Seasoned to the Country: Slavery in the Life of Benjamin Franklin

Slavery in the Life of Benjamin Franklin

"Seasoned to the Country" brings together the details of slavery in the life of one of the most famous founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.Franklinstarted life as a poor boy, receiving only two years of education before starting to work at age ten. When he opened his print shop, he hired an indentured servant, and advertised slaves for sale and runaway servants and slaves for capture. After he became married, he adopted the local practice of relying on slave labor in his home. By the end of his life,Franklincontributed funds to establish the first all-black church inPennsylvania, and established a loan program for young businessmen, which was not limited to whites. The story of Franklin's struggle with slavery illuminates the national character, and provides a good comparison with Southern political leaders in the colonial period. The book includes a section on slave exploitation and genocidal mentality, a selected annotated bibliography of slavery in the North and slave narratives, and a list of black appearances, uprisings, laws and codes from 1513 to 1865.