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Benjamin Franklin's last bet : the favorite founder's divisive death, enduring afterlife, and blueprint for American prosperity Cover Image Book Book

Benjamin Franklin's last bet : the favorite founder's divisive death, enduring afterlife, and blueprint for American prosperity / Michael Meyer.

Meyer, Michael J., 1972- (author.).

Summary:

"Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man. But at the end of his illustrious life, the Founder allowed himself a final wager on the survival of the United States: a gift of two thousand pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen over the next two centuries to jump-start their careers. Each loan would be repaid with interest over ten years. If all went according to Franklin's inventive scheme, the accrued final payout in 1991 would be a windfall. In Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet, Michael Meyer traces the evolution of these twin funds as they age alongside America itself, bankrolling woodworkers and silversmiths, trade schools and space races. Over time, Franklin's wager was misused, neglected, and contested--but never wholly extinguished"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781328568892
  • ISBN: 132856889X
  • Physical Description: xxiii, 338 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: Boston : Mariner Books, [2022]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-317) and index.

Search for related items by subject

Subject: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790 > Death and burial.
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790.
Legacies.
Endowments.
Working class > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia.
Working class > Massachusetts > Boston.
Foundations.
Fondations.
Travailleurs > Pennsylvanie > Philadelphie.
Travailleurs > Massachusetts > Boston.
foundations (organizations)
Legacies.
Endowments.
Working class.
Pennsylvania > Philadelphia.
Massachusetts > Boston.
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Library. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Library System. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Homer Public Library 973.3092 MEY (Text) 000164534 Nonfiction Available -
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250 . ‡aFirst edition.
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504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 277-317) and index.
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