| Book Reviews | The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 130.2

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| Book Reviews | The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 130.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Reviews

The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. By Gordon S. Wood. (New York: Penguin Press, 2004. xii, 299p. Illustrations, notes, index. $25.95.)
Gordon S. Wood's Americanization of Benjamin Franklin is a fascinating interpretation of the reasons Franklin behaved and acted in the ways he did. The attempt to explain why is more challenging and difficult than to give biographical facts, and it is not surprising that some readers will disagree with many of Wood's interpretations. The five chapter titles indicate Wood's major theses, and each corresponds to a chronological period in Franklin's life.	1
Chapter 1, "Becoming a Gentleman," takes Franklin to his retirement as a printer in 1748. Chapter 2, "Becoming a British Imperialist," stresses Franklin's supposed love for England and the British Empire and covers the years from 1748 to the Stamp Act, 1765. Chapter 3, "Becoming a Patriot," argues that during 1765 to 1775 the English ministers, especially Lord Hillsborough, forced the reluctant Franklin into an Americanist position. Chapter 4, "Becoming a Diplomat," deals with Franklin's activities during the Revolution. The last chapter, "Becoming an American," investigates his final years in America (1785–90) and explores the growth and changing facets of Franklin's reputation.	. . .

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