Event

Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet: The Favorite Founder’s Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife, and Blueprint for American Prosperity

Public Program Author Talk Online Event
Monday, April 25, 2022 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST
At MHS

Michael Meyer

This event will now be held virtually from 6:00-7:00. Register to attend below.

Virtual, $5 fee.

Register to attend online

Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man, however, at the end of his life he allowed himself a 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. Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet traces the evolution of these twin funds as they age alongside America itself, bankrolling woodworkers to space races. Franklin’s stake in the “leather-apron” class remains in play to this day and offers an inspiring blueprint for our modern era.

Online Event

This event will now be held virtually from 6:00-7:00. Contact programs@masshist.org if you have any questions. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.

Upcoming Events

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Member Week
Member Week
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...
Member Week
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At MHS
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At MHS
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Join Chief Historian, Peter Drummey, for a gallery talk on the exhibition, 1775: Rebels, Rights & Revolution, which charts major Massachusetts events in the first year of the American Revolution. Peter will discuss the impact of the Battle of Bunker Hill using related exhibition items. Visitors are invited to explore the rest of the exhibition and ask questions. 
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