Benjamin Franklin Join or Die (1706-1774) (Season 1, Episode 1)
TV Episode | 115 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Primary photo for Join or Die (1706-1774)

Benjamin Franklin

Join or Die (1706-1774) (Season 1, Episode 1)

TV Episode | 115 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Benjamin Franklin leaves Boston and reinvents himself in Philadelphia where he builds a printing empire. Turning to science, his experiments in electricity earn him worldwide fame. In London he tries to build relationships.

Director

Ken Burns

Writer

Dayton Duncan

Producers

Ken Burns | David P. Schmidt

Cinematographer

Buddy Squires (cinematography)

Editor

Craig Mellish

See all filmmakers & crew (42)

Edit Released

Updated Apr 4, 2022

Release date

Apr 4, 2022 (United States)

Awards

Series awards

1 win & 1 nomination

Contacts

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Cast	+ Add Cast
20 cast members

Name	Known for
Peter Coyote Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice) See fewer	Bitter Moon (1992)
Walter Isaacson Self, author of 'Benjamin Franklin: An American Life' Self, author of 'Benjamin Franklin: An American Life' See fewer	Steve Jobs (2015)
H.W. Brands Self, author of 'The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin' Self, author of 'The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin' See fewer	The Titans That Built America (2021)
Joseph Ellis Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	American Experience (1987)
Christopher L. Brown Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Stacy Schiff Self, author Self, author See fewer	Franklin (2024)
Joyce Chaplin Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Ellen Cohn Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2002)
Erica Armstrong Dunbar Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Emancipation (2022)
Clay Jenkinson Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Theodore Roosevelt (2022)
Bernard Bailyn Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Bicentennial Minutes (1974)
Sheila Kemp Self, historian Self, historian See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Philip Dray Self Self See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Gordon Wood Self Self See fewer	Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Mandy Patinkin Benjamin Franklin (voice) Benjamin Franklin (voice) See fewer	Homeland (2011)
Josh Lucas William Franklin (voice) William Franklin (voice) See fewer	Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Carolyn McCormick Deborah Franklin (voice) Deborah Franklin (voice) See fewer	Law & Order (1990)
Craig Mellish Pennsylvania Gazette Subscribers (voice) Pennsylvania Gazette Subscribers (voice) See fewer	The Dust Bowl (2012)
Liam Neeson Alexander Wedderburn (voice) Alexander Wedderburn (voice) See fewer	Kinsey (2004)
Dave Quay Daniel Defoe (voice) Daniel Defoe (voice) See fewer	House of Cards (2013)