Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership

Edward J. Larson presents a dual biography of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, examining their three-decade partnership and its role in American independence and founding. Franklin, an abolitionist freethinker from the urban north, and Washington, a slaveholding general from the agrarian south, were central figures in securing American independence and drafting the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. During the American Revolution, Franklin led diplomatic efforts in Europe, securing French financial support and alliance, while Washington commanded the Continental Army. Both efforts were essential to victory and required their coordination and cooperation. In the 1780s, the two worked to strengthen the union through the framing and ratification of the Constitution. Larson argues that their working friendship amplified each man's talents for the advancement of the American project. The book examines how both men, after initially supporting British rule, became early proponents of independence and staked their lives and fortunes on the American experiment. The author explores the founding institutions they created—including executive power, checks and balances, and the electoral college—as well as their compromise over slavery, which continues to affect the nation today.