(Holiday House, 86 pp.)
Russell Freedman, a highly regarded author of American history books for children, tells the story of Ben Franklin’s transition from rebellious apprentice to distinguished statesman.
EXCERPT:
“When Franklin tried to win over his son to the revolutionary cause, the close relationship they had always enjoyed was shattered. William refused to side with his father. As governor of New Jersey, appointed by the king, he remained a keen supporter of royal authority. Meetings between father and son in the summer of 1775 ended in shouting matches loud enough to alarm the neighbors. From then on, they were barely on speaking terms.
“William tried to persuade the New Jersey Assembly to arrange a separate peace with Britain. The assembly, in turn, ordered his arrest as ‘an enemy of the liberties of this country,’ and the congress voted to have him imprisoned in Connecticut. Franklin made no attempt to intervene on his son’s behalf. Eventually William was exchanged for an American prisoner.”