"A Tincture Of Madness": Benjamin Franklin's Printing Network In The Caribbean

Abstract:Benjamin Franklin made several attempts to plant a printing partner in Antigua during the mid-eighteenth century. He had many reasons for doing so, including financial gain, extension of his printing empire, promotion of certain workers, a desire to succeed where others had failed, and his moral ambition to disseminate virtue throughout the British colonies. He crafted many of these printing partnerships throughout his life, most of them successful. However, his Antigua venture was perhaps the riskiest and most difficult. This article tells the story of what Franklin did in Antigua, why, and how it fared.