Completed: March 9, 2024
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Review:
At heart, this is a light biography of Joseph Priestly. The focus of this biography is the impact that he had on others (like the US founding fathers), so it doesn't cover his whole life and it doesn't dive into personal details (like the relationship with his wife and children) in any great detail. Johnson isn't really trying to tell you what it was like to be Joseph Priestly, the focus here is on how his scientific and religious activities affected the US founding fathers. He was younger than Franklin, but did not outlive Adams or Jefferson. His scientific interests were fostered by Franklin and his religious material (as well as scientific) impacted both Adams and Jefferson who both made an effort to distance themselves from him as candidates for office. In the letters between Adams and Jefferson, though, Priestly was a frequent topic and that showed how he had impacted both.
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