Somersett by Phillip Goodrich (IBPA) 4 Stars

Publication date 1/7/21 Audio Time 3 hrs 42 mins Book 412 Pages

Synopsis

Everyone knows about the Revolutionary War, but few know the true story of Benjamin Franklin's secret plan to turn the northern and southern colonies against their oppressors, and how the freeing of one slave, Somersett, was the catalyst for the colonies to come together against the Crown. In 1757, Benjamin Franklin cared most about the security and prosperity of his beloved adopted home of Philadelphia. With Philadelphia threatened by the French during King George's War and with little help from the proprietors of Pennsylvania, the Penn family, Franklin sought assistance in London to force Thomas Penn's hand. However at every turn he found no encouragement, leading Franklin to develop a secret plan to free Pennsylvania and ultimately all thirteen colonies. Launching this secret plan required politically motivating the colonies, each with vastly different individual interests. Ultimately, it was two very different historical events that provided this motivation and the eventual success of Franklin's plan. Meticulously detailed with supporting notes, Somersett tells the real story behind the origins of the Revolutionary War and explains how several well-known but seemingly random events during that war were tied together to culminate in the creation of the United States of America.

My Review

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook which was brilliant and had a full cast. This really brought the book to life. Living in the UK I have always had an interest in world history. I enjoy books like this because you really get a sense of how different and how similar life was in these countries. I especially loved the link in this book between America and the UK and how different both countries dealt with slavery and how a decision in one could affect the other. This book focuses on slavery and the impact of freeing just on slave or allowing them more privileges could affect this. You can tell this book was very well researched and was brought to us very well thought out and very well balanced using case studies. I haven't really read much around Franklin and I found this book very enlightening. Although I may not of taken in all the information as it is a new subject to me. I learnt so much and really enjoyed listening to it and would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to the author and publishing team for bringing us this very interesting and informative history book to life.