Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events:
youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join
Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8
Washington: youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA
Franklin: youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo
Hamilton: youtu.be/DRDxzSNxUIs
Was Benjamin Franklin really an American? What was his childhood like? How was he finally converted to the American Revolutionary cause? And, what role did he play in setting the struggle in motion?
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the life of the most unique of the American founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin.
Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations.
0:00 Cold open: Franklin’s lightning rods
0:16 Lloyds
1:27 Franklin’s lion cub parable and the coming break with Britain
3:37 Why Benjamin Franklin matters to the American Revolution
7:20 Franklin’s British identity and gradual radicalisation
9:16 Franklin’s Puritan roots and early life in Boston
12:37 Franklin as the prototype self-made American
16:04 Running away to Philadelphia and becoming a media mogul
20:17 Franklin’s moral philosophy: Puritan values without strict doctrine
23:59 Franklin, the Enlightenment and the kite experiment
29:04 Franklin the inventor: flippers, bifocals, weather forecasting and the Gulf Stream
32:02 Franklin in Britain and the branding of America
35:18 British suspicion, Dr Johnson and Franklin’s hypocrisy on slavery
38:18 Franklin’s loyalties shift as tensions with Britain escalate
39:16 The Hutchinson letters and Franklin’s humiliation in London
44:02 Franklin leaves Britain and joins the American cause
47:04 The Olive Branch Petition and Franklin’s break with his loyalist son
50:20 Drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence
53:16 Franklin goes to France to win support for America
57:10 Franklin’s celebrity diplomacy in Paris
59:32 Securing French support and the Treaty of Alliance
1:00:45 The Treaty of Paris and American independence
1:01:44 Franklin returns home and helps shape the Constitution
1:04:14 Franklin’s final speech and constitutional compromise
1:05:44 Franklin’s late-life abolitionism
1:07:59 Franklin’s death and legacy
1:09:14 Next time: Hamilton and Jefferson
1:09:40 The Rest Is History Club
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
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threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events:
youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join
Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8
Washington: youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA
Franklin: youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo
Hamilton: youtu.be/DRDxzSNxUIs
Was Benjamin Franklin really an American? What was his childhood like? How was he finally converted to the American Revolutionary cause? And, what role did he play in setting the struggle in motion?
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the life of the most unique of the American founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin.
Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations.
0:00 Cold open: Franklin’s lightning rods
0:16 Lloyds
1:27 Franklin’s lion cub parable and the coming break with Britain
3:37 Why Benjamin Franklin matters to the American Revolution
7:20 Franklin’s British identity and gradual radicalisation
9:16 Franklin’s Puritan roots and early life in Boston
12:37 Franklin as the prototype self-made American
16:04 Running away to Philadelphia and becoming a media mogul
20:17 Franklin’s moral philosophy: Puritan values without strict doctrine
23:59 Franklin, the Enlightenment and the kite experiment
29:04 Franklin the inventor: flippers, bifocals, weather forecasting and the Gulf Stream
32:02 Franklin in Britain and the branding of America
35:18 British suspicion, Dr Johnson and Franklin’s hypocrisy on slavery
38:18 Franklin’s loyalties shift as tensions with Britain escalate
39:16 The Hutchinson letters and Franklin’s humiliation in London
44:02 Franklin leaves Britain and joins the American cause
47:04 The Olive Branch Petition and Franklin’s break with his loyalist son
50:20 Drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence
53:16 Franklin goes to France to win support for America
57:10 Franklin’s celebrity diplomacy in Paris
59:32 Securing French support and the Treaty of Alliance
1:00:45 The Treaty of Paris and American independence
1:01:44 Franklin returns home and helps shape the Constitution
1:04:14 Franklin’s final speech and constitutional compromise
1:05:44 Franklin’s late-life abolitionism
1:07:59 Franklin’s death and legacy
1:09:14 Next time: Hamilton and Jefferson
1:09:40 The Rest Is History Club
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social
threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
