A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America - Schiff, Stacy Review & Synopsis

Synopsis In this dazzling work of history, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author follows Benjamin Franklin to France for the crowning achievement of his career In December of 1776 a small boat delivered an old man to France." So begins an enthralling narrative account of how Benjamin Franklin-seventy years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French-convinced France, an absolute monarchy, to underwrite America's experiment in democracy. When Franklin stepped onto French soil, he well understood he was embarking on the greatest gamble of his career. By virtue of fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues; engineered the Franco-American alliance of l778; and helped to negotiate the peace of l783. The eight-year French mission stands not only as Franklin's most vital service to his country but as the most revealing of the man. In A Great Improvisation, Stacy Schiff draws from new and little-known sources to illuminate the least-explored part of Franklin's life. Here is an unfamiliar, unforgettable chapter of the Revolution, a rousing tale of American infighting, and the treacherous backroom dealings at Versailles that would propel George Washington from near decimation at Valley Forge to victory at Yorktown. From these pages emerge a particularly human and yet fiercely determined Founding Father, as well as a profound sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country's bid for independence. Review Benjamin Franklin began the "the most taxing assignment of his life" at the age of 70: to secure the aid of the French monarchy in helping the fledgling United States establish their republic. The job required tremendous skill, finesse, and discretion, and as Stacy Schiff makes clear in this brilliant book, Franklin was the ideal American, perhaps the only one, to take on the task, due in large part to his considerable personal prestige. One of the most famous men in the world when he landed in France in December 1776, his arrival caused a sensation--he was celebrated as a man of genius, a successor to Newton and Galileo, and treated as a great dignitary, even though the nation he represented was less than a year old and there were many doubts as to whether it would see its second birthday. Though he had no formal diplomatic training and spoke only rudimentary French, Franklin managed to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty of 1783, effectively inventing American foreign policy as he went along, in addition to serving as chief diplomat, banker, and director of American naval affairs. Franklin recognized and accepted the fact that French aid was crucial to American independence, but some Founding Fathers resented him for making America dependent on a foreign power and severely attacked him for securing the very aid that saved the cause. Schiff offers fascinating coverage of this American infighting, along with the complex political intrigue in France, complete with British spies and French double agents, secret negotiations and backroom deals. A Great Improvisation is an entertaining and illuminating portrait of Franklin's seven-year adventure in France that "stands not only as his greatest service to his country but the most revealing of the man." --Shawn Carkonen Stacy Schiff is the author of Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), which won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2000, and Saint-Exupery, which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize. Schiff's work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and The Times Literary Supplement. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She lives in New York City. A Great Improvisation In this dazzling work of history, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author follows Benjamin Franklin to France for the crowning achievement of his career In December of 1776 a small boat delivered an old man to France." So begins an enthralling narrative account of how Benjamin Franklin--seventy years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French--convinced France, an absolute monarchy, to underwrite America's experiment in democracy. When Franklin stepped onto French soil, he well understood he was embarking on the greatest gamble of his career. By virtue of fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues; engineered the Franco-American alliance of 1778; and helped to negotiate the peace of 1783. The eight-year French mission stands not only as Franklin's most vital service to his country but as the most revealing of the man. In A Great Improvisation, Stacy Schiff draws from new and little-known sources to illuminate the least-explored part of Franklin's life. Here is an unfamiliar, unforgettable chapter of the Revolution, a rousing tale of American infighting, and the treacherous backroom dealings at Versailles that would propel George Washington from near decimation at Valley Forge to victory at Yorktown. From these pages emerge a particularly human and yet fiercely determined Founding Father, as well as a profound sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country's bid for independence. Soon to be a streaming series ● In this dazzling work of history, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author follows Benjamin Franklin to France for the crowning achievement of his career In December of 1776 a small boat delivered an old man to ..." Dr Franklin Goes to France Six months after America declared her independence, Congress dispatched Benjamin Franklin to France to solicit aid and arms for the upcoming fight. He was seventy years old, possessed of the most rudimentary French and without any diplomatic training. But this most remarkable of envoys, who had in previous incarnations been a printer, a postmaster, a fixer, a colonial agent and who had tamed lightning, was also among the most famous men in the world. In his eight Parisian years he worked harder than he ever had in his life, charmed the French, outwitted the British spies, and stirred a passion for a republic in an absolute monarchy. It was largely through his charisma and negotiating skill that France bankrolled the American Revolution. Stacy Schiff tells a tale of international intrigue entirely from primary sources, working from a host of diplomatic archives, family papers, spy reports, and records of the French foreign service. From her pages emerges an intimate portrait of a brilliant man, as well as a sense of the fragility and improvisation of his country's bid for independence. It was largely through his charisma and negotiating skill that France bankrolled the American Revolution. Pulitzer-Prize winner Stacy Schiff follows Franklin throughout his Parisian adventure." The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams ONE OF WALL STREET JOURNAL'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—A revelatory biography from a Pulitzer Prize-winner about the most essential Founding Father— the one who stood behind the change in thinking that produced the American Revolution. "A glorious book that is as entertaining as it is vitally important.” —Ron Chernow "A beautifully crafted, invaluable biography…Schiff ingeniously connects the past to our present and future, underscoring the lessons of Adams while reclaiming our nation’s self-evident truths at a moment when we seemed to have forgotten them." —Oprah Daily Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the Revolution, “Samuel Adams was the man.” With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. Stacy Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution. A singular figure at a singular moment, Adams amplified the Boston Massacre. He helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party. He employed every tool available to rally a town, a colony, and eventually a band of colonies behind him, creating the cause that created a country. For his efforts he became the most wanted man in America: When Paul Revere rode to Lexington in 1775, it was to warn Samuel Adams that he was about to be arrested for treason. In The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Schiff brings her masterful skills to Adams’s improbable life, illuminating his transformation from aimless son of a well-off family to tireless, beguiling radical who mobilized the colonies. Arresting, original, and deliriously dramatic, this is a long-overdue chapter in the history of our nation. Arresting, original, and deliriously dramatic, this is a long-overdue chapter in the history of our nation." Cleopatra The last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the last Pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra reigned over the end of an era. Cleopatra has been defined by her relationships with powerful Roman statesmen Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, both of whom fathered her children, but there is much more to Cleopatra’s story than romantic intrigue. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Ptolemaic Dynasty ✓ Cleopatra as Queen ✓ Cleopatra and Julius Caesar ✓ Mark Antony and Cleopatra ✓ Propaganda Wars ✓ The Last Pharaoh of Egypt: Cleopatra's Suicide And much more! One of the first independent female rulers of an ancient kingdom, Cleopatra was a gifted diplomat, efficient administrator, and accomplished linguist who ruled her kingdom with more courage than the majority of her male predecessors. Cleopatra’s death ended an era, but her life promised the dawn of a new age, one where women might dare to rule the world. Cleopatra has been defined by her relationships with powerful Roman statesmen Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, both of whom fathered her children, but there is much more to Cleopatra’s story than romantic intrigue." Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of America Six months after America declared her independence, Congress dispatched Benjamin Franklin to France to solicit aid and arms for the upcoming fight. This work tells a tale of international intrigue and from it emerges a portrait of a brilliant man, as well as a sense of the fragility and improvisation of his country's bid for independence. This work tells a tale of international intrigue and from it emerges a portrait of a brilliant man, as well as a sense of the fragility and improvisation of his country's bid for independence." The Witches The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra, the #1 national bestseller, unpacks the mystery of the Salem Witch Trials. It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an elderly man crushed to death. The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, The Witches is Stacy Schiff's account of this fantastical story -- the first great American mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, The Witches is Stacy Schiff's account of this fantastical story -- the first great American mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians." American Biography This collection of reviews, selected from Rollyson's New York Sun column, is as much about the romance of biography as it is about the American lives. Certain concerns resonate throughout the book: the American left's failure to reckon with Communist subversion, McCarthyism, and Stalinism, the problematic nature of authorized biography, the history of American biography, definitive biographies, literary biography, the differences between autobiography and biography, the importance of interviews in biographies of contemporary figures, the differences between history and biography, comparative biographies, the virtues of short biographies and of biographies for children, the tendency of biographers to fictionalize and of novelists to biographize, psychology and biography, Rollyson's own experience as a biographer, and the way biographers treat one another's work. Too many biographers, he believes, evince no interest in the biographical tradition. Concerned only with possession of their subjects, their proprietorial attitude deforms not only their biographies but also the genre itself. If biography is reviewed badly (receiving hardly more than a summary of the subject's life with a perfunctory nod to the biographer), it is because the biographical tradition has been disregarded or discounted. This book, in other words, has been written on the behalf of biography, a genre that still awaits a full vindication. A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America by Stacy Schiff Biography, by definition, puts its subject at the center of the world. This centripetal portrayal of personality presents a problem: No individual, ..." A Companion to Benjamin Franklin This companion provides a comprehensive survey of the life, work and legacy of Benjamin Franklin - the oldest, most distinctive, and multifaceted of the founders. Includes contributions from across a range of academic disciplines Combines traditional and cutting-edge scholarship, from accomplished and emerging experts in the field Pays special attention to the American Revolution, the Enlightenment, journalism, colonial American society, and themes of race, class, and gender Places Franklin in the context of recent work in political theory, American Studies, American literature, material culture studies, popular culture, and international relations Schiff , Stacy (2005). A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York, NY. Schiff , Stacy (2009). “ Franklin inParis,” American Scholar. Schiffer,Michael Brian(2003). Drawthe Lightning Down:Benjamin Franklin ..." Liberty's First Crisis “Slack engagingly reveals how the Federalist attack on the First Amendment almost brought down the Republic . . . An illuminating book of American history” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). In 1798, with the United States in crisis, President John Adams and the Federalists in control of Congress passed an extreme piece of legislation that made criticism of the government and its leaders a crime punishable by heavy fines and jail time. From a loudmouth in a bar to a firebrand politician to Benjamin Franklin’s own grandson, those victimized by the 1798 Sedition Act were as varied as the country’s citizenry. But Americans refused to let their freedoms be so easily dismissed: they penned fiery editorials, signed petitions, and raised “liberty poles,” while Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drew up the infamous Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, arguing that the Federalist government had gone one step too far. Liberty’s First Crisis vividly unfolds these pivotal events in the early life of the republic, as the Founding Fathers struggled to define America off the page and preserve the freedoms they had fought so hard to create. “A powerful and engaging narrative . . . Slack brings one of America’s defining crises back to vivid life . . . This is a terrific piece of history.” —Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Thomas Jefferson 2 Schiff , Stacy , A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America , Henry Holt, New York, 2005, p. 3. 3 From Faÿ, Bernard, The Two Franklins: Fathers of American Democracy, quoted in Platt, John D. R., ..." Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History explores the events, policies, activities, institutions, groups, people, and movements that have created and shaped political life in the United States. With contributions from scholars in the fields of history and political science, this seven-volume set provides students, researchers, and scholars the opportunity to examine the political evolution of the United States from the 1500s to the present day. With greater coverage than any other resource, the Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History identifies and illuminates patterns and interrelations that will expand the reader’s understanding of American political institutions, culture, behavior, and change. Focusing on both government and history, the Encyclopedia brings exceptional breadth and depth to the topic with more than 100 essays for each of the critical time periods covered. Crucible of War: The Seven Years ' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. New York: Vintage, 2000. Demos, John. The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994." Letters from France Woods brings together a unique and perceptive collection of documents that not only offer a rare glimpse into the complex mind of Benjamin Franklin the diplomat, but also provide new insights into the French-American alliance against the British. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Russell, Phillips. 1926. Benjamin Franklin , the First Civilized American . New York: Brentano. Schiff , Stacy . 2005. A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America ." How the French Saved America Americans today have a love/hate relationship with France, but in How the French Saved America Tom Shachtman shows that without France, there might not be a United States of America. To the rebelling colonies, French assistance made the difference between looming defeat and eventual triumph. Even before the Declaration of Independence was issued, King Louis XVI and French foreign minister Vergennes were aiding the rebels. After the Declaration, that assistance broadened to include wages for our troops; guns, cannon, and ammunition; engineering expertise that enabled victories and prevented defeats; diplomatic recognition; safe havens for privateers; battlefield leadership by veteran officers; and the army and fleet that made possible the Franco-American victory at Yorktown. Nearly ten percent of those who fought and died for the American cause were French. Those who fought and survived, in addition to the well-known Lafayette and Rochambeau, include François de Fleury, who won a Congressional Medal for valor, Louis Duportail, who founded the Army Corps of Engineers, and Admiral de Grasse, whose sea victory sealed the fate of Yorktown. This illuminating narrative history vividly captures the outsize characters of our European brothers, their battlefield and diplomatic bonds and clashes with Americans, and the monumental role they played in America’s fight for independence and democracy. France and America in the Revolutionary Era: The Life of Jacques-Donatien Leray de Chaumont, 1725–1803. Providence, RI: Berghahn Books, 1995. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America ." Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations: A-J A comprehensive two-volume overview and analysis of all facets of espionage in the American historical experience, focusing on key individuals and technologies. * Includes over 750 entries in chronologically organized sections, covering important spies, spying technologies, and events * Written by an expert team of contributing scholars from a variety of fields within history and political science * Provides a chronology of key events related to the use of espionage by the United States or by enemies within our borders * A glossary of key espionage terms * An extensive bibliography of print and electronic resources for further reading * Photos of key individuals plus maps of geographical locations and military engagements where espionage played an important role Gehlen , Reinhard . The Service: The Memoirs of General Reinhard Gehlen . Translated by David Irving. New York: Popular Library, 1972. Reese, Mary Ellen. General Reinhard Gehlen : The CIA Connection. Fairfax, VA: George Mason University ..." American Musicals in Context: From the American Revolution to the 21st Century American Musicals in Context: From the American Revolution to the 21st Century gives students a fresh look at history-based musicals, helping readers to understand the American story through one of the country's most celebrated art forms: the musical. With the hit musical Hamilton (2015) captivating audiences and reshaping the way early U.S. history is taught and written about, this book offers insight into an array of musicals that explore U.S. history. The work provides a synopsis, critical and audience reception, and historical context and analysis for each of 20 musicals selected for the unique and illuminating way they present the American story on the stage. Specifically, this volume explores musicals that have centered their themes, characters, and plots on some aspect of the American complex and ever-changing history. Each in its own way helps us rediscover and discover anew pivotal national crises, key political decisions, defining moral choices, unspeakable and unresolved injustices, important and untold stories, defeats suffered, victories won in the face of monumental adversity, and the sacrifices borne publicly and privately in the process of creating the American narrative, one story at a time. High school and college readers will come away from the volume armed with the critical thinking skills necessary to discern fact from fiction in U.S. history. Capitalizes on historic interest in the musical Hamilton Represents major periods in American history through musicals Unlike other books on the history of musical theatre, explores American history through musical form 92. Schiff , Stacy . 2006. A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Holt Paperbacks. Schwartzkopf, General H. Norman. 1992. It Doesn't Take a Hero: The Autobiography. New York: Bantam. Taubman, Howard." Term Paper Resource Guide to Colonial American History With this guide, major help for term papers relating to Colonial American history has arrived in a volume sure to enrich and stimulate students in challenging and enjoyable ways. • Each event entry begins with a brief summary to pique interest • Each entry offers original and thought-provoking term paper ideas in both standard and alternative formats that often incorporate the latest in electronic media, such as the iPod and iMovie • The best in primary and secondary sources for further research are annotated • Vetted, stable website suggestions and multimedia resources, usually videos, are noted for further viewing • Alternative term paper suggestions encourage role-playing to personalize the learning experience This is the text of the treaty signed between the United States and France . Secondary Sources Ferling, John. ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, ..." Dictionary of Early American Philosophers The Dictionary of Early American Philosophers, which contains over 400 entries by nearly 300 authors, provides an account of philosophical thought in the United States and Canada between 1600 and 1860. The label of "philosopher" has been broadly applied in this Dictionary to intellectuals who have made philosophical contributions regardless of academic career or professional title. Most figures were not academic philosophers, as few such positions existed then, but they did work on philosophical issues and explored philosophical questions involved in such fields as pedagogy, rhetoric, the arts, history, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, medicine, anthropology, religion, metaphysics, and the natural sciences. Each entry begins with biographical and career information, and continues with a discussion of the subject's writings, teaching, and thought. A cross-referencing system refers the reader to other entries. The concluding bibliography lists significant publications by the subject, posthumous editions and collected works, and further reading about the subject. Barbour, Brian M. Benjamin Franklin : A Collection of Critical Essays (Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1979). ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America (New York, 2005). Schneider, Herbert W. “The ..." Shaping North America: From Exploration to the American Revolution [3 volumes] This fascinating multivolume set provides a unique resource for learning about early American history, including thematic essays, topical entries, and an invaluable collection of primary source documents. • Provides readers with an easy-to-use collection of primary sources in virtually all areas of early American history • Offers encyclopedic coverage of both specific topics and broader concepts or themes in early American history • Collects a wide range of materials, both primary and tertiary, into a single multivolume resource set • Presents information in a concise, accessible tone and in a format that is easy for students to navigate As the Quasi-War between the United States and France heated up in 1798, Congress passed legislation declaring the country ... Schiff , Stacy . 2005. A great improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt." Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin In this remarkable work, Rae Katherine Eighmey presents Franklin's delight and experimentation with food throughout his life. At age sixteen, he began dabbling in vegetarianism. In his early twenties, citing the health benefits of water over alcohol, he convinced his printing-press colleagues to abandon their traditional breakfast of beer and bread for "water gruel," a kind of tasty porridge he enjoyed. Franklin is known for his scientific discoveries, including electricity and the lightning rod, and his curiosity and logical mind extended to the kitchen. He even conducted an electrical experiment to try to cook a turkey and installed a state-of-the-art oven for his beloved wife Deborah. Later in life, on his diplomatic missions--he lived fifteen years in England and nine in France--Franklin ate like a local. Eighmey discovers the meals served at his London home-away-from-home and analyzes his account books from Passy, France, for insights to his farm-to-fork diet there. Yet he also longed for American foods; Deborah, sent over favorites including cranberries, which amazed his London kitchen staff. He saw food as key to understanding the developing culture of the United States, penning essays presenting maize as the defining grain of America. Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin conveys all of Franklin's culinary adventures, demonstrating that Franklin's love of food shaped not only his life but also the character of the young nation he helped build. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: An Owl Book, Henry Holt and Co., 2005. Schoepf, Johann David. Travels in the Confederation, 1783–1784, trans, and ed. Alfred J. Morrison." The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Franklin Comprehensive and accessible, this Companion addresses several well-known themes in the study of Franklin and his writings, while also showing Franklin in conversation with his British and European counterparts in science, philosophy, and social theory. Specially commissioned chapters, written by scholars well-known in their respective fields, examine Franklin's writings and his life with a new sophistication, placing Franklin in his cultural milieu while revealing the complexities of his intellectual, literary, social, and political views. Individual chapters take up several traditional topics, such as Franklin and the American dream, Franklin and capitalism, and Franklin's views of American national character. Other chapters delve into Franklin's library and his philosophical views on morality, religion, science, and the Enlightenment and explore his continuing influence in American culture. This Companion will be essential reading for students and scholars of American literature, history and culture. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society and Library Company of Philadelphia, 2006. Biographies and biographical studies ofaspects of Franklin's life Brands, ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth ..." Benjamin Franklin's Intellectual World The essays in this volume explore how Franklin's political and philosophical thinking was informed, while examining the deep appeal that Franklin has had on generation after generation of Americans. Proposals for a Plan Towards a Reconciliation And Re-Union With the Thirteen Provinces of America . ... New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation . Franklin , France, and the Birth of America ." Poor Richard's Women “An engrossing look at the human side of Benjamin Franklin . . . Using a post-feminist lens that’s critical of gender essentialism, Stuart rescues these women from obscurity . . . This is a terrific read: poignant, provocative, and probing.” —Library Journal, Starred Review A vivid portrait of the women who loved, nurtured, and defended America’s famous scientist and founding father. Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for 44 years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah’s life and those of Ben’s other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence. We are introduced to Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady who managed Ben’s life in London; Catherine Ray, the 23-year-old New Englander with whom he traveled overnight and later exchanged passionate letters; Madame Brillon, the beautiful French musician who flirted shamelessly with him, and the witty Madame Helvetius, who befriended the philosophes of pre-Revolutionary France and brought Ben to his knees. What emerges from Stuart’s pen is a colorful and poignant portrait of women in the age of revolution. Set two centuries before the rise of feminism, Poor Richard’s Women depicts the feisty, often-forgotten women dear to Ben’s heart who, despite obstacles, achieved an independence rarely enjoyed by their peers in that era. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France , and the Birth of America . New York : Henry Holt , 2005 . Schloesser , Pauline . The Fair Sex : White Women and Racial Patriarchy in the Early American Republic ." Revolutionary War Almanac Offering a day-by-day chronology of the people and events important to the American Revolution, this title provides a look at this historic time. It covers people, battles, and other details, and includes more than 130 maps, photographs, and illustrations pair with an index, a bibliography, cross-references, and a chronology. FRENCH ALLIANCE in February 1778, which allowed for direct military intervention on behalf of the Patriots. ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France , & the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, 2005. Strodes, James." It's Up to You, Ben Franklin History meets humor in this interactive Benjamin Franklin biography. Laugh and learn as this American hero makes the toughest choices of his life. Perfect for readers of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. You're Benjamin Franklin: inventor, humorist, diplomat-spy, and Founding Father. To rise from humble beginnings and become an American hero, you have to weigh the facts, trust your gut, and make tough choices that will forge America's destiny. No pressure! In this tongue-in-cheek biography, father-daughter team Tom and Leila Hirschfeld explore eleven critical decisions that shaped Ben's incredible life. With over 100 pieces of archival and original art, fun facts, historical trivia, sidebars, and more, follow Ben's footsteps through the smart calls and near misses that launched his career and helped unite the United States! Honesdale: Calkins Creek, 2014. Schanzer, Rosalyn. How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, 2006." The Political Trial of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin, it seems, was a reluctant revolutionary. In tracing the course of his political transformation, this book will explore the social and political understandings and misunderstandings that both sustained and divided Britain and its colonies in North America. At the center of the story is Benjamin Franklin's decision in late 1772 to use a cache of personal letters that had fallen in his lap in London for revelation in Massachusetts - essentially a Wikileaks for 1772 - and the consequences of that decision for himself and for the cause of an amicable settlement of differences between the colonies and the British government. The personal side of Franklin's life in London is explored fully enough for the reader to appreciate both his strong attachment to the place and the inevitable sense of loss from which he reluctantly retreated in the spring of 1775 upon his departure from Britain and return to Philadelphia. In the tradition of narrative history, this book combines two main stories, each one complementing the other. Woven into the chronological and social history is a tale with an air of genuine suspense and mystery about it, revolving around Franklin's publication of private correspondence with political ramifications. The "leak" was a shock to all, and had consequences for the prospect of avoiding a deeper rift with Britain, a cause Franklin pursued with increasing frustration in the last few years before the American Revolution. There are notable editorial innovations in the book. The appendices contain full transcripts of significant documents of the time (a first) as well as a thorough exploration of the mystery over the identity of Franklin's source for the Hutchinson letters. A practical 'time-line' is included showing major correlative events.This work will fill a partial void in the late colonial period in American history and will deepen our understanding of the role of the American with the most extensive experience of British political and cultural sensibilities of the time. New York: Palgrave Mac- millan, 2006. Randall, Willard Sterne. A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin and His Son. Boston: Little, Brown, 1984. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France and the Birth of America ." The Nation's First Monument and the Origins of the American Memorial Tradition The commemorative tradition in early American art is given sustained consideration for the first time in Sally Webster's study of public monuments and the construction of an American patronymic tradition. Until now, no attempt has been made to create a coherent early history of the carved symbolic language of American liberty and independence. Establishing as the basis of her discussion the fledgling nation's first monument, Jean-Jacques Caffi?'s Monument to General Richard Montgomery (commissioned in January of 1776), Webster builds on the themes of commemoration and national patrimony, ultimately positing that like its instruments of government, America drew from the Enlightenment and its reverence for the classical past. Webster's study is grounded in the political and social worlds of New York City, moving chronologically from the 1760s to the 1790s, with a concluding chapter considering the monument, which lies just east of Ground Zero, against the backdrop of 9/11. It is an original contribution to historical scholarship in fields ranging from early American art, sculpture, New York history, and the Revolutionary era. A chapter is devoted to the exceptional role of Benjamin Franklin in the commissioning and design of the monument. Webster's study provides a new focus on New York City as the 18th-century city in which the European tradition of public commemoration was reconstituted as monuments to liberty's heroes. The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States. Washington, D.C.: office of the Historian, ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, 2005." Benjamin Franklin Track the facts about the great printer, inventor, and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin! When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #32: To the Future, Ben Franklin! they had lots of questions. What was Ben Franklin's first job? How did a kite teach him about electricity? What are some of Ben's most famous inventions? Why did he have so many nicknames? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about Benjamin Franklin. Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures A nonfiction companion to Magic Tree House #32: To the Future, Ben Franklin! ... OTHER TERRIBLE STORMs Dolphins AND SHARKs ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPIcs AMERICAN REvolution SABERTooths AND THE ICE AGE PILGRIMs ANCIENT ROME AND Pompeii ..." Franco-America in the Making Every June the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, celebrates Franco-American Day, raising the Franco-American flag and hosting events designed to commemorate French culture in the Americas. Though there are twenty million French speakers and people of French or francophone descent in North America, making them the fifth-largest ethnic group in the United States, their cultural legacy has remained nearly invisible. Events like Franco-American Day, however, attest to French ethnic permanence on the American topography. In Franco-America in the Making, Jonathan K. Gosnell examines the manifestation and persistence of hybrid Franco-American literary, musical, culinary, and media cultures in North America, especially New England and southern Louisiana. To shed light on the French cultural legacy in North America long after the formal end of the French empire in the mid-eighteenth century, Gosnell seeks out hidden French or “Franco” identities and sites of memory in the United States and Canada that quietly proclaim an intercontinental French presence, examining institutions of higher learning, literature, folklore, newspapers, women’s organizations, and churches. This study situates Franco-American cultures within the new and evolving field of postcolonial Francophone studies by exploring the story of the peoples and ideas contributing to the evolution and articulation of a Franco-American cultural identity in the New World. Gosnell asks what it means to be French, not simply in America but of America. Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, 2005. Schubart, Bill. The Lamoille Stories: Uncle Benoit's Wake and Other Tales from Vermont. White River Junction vt: White River, ..." Seasoned to the Country: Slavery in the Life of Benjamin Franklin "Seasoned to the Country" brings together the details of slavery in the life of one of the most famous founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.Franklinstarted life as a poor boy, receiving only two years of education before starting to work at age ten. When he opened his print shop, he hired an indentured servant, and advertised slaves for sale and runaway servants and slaves for capture. After he became married, he adopted the local practice of relying on slave labor in his home. By the end of his life,Franklincontributed funds to establish the first all-black church inPennsylvania, and established a loan program for young businessmen, which was not limited to whites. The story of Franklin's struggle with slavery illuminates the national character, and provides a good comparison with Southern political leaders in the colonial period. The book includes a section on slave exploitation and genocidal mentality, a selected annotated bibliography of slavery in the North and slave narratives, and a list of black appearances, uprisings, laws and codes from 1513 to 1865. Reiss cites numerous journal and magazine articles, along with familiar sources such as John Hope Franklin and Eric Foner. Rivers, Larry Eugene. ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America ." The Politics of Fame Celebrities can come from many different realms: film, music, politics, sports. But what do all these major celebrities have in common? What elevates them to the status of household names while their equally talented peers remain in relative obscurity? Is it just a question of charisma, or does fame depend more on the collective fantasies of fans than the actual accomplishments of celebrities? In search of answers, cultural historian Eric Burns delves deep into the biographies of some of the most famous figures in American history, from Benjamin Franklin to Fanny Kemble, Elvis Presley to Gene Tierney, and Michael Jordan to Oprah Winfrey. Through these case studies, he considers the evolution of celebrity throughout the ages. More controversially, he questions the very status of fame in the twenty-first century, an era in which thousands of minor celebrities have seen their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. The Politics of Fame is a provocative and entertaining look at the lives and afterlives of America’s most beloved celebrities as well as the mad devotion they inspired. It raises important questions about what celebrity worship reveals about the worshippers—and about the state of the nation itself Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America . New York: Henry Holt, 2005. Schlesinger, Arthur M. The Birth of the Nation: A Portrait of the American People on the Eve of Independence." Transnational Na(rra)tion This book examines American literary texts whose portrayal of "American" identity involves the incorporation of a "foreign body" as the precondition for a comprehensive understanding of itself. This nexus of disconcerting textual dynamics arises precisely insofar as both citizen/subject and national identity depend upon a certain alterity, an "other" which constitutes the secondary term of a binary structure. "American" identity thus finds itself ironically con-fused and interwoven with another culture or another nation, double-crossed in the enactment of itself. Individual chapters are devoted to Benjamin Franklin, Washington Irving, Frederick Douglass, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain. Home and Homeland in Nineteenth-Century American Literature John Dolis ... “ Franklin , Modernity, and Themes of Dissent in the Early Modern Era. ... Schiff , Stacy . A Great Improvisation : Franklin , France, and the Birth of America ."