Walter Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson on Free Online Video

In recent years, Walter Isaacson has become one of most popular biographers ever, with best-selling books that have charted lives as diverse as Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein. In this lecture, Isaacson talks about one of his earliest subjects, the early American statesman, inventor and writer, Benjamin Franklin. Here Isaacson traces the development of Franklin’s career, touching on the unwavering work ethic, intellectual rigor and bawdy sense of humor that made Franklin quintessentially American. We also learn more about Franklin’s roles as a founding father, and how his willingness to compromise, his notions of humility, and his overriding tolerance provide a model that modern politicians in particular could emulate to this day.