statesmen

Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin--the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era--but not about his love life. Poor Richard's Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for forty-four years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah's life and those of Ben's other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence. We are introduced to Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady who managed Ben's life in London; Catherine Ray, the twenty-three-year-old New Englander with whom he traveled overnight and later exchanged passionate letters; Madame Brillon, the beautiful French musician who flirted shamelessly with him, and the witty Madame Helvetius, who befriended the philosophes of pre-Revolutionary France and brought Ben to his knees. What emerges from Stuart's pen is a colorful and poignant portrait of women in the age of revolution. Set two centuries before the rise of feminism, Poor Richard's Women depicts the feisty, often-forgotten women dear to Ben's heart who, despite obstacles, achieved an independence rarely enjoyed by their peers in that era.

Profiles the thirty-nine men who signed the United States Constitution, revealing their personal quirks, public personas, and the events that led to the crafting of the Constitution.

Introduces readers to the lives of the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence, describing who they were, their professions, and how their lives changed in the years that followed.

An introduction to the life of founding father, James Madison, in a series of interesting, amazing, and sometimes amusing facts about the fourth president, including information about his childhood, roll as Father of the Constitution, president, and who his friends were.

Introduces readers to the life of statesman, inventor, and all-around genius Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father whose influence on the new nation he helped to create is felt to this day.

Introduces readers to the life of Aaron Burr, the Founding Father and one-time presidential candidate who is best known for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Looks at the life of non-violent social activist Mahatma Gandhi.

"It was under the leadership of Pericles that the golden age of Athenian culture began. He was, indeed, a great leader and stateman if you focus on his accomplishments. This book will introduce the man that Pericles was, including his flaws"--Provided by publisher.

Annan writes about the highs and lows of his years at the United Nations, from shuttle-diplomacy during crises such as Kosovo, Lebanon and Israel-Palestine to the wrenching battles over the Iraq War to the creation of the landmark Responsibility to Protect doctrine.

Young Paul Revere and his friends form a club whose members ring the bells at Christ Church, an experience which teaches him responsibility and other lessons that he uses as an adult in the American Revolution.