Provided by the David Library of the American Revolution:
For over four fifths of his long life, Benjamin Franklin regarded himself as British and loved the years he spent in London. The David Library of the American Revolution in Washington Crossing will present a lecture on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 7:30 PM titled “Benjamin Franklin’s British Decades: From Royalist to Revolutionary.” The lecturer is George Goodwin, Honorary Author in Residence at Benjamin Franklin House in London and the author of the new book, Benjamin Franklin in London: The British Life of America’s Founding Father, recently named a BBC Radio 4 “Book of the Week.”
The lecture is admission free and will take place at the David Library of the American Revolution, 1201 River Road (Rt. 32), Washington Crossing. Reservations are required, and can be made by calling (215)493-6776 ext. 100, or sending an email to rsvp@dlar.org.
Having spent eighteen formative months in England as a young man, Franklin returned in 1757 as a colonial representative during the Seven Years’ War, and left abruptly just prior to the outbreak of America’s War of Independence, barely escaping his impending arrest. In Benjaimin Franklin in London, Goodwin gives a colorful account of Franklin’s British years, offering a revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. The book studies an American patriot who was a fiercely loyal British citizen for most of his life—until forces he had sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine.
George Goodwin is the author of numerous articles and two previous histories, “Fatal Colours: Towton 1461” and “Fatal Rivalry: Henry VIII, James IV, and the Battle for Renaissance Britain.” A recent fellow of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, he lives in London.
The David Library of the American Revolution is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of American History, 1750-1800. For more information, visit www.dlar.org.
