Article abstract: Franklin helped shape most of the important political, social, and intellectual developments in eighteenth century America. He became a veritable symbol of America by the end of his life, both at home and abroad, and he remains an influential folk hero.
Early Life
Among Benjamin Franklin’s English ancestors, one had owned a bit of land only twelve miles from the English ancestral seat of the Washingtons. His father, Josiah, had repudiated the Church of England and removed from England to Boston in the 1680’s; his mother’s...
Source: Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries, ©1999 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
(The entire page is 3184 words.)
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