Chapter One and Chapter Two Summary and Analysis

This work follows the life of Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of America. The author focuses on conveying Franklin through his deeds, and how Franklin contributes to American ideals.

Chapter One recounts Benjamin Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia as a famous scene in autobiographical literature and provides an overview of the subject. He is a printer, inventor, statesman, and politician, but always seeks to work through the "middling people" (p. 3) that are the backbones of the community: merchants, tradesman, and people who wear leather aprons. Franklin carefully crafts a persona for himself and is essentially the country's first publicist. He is vilified by some for his focus on practicality, though he always tries to link his private virtue and civic virtues. Chapter One is an overview of Franklin's character, weaving together the significance of...