Eric Weiner Traces Franklin’s 42,000-Mile Journey in Paris for America’s 250th Anniversary
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Eric Weiner Traces Franklin’s 42,000-Mile Journey in Paris for America’s 250th Anniversary
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Eric Weiner’s new travel essay follows Benjamin Franklin through Paris, the second installment in a New York Times series tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Paris anchors the piece because Franklin’s diplomacy there helped win French guns and money for the American rebels, support that aided George Washington’s eventual victory over Britain.
Franklin achieved that breakthrough in his 70s while battling several ailments, a late-life feat Weiner presents as central to his enduring appeal among the founders.
Some 42,000 miles of travel and eight Atlantic crossings frame the broader portrait of Franklin as the most peripatetic and, in Weiner’s telling, the "least-dead" of America’s founders.
Beyond statues, what tangible legacy of Franklin's time in Paris can a modern visitor still discover today?
Was Franklin's success true 'diplomatic magic,' or was he simply the right man for France's calculated revenge on Britain?
Could Benjamin Franklin’s 18th-century diplomatic playbook offer any real solutions for today's global challenges?