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Imperfect Men
48.2: Benjamin Franklin
On this episode, Cody and Steve continue their discussion on the so-called First American, Benjamin Franklin, and try to parse legend and myth from the cold, hard truth.
Podcast to recommend: Disastrous History (Disastrous History)
Sources
· Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Doubleday, 2000.
· Gupton, Nancy. “Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment.” The Franklin Institute. 12 Jun 2017. <https://fi.edu/en/science-and-education/benjamin-franklin/kite-key-experiment#:~:text=Franklin's%20experiment%20demonstrated%20the%20connection%20between%20lightning%20and%20electricity.&text=To%20dispel%20another%20myth%2C%20Franklin's,electrical%20charge%20from%20the%20storm.>. Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.
· Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.
· Rubin Stuart, Nancy. Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022.
· Smith, John L., Jr. “Benjamin Franklin’s Battery of Lovers.” Journal of the American Revolution. 2 Jun 2016. <https://allthingsliberty.com/2016/06/benjamin-franklins-battery-of-lovers/>. Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.
· Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. New York City, NY: Hill & Wang, 2004.
· Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Penguin, 2005.
· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources
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48.1. 48.1: Benjamin Franklin
59:11||Ep. 48.1On this episode, Cody and Steve finally tackle one of the giants of the American Revolution, Poor Richard himself, Benjamin Franklin.Sources· Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Doubleday, 2000.· Gupton, Nancy. “Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment.” The Franklin Institute. 12 Jun 2017. <https://fi.edu/en/science-and-education/benjamin-franklin/kite-key-experiment#:~:text=Franklin's%20experiment%20demonstrated%20the%20connection%20between%20lightning%20and%20electricity.&text=To%20dispel%20another%20myth%2C%20Franklin's,electrical%20charge%20from%20the%20storm.>. Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.· Rubin Stuart, Nancy. Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022.· Smith, John L., Jr. “Benjamin Franklin’s Battery of Lovers.” Journal of the American Revolution. 2 Jun 2016. <https://allthingsliberty.com/2016/06/benjamin-franklins-battery-of-lovers/>. Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. New York City, NY: Hill & Wang, 2004.· Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Penguin, 2005.· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources47. 47: Nathaniel Folsom
24:23||Ep. 47On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about the exploits of the Granite State’s favorite son, Nathaniel Folsom.Podcast to recommend: Civics 101 (Civics 101: A Podcast)Sources· Bell, J.L. “General Folsom and Colonel Stark.” Boston 1775. Blogspot. 23 Jun 2011. < https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2011/06/general-folsom-and-colonel-stark.html>. Retrieved 15 Oct 2024.· Bell, J.L. “General Folsom and General Sullivan.” Boston 1775. Blogspot. 24 Jun 2011. < https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2011/06/general-folsom-and-general-sullivan.html>. Retrieved 15 Oct 2024.· Potter, C.E. The History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New Hampshire; Including that of Ancient Amoskeag, or the Middle Merrimack Valley. Manchester, NH: Self-published, 1856.· United States Congress. “Folsom, Nathaniel.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. < https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000244>. Retrieved 15 Oct 2024.· Willey, George F., ed. State Builders: An Illustrated and Biographical Record of the State of New Hampshire. Manchester, NH: State Builders Publishing, 1903.· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources46. 46: William Floyd
22:57||Ep. 46On this week’s episode, Cody and Steve talk about William Floyd and decide whether or not silence earns you a place as a Founding Father.Podcast to recommend: Blowback (Blowback)Sources· Maxwell, William Q. A Portrait of William Floyd of Long Island. Setauket, NY: Society of the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, 1956.· Pyne, Fred W. “William Floyd.” Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. <https://www.dsdi1776.com/signer/william-floyd/>. Retrieved 7 Oct 2024.· Scubiere, Paul J. New York’s Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Albany, NY: New York State American Revolutionary Bicentennial Commission, 1975.· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources45. 45: Joseph Galloway
32:51||Ep. 45On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about Joseph Galloway, the Founding Father who committed the ultimate sin.Podcast to recommend: Assassinations (Assassinations Podcast)Sources· Ferling, John. The Loyalist Mind: Joseph Galloway and the American Revolution. College Station, PA: Pennsylvania State U. Press, 1977.· Ford, Washington C., ed. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-89 Vol 1. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1904.· Gardner, Zachary. “Joseph Galloway: The Occupation of Philadelphia.” HIST 102: The American Revolutionary War. Harvard U. Department of History, 2017. <https://hist1002.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/exhibits/show/zachary-gardner/joseph-galloway----the-occupat>. Retrieved 24 Sept 2024.· Stewart, Graham. “Joseph Galloway: The Forgotten Founding Father.” Englesberg Ideas, 19 Jan 2021. <https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/joseph-galloway-the-forgotten-founding-father/>. Retrieved 24 Sept 2024.· Smith, James M. “Joseph Galloway’s Plan of Union.” Journal of the American Revolution, 26 Jan 2022. <https://allthingsliberty.com/2022/01/joseph-galloways-plan-of-union/>. Retrieved 24 Sept 2024.· United States Congress. “Galloway, Joseph.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. <https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/G000026>. Retrieved 24 Sept 2024.44. 44: Thomas Fitzsimons
25:38||Ep. 44On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss another Revolutionary immigrant from the Emerald Isle, Thomas Fitzsimons.Podcast to recommend: Anglo-Saxon England (Anglo-Saxon England (evergreenpodcasts.com))Sources· Flanders, Henry. “Thomas Fitzsimmons.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 2, no. 3 (1878): 306–14. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20084352>. Retrieved 10 Sept 2024.· United States Congress. “Fitzsimons, Thomas.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. <https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000178>. Retrieved 10 Sept 2024.· Wright, Jr., Robert K., and Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1987.· See pinned tweet for general sources43. 43: William Few
21:50||Ep. 43On this episode, Cody and Steve discuss the few and far between details of the Constitutional Convention’s man of few words, William Few.Podcast to recommend: American Revolution (http://blog.amrevpodcast.com/)SourcesUnited States Congress. “Few, William.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. <https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000100>. Retrieved 27 Aug 2024.Wright, Jr., Robert K., and Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1987.See pinned tweet for general sources42. 42: Oliver Ellsworth
42:59||Ep. 42On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about another important dude who didn’t sign anything, Oliver Ellsworth.Podcast to recommend: America’s National Parks (https://nationalparkpodcast.com/)SourcesAbraham, Henry J. Justices and Presidents: A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court. Oxford, UK: Oxford U. Press, 1992.Brown, William Garrott. The Life of Oliver Ellsworth. New York City, NY: Macmillan, 1905.Friedman, Leon. The Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Opinions. New York City, NY: Chelsea House, 1995.Toth, Michael C. Founding Federalist: The Life of Oliver Ellsworth. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2011.See pinned tweet for general sources41. 41: William Ellery
20:40||Ep. 41On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss one of those rarest of creatures, a Rhode Islander, William Ellery.Podcast to recommend: America’s Secret Wars (https://redcircle.com/shows/america-secret-wars)SourcesFowler, Jr., William M. William Ellery: A Rhode Island Politico and Lord of Admiralty. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973.Hand, Tom. “William Ellery of Rhode Island: Merchant, Lawyer, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence.” Constituting America. 22 October 2022. <https://constitutingamerica.org/90day-dcin-william-ellery-of-rhode-island-merchant-lawyer-and-signer-of-the-declaration-of-independence-guest-essayist-tom-hand/>. Retrieved 6 Aug 2024.Pyne, Frederick. “William Ellery.” Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. 2011. <https://www.dsdi1776.com/signer/william-ellery/>. Retrieved 6 Aug 2024.United States Congress. “Ellery, William.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. <https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/E000115>. Retrieved 6 Aug 2024.See pinned tweet for general sources