This companion provides a comprehensive survey of the life, work and legacy of Benjamin Franklin - the oldest, most distinctive, and multifaceted of the founders. Includes contributions from across a range of academic disciplinesCombines traditional and cutting-edge scholarship, from accomplished and emerging experts in the fieldPays special attention to the American Revolution, the Enlightenment, journalism, colonial American society, and themes of race, class, and genderPlaces Franklin in the context of recent work in political theory, American Studies, American literature, material culture studies, popular culture, and international relations