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Robert H. Smith Lecture in Democracy

 

 

 

Márcia Balisciano is founding Director of Benjamin Franklin House. She is also founding Chief Sustainability Officer at RELX. She holds a PhD in Economic History from LSE and serves on the board of the Foundation for the (UN) Global Compact and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

Michael Cox is a Founding Director of LSE IDEAS. He was Director of LSE IDEAS between 2008 and 2019. He is author or editor of several books, including Agonies of Empire: US Power from Clinton to Biden, a collection of essays titled The Post-Cold War World (2018), a centennial edition of J.M. Keynes’s The Economic Consequences of the Peace (2019), and a new edition of E. H. Carr’s 1945 classic Nationalism & After (2021).

Get Tickets via Eventbrite

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Thanksgiving at Benjamin Franklin House

Join us on Thanksgiving Day!

 

9-11am: FREE drop-in social for postgraduate students

Whether you’re an American studying abroad, you have an interest in American studies, or you’re just hoping to celebrate Thanksgiving in the home of one of the United States’ most preeminent founding fathers, we hope you’ll join us a hot drink and a Thanksgiving treat! We’d love you meet you and hear about your research interests and experiences.

 

1-2:30pm and 3-4:30pm: Architectural Tour & Talk

Join us for a tour of Benjamin Franklin House, which will include autumnal refreshments and a talk on Benjamin Franklin and Native American relations in pre-Revolutionary Pennsylvania by Dr. Megan King (University of Kent).

 

Tickets for the Tour & Talk should be pre-booked here.

 

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2024 US Election Debate with Justin Webb

Join moderator Justin Webb, the BBC’s first North America Editor, Host of the Today Programme, and BFH’s Journalist in Residence, for a debate between Kristin Wolfe of Democrats Abroad UK and Greg Swenson of Republican Overseas!

Attend in person or online on Thursday, 24 October, with a chance to ask your own questions on who is best placed to lead the United States over the next four years: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.

BOOK TICKETS

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Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize 2024 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN

2024 Competition Announcement

Each year a question or quote exploring Benjamin Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words.  The competition is open exclusively for young writers, aged 18-25, with a first prize of £750, and a second prize of £500. Winning entries will be published online at www.BenjaminFranklinHouse.org  and https://www.telegraph.co.uk/

The Franklin quote for interpretation in 2024 is;

“Truth will be Truth tho’ it sometimes prove[s]… distasteful.” A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain. (1725).

Please find details of how to enter below:

  • Deadline: Saturday 30th November at 23:59
  • Entries of 1000-1500 words must be sent to education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org
  • Entrants must be aged 18-25 years and living in the UK
  • Each Entrant is asked to provide their name, preferred email, postal address and phone number within the email and the entry attached as a word document. In addition entrants should provide their age and place of study (if applicable; if they are not in education, they should provide a biographical note explaining their current activities)
  • Entrants may submit only one entry; fiction or non-fiction
  • This is a free-to-enter competition.
  • Please ensure your email subject is: Literary Prize 2024 Entry – [YOUR NAME]

The 2024 Literary Prize Judges are;

  • Márcia Balisciano, Director of Benjamin Franklin House
  • Lord Guy Black, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group
  • Wendy Moore, English journalist, author, and historian
  • Huw David, Development Director at Wolfson College, University of Oxford
  • Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group and Board Member of Benjamin Franklin House

Please contact our Education Manager with any queries.

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Ben’s Book Club Returns!

We’re proud to be hosting an array of accomplished historians who have kindly donated their time to walk us through some of Franklin’s practical lessons and words of wisdom, fascinating friendships and connections, and contributions to American literacy.

Book your free tickets here.

 

Buy a copy of our featured works below:

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Summer Walking Tours

We’re pleased to announce the return of our Summer Walking Tours on July 25th and August 22nd!

Join tour guide extraordinaire Brian to explore the sights, sounds, and smells of Benjamin Franklin’s 18th-century London! From famous thoroughfares to hidden streets, you’ll uncover a layer of London history and learn about its transformation over the last 200 years.

 

Starting at our doorstep, our expert guide will lead you around our local area to follow the steps Franklin would have taken whilst living and working here just prior to the American Revolution. As a witness to George III’s coronation on September 22, 1761, we will also be retracing the steps that Ben might have taken on that historic day!

 

Thursday, July 25th at 3pm

Buy Tickets

 

Thursday, August 22nd at 3pm

Buy Tickets

 

If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to contact Front of House Manager Megan at supervisor@benjaminfranklinhouse.org.

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The Coercive Acts – Response to the Boston Tea Party

THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY TOOK PLACE IN DECEMBER 2023 

What happened afterwards in the lead-up to the American Declaration of Independence?

Join us at the National Archives for an afternoon debate!

SATURDAY 1st JUNE 2024

13.00 – 15.15 HRS

The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Richmond TW9 4DU 

Tickets £10 available via this link 

It’s 1774 and the tea party is over. Britain is shocked at the colonists’ blatant disregard for the law and sovereignty. It is time to respond.

You are cordially invited to join the Walter Hines Page Chapter, NSDAR (National Society Daughters of The American Revolution) and the Kew Society as we explore the Coercive Acts of 1774, a key element in the lead-up to the Declaration of Independence.

The afternoon begins at 1pm and will feature a display of original documents related to the Coercive Acts held by the National Archives and a debate between the colonists and the British. The colonists will be represented by Dr Marcía Balisciano, Director at Benjamin Franklin House and the British parliament by Rebecca Palmer, postgraduate student at University College London. Andrew Payne of the National Archives will chair

Timings:

Document display at 1pm – 2pm

Debate begins at 2pm between the Colonists & Parliament

Q&A from audience at 2.30pm

Document Display continues at 2.45pm

Event ends at 3.15pm

Café stays open till 4pm

WHOSE SIDE WILL YOU BE ON?

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Dr Tristram Hunt: ‘The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain’

Join Benjamin Franklin House and Dr Tristram Hunt on 16th November @ 17.30, 36 Craven Street

An entrepreneur, abolitionist and beacon of the Industrial Revolution, Josiah Wedgwood was perhaps the greatest English potter. From his kilns in Stoke-on-Trent he changed the production of ceramics in Georgian England. Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and author of the acclaimed new biography of Wedgwood, The Radical Potter, calls him the ‘Steve Jobs of the 18th century’ for the way he changed consumer culture, and the impact and extraordinary contribution he has had globally.  In this talk, Hunt will also explore Wedgwood’s life beyond the pottery and looks at his radical politics, including his friendship and admiration for Benjamin Franklin, who he regarded as an enlightened thinker, fellow patriot, and loyal customer.

Limited tickets available, £15 –> Book now

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After Dark at Craven Street

Thursday 26 and Monday 30th October 2022, 2pm-7pm.

Are you ready to explore the darker side of Benjamin Franklin House?!  Join us for an after-hours experience this Halloween to hear of haunted happenings at our Historic House.

  • See Benjamin Franklin House transformed for the occasion and experience a eerie evening in an original Georgian home
  • Hear the spine-chilling stories of the cadavers that were found in our basement
  • Immerse yourself in our small and spooky candle-lit rooms
  • Listen to the haunting tones of Franklin’s Glass Armonica

There might even be some tasty treats (or tricks) along the way…

Your history-lovers Halloween starts here!

Limited capacity with timed entry. Book Thursday 26th or Monday 30th to secure the tour time of your choice.

£10 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

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Three ties that bind? the relationship between the UK, US and France in a complex world

 

Join us for the annual Robert H Smith Lecture in Democracy which explores democracy in changing times inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s legacy as a statesman, political thinker and more.

The triumvirate relationship between the United Kingdom, the United States and France has long been a stabilising force in the western world and beyond. Ambassador Gerard Errera will discuss the current state of relations between the three countries in conversation with Benjamin Franklin House Director, Márcia Balisciano. This will be set against a backdrop of recent economic and political challenges to ultimately address the question of the future of multilateralism.

About Gerard Errera:

A career diplomat, Gérard Errera was Secretary General of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and French Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He also served as the French Ambassador to NATO and Director General for Political Affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed “Ambassadeur de France,” a lifelong dignity, by the French President.  He is presently an international consultant.

About Márcia Balisciano:
Márcia Balisciano is founding Director of Benjamin Franklin House. She is also founding Chief Sustainability Officer at FTSE 20 global business, RELX. She holds a PhD in Economic History from the LSE and serves on the board of the Foundation for the (UN) Global Compact and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

 

This event is open to all and free to attend, no ticket is required.

Seats are allocated on a first come first served basis.