Benjamin Franklin and Revolution

Filmmaker KEN BURNS’ new two-part series, Benjamin Franklin, premieres this week on WHYY and PBS. Ahead of the docuseries release, Marty spoke with Burns, alongside WALTER ISAACSON, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and ERICA DUNBAR, professor of history at Rutgers University. Today, we listen to their conversation about Franklin, his influence on the American Revolution, including his diplomacy and his insertion of “self-evident” into the Declaration of Independence, his relationship to slavery and his family. We’ll hear clips from the film that were aired during this virtual event last week.