In. A doctorate in journalism working as an Advertising Agency director when he isnt researching and writing. Telling the story of the epidemic to strike boston the lead to scientific changing and scientific advancement called informant live again solidly told in the deeply researched account please join me to welcome the author. [applause] i voted absentee and of that makes me a former officials or not but, i would rather be here right now. By the way it is the nonpartisan position is a phase you work for the poll worker but it is cool to the register new voters and naturalized citizens it is pretty cool i like a lot all kidding aside. They give for the introduction. Thanks to Harvard Bookstore this is my first time here. But i have heard about this store everybody has an now have been Walking Around and it smells like of bookstore should smell and how we should look and i am happy and proud to be here. Also booktv i have never been on but i have watched in many, many times it is a pleasure to be featured and also to all of you for coming this is my fourth life even the first was in Madison Wisconsin i got all my friends to go and my wife and her friends. Then we went to chicago i got all of my inlaws. She has the very big family see. So again we had people. On sunday i was in connecticut so i am there originally so i have all my friends dating back to highschool but i havent seen that got to go. Tonight i felt think i know any of you so that is very flattering. When my sister lerner would be presenting a book she gave me a vice if it goes over good do it every time you speak. with like to announce this is my first appearance but it is my first appearance in this area so that is very cool and also my first appearance on booktv so it is wonderful for me. Tonight i thought i would start with a very short reading from the introductions of you have not read it you will get an idea of the scope as there are three plot lines. I dont have time to talk about all of them so i would give u. S. Sense of what it is about and i will talk about one of the characters that Everybody Knows to associate with boston and then we should have plenty of time for discussion. I will start with the introduction from the book the fever of 1721. 1721 might be the most important year in the evolution of modern medicine and american liberty. With a smallpox epidemic a long position that saved hundreds of lives launched a new medical discipline the eradication of the most deadly disease. The inoculation overtime would be modified to prevent the deaths of untold millions of people and in 1721 it was considered primitive than barbaric and tantamount to a tentative merger attempted murder many rankandfile bostonian suppose it and some of those would be willing to do anything to stop it. Smallpox came to boston for the first time in nearly two decades. It arrived aboard a british warship by the time a bird is about one year later approximately half of the towns 11,000 inhabitants had been infected. Among those who will skate death for 300 men women and children that under bonded it began with the present incision implanted with fluid of someone that had broken now. The idea was to produce an extremely mild and tolerated case of the disease to have unit immunity from future infections. Prior the inoculation was and never heard of it came from a theological conservative and is already one of the most controversial members in boston. Chiefly and dealing with hysteria six decades earlier generally regarded to superstition and infatuation with the enthusiast ted monitor of europe and beyond to dismiss the proposal out of hand but one doctor accepted the challenge in the 1721 and 42 years old successful as a position in shopowner had achieved a measure of fame for his son, the good track record but was relegated to the second tier of practitioners because he lacked for many colleagues so franklin never would have watched it for nearly four years of struggling boston printer was looking for an opportunity for newspaper modeled on the best publication to be provocative a m dishes and differ from those already in circulation they would hunker for open is to support his plan into action at if nothing more to reprint the excerpt along with the spectator commentary it would have made a contribution to journalism but it went further he published distinctively american essays and letters depths soon to criticize the religious and political establishment of colonial massachusetts with was scandalized the fathers generation the daily show of its day in the argument can be made the American Social and political satire began and with everything that followed even to himself part is descended from it he was also hoping to invent what was regarded as a First American in san two years after the 12 yearold Benjamin Franklin was indentured as the apprentice for the next three years for the trade that would make him wealthy his inspiration came from this brothers Printing House that contained a Large Library of books and periodicals their conversations about politics and religion in the social issues of the day fired his mind and imagination he began to see the complexity and fold them in 1721 he was given from rose seats to the inoculation and controversy when he learned from that debate and his involvement but in the newspaper changed his life and help to define him as a political philosopher and a diplomat in the sense anything he ever really needed to know he learned in 1721. Buyers early 1722 he was ready to take the public stage it is fitting the Political Movement that made him famous as a patriot was coming of age at the same time he was the man behind the first organized push was a doctor turned politician the son of one of the most beloved politicians had inherited his fathers fortune empowers for politics for his 1684 constellation after being elected for the first time he put those to work opposing and obstructing the royal government goes ahead built the First Political machine is also become one that accused him of poisoning the minds of his countrymen in order to assert independence of new england. It in 1721 the smallpox epidemic served as the catalyst for american journalism the comingofage the beginning of american independence this book is about that epidemic in the story of five remarkable men held their courage and daring evasion and in the time of crisis thank you. So i have five main characters in this book i will concentrate the rest of my time unquestionably the most famous of the characters someone generally associated with philadelphia there remain very much a boston point. He would leave boston in 17 years old and would never return again sometimes you its a rather tough stains hoffa yet named his daughter virginia so he hoped the french bid would be blessed with 12 more children for one for each of the colonys and one was massachusetts that was even too harsh so he never did return permanently but it is safe to say since wherever he went he kept tabs on boston famously his friend rode with that military occupation in closing the port there were tears in 1784 franklin wrote a letter confessing not only that he longed to see boston again we know he did not return there was not buried their dead did remember the town in his will to have the same amount of money to boston so he knowledge how much it meant to him but that only begins to reflect how importunate was to the development of the writer here is my contention in this book the five years he spent with his brother as an apprentice and especially the year 172120 had a frontrow seat to the inoculation controversy was the most formative years of his life no question. I said everything he needed to know he learned in 1721 by elaborate on that. So tonight i want to talk about the for that we dont know about the earliest part of his life but because he has such allies life the first 1520 years think they deserve more so we want to talk about how those Franklin Brothers got together and struggled to make a go of it and how that would influence what would happen and ultimately in his entire life. James n. Benjamin were the fourth set the height of the eight children he had already been married once with seven children from the first marriage and then had 10 more. He was the tenth and youngest and because he was very religious he hope to tie event to the church making the gift to the minister of you wanted to be a congregational minister in Good Standing and then he went to Harvard College to start off as a Training Ground so even though he did not have a lot of money that was not a highly esteemed dear highly paid job somehow he decided he would send his son to harvard to make to the minister. With Benjamin Franklin actually did quite well but the problem was the that he lacked the calling and there is a famous story about that one winter his dad was putting the provisions he turned to his bother and said we should just prior for the apparel wants instead of every single time they sit down to eat. That is a typical type of logical piece of logic cannot for a preacher so when he decided there was no point to incur the expense and pulled him from school at 10 years old it was hot quirk bring down the animal fat to process. Even at this age was strapping and strong he hated it it was mindless said he told his father he wanted to see the world. His bader was very upset because it was Common Knowledge that being a sailor was said dangerous occupation the eudora lost a son the oldest had left home against his wishes and was lost taxied either store or pirates so a josiah was determined that hed not suffer that fate he took today off of work trying to find him an alternate occupation in for a variety of reasons it didnt work out some then there back into the shop and benjamin is still miserable and his father is worried you will run off to see. In the midst of all this tape is franklin is 20 years old and was the apprentice in note good at his trade in seeing how exciting that was he told his bader i need to start my own print shop in an josiahs said no way. Because he needed the money to do this edges i would have to borrow it he said no way because genes should cool his jets to get to know the business better but mainly he thought there were already enough printers and the town could not support another printer in the venture would fail the james was determined to kept pushing in one year he was begging for the many with benjamin in the other beging to do anything but so he capitulated in told james i will get you the money provided you take your brother or princess. That sounded like a good deal but they were practically strangers as franklin had been away almost all of Ben Franklins life and didnt know each other very well but it was the best deal either could get so James Franklin in benjamin went into business directly across from the town prison and by the way if he started the old state house and look at a plaque on the building you will see when they have their Printing House it is gone but it marks the spot. After two years of dreary work he was in his element surrounded by books and pamphlets and materials and setting type and doing things that were natural but there was more to it his brother was no slouch as a thinker or writer and more important aid dash for other young men like yourself who were tired of the extreme religious oppression nearly every day they ever drop by the Printing House to talk politics and philosophy of course, benjamin could not participate but he was soaking it in. But these were his teachers that he did not get when his father pulled him out of school if you read the autobiography franklin talks about his self education he taught himself remedial math and how to be a better writer. But he doesnt say that working for james in that house with books and men that inspired him to start that self education. Very soon after joining james and the Printing House his spirit was nearly broken and then was back looking for another job it reflects just how bad he felt at that point maybe he was even severely depressed but now he was in his element but business why is not so much they were not so good. To uzziah franklin was right to. And to make matters worse who was a nephew of the most established printer in all of new england to read a dynasty to open a eighth Printing House right across the alley. Now it was a certain see a certainty now any of their business would go to them so left the brothers within a month in a fairly desperate situation. Now james found what he had to do was print fabrics for the rich women in town that is not with the team to boston to do also he had to carve is he was deal the person who was artisan enough to carve the woodcuts for illustrations. That should have been a great advantage that they are the only ones to have these customized woodblocks however james had to put these out to his competitors so it was a bad situation when he was not humbled by bad luck in fact, they advertise the fabric printing capabilities and said he printed fabrics without this know that, the intent the lyndon. So things have gotten pretty desperate. And that created more stress. And james was intense and that james was intense it had a lot o drink. Benjamin was a strong will brother and many years later was not always the best apprentice but that was thoughtprovoking. And because of that and theyow got on each others f nerves weauto go from the autobiography that this was something unfortunately was not very common but it is something we go from ben franklin. So to be on the edge of total failure if they could not get enoughtown of the work he discovered the broadside ballad. Specifically geared to be a melodramatic recreations if we would do them today we would say there ripped from the headlines in a congressional to the street and sell them for little money for little money makers first you need the event exciting enough and also someone who would be willing to write that for little money in november 17 period 18, James Franklin got his event at an island near brewster island then and now the location of boston might. What happened was the lighthouse keeper and his wife and daughter and others were coming back from boston and in a small boat approaching the island and for some reason, it has a nice was a nice day, the sun was out, a little windy, nothing terrible. Somehow it overturned and everyone drowned. What made the tragedy even worse is that the familys other daughter was watching the whole thing from the island and in addition to being tragic what made it ironic is people thought they were going to die. They were at the outer reaches of Boston Harbor on a small rock they survived all kinds of terrible weather and they had all of their sheep, 70 some swept in by the storm. People wouldnt have been shocked if the storm killed them in fact they expected that this was as i say a nice day so there was a sense of irony. When he heard about this he knew he had a subject and needed a poet when he could pay little or even better, nothing. He found one standing right next to him. Benjamin franklin and James Franklin had an uncle named benjamin was a poet. He knew that his little brother could write something that fast. The question was cut a 12yearold boy, which is what ben franklin was at this point i might create a drama that would pass through for the work of an adult and so sell lots and lots of copies and get them out of trouble . No wonder the answer to that james was desperate and benjamin was very cause he sent him to work, he wrote based on the newspaper accounts and hearsay in the town. The brothers set precedent and he wouldve a couple of loaded a couple of these things, pushed him out, literally pushed him out the door and sent him to the street corners to solve this ballot. It was a huge hit. It was a phenomenon. Decades later when he wrote his autobiography, he talked about how is a its sold wonderfully. And i think that is very ben franklin mike. He didnt want to give himself much credit that he heard at the end of his life when he done so many things that he had enormous pride in his first ballot that he had with him when he was 12yearsold so the brothers now have a big windfall to profit and james had finally found what he hoped would be a way of making money he just had to wait for the next event. Sure enough in 1719, boston received word that blackbeard, the infamous pilot whose real name was edward had been killed off the coast of what would become north carolina. He was one of the most famous pilots in history and part of it is what he did and part of it is how he looked. But it was set to start below his eyes down to his waist and perfect on the middle with red ribbon. I guess part of the idea is you look crazy so he must be crazy and indeed is pretty fearsome. They had a reason beyond that to be afraid. The reason he was afraid in addition to that is because he had promised to burn boston to the ground because the town had tried, convicted and hanged a fellow pirate. When the bostonians heard that blackbeard was dead, it was a very big news. When they heard about the circumstances of his death, he realized he had enough for a ballot. What happened is the navy had trapped the ship that blackbeard had a bigger ship and firepower so after getting very drunk he went to the ship and started cursing out his wouldbe captors. He did that for several hours and then he opened fire on them and it wasnt long before he pounded into submission. One ship was destroyed, together disabled. He thought he had won and he approached the ship and boarded. He would have little to no existence because he killed all the sailors on board but he was surprised by an ambush attack from the crew that had been hiding below. An enormous close range battle broke out. The captain shot blackbeard but it didnt kill him. One of the sailors stepped blackbeard in the neck and blackbeard and what could only be described as a line of a johnny depp pirate movie said well done. And if he was flattered with the complement it didnt show because he proceeded to decapitate blackbeard with one swing of the sword. So his head lay flat on his shoulder. The sailors have been through his body into the ocean and put his head on the bow of the ship and sailed back to virginia triumphantly. W