by Michael Zuckerman

In this thoughtful and funny piece, Michael Zuckerman ruminates upon the reasons for and the nature of the recent resurgence of founding father mania. Taking stock of the spate of “Founder’s chic” books, television programs, and films of the past few years, Zuckerman finds hope in the emergence of Franklin as the most popular and accessible founder. He speculates that in Franklin’s pragmatic nature and carefully cultivated “unassuming” facade, Americans see ourselves—practical, resourceful, down-to-earth, and obsessed with projecting a carefree image. Zuckerman contrasts the enigmatic personalities of some of those other famous Founding Fathers with the (perceived) beloved unpretentiousness of Franklin. Neither saintly and remote like Washington, nor pensive and tragically flawed like Jefferson, Franklin was low-born and self-made. Ben is the father we look to for the real deal. Perhaps most significantly, he embodies the American paradox of preaching moderation while practicing excess. “If we are what we celebrate, and we insist on celebrating the founders,” Zuckerman writes, “we could do a lot worse than Benjamin Franklin.”

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Image:  Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia. Photo of a painting by David Rent Etter. Society Portrait Collection.