The Fascinating Life of America's Forgotten Founding Father

The Fascinating Life of America's Forgotten Founding Father

The 18th century doctor, civic leader, and renaissance man Benjamin Rush was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence, edited and named Thomas Paine's Common Sense, implemented medical practices that helped the Continental Army win the Revolutionary War, made sure Benjamin Franklin attended the Constitutional Convention, and shaped the medical and political landscape of the newly formed United States.

Yet despite his outsized influence, the varied and interesting life he led, and the close relationships he had with other founding fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, Rush is hardly remembered today. That's because of just how close his relationship with those other founders was. Rush was a personal physician to them and their families, and after his death, they suppressed his legacy, not wanting the intimate and unflattering details he had recorded in his letters and journals to be publicized. In fact, his memoir was considered too dangerous to be published and wasn't found for nearly 150 years.

My guest will re-introduce us to this forgotten figure. His name is Stephen Fried, and he's the author of Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father. Today on the show, Stephen takes us through Rush's fascinating life, from his self-made rise out of inauspicious childhood, to how he was able to reconcile an estranged Jefferson and Adams before his death, and what Stephen has learned from studying a character who lived through very fraught and not totally unfamiliar times.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1159)

Tame the Dopamine Drive — How to Stop Chasing and Start Living

Tame the Dopamine Drive — How to Stop Chasing and Start Living

All the neurochemicals in the brain have to do with life in the present. Except for one: dopamine. Dopamine is the one neurochemical that looks to the future. It anticipates what may be to come and dr...

9 Jul 202547min

Books, Routines, and Habits: The Founders’ Guide to Self-Improvement

Books, Routines, and Habits: The Founders’ Guide to Self-Improvement

Note: This is a rebroadcast.A lot of self-improvement advice and content feels empty. And there’s a reason for that. It often offers routines and habits to practice, but doesn’t offer a strong, overar...

1 Jul 202545min

Ancient Buddhist Principles for Modern Life’s Dilemmas

Ancient Buddhist Principles for Modern Life’s Dilemmas

When you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, and anxious — when you’re striving and achieving but still finding yourself persistently dissatisfied with life — you might start looking for answers beyond wh...

24 Jun 202551min

How to Turn Vices Into Career-Advancing Virtues

How to Turn Vices Into Career-Advancing Virtues

What if the traits you’ve been taught to suppress your entire career are actually the very qualities that separate those who get what they want from those who stay stuck waiting for recognition that n...

17 Jun 202554min

Men Don't Run in the Rain — And 7 Other Essential Lessons for Being a Man

Men Don't Run in the Rain — And 7 Other Essential Lessons for Being a Man

When Rick Burgess was growing up, his father, Bill Burgess, was also his football coach. But Bill was a mentor on and off the field not only for his own son but for the many young men he coached at bo...

10 Jun 202553min

The Making of a Supreme Commander — How Eisenhower Became the Leader Who Delivered Victory on D-Day

The Making of a Supreme Commander — How Eisenhower Became the Leader Who Delivered Victory on D-Day

That Dwight D. Eisenhower became Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, orchestrating the largest amphibious invasion in history on June 6, 1944, was far from inevitable.He came from the mi...

3 Jun 202550min

How to Have the Manners and Charm of a Proper English Gentleman

How to Have the Manners and Charm of a Proper English Gentleman

The British just seem like a classier bunch. Part of it is that winning accent. But it's also because English culture has long been steeped in the tradition of learning and practicing etiquette.Here t...

27 Mai 202549min

Become a Master of Uncertainty

Become a Master of Uncertainty

Uncertainty is a constant of human existence. How will market conditions affect your new business venture? What will be the results of the medical test you just took? Will a new relationship work out?...

20 Mai 202550min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
mikkels-paskenotter
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
rss-kull
rss-sunn-okonomi
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
sinnsyn
fryktlos
rss-kunsten-a-leve
gravid-uke-for-uke
hagespiren-podcast
hverdagspsyken
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-var-forste-kaffe