Benjamin Franklin in Historical Context

Before the names and dates start flying at you, it's sometimes helpful to put yourself mentally back into the time period of our subject. The following one page summary is offered as a reminder of how different things were in 18th century America.

Benjamin Franklin in context (PDF file)

What surprises you most in this material? Personally, I was struck by how small even the largest colonial towns were during this period. Franklin's skills as a 'social networker' (to use a modern term) were extremely effective in this kind of small-town environment. I had also never realized that New England might have had the highest literacy rate in the world at that time.

Please add your own comments and observations to this post.