every aspect of John Adams life, I do acknowledge the fact that it is the very book that got me interested in History. After reading the book I have started to read and develop my own history Library. It is not fair to expect this book to be all things to all people but rather one tool in the toolbox of the History of this great American, John Adams. While I am glad there are History buffs/nerds out there to let us know every shortcoming of this book and which books to read to fill in the gaps, I am very Greatful for David McCullough and his contribution to our Great Country. His books are written as Novels and make it possible for us to imagine how life actually was in these times. Go ahead and buy the Hardback version as you will want this to be a permanent part of your library.

A "good book" but "distracting" in use of quotations as a storytelling "device".......2007-09-04

I found the excessive use of quotations so tedious and irritating that I had to put it down after reading the first hundred pages or so. It reminded me of a high school book report where all of the interspersed quotations are intended to show the teacher that the student really read the book and did the research to support their thesis.

McCullough obviously did do a lot of research in writing this book and my guess is that he intended to use the characters' own words as a way to bring them and the time that they lived to life for modern readers. Unfortunately, he overdid it and all but destroyed the narrative in the process.

Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots (Childhood of Famous Americans Series.)

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Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots (Childhood of Famous Americans Series.)
Dharathula H. Millender
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0020418108

The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe, and Power in the Heart of Africa

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The Genesis of Genocide
Tribalism and loyalties
Very Accurate and Very Disturbing
The Cold And Dark Continent
A Look At Another Side

The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe, and Power in the Heart of Africa
Bill Berkeley
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0465006426
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Book Description

"You will understand Africa differently after reading this book...the richly reported stories he tells to make his case are unforgettable." --William Finnegan.

Since 1983 journalist Bill Berkeley has traveled through Africa's most troubled lands--Rwanda, Liberia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zaire--seeking out the tyrants and military leaders who orchestrate seemingly intractable wars. Shattering the myth that ancient tribal hatred lies at the heart of the continent's troubles, Berkeley instead holds accountable the "Big Men" who came to power during this period, describing the very rational methods behind their apparent madness.

A New Republic Book

Customer Reviews:

The Genesis of Genocide.......2007-03-24

The Graves are not yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa

Atlantic Monthly correspondent Bill Berkeley has written a thorough and provocative account of the relationship among racial, tribal, and ethnic interests in African culture.
Drawing on the Rwanda genocide and the recent famine and mass starvation in Darfur, Berkeley says these developments are not so much the result of "age old hatreds" as they are the consequence of a history of tyranny going back to Leopold II of Belgium and the failure of the international community to focus on Africa except as an extension of the Cold War.

"For four decades U.S. policy toward Africa was driven almost entirely by our competition with the Soviet Union. Africans scarcely existed except as strategic pawns in the great global game. Democratic and Republican administrations alike defined their options narrowly: they seldom gave priority to initiatives that did not serve U.S.
Strategic interests. They often overlooked, excused, rationalized ---and bankrolled-- wanton repression, injustice, corruption and economic mismanagement by unelected
Leaders who were willing to oppose Moscow." (Berkeley, P. 78)

The CIA bears responsibility for much of Africa's problems, Berkeley says, and the media is to blame as well. "The press bears a measure of responsibility for this attitude. There is a school of thought that the overwhelming emphasis on bad news creates an unrepresentative image of Africa. There may be some merit in this. My own view is that a more serious, and sinister problem is not the quantity of bad news but the quality." (Berkeley, P.88)

Finally, he says, Africans bear responsibility for their actions. He says there is a culture of Corruption where everything is for sale and everybody has his price.

In all a gloomy, but well-researched, look at the problems of a continent which one ninth of the world's population calls home.

Four Stars: ****

Tribalism and loyalties.......2006-09-15

I liked this book, more because it shed several spotlights on how several things happened that have contributed to past and present conditions in Africa. Much scorn should be rained down on several generations of leaders of the so called industrialized world for prepetuating the continued patronage of really bad people who seem to hold no regard for thier fellow man outside of thier clan or tribe. How divide and conquer is used repeatedly. When the cold war ended, Africa was suddenly abandoned as a front and more support for bad people was prepetuated. Five areas that continually recieve attention for good and bad, mostly bad are the key hotspots, we have to the northeast, Sudan and Somalia, though not much mention of the latter here, in the southwest; Liberia and all of the hate and discontent that a sucession of this leaning and that leaning despots created. In the centre, we have Rwanda, Zaire( the Congo) and Uganda and the very bottom, South Africa. Much of the cause for many of these turmoils seems to be a result of a half hearted attempt to extract the wealth from the country, and leave the mess for some one else to deal with, a general misunderstanding of history and the legacy of colonialism past and present.

Very Accurate and Very Disturbing.......2006-04-04

I have lived in East Africa, on-and-off, for over 5 years. Having lived in both Ethiopia and Uganda, I was blown away by Berkeley's accurate depiction of the modern history of this region.
This book is a must read for anybody wanting to learn about current affairs in Africa, and Africa's stance in the modern geo-political arena.

The Cold And Dark Continent .......2005-06-12

There is no escaping the seemingly overwhelming amount of evil and suffering that has gone on over the last century in Africa. Although it is not usually displayed on our nightly news casts, the continent has been in a state of near to constant warfare, criminal control and colonial game playing for far too long. This author attempts to give the reader somewhat of an overview of the situation and his views as to why it has and continues to take place. From plagues to genocide, Africa seems to have a monopoly on some of the worst that can befall man.

So how did the author approach the topic. It was interesting to me that he focused so much on the effect, both due to supposed active participation and more broadly due to ignoring the place, the U.S. has had there. I am not one who thinks of the past episodes of American foreign policy as all light and good, but if there is one part of the world that the U.S. has had the smallest effect on it has to be Africa. Just about every European country shy of the Vatican has spent time colonizing, "liberating" and in general messing around with governments and populations in Africa. If there needs to be a hard look at who should be getting most of the blame I think we need to spend a bit more time exploring our friends in Europe.

With this point said the book is dramatic. It is well written and many times interesting. Keeping the authors politics and biases aside, he does cover some truly horrible conditions that would make all but the most hard hearted individual think that we can do more to help. If you are looking for a book that would get you into the history of the problems in Africa then this is not that bad of a place to start even if the scope is a bit limited.

A Look At Another Side.......2004-01-17

This book is a stunning and gruesome portrait of genocide in Africa. Reporter Bill Berkely travelled to the war zones of Africa to meet the victims of racial violence and the inflictors of such violence. Berkeley's focus is more on the criminals and their actions that effect their nation. The interviews and experiences Berkely had with these evil individuals are fascinating and terrifying. If you have never come into real and forceful evil, you should read this book and learn what is going on on the other side. It is also good to be informed on this subject so that help can be given where it is needed.

Democracy's Voices: Social Ties and the Quality of Public Life in Spain

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Democracy's Voices: Social Ties and the Quality of Public Life in Spain
Robert M. Fishman
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801442265

Book Description

Building on one of sociology's core ideas—that social ties can shape collective outcomes—Democracy's Voices shows that connections across class boundaries can remake public rhetoric and thus the quality of democratic life. Robert M. Fishman takes up a question of enduring significance to people concerned with the quality of democratic public life, focusing on why political rhetoric proves engaging and broadly relevant, or disengaging and narrow. The answer to that question, he argues, is to be found not only in the deeds of prominent politicians and the nature of official institutions but also in the existence and the character of social connections among ordinary citizens. Fishman's book, based on long-term fieldwork and systematic survey research in Spain, identifies the special contribution to democratic quality made by conversations between intellectuals and workers.

Fishman focuses on what he calls the "discursive horizons" of local leaders and communities: the actual location of the problems and proposed remedies articulated in political rhetorics. Democracy's Voices shows how the subcultural context of social ties may accentuate or diminish their power to reshape rhetorics. Fishman argues that conversations are able to remake public rhetorics whereas ties that take the form of brokerage lack that ability. The book also offers a general critique of social capital theory and argues that the full ability of social ties to shape collective outcomes can only be observed when one distinguishes in useful ways among types of ties.

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Where's Anne?

Puritan Femininity

The Poet Got Left Behind

Beyond Stateliest Marble: The Passionate Femininity of Anne Bradstreet (Leaders in Action Series)
Douglas Wilson
Manufacturer: Highland Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Statesman and Saint: The Principled Politics of William Wilberforce (Leaders in Action Series)

Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's First Poet

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ASIN: 1581821646

Customer Reviews:

Where's Anne?.......2007-09-26

I originally thought this book was of Anne's poetry, with a mere introduction by Douglas Wilson. Instead, it is a study of her life by him. Unfortunetly, I must agree with the first reviewer: rather than making this a moving tribute, Douglas Wilson has merely attempted to turn it into a testimony of his own views of womanhood.

Apparently, there's some disagreement between feminists and complimentarians about how Anne viewed womanhood. Feminists believe she saw more of womanhood than many of her time, whereas complimentarians like Wilson prefer to see her as a woman who "knew her place." Wilson harps on and on about how Anne let the men rule like a good little girl and didn't try to compete with them. The book basically turns into an anti-feminist, pro-submissive book rather than an appreciation of a brilliant poet.

Wilson spends a good deal of time explaining how spiritually unhealthy feminists are and how lovely Anne Bradstreet was. He fills pages with how modern women today would be horrified by Anne's "true" leadership because we're too jaded by feminism and how Anne herself would be horrified by how women today are not complimenting manhood the way we should. The only thing I found more humorous than Wilson's thinly disguised anti-feminist tirade is how grossly he and so many of his ilk simply don't get feminism! Once again, his faulty understanding of feminists keeps him from realizing what power Anne really had. Wilson claims that feminists today would see Anne's influential leadership as secondary and not good enough, but he couldn't be more wrong, at least as far as I'm concerned. As a feminist, I greatly appreciate the tendency of historical women to lead by influence since there were few times that they could do anything else. Indeed, this has always been one of women's greatest strengths, today and back then! Many a historical woman held the upper hand because they led in such a way that men couldn't even tell the scope of their influence, or see the changes they were making and the power that they had. As a feminist and an advocate for gender equality, I very much admire Anne Bradstreet's power of leadership, as well as the men in her life who were gracious and secure enough to celebrate it.

At one point, Wilson attempts to prove that Anne Bradstreet was opposed to feminism by sharing a line of her poetry in which she spoke of a woman usurping her husband's place as king. She said this of the woman:

"like a brave virago she played the rex, and was both shame and glory of her sex."

(Lord, does that beautiful line give me chills!) Douglas Wilson apparently thinks this line alone proves that Anne would have hated feminism, and I had to wonder if he was serious. Anne admitted that the woman in question was shame AND glory of her sex; this sounds to me like Anne was referring to the fact that the woman merely shamed the stereotype of what her sex was supposed to be and, in so doing, broke free of the restrictions of her gender and became a glory unto herself even as she was considered a shame by other women. Indeed, I too would wish to be a shame to the narrow mold of womanhood that people of the time held and that people like Douglas Wilson still hold.

I really don't see what the big struggle is about, when it comes to Douglas Wilson's desperate attempts to keep Anne's memory free from feministic interpretation. Wilson sees feminists as women who try to be men and only believe in direct leadership. He is quite mistaken; the belief of feminists such as myself is simply that women can be as powerful in both leadership and in person as men can. This is exactly what Anne Bradstreet was, and I couldn't care less whether she did this as a warrior queen or a quietly instructional woman. The point is, she was formidable, strong, and a leader; to say that she didn't share feminist beliefs to ANY extent is as erroneous and ridiculous as claiming that Mark Twain didn't really believe in racial equality.

In fact, an unbiased critic of a body of Anne's work confirmed that she did, indeed, see her sex as something far greater than the narrow mold that the Douglas Wilsons of the time wished to put her in. She not only scorned those who told her that needlework was more suitable than writing, but "masked her true intentions" by appearing to flatter male writers and acknowledge them as superior! Apparently, Douglas Wilson bought her flattery hook, line and sinker just like some of the men of her time, because he actually claims in the book that she realized male writers were superior! I had to laugh at that. Once again, he proves himself the cuckold in gender matters by not only underestimating a woman's strength, but her knowledge of her own power.

If you're looking for a fine work dedicated to Anne Bradstreet, I suggest you look elsewhere. I myself plan to get Nichols' book, "Anne Bradstreet: A guided Tour". Nichols' book contains the lady's actual poetry and only brief outside notes. I'll write a review when I've looked through it.

Puritan Femininity.......2006-08-08

This book is part of the Leaders in Action series, which means it is not a typical biography. These books are usually written in three parts, each one focusing on the life, the character, and the legacy of the subject, in this case, Anne Bradstreet.

The book does describe her life, but more importantly, her views on life. Anne was a Puritan, through and through, and she was a beautiful woman in whose footsteps the women of today would do well to follow. She knew her place, and delighted in her role as a woman. She lived with passion, and the book describes those things, people, and ideas about which she was passionate. I look to Anne as an ideal of a Godly woman, a woman whose many virtues I would like to mirror.

Wilson makes the point that Anne was a typical Puritan in her beliefs and views. She does not conform to the Puritan stereotype, which is not Puritan at all, but more like a grim Victorian outlook. The Puritans were sober but not grim. They valued their women, and their education. They were passionate about life.

I recommend the book to those who want a better understanding of Anne's character, and that of her times, and those who want to see the life of an exemplary Christian woman.

The Poet Got Left Behind.......2003-05-18

The author seems unable to stay on topic for very long. In his determination to associate Anne Bradstreet with all of his views, he abandons any chance to help us understand and appreciate her worthwhile body of work.

Wilson constantly harps and carps about the bad rap given to the Puritans. Even when I agree that certain common statements about the Puritans are unfair and incorrect, I am put off by his pompous tone.

Customer Reviews:

History comes alive........2006-02-28

What a wonderful book for the 9 -12 child. It goes the distance in providing INTERESTING historical information. This book has inspired my "non-reader" to investigate more on Francis Marion.

Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox.......2001-03-03

South Carolina was the setting of more battles during the American Revolution than any other state. This Palmetto State had its share of heroes, foremost among them Francis Marion. Veteran storyteller, Kay Cornelius, colorfully details Marion's life from his plantation childhood through his valiant fight for freedom and his return home after the war. Marion's Brigade made a name for themselves in outwitting the British by slipping in and out of their headquarters deep in the swamp. British cavalry who tried to pursue them sank into mud. A British commander said, "We'll never find that cursed Swamp fox!" From then on Marion became known as the Swamp Fox. This Revolutionary War figure deserves attention as a hero and worthy role model. Young readers need more books like this. The addition of a glossary, chronology relevant to Marion's life, Revolutionary War time line, index, and suggestions for further reading make this book enticing for classroom study.

The Indian Princes and their States (The New Cambridge History of India)

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The Indian Princes and their States (The New Cambridge History of India)
Barbara N. Ramusack
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521267277

Book Description

Barbara Ramusack describes the pre-colonial origins of the Indian princes, frequently portrayed as synonymous with oriental luxury, and how they adapted their public activities and personal lifestyles to survive as political leaders and cultural icons. Their collaboration enabled the British to govern India with relatively limited manpower from the late 1790s to 1947. The book is intended for students of colonial history and visitors to the princely states.

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I liked it

Story of George Washington
Patricia A. Pingry , and Stacy Venturi-Pickett
Manufacturer: Candy Cane Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0824941888

Book Description

This little board book briefly and simply tells the story of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Parents can use this book to introduce the person of Washington to very young children through simple words and bright pictures.

Customer Reviews:

I liked it.......2004-06-02

We bought this book, along with several other children's books about George Washington, for our young children. This is by far my favorite among those we bought. It gives a brief overview on a child's level, without offering history in a way that is boring for small children (I thought the other ones were boring, and so did my kids.) pictures are nice, and the book is sturdy. I'm going to buy some more to give as gifts.

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American Revolution Battles and Leaders
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 078949888X

Book Description

American history's important moments have often taken place on the battlefields of war. Rich with detail and atmosphere, American Revolution Battles and Leaders shows and tells readers where the key battles took place, what happened during the clashes, and who the main figures were in the struggle for independence from England. Portraits, scene paintings, photographs of artifacts, and locator maps all play a part in illustrating this essential handbook to the Revolutionary War.

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Content is interesting but the author needs to improve in rhetoric
A must read for Ben!
Morgan's Ben Franklin--a disappointing biography
This biography set a precedent for the new millennia
Benjamin Franklin, Diplomat

Benjamin Franklin
Edmund S. Morgan
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300095325

Book Description

Benjamin Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. He was also a pioneering scientist, a bestselling author, the country's first postmaster general, a printer, a bon vivant, a diplomat, a ladies' man, and a moralist-and the most prominent celebrity of the eighteenth century. Franklin was, however, a man of vast contradictions, as Edmund Morgan demonstrates in this brilliant biography. A reluctant revolutionary, Franklin had desperately wished to preserve the British Empire, and he mourned the break even as he led the fight for American independence. Despite his passion for science, Franklin viewed his groundbreaking experiments as secondary to his civic duties. And although he helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, he had personally hoped that the new American government would take a different shape. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed the public interest before his own desires.

Written by one of our greatest historians, Benjamin Franklin offers a provocative portrait of America's most extraordinary patriot.

Customer Reviews:

Content is interesting but the author needs to improve in rhetoric.......2007-03-12

I purchased this book because the author was a professor from the respectable Yale Univ and it was not too thick of a volume. I find the content is excellent and engaging. Morgan does not dwell too much on trivial details but seems to cover the important aspects of Franklin's life.

One thing I am not happy about is the difficulty in reading this book. I can understand it overall, but there are sentenses here and there that are confusing to me. A good editor should have made some corrections to confusing sentenses. The Yale professor might be a good historian and scholar, but not necessarily well versed in composition.

Am I the only one complaining about the rhetoric? Strangly, I don't read such comments/reviews from others here...

A must read for Ben!.......2007-01-07

Edmund Morgan presents a very different approach to analyzing Ben Franklin's life. He does not go day by day or even year by year but instead looks at the overall legacy. While I think this is an interesting way to look at Franklin's life it is not as useful as Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. It is still possible to learn a lot about his cultural legacy and intellectual legacy. I did learn things about Ben Franklin that I had not from other biographies because this does stick to the large picture. This book does cover the essentials as others have noted but I think it also sets a new and exciting trend for biographies. To get the place of a person in history it is worth looking at how they fit in to larger events as opposed to just their life. Morgan's writing is very engaging and this is a valuable addition to the literature on Benjamin Franklin.

Morgan's Ben Franklin--a disappointing biography.......2006-12-24

I was sorely disappointed by Edmund Morgan's biography of Benjamin Franklin. Despite having America's most creative, funny, and interesting Founding Father, perhaps second only to George Washington in importance, Ben comes across boring and leaden in Morgan's account. I found little of Ben's humor and warmth in this book. While it covered Franklin's scientific and diplomatic efforts in great detail, it spoke little of how Ben helped make America...indeed, I found little to prove him a Founding Father. I persisted through the interminable treatment of pre-Revolutionary Franklin, hoping for a solid treatment of the Revolutionary War and the Constitutional Convention, only to be completely disappointed. In sum, I feel that I know only marginally more about Ben after reading this book; I hope Issacson's account illuminates Ben better.

This biography set a precedent for the new millennia.......2006-12-21

I am interested in comparing the 5 best biographies of Benjamin Franklin that have been written (thus far) in the new millennia, emphasizing Morgan's account.

THE BEST 5 BIOGRAPHIES ARE (in order of publication date)
Edmund S. Morgan's Benjamin Franklin (Yale Nota Bene S.)
H. W. Brands's The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Gordon S. Wood's The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
Jerry Weinberger's Benjamin Franklin Unmasked: On the Unity of His Moral, Religious, and Political Thought (American Political Thought)

The first 4 of these biographies are presented as in the typical historically (and chronologically) biographical approach. Morgan's biography was the first written and all the later biographers mention his work and try to build (and critique) Morgan's interpretation of Franklin.

There are 24 pictures in Morgan's book, no pictures in Brands's book, 32 pictures in Isaacson's book, 25 pictures in Wood's book, and no pictures in Weinberger's book.
I am not going to write about how great Franklin was or what he did (he was great and he did so much). I want to write primarily about how each of these authors portrays Franklin's character differently by highlighting different aspects of his life.

In London (1725) Franklin wrote "A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain," which seemed to show that Franklin was a young radical Deist. Later, when the pamphlet was reprinted in Boston, Franklin became a social outcast of sorts and he wrote that he was "inclined to leave Boston" because people were calling him "an infidel or atheist." When Franklin fled Boston he was 17 years old. He later wrote about that pamphlet that Ï began to suspect that this doctrine, though it might be true, was not very useful."
Later, after becoming rich from his printing presses, writings, and scientific discoveries, Franklin became a statesman, diplomat, Founding Father, and icon.
At the end of his life he wrote his "Autobiography," where Franklin said that he "never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity, that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence; that the most acceptable service to God was the doing of good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished and virtue rewarded either here or hereafter; these I esteemed the essentials of every religion".

Morgan affirms what is in Franklin's "Autobiography" by writing, "Franklin seems never to have doubted...etc" (pg. 16). All the other biographers affirm Morgan's interpretation except Weinberger. Weinberger thinks that Franklin is purposely contradicting himself to play with his readers...to reveal a Franklin that would have possibly be called again an "infidel or atheist" if he had not cloaked his message. Morgan, however, highlights the phrase in the "Autobiography" where Franklin says "that the most acceptable service to God was the doing of good to man." After describing the 13 virtues listed Franklin's "Autobiography" Morgan notes, "What is totally missing from the list is charity, love of one's fellow man. And charity, it will become evident, was actually the guiding principle of Franklin's life" (pg. 24). Morgan says that charity brought Franklin to be a public servant; Brands agrees but says that Franklin was a skeptic and a pragmatist; Isaacson focuses on the Franklin who, it's argued, helped found American pragmatism, Wood focuses on the political Franklin who had to be "Americanized" because Franklin too often wanted to be part of the old gentry class and this was evident in some of his politicking, Weinberger calls Franklin a "radical skeptic" and says he was a political "Baconian."

Morgan's work on Franklin is most like Brands's biography. Brands's work is much longer and often recounts extraneous things in accomplishing the most contextually based Franklin written so far.

Benjamin Franklin, Diplomat.......2006-06-06

"Benjamin Franklin" by Edmund S. Morgan is a spell binding study of Franklin's career in the diplomatic service. There are sections about his youth, scientific experiments, his flirtations with women, service in the Constitutional Convention, as well as other staples of the Franklin Legend, but these are "filler" to complete the story of this most interesting character.

The focus of this book is on Franklin the diplomat. It is about Franklin, the longtime colonial agent in England and Franklin the representative of the Continental Congress who worked the Court of Versailles for the loans which kept America afloat and who later negotiated the treaty that brought peace and recognition to the new Republic.

I like books that change my way of viewing things, which this book certainly does. I think that we all tend to view Franklin as an American icon, which he truly was. Morgan reminds us that, for most of his life, Franklin was an Englishman and an enthusiastic supporter of the British Empire. This book points out that, for much of his diplomatic career, Franklin's goal was the furtherance of the British Empire in which, he believed, the weight of power would eventually shift to America. This book presents the concept that it was Britain, in truth, which broke the bonds of Empire by its treatment of the colonies, not the colonies which sought independence of their own choosing. It was only after the British Ministry had spurned all of Franklin's advice and had, thereby, squandered the goodwill of America toward Britain, that he turned to support the Independence movement which was arising throughout the colonies.

This book raises the speculation of "What if Franklin had been successful in cementing a Trans-Atlantic Empire in which the relationships between the member states would have evolved over time, as has the relationship between Britain and Canada?" Would we have seen the development of a great Anglo-American nation consisting of Great Britain, much of the current United States and Canada, supplemented by as assortment of Western Hemisphere islands? How would that have changed our world? We will never know, but a book that even raises such questions in our minds is well worth the read.

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