Ep17: Historical 2-Trick Pony: Ben Franklin with Dr. Rick Bell

This week, we host a special episode to commemorate America's 250th. In this episode, we speak with Professor Richard Bell, a historian of the American Revolutionary period at the University of Maryland. We look at the life and times of a historical two-trick pony: America's founding father and polymath Benjamin Franklin. Our conversation takes us through Franklin's life, all the while reflecting on what his life and contradictions can teach us today.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Book of Ages, by historian and scholar Jill Lepore
• The Great Courses (Course: The Declaration of Independence, America’s Birth Certificate)
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1771-1790) by Benjamin Franklin

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