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Franklin Hears About Washington’s Victory at Yorktown

2m 39s

In November 1781, Franklin heard news of the victory at Yorktown, the decisive battle of the American Revolution that was won by the combined forces of the French military and George Washington’s Continental Army. Back in 1778, Franklin had secured the alliance that brought France into the war, and without the French Army and Navy, the outcome at Yorktown would not have been possible.

Corporate funding for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by David M. Rubenstein. Major funding was also provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine; University of Pennsylvania; Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; Kissick Family Foundation; Deborah and Jon Dawson; Diane and Hal Brierley; McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Cappy and Janie McGarr; Lavender Butterfly Fund; and Susan and Charles Shanor Charitable Trust.
Extras
Benjamin Franklin helps craft the Declaration of Independence and wins French support.
Franklin’s first published essays were printed under a pseudonym—Silence Dogood.
Franklin and Adams frustrated each other in France with opposing approaches to diplomacy.
Franklin and Adams have to share a bedroom in a humorous scene not in the final film.
Franklin’s musical invention, the armonica, became a sensation in Europe.
Franklin’s popular "Poor Richard’s Almanack" offered an enduring brand of American humor.
Benjamin Franklin arrived in France, hoping to win French support for the Revolution.
This bonus scene features Benjamin Franklin House in London, his only surviving residence.
The American Revolution tore families apart, including the Franklins.
Late in life, Franklin petitioned Congress to end slavery in the United States.
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