Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist (Bedford Series in History & Culture) [Paperback]

Sheila L. Skemp (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312086172 | ISBN-13: 978-0312086176 | Publication Date: March 15, 1994 | Edition: 1st

The American Revolution was a civil war as well as a war for independence. The experience of Benjamin Franklin and his son, William, royal governor of New Jersey, reveals America's internal struggle over the question of loyalty to England. A collection of letters accompanies Sheila Skemp's narrative of the two men, bonded by blood, divided by political cause.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fine work that will stimulate students to study in greater depth the Revolution and the lives of participants such as the Franklins."

About the Author

Sheila L. Skemp is associate professor of history at the University of Mississippi. She is the author of William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King (1990), and has served as an editor of two volumes dealing with issues of race and gender in the South. She is currently working on a biography of Judith Sargent Murray. Skemp was the recipient of the University of Mississippi's award for Outstanding Teacher in the Liberal Arts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 1st edition (March 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312086172
• ISBN-13: 978-0312086176
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Franklin, Benjamin
  • #57 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > Mid Atlantic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It is for the history buffs!, March 9, 2000

By 

Ryan (Indiana,US of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

Benjamin and William Franklin, Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist is a very informative book. This book shows how a father and son can go from loving one another to hating each other. This book goes threw the steps that Ben and Will took throughout their lives to make them become who they were. The author, Sheila L. Skemp, breaks down both individuals life to show you how they could have been in the opposite shoes in the out come.

The author starts out with a lot of facts about both men in their younger years. Showing how they grew up and became adults with really very different upbringings. Then she tells how the two men worked together throughout most of their lives up until the Revolutionary War. She shows how the held similar government jobs and liked similar past times. She then goes on to sum up the choices they made and how this persuaded each one to become either a patriot or a loyalist. Sheila L. Skemp uses many facts to back her writing decisions. She also includes a complete thirty-one pages of documents. These documents are anything from letters, to speeches, to articles from newspapers. She also tells, throughout the book, when to refer to these documents to be able to keep in mind what the actual reason for different events were. She also placed a time line in the back to allow you to keep the time of the events strait.

Although this is a very decent book about history, there were a few items I did not like about it. In some parts throughout the book telling which Franklin the author was talking about was difficult. The wording used in many places was confusing in telling the difference. This making the time spent reading a bit lengthy because of the time spent back reading to find out which Franklin she was talking about. Also due to all the facts some parts were a bit boring, but for the person who likes to read about history the facts are essential.

For the person liking history and wanting to understand the Revolutionary War a little better this is a must read. This gives a great example of the splitting between families when we cut our ties to England. This books shows how two different people lived in these times. It shows how life back then was not that easy and how these two important people in our history did what they needed to better themselves.

This was an interesting book, even for me, and I do not even like to read about history. It was very educational and helpful.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Left something to be desired, May 2, 2002

By 

Mayerling - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

Although laced with facts it posed no new ideas and a majority of the reading was difficult due to confusion on which Franklin was being refered to. the Inclusion of the letters and speaches in the back was very informitive but if you are truly interested go to the library and just look up the such for yourself. All in all i found it to just be a sophisticated report and not anything particularly new or interesting, if you are interested in this subject get the Autobiographies.