This book examines the life of the noted statesman, inventor, philanthropist, publisher, and revolutionary named Benjamin Franklin. Franklin played a major role in the cultural and political formulation of the newborn United States of America, when in 1782; he negotiated a peace treaty between the States and Great Britain, thus bringing the revolutionary war to an end. He is still remembered as the prototypical American self-made man, a symbol of the unlimited potential inherent in the American way of life.

This is part of Chelsea House Publishers' World Leaders - Past and Present series. This ebook contains the complete text from the print version.