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The 2022 US Mid-Term Elections: Will They Make Any Difference?

Wednesday 12 October 2022, 17:30 BST/12:30 ET.
Online and in-person public event (Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building)

Our annual Robert H Smith Lecture in American Democracy will once again be held in partnership with the LSE Department of Government. This year, the lecture will ask Professor Philip Davies, “will the 2022 mid-terms make any difference?”

Philip Davies is Chair of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association. He was formerly Director of the British Library’s Eccles Centre for American Studies, is Professor Emeritus at De Montfort University and a Distinguished Fellow at Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute. He is the architect of the Congress to Campus UK programme that brings former US Members of Congress to meet UK audiences annually each November. He has published on many aspects of US elections and election campaigns and is the main sponsor of the Philip and Rosamund Davies US Elections Archive, housed at the Vere Harmsworth Library, Oxford.

The event is hosted by Pavi Suryanarayan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at LSE and moderated by Benjamin Franklin House Director, Márcia Balisciano.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

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After Dark: Thanksgiving

Looking for the perfect London Thanksgiving? Whether you’re an American expat, former US resident or simply an Americanophile, our museum is the ideal setting to spend quality time with family and friends on this all-important American Holiday.

  • Celebrate with an after-hours tour of the historic House
  • View decorations created by our school and family groups
  • Add a note to the ‘Wall of Gratitude’ in the House’s corridor
  • Enjoy traditional Thanksgiving treats (including the “best Pumpkin Pie” in London) in our parlour

Thursday 24 November 2022.

Tours will run at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm. Limited capacity with timed entry. BOOK NOW to secure the tour time of your choice.

£15 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

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After Dark: The Cadavers of Craven Street

Thursday 27 October 2022, from 5pm.

Are you ready to explore the darker side of Benjamin Franklin House?!  Join us for an after-hours tour 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 now to secure the tour time of your choice.

£15 per person (plus booking fee), refreshments included.

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Virtual Talk: Benjamin Franklin and Popular Culture

Thursday 1st September 2022 – 5pm BST/12pm ET

Join our Front of House and Marketing Supervisor, Jessica Eykel, as she explores why and how Franklin has endured within the popular imagination since his death in 1790.

She’ll also attempt to answer that one question on everyone’s mind … ‘where on earth is Franklin in Hamilton?!’

 

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Summer Walking Tour: Benjamin Franklin’s 18th Century London

Thursday 03 August 2023, 3pm. 

Discover the sights, sounds and smells of Benjamin Franklin’s 18th Century London in our brand-new summer walking tour!

Starting at our doorstep, our expert guide will lead you around our local area to retrace the steps Franklin would have taken whilst living and working here just prior to the American Revolution.

From famous thoroughfares to hidden streets, you’ll uncover a layer of London history and learn of its transformation over the last 200 years.

Duration: 1.5 hours (approximate)

Location: Starting from 36 Craven Street.

Tickets: £12 per person

BOOK HERE

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Ben’s Book Club: ‘Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet’ By Michael Meyer

Wednesday August 10, 2022, 5pm BST/12pm ET. Register here.

Join us for the August instalment of Ben’s Book Club, a quarterly virtual gathering looking at themes relating to Benjamin Franklin, the 18th century, and American history.

This month we will be talking to Michael Meyer about his latest book ‘Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet’ which tracks the use and abuse of Benjamin Franklin’s two-thousand-pound parting gift to the working classes of Boston and Philadelphia. Through a critical lens, charting the fund alongside the history of America itself, Michael shows how the money is still in use today and offers us an inspiring blueprint for prosperity in our modern era of growing wealth disparity and social divisions.

Michael Meyer is a Professor or English at University of Pittsburgh and author of many acclaimed nonfiction books that focus on the history of China. He arrived in China in 1995, where he lived and worked for many notable journals such as ‘The New York Times’ ‘Chicago Tribune’ and ‘This American Life’. He has taught Literary Journalism at Hong Kong University and is currently a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Buy your copy of ‘Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet’ here.

This event is free of charge but please consider making an online donation here to support the work of Benjamin Franklin House.

 

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Celebrate 4th July Weekend with us!

Spend 4th July weekend at the home of Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin!

As a founder of the United States, Franklin was the only statesman to have signed all four documents that created a new nation, including The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and The Constitution. The first of these was signed on 4 July 1776, the year after Franklin left this house!

Whether you’re an American expat or a just want to get in on the celebrations with our friends across the pond, we are ready to welcome you all weekend!

Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July 2022, 12-5pm

See Benjamin Franklin House decorated for the occasion and join us for our Architectural Tours on Friday and our Historical Experience show on Saturday and Sunday to learn all about the time Franklin spent in London on the cusp of revolution!

From £7.50 per adult – Purchase tickets via Art Tickets here

Monday 4 July 2022

12-4:15pm

Join us for our flagship offering, the Historical Experience, where the house will be transformed into a stage for a drama that tells the rich story of Franklin in London just prior to the Revolution. A one-off Monday treat!

From £9.50 per adult – purchase tickets here. 

5-7pm. 

We are also opening our doors for two exclusive after-hours tours, complete with American-inspired drinks and snacks!

£15 per person – find out more and purchase tickets.

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Ben’s Book Club: ‘Female Genius’ by Mary Sarah Bilder

Wednesday July 13 2022, 5pm BST/12pm ET. Register here.

Join us for the July instalment of Ben’s Book Club, a quarterly virtual gathering looking at themes relating to Benjamin Franklin, the 18th century, and American history.

This month we will be talking to Mary Sarah Bilder about her latest book ‘Female Genius’ which opens a new window on constitutional history, making it clear that this framing moment did not solely belong to white men.

Through the story of one remarkable woman, Eliza Harriot Barons O’Connor, Mary investigates the shaping of the Constitution alongside the rise of the ‘female genius’ and offers an inspirational transatlantic history of women who believed in education as a political right.

Professor Mary Sarah Bilder teaches in the areas of property, trusts and estates, and American legal and constitutional history at Boston College Law School. Her 2016 book Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention, earned the Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy, and was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize. Her 2004 The Transatlantic Constitution: Colonial Legal Culture and the Empire won the American Historical Association’s Littleton-Griswold Award.

Buy your copy of ‘Female Genius’ here.

This event is free of charge but please consider making an online donation here to support the work of Benjamin Franklin House.

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Platinum Jubilee Celebrations: Benjamin Franklin’s Relationship with the Crown

Join us as we celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

Thursday June 2, Friday June 3 – Sunday June 5, 12pm – 5pm 

In honour of the event, we will be enhancing our standard Architectural Tours and Historical Experiences with jubilee decorations and fun Benjamin Franklin facts all about his surprising relationship to the Crown.

From £7.50 per adult – Purchase tickets via Art Tickets here

Thursday June 2,  6pm – 7pm

Kick off the four day weekend with an after hours tour complete with traditional British cocktails and snacks!

Make your way through this iconic historic building, the only remaining residence of Benjamin Franklin anywhere in the world, and learn all about Benjamin Franklin’s relationship with the Crown during his 16 year stay here.

£10/per person – Purchase tickets via Eventbrite here

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Virtual Talk: A Day in the Life of Benjamin Franklin

Thursday 7th July 2022 – 5pm BST/12pm ET

Join our Education Manager, Henry Wilkinson, as he discusses what could have been a day in the life of Benjamin Franklin whilst he resided here at 36 Craven Street over 250 years ago!

Follow in Franklin’s footsteps to unlock the secrets of success and happiness in the 18th Century. You will explore his ‘thirteen virtues’ and gain the perfect template for an orderly life, in Franklin’s own words.

From his morning routine, you’ll learn how to start the day right and pick up some excellent tips on cleanliness and healthy living, Georgian style. You also will broaden your palette to get a taste for Georgian cuisine as we explore the food and drink that was cooked up in our historic kitchen.

The talk will last roughly 1 hour and is FREE. To secure a slot, please register for the webinar here.