Stephen Fried at the statue of Benjamin Rush at Dickinson College (Photo: Carl Socolow)
Thirty-two-year-old doctor Benjamin Rush was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and among the first Sons of Liberty in Philadelphia. His anonymous writings helped inspire the Boston Tea Party. He encouraged Thomas Paine to write Common Sense, and edited the pamphlet. The confidante and medical advisor to Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, Rush became uniquely close to the Revolution’s leading men. Yet Rush’s life, pioneering medical career, and broad influence on the birth of an independent America remain overshadowed by more famous Founding Fathers.
Drawing from his new biography, author and journalist Stephen Fried resurrects the most significant founding father we’ve never heard of. He discusses why Rush became known as the “American Hippocrates” for transforming medical training and institutions, as well as for revolutionizing the understanding and treatment of mental illness and addiction. He traces how this son of a Philadelphia blacksmith grew into an internationally renowned writer and reformer, a fierce progressive agitator who championed public education and opposed prejudice by race, religion, or gender—all among the reasons why Fried feels the overlooked Rush deserves a place in the pantheon of great American leaders.
Fried’s book, Rush: Revolution, Madness, and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father (Crown) is available for purchase and signing.
