The Making of a Patriot: Benjamin Franklin at the Cockpit

“Using a single incident as a point of departure–Benjamin Franklin’s humiliation by the Privy Council in 1774–Sheila Skemp explores how and why Franklin came to renounce his allegiance to the King in order to become one of the foremost proponents of American independence. Through her incisive examination of Frankli”s personal and political struggles, Skemp sheds light on the intellectual choices and painful decisions that were necessary for those who came to support the American cause.”–Rosemarie Zagarri, George Mason University, author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic

“Once again Sheila Skemp demonstrates her unique ability to illustrate the long-term consequences of an isolated incident through a single individual. This time the person is Benjamin Franklin and the critical moment is the withering tongue lashing he received at the Cockpit. As she skillfully contextualizes the events preceding and following that scathing interview in a highly readable narrative, Skemp makes a compelling case for Franklin’s disenchantment with England and the development of his American identity.”–Elaine Forman Crane, Fordham University

“Sheila Skemp’s lively and immensely informative book is full of insights into both leading individuals and politics, balancing a crucial event and the actions and intentions that shaped it. Her Franklin is a good politician, not a perfect one; she writes to understand rather than to celebrate. Her narrative highlights contingency while bringing together many themes of recent scholarship.”–David Waldstreicher, Temple University, author of Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery and the American Revolution