Benjamin Franklin and the Invention of America

FAIN: BH-50153-06

Villanova University (Villanova, PA 19085-1478)
Catherine Evans Wilson (Project Director: November 2005 to January 2008)

Two one-week workshops for 100 teachers on the life of Benjamin Franklin, to be held at Villanova University, with visits to relevant 18th-century Philadelphia locations. This Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop is co-funded by NEH and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

"Benjamin Franklin and the Invention of America" will provide an interdisciplinary approach to the various dimensions of Franklin as inventor. Through visits to important Philadelphia landmarks, workshops delivered by leading scholars, and evening lectures by nationally recognized Franklin scholars, teachers will be introduced to a multidimensional Franklin -- a Franklin who desired the melding of personal character and public innovation on uniquely American terms. Franklin's deep commitment to forming an American civic character will serve as the overarching theme, uniting the various forms of invention he pursued throughout the course of his life.