Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist

by Sheila L. Skemp

Benjamin and William Franklin narrows in on the relationship between father and son, as a microcosm for the struggle over the question of loyalty to England during the American Revolution.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, School, American History

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really informative but you have to really be a fan of Ben & Will to appreciate it. Either that or the specifics that the two dealt with leading up to the Revolutionary War. One thing that really complicated this book was that it was about two Franklin's & most of the time they were addressed by 'Franklin'. This made the book confusing at times, hard to keep track of who was being talked about & overall could have be solved in much better ways. The chapters were also incredibly long & made for a tough read.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives great insight into why some colonists decided to rebel against Britain, while others decided to remain loyal to the mother country. It is so interesting to see how these decisions come about, even to the point of dividing families. Benjamin Franklin and his illegitimate son, William, were very close, sharing their work, thoughts, and ideals. William joined the British army and was later appointed by the King as the governor of New Jersey. He felt obligated to the King for his livelihood, and had no intention of betraying him. Benjamin, however, after spending ten years in London saw how colonial representatives were often mistreated or ignored, and realized that a split from Britain was necessary. Benjamin and William eventually grew so far apart that they no longer spoke to one another for long periods of time. Not only was some great research done for this book to illustrate the differences of opinion between Patriots and Loyalists, but it also includes some primary sources such as letters between William and Franklin, and also correspondence with other influential figures of the time. It is a great resource for gaining an understanding of thought prior to the American Revolution.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super quick 100 page read. Great history book. Covers the Revolutionary War period and the perspectives and lives of Benjamin and William Franklin; the former a revolutionary and the latter a loyalist. Really helps to paint a much clearer picture of the divide between patriot and loyalist during this time period, especially as we tend to view the American Revolution through rose tinted glasses.

[Ian Racey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longer than it looks, because its prose is densely packed, its font is small and its margins are noticeably narrow; a couple of friends picked it up and flipped through it while I was reading it, and both of them immediately commented on what a surprise it was to see so much text on the page. For me, unfortunately, it actually turned out to have been shorter than it should have been, since my copy turns out to have been the victim of a printing error that elided thirty pages, including the last 5-10 pages of the book's text and six of the eight primary documents included in the appendix.

Missing out on the last few pages isn't as big a deal as it would be with a work of fiction, since by then the Revolutionary War had started, Ben Franklin had washed his hands of his son and William Franklin had been deposed and extralegally imprisoned by the New Jersey Patriots, so the narrative had already finished with its main concern, which was to look at the two Franklins' careers, working closely from opposite sides of the Atlantic to try and hold the British Empire together because they thought it was the most perfect system of government ever created, and figure out how it was that when push came to shove, Ben abandoned his beloved King for his country, while William abandoned his beloved country for his King. In that respect, its an expansion on a thesis Skemp put forward in her longer biography of William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King, that for both men, familiarity bred contempt. Ben Franklin, living for fifteen years in London, became disgusted with the corruption and condescension of the British government ministers he encountered, and so idealised the civic virtue of the Patriots in America; while his son William, having to manage the hypocrisy and sanctimony of the Patriots in his role as governor of New Jersey, similarly idealised the wisdom and competence of the King's ministers in London.

Skemp does several times make the assertion that the Proclamation Line of 1763 was there to stop American colonists settling west of the Appalachians, which of course wasn't true; it was, rather, to regulate that movement west, in order to manage relations between the colonists and the indigenous inhabitants.

[Jonny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not fantastic at all. The problem I had for it was that as a novice historian I realized quickly that it was not written for me. It is written for a popular student audience. The history books that intrigues me are written for academic historians. I may sound pretentious, but I'm being honest. I read history to better understanding historiography. If I want to learn about past events, I read classic literature.

The story of Ben and his son is an interesting one, though, and this is a decent start for someone who is interested in a simple read. I just wanted better historiography and a more substantive argument in the book. But they were no where to be found.

[Andrew Kuenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative read!

More than I ever thought I would want to know about Ben Franklin and his son, yet I still found it very interesting. There were parts where I had to force myself to keep reading, but over all it was very good. Really shows why the revolutionary war could be considered a civil war and how it gradually divided a father and son to the point where they didn’t even want to speak to each other any more.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found this book pretty boring (probably because I had to read it for school) I really enjoyed learning about William Franklin. I have never learned about him before in High School, so I found that part of this book very interesting. I wasn't really into the rest of the book, but I did appreciate it.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely detailed account of one of the most noted revolutionary figures and his relationship with his equally (at the time) notorious son. Illustrates the forces that pulled both the nation and families apart.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently reading for a US History survey class I'm taking this term. Better book than I thought it would be being a class textbook.

Remarkable story of father and son, especially when the American Revolution begins to come around.

[Anna Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read. I especially liked the primary documents in the back (letters between the Franklins, ect.) It gave so much insight not only to what the loyalists like William Franklin went through, but also showed the attitude towards England in the colonies in general.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read it for a class and was pleasantly suprised. While it's really repetitive and not exactly riveting all the time, it was decently enlightening about the political perspectives of the time.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard fare.