Summary: Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Benjamin Franklin. A printer, statesman, diplomat, writer and scientist, Franklin was one of the most remarkable individuals of the 18th century. As the only Founding Father to have signed all three of the fundamental documents of the United States of America, including its Declaration of Independence and Constitution, Benjamin Franklin occupies a unique position in the history of the nation. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Simon Middleton, Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Sheffield; Simon Newman, Sir Denis Brogan Professor of American History at the University of Glasgow and Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, University of Cambridge.
