Collected here in this short volume are eight pieces written by Benjamin Franklin during the later years of his life. The first three articles-on immigration, Native Americans, and the general state of the new nation-were written and published around 1784 while Franklin was still in residence in France. The later three articles-all dealing with slavery-are among the last public statements Franklin made before his death in Philadelphia in 1790. Two other pieces compare America and Britain in the aftermath of the revolution and contain Franklin's final comments at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Throughout his life, Franklin maintained an optimistic view of human nature. The goodness he saw in humankind was no different in black slaves or Native Americans than in whites. He lived and died as the truly virtuous citizen he urged others to be, as close as any to achieving the full potential of the human spirit. His vision for society and the country he worked so hard to establish shine through in these eight short papers-a vision still relevant and much needed in modern America. This volume includes an introduction by American history scholar Eric J. Miller, adding background to Franklin's story, the circumstances at the time of publication of the works included, and additional commentary on their relevance and significance even today.
Collected here in this short volume, Benjamin Franklin on Immigration to America, Slavery, and Other Papers Descriptive of Early America, are eight short pieces written by Franklin during the later years of his life. The first three articles were written and first published around 1784 while Franklin was in residence in France. The later four articles are among the last public statements Franklin made before his death in Philadelphia in 1790. Far from being the words of a worn-out man facing a decline in his mental capabilities, they reveal Franklin at his finest. Fellow Founding Father Benjamin Rush commented that Franklin in his final years was "as cheerful as a young man of twenty-five, his conversation full of the wisdom and experience of mellow old age, the evening of his life was marked by the same activity of his moral and intellectual powers which distinguished its meridian." To the end of his life, Franklin maintained an optimistic view toward human nature. The goodness he saw in mankind was no different in Negroes or Indians than in whites; he believed his fellow scientists and politicians no better than farmers and tradesmen. He lived and died as a truly virtuous citizen, as close as any to achieving the full potential of the human spirit. These views, and his vision for the country he worked so hard to establish, shine through in these eight papers.
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