''Benjamin Franklin'' is a 2002 American documentary miniseries about United States

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

which premiered November 19–20, 2002, and was re-broadcast August 22–September 5, 2005. The series was produced by

Twin Cities Public Television Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. (abbreviated TPT, trade name, doing business as Twin Cities PBS) is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities' two PBS membe ...

of Minneapolis-St. Paul. ''Benjamin Franklin'' won an Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction Special (Traditional) in 2003. Executive producers Catherine Allan and Jerry Richman accepted the award.

Episode 1: Let the Experiment Be Made

Franklin's first 47 years, a period that saw the birth of the Enlightenment. He took this intellectual revolution to heart, writing aphorisms based on it for the publication he founded, ''

Poor Richard's Almanack ''Poor Richard's Almanack'' (sometimes ''Almanac'') was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. ...

''. Franklin made significant contributions to his fellow Philadelphians, contributions which included the ideas of public libraries and a volunteer fire department. Richard Easton plays Franklin; Colm Feore narrates.

Episode 2: The Making of a Revolutionary

In 1757 Franklin moves to London, sent from Pennsylvania on a mission to allow the colony to tax the Penn family's lands. Franklin arrived as an ardent admirer of the empire as well as a lover of the American colonies (“There's nothing I want more than the prosperity of both,” he says). Seventeen years later, he left—a revolutionary.

Episode 3: The Chess Master

The final 14 years of Franklin's life, nine of which were spent in Paris as ambassador to France from the rebellious American colonies. His primary objective was to secure financial and military aid. To this he brought the skills of a chess master, able to think many moves ahead in the game.

Cast

VHS and DVD release

'' is on VHS and DVD.

References

External links

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''Benjamin Franklin''
on PBS 2002 television films 2002 films American documentary television films Documentary films about American politicians Cultural depictions of Benjamin Franklin Cultural depictions of John Adams Cultural depictions of George III Works about Benjamin Franklin 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language documentary films {{bio-documentary-film-stub