Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

by Walter Isaacson

devoid

facets

refracts

And we would relate to the way he tried to balance, sometimes uneasily, the pursuit of reputation, wealth, earthly virtues, and spiritual values.2

fret

per...

His morality was built on a sincere belief in leading a virtuous life, serving the country he loved, and hoping to achieve salvation through good works.

“To pour forth benefits for the common good is divine.”

How does one live a life that is useful, virtuous, worthy, moral, and spiritually meaningful?

For that matter, which of these attributes is most important?

Proud but without great pretension, assertive of their rights as members of an independent middle class, these freeholders came to be known as franklins, from the Middle English word “frankeleyn,” meaning freeman.1

artisans—most

lineage

dissenting streak

apprenticed

Arthur Tourtellot, author of a comprehensive book about the first seventeen years of Franklin’s life.6

Among the great romantic myths about America is that, as schoolbooks emphasize, the primary motive of its settlers was freedom, particularly religious freedom.

preclude spiritual salvation.

And thus the Puritan migration established the foundation for some characteristics of Benjamin Franklin, and of America itself: a belief that spiritual salvation and secular success need not be at odds, that industriousness is next to godliness, and that free thought and free enterprise are integrally related.

shrewd

dampen

It was not unusual for men in colonial New England to outlive two or three wives.

indentured to

chagrin

Frugality

engrossing,

“Fish and guests stink after three days.”

clergy.

cheeky

One aspect of Franklin’s genius was the variety of his interests, from science to government to diplomacy to journalism, all of them approached from a very practical rather than theoretical angle.

Fortunately, Franklin acquired something that was perhaps just as enlightening as a Harvard education: the training and experiences of a publisher, printer, and newspaperman.

noxious,

instilled

tinkerer,

indentured

prompted

audacious.

In fairness, however, the Courant ought to be remembered on its own as America’s first fiercely independent newspaper, a bold, antiestablishment journal that helped to create the nation’s tradition of an irreverent press.

Defying

notion,

unsettle

feud

vindictive.

poignantly

espousing

By the time Franklin was born, Cotton Mather had built a private library of almost three thousand volumes rich in classical and scientific as well as theological works.

terrestrial,

Plutarch’s heroes, like Bunyan’s Christian, are honorable men who believe that their personal strivings are intertwined with the progress of humanity.

tenets

daunting