Benjamin Franklin is known to many as one of the most prominent founding
fathers who was essential in building our new nation. To the average American, Franklin
is a strong-hearted patriot who felt passionate about dispatching from the Royal Crown.
However, few actually know that before his outward hatred towards Great Britain,
Benjamin Franklin was actually a firm loyalist. The fact that Franklin actually worked for
the good of Great Britain along with the colonies is one that is often overlooked. It is
through writing this biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, that Wood is
able to explain the lesser known details about Franklin, beginning in his youth and
continuing into his later life. Through analyzing Wood's biography of an important
…show more content…
These achievements
allow readers to trust Wood's arguments about Franklin, and make the reading that
much more believable. As Wood states in the early pages of this biography, he writes to
"penetrate beneath the many images and representations of Franklin that have
accumulated over the past 200 years." With Wood's highly respected background and
key details implemented throughout the book, readers can agree that Benjamin
Franklin, although one of the most important founding fathers of our country, was not all
who people thought he was.
A great deal of this book is allotted to speaking of the unknown aspects
of Benjamin Franklin's life. Wood reveals that Benjamin would venture numerous times
back and forth between the colonies and Great Britain. Wood even introduces the fact
that Franklin moved to London for 10 years of his life, which could have played a role in
his Loyalist views. Benjamin Franklin was, in a way, a different person in the colonies
versus when he was in Great Britain, Wood argues. Wood states that Franklin