Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8 Washington: https://youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA Franklin: https://youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo Hamilton: https://youtu.be/DRDxzSNxUIs Was Benjamin Franklin really an American? What was his childhood like? How was he finally converted to the American Revolutionary cause? And, what role did he play in setting the struggle in motion? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the life of the most unique of the American founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. 0:00 Cold open: Franklin’s lightning rods 0:16 Lloyds 1:27 Franklin’s lion cub parable and the coming break with Britain 3:37 Why Benjamin Franklin matters to the American Revolution 7:20 Franklin’s British identity and gradual radicalisation 9:16 Franklin’s Puritan roots and early life in Boston 12:37 Franklin as the prototype self-made American 16:04 Running away to Philadelphia and becoming a media mogul 20:17 Franklin’s moral philosophy: Puritan values without strict doctrine 23:59 Franklin, the Enlightenment and the kite experiment 29:04 Franklin the inventor: flippers, bifocals, weather forecasting and the Gulf Stream 32:02 Franklin in Britain and the branding of America 35:18 British suspicion, Dr Johnson and Franklin’s hypocrisy on slavery 38:18 Franklin’s loyalties shift as tensions with Britain escalate 39:16 The Hutchinson letters and Franklin’s humiliation in London 44:02 Franklin leaves Britain and joins the American cause 47:04 The Olive Branch Petition and Franklin’s break with his loyalist son 50:20 Drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence 53:16 Franklin goes to France to win support for America 57:10 Franklin’s celebrity diplomacy in Paris 59:32 Securing French support and the Treaty of Alliance 1:00:45 The Treaty of Paris and American independence 1:01:44 Franklin returns home and helps shape the Constitution 1:04:14 Franklin’s final speech and constitutional compromise 1:05:44 Franklin’s late-life abolitionism 1:07:59 Franklin’s death and legacy 1:09:14 Next time: Hamilton and Jefferson 1:09:40 The Rest Is History Club Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Social channels: https://www.instagram.com/theresthistory/ https://www.tiktok.com/@theresthistory https://x.com/TheRestHistory https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social https://www.threads.com/@theresthistory Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley