Runaway America

Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775), Revolutionary Period (1775-1800), Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book Runaway America by David Waldstreicher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Waldstreicher ISBN: 9781466821521
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: August 10, 2005
Imprint: Hill and Wang Language: English
Author: David Waldstreicher
ISBN: 9781466821521
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: August 10, 2005
Imprint: Hill and Wang
Language: English

Scientist, abolitionist, revolutionary: that is the Benjamin Franklin we know and celebrate. To this description, the talented young historian David Waldstreicher shows we must add runaway, slave master, and empire builder. But Runaway America does much more than revise our image of a beloved founding father. Finding slavery at the center of Franklin's life, Waldstreicher proves it was likewise central to the Revolution, America's founding, and the very notion of freedom we associate with both.

Franklin was the sole Founding Father who was once owned by someone else and was among the few to derive his fortune from slavery. As an indentured servant, Franklin fled his master before his term was complete; as a struggling printer, he built a financial empire selling newspapers that not only advertised the goods of a slave economy (not to mention slaves) but also ran the notices that led to the recapture of runaway servants. Perhaps Waldstreicher's greatest achievement is in showing that this was not an ironic outcome but a calculated one. America's freedom, no less than Franklin's, demanded that others forgo liberty.

Through the life of Franklin, Runaway America provides an original explanation to the paradox of American slavery and freedom.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Scientist, abolitionist, revolutionary: that is the Benjamin Franklin we know and celebrate. To this description, the talented young historian David Waldstreicher shows we must add runaway, slave master, and empire builder. But Runaway America does much more than revise our image of a beloved founding father. Finding slavery at the center of Franklin's life, Waldstreicher proves it was likewise central to the Revolution, America's founding, and the very notion of freedom we associate with both.

Franklin was the sole Founding Father who was once owned by someone else and was among the few to derive his fortune from slavery. As an indentured servant, Franklin fled his master before his term was complete; as a struggling printer, he built a financial empire selling newspapers that not only advertised the goods of a slave economy (not to mention slaves) but also ran the notices that led to the recapture of runaway servants. Perhaps Waldstreicher's greatest achievement is in showing that this was not an ironic outcome but a calculated one. America's freedom, no less than Franklin's, demanded that others forgo liberty.

Through the life of Franklin, Runaway America provides an original explanation to the paradox of American slavery and freedom.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book Bluestone by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Scalpel and the Butterfly by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Delighted States by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Painted Word by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Chickens Are Coming! by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Soul of the Marionette by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Unsubstantial Air by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book Human Relations and Other Difficulties by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Apple Doll by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book The Ghost of Cutler Creek by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book Yankee Girl by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book Bette Davis by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book Tractor Mac New Friend by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book When the Plums Are Ripe by David Waldstreicher
Cover of the book Yes, My Darling Daughter by David Waldstreicher
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy