Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706-April 17, 1790) was an American printer, writer, scientist, philosopher and statesmen. Born to a poor candle-maker in Boston, Massachusetts, he was 15th of 17 children. Since his family could not afford to provide him with a formal education, he began apprenticing as a printer at the age of twelve. In 1723, he moved to Philadelphia and married Deborah Read, by whom he had two children.
He initially gained literary acclaim through the annual publication of his book, Poor Richard's Almanac (1732-57). At the age of forty-two he was successful enough to retire and devote himself to science, writing and public life. In 1743, he helped found the American Philosophical Society.
Benjamin Franklin, who had taught himself five languages, became known as "the Newton of his Age." His experiments in electrostatics, 1750-51, led to the well-known kite experiment which proved that lightening was a form of electricity. His invention of the lightning rod earned him honorary degrees from Harvard and Yale, 1753, and the Royal Society's Copley Medal. He is credited for having coined the terms "battery," "condenser," "conductor," "positive and negative charges" and "electric shock." He invented the Franklin stove, the rocking chair, bi-focal glasses, the glass harmonica, in addition to numerous scientific discoveries. He developed theories of heat absorption, meteorology and ocean currents.
Benjamin Franklin organized the first postal system in America, serving as the deputy postmaster general of the colonies, 1753-54. He established the first volunteer fire department, a circulating public library and the lighting of city streets. He helped found the University of Pennsylvania, a hospital, an insurance company, a city police force, a night watch and in 1747, the first militia. In 1754, he organized defenses in the French and Indian War.
Benjamin Franklin was Pennsylvania's delegate to the Albany Congress and acted as its agent in London. He helped draft and signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1776, he served as a diplomat to France, and was largely responsible for France joining the Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonies.
In 1785, he became the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania and signed the Treaty of Alliance, the Treaty of Peace, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. He supported the abolition of slavery and in 1788, he was appointed the first president of the first anti-slavery society in America.
In Poor Richard's Almanac (1732-57), Benjamin Franklin published proverbs such as:
<God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.> 1706BF001
In Poor Richard's Almanac, June 1736, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<God helps them that help themselves.> 1707BF002
In Poor Richard's Almanac, May 1757, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<Work as if you were to live 100 years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow.> 1706BF003
Benjamin Franklin once remarked to his wife:
<Debby, I wish the good Lord had seen fit to make each day just twice as long as it is. Perhaps then I could really accomplish something.> 1706BF004
In 1728, Benjamin Franklin wrote his Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion:
<I believe there is One Supreme, most Perfect Being....
It is that particular wise and good God, who is the Author and Owner of our system, that I propose for the Object of my praise and adoration.
For I conceive that He has in Himself some of those passions He has planted in us, and that, since He has given us reason whereby we are capable of observing His wisdom in the Creation, He is not above caring for us, being pleas'd with our praise, and offended when we slight Him, or neglect His Glory.
I conceive for many reasons that He is a good Being, and as I should be happy to have so wise, good and powerful a Being my Friend, let me consider in what Manner I shall make myself most acceptable to Him.
Next to the praise resulting from and due to His wisdom, I believe He is pleased and delights in the happiness of those he has created; and since without virtue man can have no happiness in this world, I firmly believe He delights to see me virtuous, because He is pleased when He sees me happy.
And since He has created many things which seem purely designed for the delight of man, I believe He is not offended when He sees his children solace themselves in any manner of pleasant exercises and innocent delights; and I think no pleasure innocent that is to man hurtful. I love Him therefore for His Goodness, and I adore Him for His wisdom.> 1706BF005
Regarding prayer, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<Being mindful that before I address the Deity my soul ought to be calm and serene, free from passion and perturbation, or otherwise elevated with rational joy and pleasure, I ought to use a countenance that expresses a filial respect, mixed with a kind of smiling that signifies inward joy and satisfaction and admiration.> 1706BF006
<Let me not fail, then, to praise my God continually, for it is His due, and it is all I can return for His many favors and great goodness to me; and let me resolve to be virtuous, that I may be happy, that I may please Him, who is delighted to see me happy. Amen!> 1706BF007
<O Creator, O Father, I believe that Thou are Good, and Thou art pleas'd with the pleasure of Thy children.
Praised be Thy Name forever.
By Thy Power hast thou made the glorious Sun, with his attending worlds; from the energy of Thy mighty Will they first received their prodigious motion, and by Thy Wisdom hast Thou prescribed the wondrous laws by which they move.
Praised be Thy Name forever.
By Thy Wisdom hast thou formed all things, Thou hast created man, bestowing life and reason, and plac'd him in dignity superior to Thy other earthly Creatures.
Praised be Thy Name forever.
Thy Wisdom, Thy Power, and Thy GOODNESS are every where clearly seen; in the air and in the water, in the heavens and on the earth; Thou providest for the various winged fowl, and the innumerable inhabitants of the water; Thou givest cold and heat, rain and sunshine in their season, and to the fruits of the earth increase.
Praised be Thy Name forever.
I believe Thou hast given life to Thy creatures that they might live, and art not delighted with violent death and bloody sacrifices.
Praised be Thy Name forever.
Thou abhorrest in Thy creatures treachery and deceit, malice, revenge, Intemperance and every other hurtful Vice; but Thou art a Lover of justice and sincerity, of friendship, benevolence and every virtue. Thou art my Friend, my Father, and my Benefactor.
Praised be Thy Name, O God, forever. Amen.> 1706BF008
<That I may be preserved from atheism and infidelity, impiety and profaneness, and in my addresses to Thee carefully avoid irreverence and ostentation, formality and odious hypocrisy,
Help me, O Father.> 1706BF009
<And forasmuch as ingratitude is one of the most odious of vices, let me not be unmindful gratefully to acknowledge the favours I receive from Heaven....For all Thy innumerable benefits; For life and reason, and the use of speech, for health and joy and every pleasant hour, my Good God, I thank Thee.> 1706BF010
Benjamin Franklin wrote his own version of the Lord's Prayer:
<Heavenly Father, May all revere Thee, And become Thy dutiful children and faithful subjects. May thy Laws be obeyed on earth as perfectly as they are in Heaven. Provide for us this day as Thou hast hitherto daily done.
Forgive us our trespasses, and enable us likewise to forgive those that offend us. Keep us out of temptation and deliver us from Evil.> 1706BF011
Benjamin Franklin listed topics and doctrines, which he considered of vital importance, to be shared and preached:
<That there is one God Father of the Universe. That He [is] infinitely good, powerful and wise. That He is omnipresent.
That He ought to be worshipped, by adoration, prayer and thanksgiving both in publick and private.
That He loves such of His creatures as love and do good to others: and will reward them either in this world or hereafter.
That men's minds do not die with their bodies, but are made more happy or miserable after this life according to their actions.
That virtuous men ought to league together to strengthen the interest of virtue, in the world: and so strengthen themselves in virtue.
That knowledge and learning is to be cultivated, and ignorance dissipated. That none but the virtuous are wise. That man's perfection is in virtue.> 1706BF012
Benjamin Franklin's statement is listed in Forty Thousand Quotations, prose and poetical, compiled by Charles Nobel Douglas (NY: Halcyon House, 1904, 1917):
<A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district-all studied and appreciated as they merit-are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty.> 1706BF013
In his Autobiography, published in complete form in 1868, Franklin mentions a small book which he carried with him, listing 13 virtues:
<1) Temperance:...drink not to elevation.
2) Silence:...avoid trifling conversation.
3) Order: Let all your things have their places...
4 )Resolution:...perform without fail what you resolve.
5 )Frugality:...i.e. waste nothing.
6) Industry: Lose no time; be always employ'd...
7) Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently...
8) Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries...
9) Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting...
10) Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body...
11 )Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles...
12) Chastity:
13) Humility: Imitate Jesus.> 1706BF014
Benjamin Franklin noted in his Autobiography that he began each day by praying:
<O Powerful Goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to Thy other children as the only return in my power for Thy continual favours to me.> 1706BF015
In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin stated:
<I had been religiously educated as a Presbyterian; and tho' some of the dogmas of that persuasion, such as the eternal degrees of God, election, reprobation, etc., appeared to me unintelligible, others doubtful, and I early absented myself from the public assemblies of the sect, Sunday being my studying day, I never was without some religious principles.
I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity; that He made the world, and govern'd it by His Providence; that the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter.
These I esteem'd the essentials of every religion; and, being to be found in all the religions we had in our country, I respected them all, tho' with different degrees of respect, as I found them more or less mix'd with other articles, which without any tendency to inspire, promote, or confirm morality, serv'd principally to divide us, and make us unfriendly to one another.
This respect of all, with an opinion that the worst had some good effects, induc'd me to avoid all discourse that might tend to lessen the good opinion another might have of his own religion; and as our province increas'd in people, and new places of worship were continually wanted, and generally erected by voluntary contribution, my mite for such purpose, whatever might be the sect, was never refused.
Though I seldom attended any public worship, I had still an opinion of its propriety, and of its utility when rightly conducted, and I regularly paid my annual subscription for the support of the only Presbyterian minister or meeting we had in Philadelphia. He used to visit me sometimes as a friend, and admonish me to attend his administration.> 1706BF016
Franklin had many axioms (William S. Pfaff, ed., Maxims & Morals of Benjamin Franklin, New Orleans: Searcy and Pfaff, Ltd, 1927):
<Contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct.
Without virtue man can have no happiness.
Virtue alone is sufficient to make a man great, glorious and happy. Self-denial, is really the greatest good, and the highest self- gratification.
Hope and faith may be more firmly grounded upon Charity than Charity upon hope and faith.
Beware of little expenses. Remember time is money.
I never doubted the existence of the Deity, that he made the world, and governed it by His Providence.
The event God only knows.
Good wives and good plantations are made by good husbands.
Let the Fair Sex be assured, that I shall always treat them and their Affairs with the utmost Decency and Respect.
Virtue was not secure till its practice became a habitude. Nothing so likely to make a man's fortune as virtue.
My father convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest.
The pleasures of this world are rather from God's goodness than our own merit.
Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.
Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no ambition corrupt thee, no example sway thee, no persuasion move thee to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so thou shalt live jollily, for a good conscience is a continual Christmas.
Remember Job suffered and was afterwards prosperous.
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.> 1706BF017
In 1742, Benjamin Franklin stated:
<Young Man, my advice to you is that you cultivate an acquaintance with, and a firm belief in, the Holy Scriptures. This is your certain interest.> 1706BF018
Benjamin Franklin had become very close friends with George Whitefield, the renowned preacher of the Great Awakening. In his Autobiography, Franklin wrote of having attended the crusades of George Whitefield at the Philadelphia Courthouse steps. He noted over 30,000 people were present, and that Whitefield's voice could be heard nearly a mile away. Benjamin Franklin became very appreciative of the preaching of George Whitefield, even to the extent of printing many of his sermons and journals.
So great was the response of the Colonies to Whitefield's preaching of the Gospel, that the churches were not able to hold the people. Benjamin Franklin built a grand auditorium for the sole purpose of having his friend George Whitefield preach in it when he came to Pennsylvania. After the crusades, Franklin donated the auditorium to be the first building of the University of Pennsylvania. A bronze statue of George Whitefield still stands in front, commemorating the Great Awakening Revivals in the colonies prior to the Revolutionary War.
In 1740, noting the effects of George Whitefield's ministry and the resulting Christian influence on city life, Benjamin Franklin later recorded in his Autobiography:
<It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.> 1706BF019
In 1752, Benjamin Franklin received a letter from his friend George Whitefield, who wrote:
<My Dear Doctor....I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world.> 1706BF020
In 1764, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to George Whitefield, ending with the salutation:
<Your frequently repeated Wishes and Prayers for my Eternal as well as temporal Happiness are very obliging. I can only thank you for them, and offer you mine in return.> 1706BF021
In 1769, George Whitefield wrote to Benjamin Franklin on the night before his last trip to America. In this last surviving letter, Whitefield shared his desire that both he and Franklin would:
<Be in that happy number of those who, in the midst of the tremendous final blaze, shall cry Amen.> 1706BF022
In the last letter Benjamin Franklin wrote to George Whitefield, he expressed:
<Life, like a dramatic piece, should...finish handsomely. Being now in the last act, I began to cast about for something fit to end with....
I sometimes wish, that you and I were jointly employ'd by the Crown to settle a colony on the Ohio...to settle in that fine country a strong body of religious and industrious people!...
Might it not greatly facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see in our Indian traders?> 1706BF023
On July 28, 1743, Benjamin Franklin wrote to his sister, Jane Mecom:
<You express yourself as if you thought I was against Worshipping of God, and believed Good Works would merit Heaven; which are both Fancies of your own, I think, without Foundation.-I am so far from thinking that God is not to be worshipped, that I have compos'd and wrote a whole Book of Devotions for my own Use: And I imagine there are few, if any, in the World, so weake as to imagine, that the little Good we can do here, can merit so vast a Reward hereafter.
There are some Things in your New England Doctrines and Worship, which I do not agree with, but I do not therefore condemn them, or desire to shake your Belief or Practice of them.> 1706BF024
In "The Speech of Polly Baker," printed in the Gentleman's Magazine, April 1747, Benjamin Franklin referred to:
<[The] great command of Nature and Nature's God.> 1706BF025
Britain's War of Jenkins' Ear with Spain, which began in 1739, was combined with the War of Austrian Succession (King George's War) with France, which began in 1744. British American colonies were being threatened by both Spanish and French ships.
On November 17, 1747, shortly before retiring from his printing business, Benjamin Franklin published The Plain Truth, in which, against the opposition of pacifist Quaker politicians, he proposed Philadelphia defend itself with a voluntary militia:
<You have, my dear countrymen, and fellow citizens, riches to tempt a considerable force to unite and attack you, but are under no Ties or Engagements to unite for your Defence. Hence, on the first Alarm, Terror will spread over All; and as no Man can with Certainty depend that another will stand by him, beyond Doubt very many will seek Safety by a speedy Flight.
Those that are reputed rich, will flee, thro' Fear of Torture, to make them produce more than they are able. The Man that has a Wife and Children, will find them hanging on his Neck, beseeching him with Tears to quit the City, and save his Life, to guide and protect them in that Time of general Desolation and Ruin. All will run into Confusion, amid the Cries and Lamentations, and the Hurry and Disorder or Departers, carrying away their Effects.
The Few that remain will be unable to resist. Sacking the City will be the first, and Burning it, in all Probability, the last Act of the Enemy. This, I believe, will be the Case, if you have timely Notice. But what must be your Condition, if suddenly surprised, without previous Alarm, perhaps in the Night!
Confined to your Houses, you will have nothing to trust to but the Enemy's Mercy. Your best Fortune will be, to fall under the Power of Commanders of King's Ships, able to control the Mariners; and not into the Hands of licentious Privateers. Who can, with the utmost Horror, conceive the Miseries of the Latter! when your Persons and unbridled Rage, Rapine and Lust, of Negroes, Molattoes, and others, the vilest and most abandoned of Mankind.
A dreadful Scene! which some may represent as exaggerated. I think it my Duty to warn you: Judge for yourselves...
And what may we expect to be the Consequence, but deserting of Plantations, Ruin, Bloodshed and Confusion!...Protection is as truly due from the Government to the People, as Obedience from the People to the Government...
Is not the whole Province one Body, united by living under the same Laws, and enjoying the same Priviledges?...When the Feet are wounded, shall the Head say, It is not me; I will not trouble myself to contrive Relief! Or if the Head is in Danger, shall the Hands say, We are not affected, and therefore will lend no Assistance! No. For so would the Body be easily destroyed: But when all Parts join their Endeavours for its Security, it is often preserved. And such should be the Union between the Country and the Town; and such their mutual Endeavours for the Safety of the Whole...
A Lessening of Business to every Shopkeeper, together with Multitudes of bad Debts; the high Rate of Goods discouraging the Buyers, and the low Rates of their Labour and Produce rendering them unable to pay for what they had bought: Loss of Employment to the Tradesman, and bad Pay for what little he does:
And lastly, Loss of many Inhabitants, who will retire to other Provinces not subject to the like Inconveniencies; whence a Lowering of the Value of Lands, Lots, and Houses...
For what the Enemy takes is clear Loss to us, and Gain to him...whereas the Money paid our own Tradesmen for Building and Fitting out a Vessel of Defense, remains in the Country, and circulates among us; what is paid to the Officers and Seamen that navigate her, is also spent ashore, and soon gets into other Hands; the Farmer receives the Money for her Provisions; and on the whole; nothing is clearly lost to the Country but her Wear and Tear.> 1706BF026
The Plain Truth article resulted in ten thousand volunteers and Franklin being the most popular man in the colony. Franklin wrote:
<The pamphlet Plain Truth had a sudden and surprising effect. I was called upon for the instrument of association, and having settled the draft of it with a few friends, I appointed a meeting of the citizens in the large building before mentioned. The house was pretty full; I had prepared a number of printed copies and provided pen & ink dispers'd all over the room. I harangued them a little on the subject, read the paper, and explained it, and then distributed the copies, which were largely signed, not the least objection being made.> 1706BF027
Franklin wrote:
<The very Fame of our Strength and Readiness would be a Means of Discouraging our Enemies; for 'tis a wise and true Saying, that One Sword often keeps another in the Scabbard.> 1706BF028
Franklin continued:
<At present we are like the separate Filaments of Flax before the Thread is form'd, without Strength because without Connection; but Union would make us strong and even formidable: Tho' the Great should neither help nor join us; tho' they should even oppose our Uniting, from some mean Views of their own, yet, if we resolve upon it, and it please God inspire us with the necessary Prudence and Vigour, it may be effected.> 1706BF029
<May the God of Wisdom, Strength and Power, the Lord of the Armies of Israel, inspire us with Prudence in this Time of Danger; take away from us all the Seeds of Contention and Division, and unite the Hearts and Counsels of all of us, of whatever Sect or Nation, in one Bond of Peace, Brotherly Love, and generous Publick Spirit; May he give us Strength and Resolution to amend our Lives, and remove from among us every Thing that is displeasing to him; afford us his most gracious Protection, confound the Designs of our Enemies, and give Peace in all our Borders, is the sincere Prayer of A Tradesman of Philadelphia.> 1706BF030
Franklin wrote:
<'Tis hop'd the same laudable Spirit will spread itself throughout the Province; it being certain that we have Numbers more than sufficient, to defeat (with the Blessing of God) any Enterprize our Enemies can be supposed to form against us: All we wanted was Union and Discipline.> 1706BF031
On December 3, 1747, Franklin printed a letter from an anonymous reader in the Gazette, which Franklin may have helped orchestrate, of a vivid eyewitness account of the rape and pillage which took place when English Privateers raided the Spanish Central American city of Portobello:
<"Industry and Frugality may in Time restore our broken Fortunes, our Houses may be rebuilt, and the Breaches in our Walls repair'd: But no Time or Industry can repair these most miserable Breaches in our once happy Families, or restore their Peace and Honour.">
As mentioned in his autobiography, Ben Franklin proposed a Proclamation for a General Fast, which was approved by Pennsylvania's President and Council, and published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, December 12, 1747:
<Forasmuch as it is the Duty of mankind, on all suitable occasions to acknowledge their dependence on the Divine Being, to give Thanks for the Mercies received, and no less to deprecate his Judgments and humbly pray for his Protection;
And as the calamities of a bloody War, in which our Nation is now engaged, seem every Year more nearly to approach us, and the Expedition form'd for the security of these Plantation hath been laid aside, As the Inhabitants of this Province & City have been sorely visited with mortal sickness in the Summer past, & there is just reason to fear that unless we humble ourselves before the Lord & amend our Ways, we may be chastized with yet heavier Judgments,
We have, therefore, thought fit, on due consideration thereof, to appoint Thursday, the seventh Day of January next, to be observed throughout this Province as a Day of Fasting & Prayer, exhorting all, both Ministers & People, to observe the same with becoming seriousness & attention, & to join with one accord in the most humble & fervent Supplications;
That Almighty God would mercifully interpose and still the Rage of War among the Nations & put a stop to the effusion of Christian Blood;
That he would preserve and bless our Gracious King, guide his Councils, & give him victory over his Enemies to the establishing a speedy & lasting Peace;
That he would bless, prosper, & preserve all the British Colonies, and particularly that he would take this Province under his Protection, Confound the designs and defeat the Attempts of its Enemies, & unite our Hearts and strengthen our Hands in every Undertaking that may be for the Publick Good, and for our defence & Security in this time of Danger;
That he would graciously please to bless the succeeding Year with Health, Peace, & Plenty, & enable us to make a right use of his late afflicting Hand in a sincere and thorough Reformation of our Lives & Manners, to which the Ministers of all Religious Societies are desir'd earnestly to exhort their People.
And it is recommended to all Persons to abstain from servile Labour on the said Day.
Given at Philadelphia, under the Great Seal of the said Province, the ninth Day of December in the Twenty-first Year of the Reign our Sovereign Lord, George the Second, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Anno Domini, 1747.
ANTHONY PALMER, President. By Order of the President & Council. Richard Peters, Secry. "GOD SAVE THE KING."> 1706BF033
In support of Franklin's proclamation of fasting, Presbyterian leader, Gilbert Tennent preached a moving sermon, "The Lord is a Man of War," and Minister William Currie issued as pamphlets.
In 1748, Ben Franklin was successful in organizing Philadelphia's first 'volunteer' militia, consisting of nearly ten thousand men. As a result, Ben Franklin became the most popular man in the Colony, leading to his election to Philadelphia's City Council and the Pennsylvania Assembly.
In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<With respect to defense, Spain having been several years at war against Great Britain, and being at length join'd by France, which brought us into great danger; and the laboured and long-continued endeavour of our governor, Thomas, to prevail with our Quaker Assembly to pass a militia law, and make other provisions for the security of the province, having proved abortive, I determined to try what might be done by a voluntary association of the people.
To promote this, I first wrote and published a pamphlet, entitled PLAIN TRUTH, in which I stated our defenceless situation in strong lights, with the necessity of union and discipline for our defense, and promis'd to propose in a few days an association, to be generally signed for that purpose. The pamphlet had a sudden and surprising effect. I was call'd upon for the instrument of association, and having settled the draft of it with a few friends, I appointed a meeting of the citizens in the large building before mentioned. The house was pretty full; I had prepared a number of printed copies, and provided pens and ink dispers'd all over the room. I harangued them a little on the subject, read the paper, and explained it, and then distributed the copies, which were eagerly signed, not the least objection being made.
When the company separated, and the papers were collected, we found above twelve hundred hands; and, other copies being dispersed in the country, the subscribers amounted at length to upward of ten thousand. These all furnished themselves as soon as they could with arms, formed themselves into companies and regiments, chose their own officers, and met every week to be instructed in the manual exercise, and other parts of military discipline. The women, by subscriptions among themselves, provided silk colors, which they presented to the companies, painted with different devices and mottos, which I supplied.
The officers of the companies composing the Philadelphia regiment, being met, chose me for their colonel; but, conceiving myself unfit, I declin'd that station, and recommended Mr. Lawrence, a fine person, and man of influence, who was accordingly appointed. I then propos'd a lottery to defray the expense of building a battery below the town, and furnishing it with cannon. It filled expeditiously, and the battery was soon erected, the merlons being fram'd of logs and fill'd with earth. We bought some old cannon from Boston, but, these not being sufficient, we wrote to England for more, soliciting, at the same time, our proprietaries for some assistance, tho' without much expectation of obtaining it.
Meanwhile, Colonel Lawrence, William Allen, Abram Taylor, Esqr., and myself were sent to New York by the associators, commission'd to borrow some cannon of Governor Clinton. He at first refus'd us peremptorily; but at dinner with his council, where there was great drinking of Madeira wine, as the custom of that place then was, he softened by degrees, and said he would lend us six. After a few more bumpers he advanc'd to ten; and at length he very good- naturedly conceded eighteen. They were fine cannon, eighteen-pounders, with their carriages, which we soon transported and mounted on our battery, where the associators kept a nightly guard while the war lasted, and among the rest I regularly took my turn of duty there as a common soldier.
My activity in these operations was agreeable to the governor and council; they took me into confidence, and I was consulted by them in every measure wherein their concurrence was thought useful to the association.
Calling in the aid of religion, I propos'd to them the proclaiming a fast, to promote reformation, and implore the blessing of Heaven on our undertaking. They embrac'd the motion; but, as it was the first fast ever thought of in the province, the secretary had no precedent from which to draw the proclamation. My education in New England, where a fast is proclaimed every year, was here of some advantage: I drew it in the accustomed stile, it was translated into German, printed in both languages, and divulg'd thro' the province. This gave the clergy of the different sects an opportunity of influencing their congregations to join in the association, and it would probably have been general among all but Quakers if the peace had not soon interven'd.> 1706BF034
In Philadelphia, 1749, Benjamin Franklin stated in his Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania:
<History will also afford the frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion, from its usefulness to the public; the advantage of a religious character among private persons; the mischiefs of superstition, &c. and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.> 1706BF035
On August 23, 1750, from Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin wrote to Dr. Samuel Johnson (October 14, 1696-January 6, 1772), the first President of King's College (now Columbia University) regarding education:
<I think with you, that nothing is of more importance for the public weal, than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue...I think also, general virtue is more probably to be expected and obtained from the education of youth, than from the exhortation of adult persons; bad habits and vices of the mind being, like diseases of the body, more easily prevented than cured.
I think, moreover, that talents for the education of youth are the gift of God; and that he on whom they are bestowed, whenever a way is opened for the use of them, is as strongly called as if he heard a voice from heaven.> 1706BF036
On June 6, 1753, Benjamin Franklin wrote from Philadelphia to Joseph Huey:
<I can only show my gratitude for these mercies from God, by a readiness to help his other children and my brethren. For I do not think that thanks and compliments, though repeated weekly, can discharge our real obligations to each other, and much less those to our Creator.
You will see in this my notion of good works, that I am far from expecting to merit heaven by them. By heaven we understand a state of happiness, infinite in degree, and eternal in duration. I can do nothing to deserve such rewards....Even the mixed, imperfect pleasures we enjoy in this world, are rather from God's goodness than our merit; how much more such happiness of heaven!
For my part I have not the vanity to think I deserve it...but content myself in submitting to the will and disposal of that God who made me, who has hitherto preserved and blessed me, and in whose fatherly goodness I may well confide, that he will never make me miserable; and that even the afflictions I may at any time suffer shall tend to my benefit.
The faith you mention has certainly its use in the world. I do not desire to see it diminished, nor would I endeavor to lessen it in any man. But I wish it were more productive of good works, than I have generally seen it; I mean real good works; works of kindness, charity, mercy, and public spirit; not holiday- keeping, sermon-reading or hearing; performing church ceremonies, or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments...
The worship of God is a duty; the hearing and reading of sermons may be useful; but, if men rest in hearing and praying, as too many do, it is as if a tree should value itself on being watered and putting forth leaves, though it never produce any fruit.> 1706BF037
In "Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital from its first rise (in 1751), to the beginning of the fifth month, called May 1754," Benjamin Franklin stated:
<It would be a neglect of that justice which is due to the physicians and surgeons of this hospital, not to acknowledge that their care and skill, and their punctual and regular attendance, under the Divine Blessing, has been a principal means of advancing this charity to the flourishing state in which we have now the pleasure to view it.
Relying on the continuance of the Favour of Heaven, upon the future endeavors of all who may be concerned in the management of the institution, for its further advancement, we close this account with the abstract of a sermon, preached before the Governors...> 1706BF038
In 1754, in a pamphlet titled Information to Those Who Would Remove to America, Benjamin Franklin wrote to Europeans interested in immigrating or sending their youth to this land:
<Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America, which must be a comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practised.
Atheism is unknown there; Infidelity rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel.
And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other; by the remarkable prosperity with which he has been pleased to favor the whole country.> 1706BF039
The Hospital cornerstone recorded text composed by Franklin:
<In the year of Christ, 1755:...This building, by the bounty of the Government and of many private persons, was piously founded, for the relief of the sick and miserable. May the God of mercies bless the undertaking!> 1706BF040
In 1757, in an essay titled The Ways to Wealth, composed while sailing as a Colonial Agent to England, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom; but after all, do not depend too much upon your own industry, and frugality, and prudence, though excellent things, for they may all be blasted without the blessing of Heaven; and therefore, ask that blessing humbly, and be not uncharitable to those that at the present seem to want [lack] it, but comfort and help them. Remember, Job suffered, and was afterwards prosperous.> 1706BF041
On November 8, 1764, Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter, Sarah:
<Go constantly to church, whoever preaches. The act of devotion in the Common Prayer Book is your principle business there, and if properly attended to, will do more towards amending the heart than sermons generally can do.
For they were composed by men of much greater piety and wisdom, than our common composers of sermons can pretend to be; and therefore I wish you would never miss the prayer days; yet I do not mean you should despise sermons, even of preachers you dislike, for the discourse is often much better than the man, as sweet and clear waters come through very dirty earth.
I am the more particular, on this head, as you seemed to express a little before I came away some inclination to leave our church, which I would not have you do.> 1706BF042
On January 1, 1769, Benjamin Franklin penned a letter to Lord James:
<The moral character and happiness of mankind, are so interwoven with the operation of government, and the progress of the arts and sciences is so dependent on the nature of our political institutions, that it is essential to the advancement of civilized society to give ample discussion to these topics.> 1706BF043
In July of 1776, Benjamin Franklin was appointed part of a committee to draft a seal for the newly united states which would characterize the spirit of this new nation. He proposed:
<Moses in the Dress of e High Priest standing on the Shore, and extending his Hand over the Sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm Pharoah who is sitting in an open Chariot, a Crown on his Head & a Sword in his Hand. Rays from a Pillar of Fire in the Clouds reaching to Moses, expressing to express that he acts by the Command of the Deity. Motto, Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."> 1706BF044
Just over two months after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Benjamin Franklin was elected President of Pennsylvania's Constitutional Convention. On September 28, 1776, he signed the State's first Constitution, considered 'the most radically democratic Frame of Government that the world had ever seen':
<Whereas all government ought to be instituted and supported for the security and protection of the community as such, and to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and the other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed upon man; and whenever these great ends of government are not obtained, the people have a right, by common consent to change it, and take such measures as to them may appear necessary to promote their safety and happiness...
A DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE INHABITANTS OF PENNSYLVANIA
1. That all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain natural, inherent and inalienable rights, amongst which are, the enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.
2. That all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences and understanding: And that no man ought or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or erect or support any place of worship, or maintain any Ministry, contrary to, or against, his own free will and consent: Nor can any man, who acknowledges the being of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious sentiments or peculiar mode of religious worship: And that no authority can or ought to be vested in, or assumed by any power whatever, that shall in any case interfere with, or in any manner control, the right of conscience in the free exercise of religious worship...
FRAME OF GOVERNMENT, SECTION 10.
And each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz:
I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and the Punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration. And no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be required of any civil officer or magistrate in this State...
SECTION 45. Laws for the encouragement of virtue, and prevention of vice and immorality, shall be made and constantly kept in force, and provision shall be made for their due execution: And all religious societies or bodies of men heretofore united or incorporated for the advancement of religion or learning, or for other pious and charitable purposes, shall be encouraged and protected in the enjoyment of the privileges, immunities and estates which they were accustomed to enjoy, or could of right have enjoyed, under the laws and former constitution of this state...
Passed...the 28th day of September, 1776, and signed by their order.
BENJ. FRANKLIN, President.> 1706BF045
Franklin was responsible for bringing France into the Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonies, which proved to be of vital importance to cause of independence.
He also went to Paris in August 1781 to negotiate the Treaty of Paris, which ended the War with the British on September 3, 1783. The terms of this treaty were described as "so advantageous to the Colonies that it has been called the greatest achievement in the history of American diplomacy":
<Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783:
In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith,...and of the United States of America, to forget all past misunderstandings and differences....Done at Paris, this third day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty- three.
D. Hartley
John Adams
B. Franklin
John Jay.> 1706BF046
As an ambassador of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was at a dinner of foreign dignitaries in Versailles. The minister of Great Britain proposed a toast to King George III, likening him to the sun. The French minister, in like kind, proposed a toast to King Louis XVI, comparing him with the moon. Benjamin Franklin stood up and toasted:
<George Washington, Commander of the American armies, who, like Joshua of old, commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, and they obeyed him.> 1706BF047
In 1784, to Robert R. Livingston, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
<I am now entering on my 78th year....If I live to see this peace concluded, I shall beg leave to remind the Congress of their promise, then to dismiss me. I shall be happy to sing with old Simeon, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."> 1706BF048
In a letter dated April 17, 1787, Benjamin Franklin stated:
<Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.> 1706BF049
On Thursday, June 28, 1787, Benjamin Franklin delivered a speech to the Constitutional Convention, which was embroiled in a debate over how each State was to be represented in the new government. The hostile feelings, created by the smaller states being pitted against the larger states. Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, 1785-1788, hosted the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention. As the senior member of the convention at 81 years of age, he commanded the respect of all present and rose to speak at this moment of crisis. James Madison gave an account in Notes Of The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (published 1840).
<Mr. President
The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other---our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it.
We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?
In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.-Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.
To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?
We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.> 1706BF050
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, June 2, 1787, Benjamin Franklin delivered his address, Dangers of a Salaried Bureaucracy:
<It is with reluctance that I rise to express a disapprobation of any one article of the plan for which we are so much obliged to the honorable gentlemen who laid it before us. From its first reading I have borne a good will to it, and, in general, wished it success. In this particular of salaries to the executive branch, I happen to differ; and, as my opinion may appear new and chimerical, it is only from a persuasion that it is right, and from a sense of duty, that I hazard it. The committee will judge of my reasons when they have heard them, and their judgment may possibly change mine. I think I see inconveniences in the appointment of salaries; I see none in refusing them, but, on the contrary, great advantages.
Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence in the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice—the love of power and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but, when united in view of the same object, they have, in many minds, the most violent effects. Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall, at the same time, be a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast number of such places it is that renders the British government so tempestuous. The struggles for them are the true source of all those factions which are perpetually dividing the nation, distracting its councils, hurrying it sometimes into fruitless and mischievous wars, and often compelling a submission to dishonorable terms of peace.
And of what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable preeminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters? It will not be the wise and moderate, the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your government and be your rulers. And these, too, will be mistaken in the expected happiness of their situation, for their vanquished competitors, of the same spirit, and from the same motives, will perpetually be endeavoring to distress their administration, thwart their measures, and render them odious to the people.
Besides these evils, sir, tho we may set out in the beginning with moderate salaries, we shall find that such will not be of long continuance. Reasons will never be wanting for proposed augmentations; and there will always be a party for giving more to the rulers, that the rulers may be able, in return, to give more to them. Hence, as all history informs us, there has been in every state and kingdom a constant kind of warfare between the governing and the governed; the one striving to obtain more for its support, and the other to pay less. And this has alone occasioned great convulsions, actual civil wars, ending either in dethroning of the princes or enslaving of the people.
Generally, indeed, the ruling power carries its point, and we see the revenues of princes constantly increasing, and we see that they are never satisfied, but always in want of more. The more the people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater need the prince has of money to distribute among his partizans, and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance, and enable him to plunder at pleasure. There is scarce a king in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the example of Pharaoh—get first all the people’s money, then all their lands, and then make them and their children servants for ever. It will be said that we do not propose to establish kings. I know it. But there is a natural inclination in mankind to kingly government. It sometimes relieves them from aristocratic domination. They would rather have one tyrant than five hundred. It gives more of the appearance of equality among citizens; and that they like.
I am apprehensive, therefore—perhaps too apprehensive—that the government of the States may, in future times, end in a monarchy. But this catastrophe, I think, may be long delayed, if in our proposed system we do not sow the seeds of contention, faction, and tumult, by making our posts of honor places of profit. If we do, I fear that, tho we employ at first a number and not a single person, the number will, in time, be set aside; it will only nourish the fetus of a king (as the honorable gentleman from Virginia very aptly expressed it), and a king will the sooner be set over us.
It may be imagined by some that this is a Utopian idea, and that we can never find men to serve us in the executive department without paying them well for their services. I conceive this to be a mistake. Some existing facts present themselves to me which incline me to a contrary opinion. The high sheriff of a county in England is an honorable office, but it is not a profitable one. It is rather expensive, and therefore not sought for. But yet it is executed, and well executed, and usually by some of the principal gentlemen of the county. In France the office of counselor, or member of their judiciary parliament, is more honorable. It is therefore purchased at a high price; there are, indeed, fees on the law proceedings, which are divided among them, but these fees do not amount to more than three per cent. on the sum paid for the place.
Therefore, as legal interest is there at five per cent., they, in fact, pay two per cent. for being allowed to do the judiciary business of the nation, which is, at the same time, entirely exempt from the burden of paying them any salaries for their services.
I do not, however, mean to recommend this as an eligible mode for our judiciary department. I only bring the instance to show that the pleasure of doing good and serving their country, and the respect such conduct entitles them to, are sufficient motives with some minds to give up a great portion of their time to the public, without the mean inducement of pecuniary satisfaction.
Another instance is that of a respectable society who have made the experiment and practised it with success now more than a hundred years. I mean the Quakers. It is an established rule with them that they are not to go to law, but in their controversies they must apply to their monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings. Committees of these sit with patience to hear the parties, and spend much time in composing their differences. In doing this they are supported by a sense of duty and the respect paid to usefulness. It is honorable to be so employed, but it was never made profitable by salaries, fees, or perquisites. And, indeed, in all cases of public service, the less the profit, the greater the honor.
To bring the matter nearer home, have we not seen the greatest and most important of our offices, that of general of our armies, executed for eight years together, without the smallest salary, by a patriot whom I will not now offend by any other praise; and this, through fatigues and distresses, in common with the other brave men, his military friends and companions, and the constant anxieties peculiar to his station? And shall we doubt finding three or four men in all the United States with public spirit enough to bear sitting in peaceful council, for, perhaps, an equal term, merely to preside over our civil concerns, and see that our laws are duly executed? Sir, I have a better opinion of our country. I think we shall never be without a sufficient number of wise and good men to undertake and execute well and faithfully the office in question.
Sir, the saving of the salaries, that may at first be proposed, is not an object with me. The subsequent mischiefs of proposing them are what I apprehend. And, therefore, it is that I move the amendment. If it be not seconded or accepted, I must be contented with the satisfaction of having delivered my opinion frankly and done my duty.> 1706BF051
On September 19, 1787, after the Constitutional Convention endorsed the final form of the Constitution, Ben Franklin went outside the hall in Philadelphia and was asked by a Mrs. Powell:
<"Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied: "A republic, if you can keep it."> 1706BF052
On April 8, 1788, Benjamin Franklin wrote to the Editor of the Federal Gazette (The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Farrand's Records, Volume 3, CXCV, pp. 296-297. Documentary History of the Constitution, IV, 567-571):
<To conclude, I beg I may not be understood to infer, that our general Convention was divinely inspired when it form'd the new federal Constitution, merely because that Constitution has been unreasonably and vehemently opposed; yet I must own I have so much Faith in the general Government of the World by Providence, that I can hardly conceive a Transaction of such momentous Importance to the Welfare of Millions now existing, and to exist in the Posterity of a great Nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenc'd, guided and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent beneficent Ruler, in whom all inferior Spirits live & move and have their Being. (reference to Acts 17:28 "In Him we live and move and have our being.")> 1706BF053
In a speech he delivered in 1788, Benjamin Franklin stated:
<There seems to me at present to be great occasion for raising a United Party for Virtue, by forming the virtuous and good men of all nations into a regular body, to be governed by suitable good and wise rules, which good and wise men may probably be more unanimous in their obedience to, than common people are to common laws. I at present think that whoever attempts this aright, and is well qualified, cannot fail of pleasing God and of meeting with success.> 1706BF054
On April 9, 1789, only nine days after the first Constitutional Congress convened with a quorum, the House of Representatives and the Senate approved having chaplains open every session with prayer, paying them a salary of $500 each.
Benjamin Franklin wrote from Philadelphia to David Hartley, December 4, 1789:
<God grant that not only the love of liberty but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man may pervade all the nations of the earth, so that a philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface and say: This is my country.> 1706BF055
On March 9, 1790, Benjamin Franklin wrote to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University:
<Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe.
That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped.
That the most acceptable service we render to Him is in doing good to His other Children. That the soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever Sect I meet with them.
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, is the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see;
But I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as probably it has, of making his doctrines more respected and more observed; especially as I do not perceive, that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure.> 1706BF056
In closing his letter to Ezra Stiles, March 9, 1790, Benjamin Franklin mentioned his generosity to all denominations. Dying less than two months later, Franklin's goodwill was evidenced by the entire membership of the clergy of Philadelphia leading his funeral procession as he was buried in the Old Christ Church cemetery.
Benjamin Franklin concluded:
<I shall only add, respecting myself, that having experienced the goodness of that Being in conducting me prosperously through a long life, I have no doubt of its continuance in the next, without the smallest conceit of meriting it....
All sects here, and we have a great variety, have experienced my good will in assisting them with subscriptions for building their new places of worship; and, as I never opposed any of their doctrines, I hope to go out of the world in peace with them all.> 1706BF057
Benjamin Franklin wrote his own epitaph:
<THE BODY
of
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Printer
Like the cover of an old book, Its contents torn out,
And stripped of its lettering and gilding Lies here, food for worms;
Yet the work itself shall not be lost,
For it will (as he believed) appear once more, In a new,
And more beautiful edition, Corrected and amended
By The AUTHOR.> 1706BF058
On the pew in Christ Church belonging to Franklin's family is written:
<Here worshipped Benjamin Franklin, philosopher and patriot...Member of the Committee which erected the Spire of the Church. Interred according to the terms of his will in this churchyard.> 1706BF059
After Franklin's death, French journalist Jacques Mallet Du Pan published Considerations on the Nature of the French Revolution, and on the Causes which Prolong its Duration Translated from the French (London: J. Owen, 1793, p. 31), in which he wrote:
<Franklin often told his disciples in Paris that whoever should introduce the principles of primitive Christianity into the political state would change the whole order of society. (Francklin répéta plus d'une fois à ses éleves de Paris, que celui qui transporteroit dans l'état politique les principes du christianisme primitif, changeroit la face de la société.)> 1706BF060
George Bancroft wrote in History of the United States, From the Discovery of the American Continent (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1866, Vol. IX, p. 492):
<He remarked to those in Paris who learned of him the secret of statesmanship: "He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world."> 1706BF061
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1706BF001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac. Carroll E. Simcox, comp., 4400 Quotations for Christian Communicators (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1991), p. 185.
1706BF002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, June 1736, in Poor Richard's Almanac. Raymond A. St. John, American Literature for Christian Schools (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, Inc., 1979), p. 126. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 347.
1706BF003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, May 1757, in Poor Richard's Almanac. Carroll E. Simcox, comp., 4400 Quotations for Christian Communicators (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1991), p. 297. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 347.
1706BF004. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, in a comment to his wife. The World Book Encyclopedia, 18 vols. (Chicago, IL: Field Enterprises, Inc., 1957; W.F. Quarrie and Company, 8 vols., 1917; World Book, Inc., 22 vols., 1989), Vol. 6, p. 2748.
1706BF005. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1728, in his "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion." Jared Sparks, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (Boston: Tappan, Whittemore and Mason, 1840), Vol. II, pp. 1-3. Carl Van Dorn, Benjamin Franklin (NY: Viking Press, 1938), p. 188. Carl Becker, Benjamin Franklin (New York: Cornell University, 1946), p. 81. Leonard Labaree, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, p. 103. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. 1, pp. 373-74. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 209. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 118-122.
1706BF006. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Carl Becker, Benjamin Franklin (New York: Cornell University, 1946), p. 81. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 122.
1706BF007. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1728, in his "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion." Jared Sparks, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (Boston: Tappan, Whittemore and Mason, 1840), Vol. II, pp. 1-3. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. 1 pp. 373-74.
1706BF008. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Leonard Labaree, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, pp. 104-105. Carl Becker, Benjamin Franklin (New York: Cornell University, 1946), p. 81. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 119, 122.
1706BF009. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Leonard Labaree, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, p. 108. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 120.
1706BF010. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Leonard Labaree, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, p. 109. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 120.
1706BF011. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. William B. Wilcox, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1972), Vol. 15, p. 301. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 124. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 20.
1706BF012. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Leonard Labaree, ed., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, p. 213. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 120.
1706BF013. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Tryon Edwards, D.D., The New Dictionary of Thoughts-A Cyclopedia of Quotations (Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1852; revised and enlarged by C.H. Catrevas, Ralph Emerson Browns and Jonathan Edwards [descendent, along with Tryon, of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), president of Princeton], 1891; The Standard Book Company, 1955, 1963), pp. 49, 338.
1706BF014. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, List of Virtues. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
1706BF015. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Personal Prayer. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 30.
1706BF016. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1781, in his second Autobiography. Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, II (1784). Carl Van Dorn, ed.,Franklin's Autobiographical Writings, Carl Van Dorn, ed., (NY: Viking Press, 1945), p. 624. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), pp. 25-26. Raymond A. St. John, American Literature for Christian Schools (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, Inc., 1979), pp. 121-122. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987; 6th printing, 1993), pp. 195-195.
1706BF017. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. William S. Pfaff, ed., Maxims and Morals of Benjamin Franklin (New Orleans: Searcy and Pfaff, Ltd., 1927).
1706BF018. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1742. Charles Fadiman, ed., The American Treasury (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 126. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. 1, p. 439.
1706BF019. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1740. Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (New York: Books,Inc., 1791), p. 146. Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, 1771-75 (Reprinted Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1916), Vol. 1, pp. 191-192. John Pollack, George Whitefield and the Great Awakening (Garden City New Jersey: Doubleday and Co., 1972), p. 117. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 204. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 116. Peter Marshall & David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart 'N Home, 1991), 12.18.
1706BF020. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1752, in a letter from George Whitefield. Frank Lambert, The Religious Odd Couple (Carol Stream, IL: Christian History), Vol. XII, No. 2, Issue 38, p. 31.
1706BF021. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1764, in ending a letter written to George Whitefield. Frank Lambert, The Religious Odd Couple (Carol Stream, IL: Christian History), Vol. XII, No. 2, Issue 38, p. 31.
1706BF022. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1769, in the last surviving letter from George Whitefield to Benjamin Franklin. Frank Lambert, The Religious Odd Couple (Carol Stream, IL: Christian History), Vol. XII, No. 2, Issue 38, pp. 31-32.
1706BF023. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, in his last letter to George Whitefield. Frank Lambert, The Religious Odd Couple (Carol Stream, IL: Christian History), Vol. XII, No. 2, Issue 38, p. 31.
1706BF024. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, July 28, 1743, in a letter to his sister, Jane Mecom. Carl Van Dorn, ed., The Letters of Benjamin Franklin & Jane Mecom (London: Princeton University Press, 1950), p. 38. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 199.
1706BF025. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, April 1747, in "The Speech of Polly Baker," printed in Gentleman's Magazine, Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-07), Vol. 2, p. 267. Carl Van Dorn, Benjamin Franklin (NY: Viking Press, 1938), p. 154. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. 1, p. 470. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 211.
1706BF026. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, November 17, 1747, Plain Truth, Philadelphia, PA.
1706BF027. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, result of his article in the Plain Truth paper, Philadelphia, PA.
1706BF028. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Papers, 3.203; Oxford, 796; Tilley S1049. Bartlett Jere Whiting, Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases (President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1977).
1706BF029. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Statement.
1706BF030. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Prayer of a Tradesman of Philadelphia.
1706BF031. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Statement.
1706BF032.
1706BF033. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, December 12, 1747, proposed Fast Day, published in The Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia). Carl Van Dorn, Benjamin Franklin (NY: Viking Press, 1938), p. 188. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 209. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 1.17. http://www.librarycompany.org/bfwriter/images/large/5.8.jpg http://www.constitution.org/jw/acm_3-m.htm#N_90_
1706BF034. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Autobiography.
1706BF035. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1749, in Philadelphia, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1749), p. 22.
1706BF036. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, August 23, 1750, in a letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, President of King's College (now Columbia University). Verna M. Hall, The Christian History of the American Revolution (San Francisco: Foundation for Christian Education, 1976), p. 221.
1706BF037. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, June 6, 1753, in a letter from Philadelphia to Joseph Huey. Jared Sparks, Works of Benjamin Franklin (Boston: 1840), Vol. VII. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-07), Vol. II, p. 144. Verna M. Hall, The Christian History of the American Revolution (San Francisco: Foundation for Christian Education, 1976), pp. 189-190. Perry Tanksley, To Love is to Give (Jackson, Mississippi: Allgood Books, Box 1329; Parthenon Press, 201 8th Ave., South, Nashville, Tennessee, 1972), p. 27. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987; 6th printing, 1993), p. 200.
1706BF038. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1751. Benjamin Franklin, Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital from its first rise, to the beginning of the fifth month, called May 1754 (Philadelphia: B. Franklin and D. Hall, Rare Book Collection, Library of Congress).
1706BF039. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1754. Benjamin Franklin, Information on Those Who Would Remove to America (London: M. Gurney, 1754), pp. 22, 23. "Advice on Coming to America," George D. Youstra, ed., America in Person (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1975), p. 109. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc. 1987), p. 31. Benjamin Franklin, Works of the Late Doctor Benjamin Franklin Consisting of His Life, Written by Himself, Together with Essays, Humorous, Moral & Literary, Chiefly in the Manner of the Spectator, Richard Price, ed., (Dublin: P. Wogan, P. Byrne, J. Moore, and W. Jones, 1793), p. 289.
1706BF040. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1755, inscription he composed for the cornerstone of Pennsylvania Hospital.
1706BF041. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1757, in The Way to Wealth. Raymond A. St. John, American Literature for Christian Schools (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, Inc., 1979), p. 128.
1706BF042. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, November 8, 1764, in a letter to his daughter, Sarah. Jared Sparks, editor, The Works of Benjamin Franklin (Boston: Tappan, Whittmore and Mason, 1838), Vol. VII, pp. 269-271. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-07), Vol. V, p. 286. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 20. Andrew W. Allison, Cleon Skousen, and M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982), p. 313. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987; 6th printing, 1993), pp. 200-201.
1706BF043. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, January 1, 1769, in a letter to Lord James. Paul W. Connor, Poor Richard's Politiks-Benjamin Franklin and His American Order (NY: Oxford University Press, 1965), p. 107. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987; 6th printing, 1993), p. 211.
1706BF044. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, committee to draft a seal for the United States, August 14, 1776. Charles Francis Adams (son of John Quincy Adams and grandson of John Adams), ed., Letters of John Adams, Addressed to His Wife, (Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1841), Vol. I, p. 152. L.H. Butterfield, Marc Frielander and Mary-Jo Kings, eds., The Book of Abigail and John-Selected Letters from The Adams Family 1762-1784 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975), p. 154. https://www.greatseal.com/committees/firstcomm/reverse.html
1706BF045. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, September 28, 1776. As President of Pennsylvania's Constitution Convention, signed the first Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania. see also Benjamin Franklin, March 1778, letter to the French ministry. Charles E. Kistler, This Nation Under God (Boston: Richard G. Badger, The Gorham Press, 1924), p. 83. Burton Stevenson, The Home Book of Quotations-Classical & Modern (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1967), pp. 151, 265. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1977; 1986), p. 370, n. 10. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God- How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 9. Sam Bartholomew, God's Role in America (Nashville, TN: Eggman Publishing Company, 1996), p. 39. Matthew Staver, Faith and Freedom (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995), p. 18.
1706BF046. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783. W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America (Washington: The National Center for Constitutional Studies, 1985), 139. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 115. Ratified by Congress January 14, 1784, under the Articles of Confederation. William M. Malloy, compiler, Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols and Agreements between the United States of America and Other Powers, 1776-1909, 4 vols. (New York: Greenwood Press, 1910, 1968), 2:1786. Charles W. Eliot, LL.D., ed., American Historical Documents 1000-1904 (New York: P.F. Collier & Son Company, The Harvard Classics, 1910), Vol. 43, pp. 185-191. Gary DeMar, America's Christian History: The Untold Story (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Publishers, Inc., 1993), p. 84.
1706BF047. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, In a toast at a dinner of foreign ambassadors in Versailles, France. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 348.
1706BF048. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, 1784, in a letter to Robert Livingston. William S. Pfaff, ed., The Pith of Franklin's Letter (New Orleans: Searcy and Pfaff, Ltd., 1927).
1706BF049. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, April 17, 1787, in a letter. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (New York: Macmillan Co., 1905-7), 9:569, reprinted (NY: Haskell House Publishers, 1970), Vol. IX, p. 569. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin 10 vols. (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-07), Vol. X, p. 50. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 393. Andrew W. Allison, Cleon Skousen and M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982), p. 313. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 211. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 196. Stephen McDowell and Mark Beliles, "The Providential Perspective" (Charlottesville, VA: The Providence Foundation, P.O. Box 6759, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, January 1994), Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 4.
1706BF050. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, June 28, 1787. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (NY: W.W. Morton & Co., Original 1787 reprinted 1987), Vol. I, p. 210-211, 504, 451-21. James Madison, Notes Of The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (published 1840), reprinted as a Bicentennial Edition with an introduction by Adrienne Koch. W. W. Norton & Company, N Y. London, 1987), pp. 209-210. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1966, 1985), pp. 209-10. Henry D. Gilpin, editor, The Papers of James Madison (Washington: Langtree & O' Sullivan, 1840), Vol. II, p. 985. The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Edited by Max Farrand Professor of History in Yale University, Volume 1, pp. 450-452; Volume III (New Haven: Yale University Press, London: Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press, MCMXI, Copyright, 1911, by Yale University Press, LL 549239 Feb 8 1941, The Plimpton Press Norwood Mass.) George Bancroft, Bancroft's History of the Constitution of the United States vols. I-X (Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1838), Vol. II. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1905-7), Vol. IX, pp. 600-601. Gaillard Hunt and James B. Scott, ed., The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Which Framed the Constitution of the United States of America, reported by James Madison (New York: Oxford University Press, 1920), pp. 181-182. Andrew M. Allison, W. Cleon Skousen, and M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982, pp. 258-259. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987, 6th printing 1993), pp. 12-13, 208. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 122-124. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), p. 159-160. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God-How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 8. Stephen McDowell and Mark Beliles, "The Providential Perspective" (Charlottesville, VA: The Providence Foundation, P.O. Box 6759, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, January 1994), Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 5-6. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (1787; reprinted NY: W. W. Norton & Co., 1987), p. 210. Irving Brant, James Madison, Father of the Constitution, 1787-1800 (New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1950), Vol. III, p. 84. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 126. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/farrand-the-records-of-the-federal-convention-of-1787-vol-1 See also Benjamin Franklin Morris, The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States (Philadelphia: George W. Childs, 1864), pp. 253-254. Billy Suggs, "Franklin's Prayer Request at the Constitutional Convention, 1787" (Aledo, TX: WallBuilders Inc.)
1706BF051. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, June 2, 1787, address titled Dangers of a Salaried Bureaucracy, delivered at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/farrand-the-records-of-the-federal-convention-of-1787-vol-1 See also E.C. M'Guire, The Religious Opinions and Character of Washington (NY: Harper & Brothers, 1836), p. 152.
1706BF052. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, September 19, 1787, in a comment to a Mrs. Powell regarding the newly approved Constitution. James McHenry, aide to George Washington, in an entry in his diary, published in the American Historical Review, XI (1906), p. 618. Bartlett's Farmilar Quotations, Sixteenth Edition, at 310:26, referenced under "A republic, if you can keep it."
1706BF053. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, April 8, 1788, to the Editor of the Federal Gazette (The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Farrand's Records, Volume 3, CXCV, pp. 296-297. Documentary History of the Constitution, IV, 567-571). See also Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-07), Vol. I, p. 339. Andrew W. Allison, Cleon Skousen, and M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982), p. 449. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 212.
1706BF054. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 57. Billy Suggs, "Franklin's Prayer Request at the Constitutional Convention, 1787" (Aledo, TX: WallBuilders Inc.).
1706BF055. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, December 4, 1789, writing from Philadelphia to David Hartley. The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Albert Henry Smyth, ed., NY: The MacMillan Company, 1907, Vol. 10, p. 72. "Readings for Americans-Articles of Lasting Interest" (Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.), p. 106.
1706BF056. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, March 9, 1790, in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University. Jared Sparks, editor, The Works of Benjamin Franklin (Boston: Tappan, Whittmore and Mason, 1838), Vol. X, p. 424. Tryon Edwards, D.D., The New Dictionary of Thoughts-A Cyclopedia of Quotations (Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1852; revised and enlarged by C.H. Catrevas, Ralph Emerson Browns and Jonathan Edwards [descendent, along with Tryon, of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), president of Princeton], 1891; The Standard Book Company, 1955, 1963), p. 91. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (New York: MacMillan, 1905-7), Vol. 10, p. 84. John Bigelow, Complete Words of Benjamin Franklin. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), p. 159. Carl Van Dorn, ed., The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (NY: Viking Press, 1945), p. 783. Norman Cousins, In God We Trust-The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers (NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955), p. 42. Frank B. Carlson, Our Presbyterian Heritage, (1973), p. 25. Raymond A. St. John, American Literature for Christian Schools (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, Inc., 1979), p. 131. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 116. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and The Constitution-The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987), p. 210. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God- How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 8. Henry M. Morris, "Sweet Land of Liberty" (El Cajon, CA: Institute for Creation Research, Back to Genesis, No. 91, July 1996), p. a. Frank B. Carlson, Our Presbyterian Heritage, (1973), pp. 23-25. Lucille Johnston, Celebrations of a Nation (Arlington, VA: The Year of Thanksgiving Foundation, 1987), p. 70.
1706BF057. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, March 9, 1790, in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University. Frank B. Carlson, Our Presbyterian Heritage, (1973), pp. 23-25. Lucille Johnston, Celebrations of a Nation (Arlington, VA: The Year of Thanksgiving Foundation, 1987), p. 70.
1706BF058. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Note: Franklin's Epitaph, written by himself in 1728, is engraved on his gravestone), p. 401. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 121. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. I, p. 374.
1706BF059. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin, Christ Church, plaque on Franklin's family pew.
1706BF060. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. Jacques Mallet Du Pan, Considerations on the Nature of the French Revolution, and on the Causes which Prolong its Duration Translated from the French (London: J. Owen, 1793, p. 31). Jacques Mallet du Pan, Considerations Sur La Nature De La Révolution De France (Londres: Chez Emm. Flon, 1793, 28).
1706BF061. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Benjamin Franklin. George Bancroft wrote in History of the United States, From the Discovery of the American Continent (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1866, Vol. IX, p. 492).