Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews March 21, 2025 March 14, 2025
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
We're sorry, we could not create your account. SparkNotes PLUS is not available in your country. See what countries we’re in.
There was an error creating your account. Please check your payment details and try again.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Success for America, Fame for Franklin
After the Americans defeated the British at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, Franklin and his co-commissioners negotiated with the French government for an alliance. On January 28, they reported that France had donated several million livres–a hefty sum of money–to the American cause. On February 6 they went even farther, signing a treaty of alliance with France. This treaty was crucial. By itself America probably never could have defeated Britain, but with France's financial and military help, it would only be a matter of time before Britain gave up.
This moment came in 1781. After being defeated by a combined French and American force at the Battle of Yorktown, the British agreed to negotiate a peace treaty. Franklin and four others (including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson) were appointed by Congress to negotiate the peace. Franklin met with Richard Oswald, Britain's negotiator, from March to June 1782. At one point Franklin nearly convinced Oswald to agree to give Canada to the newly independent colonies. This deal fell through, however, when John Jay demanded that Britain recognize America's independence right away.
Oswald and Franklin finally reached a deal in July of 1782. After months of further tinkering, the Americans signed the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. This officially ended the Revolutionary War. After the treaty was formally ratified on May 12, 1784, Franklin asked to be sent home. He got permission in May 1785 and sailed home two months later. He was now seventy-nine, suffering from a bladder stone and gout, and eager to be free of politics once and for all. He was already older than just about any American alive, let alone any American as busy as he.
Franklin arrived home in Philadelphia on September fourteen, 1785. Within a month, he was elected president of Pennsylvania's supreme executive council, the top government office. He held the job for three years. Meanwhile, he continued working on his Autobiography and invented more useful things, such as a tool to take books from high shelves and a desk chair with a writing arm.
From May 28 to September 17, 1787, Franklin attended the Constitutional Convention. There, he played a key role in hammering out the "Great Compromise" that led to the signing of the Constitution. Along with George Washington, Franklin brought a cool head and immense prestige to the meeting. Without his help it would probably have failed.
Even after retiring from politics altogether, Franklin stayed active. In 1789 and 1790 he petitioned the new federal government to abolish slavery and wrote a brilliant satire of pro-slavery arguments. He spent his last days fighting for abolition, the last and perhaps most passionate of his many causes, before failing ill with pleurisy. He died in his home on April 17, 1790, and was publicly mourned on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the greatest men of his era.
Please wait while we process your payment