Benjamin Franklin's last bet : the favorite founder's divisive death, enduring afterlife, and blueprint for American prosperity Cover Image

Book

Benjamin Franklin's last bet : the favorite founder's divisive death, enduring afterlife, and blueprint for American prosperity / Michael Meyer.

Meyer, Michael J., 1972- (author.).

Summary:

"Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man. But at the end of his illustrious life, the Founder allowed himself a final wager on the survival of the United States: a gift of two thousand pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen over the next two centuries to jump-start their careers. Each loan would be repaid with interest over ten years. If all went according to Franklin's inventive scheme, the accrued final payout in 1991 would be a windfall. In Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet, Michael Meyer traces the evolution of these twin funds as they age alongside America itself, bankrolling woodworkers and silversmiths, trade schools and space races. Over time, Franklin's wager was misused, neglected, and contested--but never wholly extinguished"-- Provided by publisher

Record details

ISBN: 9781328568892
ISBN: 132856889X
Physical Description: xxiii, 338 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Boston : Mariner Books, [2022]
Copyright: ©2022

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-317) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction: All about the Benjamins -- Act I: Death, 1789-1791 -- “My earnest desire to be useful” -- The foundation of his fortune -- Franklin's Inheritors -- The morals of chess -- Act II: Afterlife, 1791-1904 -- Dr. Franklin's Legacy -- “A name that will disappear with him” -- Boston: Grubby boys and Angel Fish -- Philadelphia: Anybody could have done it -- They rowed. And also they rowed. -- Act III: Rebirth, 1904 and beyond -- “My teacher, Franklin” -- Turning the tap -- “We finally got it away from those bastards” -- Benjamin Franklin's return.