Two men, born two centuries apart, who each profoundly impacted American culture.
Benjamin Franklin was unmistakably the most prominent architect of the early American experience. He was the only founding father to sign all four of the documents that gave birth to the United States of America; the Declaration of Independence; the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with the French; the 1783 Peace of Paris; and the United States Constitution. That alone wasn’t enough, Franklin dominated his era with scientific achievement, pragmatic philosophy and innovative social advances that still impact us today.
Like Franklin, Walt Disney was the rare individual who combined an entrepreneurial spirit with creative genius and a keen ability to understand the needs of humankind. Both men tasted success early in life and both never lost their energy, drive or thirst for more and greater achievement. Franklin and Disney strived to invent and refine until their last breath. Each man left work undone, Franklin the abolition of slavery and Disney the realization of his utopian community, the experimental prototype community of tomorrow (EPCOT). Falling short was not a failure, only evidence that neither stopped dreaming. Nothing dimmed their vision until they were no more. So great was their achievement we must be reminded that mortality was one of the few things they could not transcend.
Few Americans have approached their achievements, and few have left a legacy that matches Benjamin Franklin and Walt Disney.
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Congratulations! I am looking forward to reading this book. Thank you for all your hard work!