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Was Benjamin Franklin the First American? main page
   
Was Benjamin Franklin the First American?
Aired 5/29/2003
This week, Think Tank takes a look at America’s founding grandfather, Benjamin Franklin. Though he was an eminent diplomat, politician, and prose stylist, most think of Franklin as the kite-flying discoverer of electricity. Those who have taken a closer look, however, have called Franklin "the first American" and "a new kind of person." What should we remember about Benjamin Franklin? How should we judge him? And if he was indeed "the first American," then who are we?
Read the full transcript
H.W. Brands
Professor of history at Texas A&M University and author of 19 books, including "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin" and the biography "Woodrow Wilson"
Claude-Anne Lopez
former editor of the Benjamin Franklin Papers at Yale University and author of "My Life with Benjamin Franklin"
Ormond Seavey
professor of English at the George Washington University and author of "Becoming Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and the Life."
Originally Aired: 5/24/2001
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Be sure to also check out:
Here are some previous Think Tank programs that may be of interest.
Ford’s Fundamentals, Part Two
aired 8/24/2006
Ford’s Fundamentals, Part one
aired 8/17/2006
Civil Rights, Then and Now, Part One
aired 3/30/2006
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