“The virtue she valued most was faith. It had no place on Franklin’s list. She placed her trust in Providence. He placed his faith in man.”–Jill Lepore, Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin
Who is Jane Franklin? If you are like me, you have probably never heard of her before. Jane was the youngest sister of Benjamin Franklin. She was brilliant and could hold her own intellectually with her famous brother. Her life, unlike his, was one of poverty and obscurity. These two siblings illustrate the vast difference in experiences and opportunities between men and women in the 1700s.
Historian Jill Lepore paints an intriguing portrait of Jane from a treasure trove of documents that have previously not received much attention from scholars. These documents provide the opportunity for Jane’s voice to be heard once again and it is a voice worth hearing.
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