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Imagine it's September 11th, 1776

0:27

on Staten Island, New York, and the

0:29

War for American independence has been raging for over

0:31

a year now. You're the commander

0:33

of British forces in America, and you're at

0:35

the home of a loyalist colonel where you

0:37

set up headquarters. A servant is

0:39

clearing away the last remnants of your lunch

0:41

of mutton and ham. And across

0:44

from you sit Benjamin Franklin, John

0:46

Adams, and Edward Rutledge. You've

0:48

invited these Americans here under a flag

0:50

of truths. You signal

0:52

to a servant to refill your guests' wine

0:55

glasses. It's time to address the

0:57

matter at hand. Gentlemen, I

0:59

think we can all agree that it would be in everyone's

1:01

best interest to seek an end to this conflict. I

1:04

am prepared to offer the colonies control

1:06

over their own legislation and taxes within

1:08

the framework of the British Empire. I

1:11

believe this is the best way to

1:13

guarantee future peace and prosperity. Benjamin

1:16

Franklin shifts in his chair. Who's

1:18

future peace and prosperity, my lord? Why

1:21

everyone's. If America were to

1:23

fall, it would feel like the loss of a

1:25

brother. Franklin smiles wryly.

1:27

We will do our utmost to save

1:29

you from that discomfort. You

1:32

ignore this comment, determined to make him see the

1:34

light. This horrible war should

1:36

never have begun. It started

1:38

as a simple dispute over the manner in

1:40

which Britain collects taxes from America, correct? I

1:43

don't disagree. Well then, can we also

1:45

agree that this senseless bloodshed must end for

1:47

the sake of both of our countries? Franklin

1:51

exchanges a glance with his companions and

1:53

shakes his head, his expression grim. We

1:56

cannot accept any peace that requires

1:58

allegiance to the King. Your

2:01

soldiers have killed our people, burned

2:03

our towns. Right this moment, your

2:05

officers are planning further assaults. Any

2:08

former attachments to the monarchy have

2:10

been obliterated. There's truly no way

2:12

to stop this war. You

2:14

catch your reflection on a polished silver jug. You

2:17

notice your cheeks are burning red, and you can

2:19

hear the desperation in your voice. Franklin

2:21

arches an eyebrow. Perhaps

2:23

you could request authority from your

2:25

superiors to negotiate with America as

2:27

the independent nation we now are.

2:30

That's simply not possible. His Majesty

2:32

would never agree. Well then, my lord, it looks

2:34

as if there is nothing left to do but

2:37

fight this out on the battlefield. Your

2:40

guests rise from their seats, bow, and

2:43

walk out of the dining room, leaving you alone

2:45

with your thoughts. You can't really

2:47

believe it's come to this. It seems

2:49

there's no hope for saving the Empire, except

2:52

through force. American

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From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham and this

4:34

is American History Tellers. Our

4:36

history, your story. In

4:54

September 1776, at

4:56

the height of the American Revolution, Benjamin

4:58

Franklin met with Lord Richard Howe, commander

5:01

of British forces in America. Howe

5:03

made a last-ditch attempt to negotiate a

5:06

peace, but Franklin and his colleagues would

5:08

accept nothing less than full recognition of

5:10

American sovereignty. For the rebels,

5:13

America's independence would have to be won

5:15

through war. By the

5:17

fall of 1776, nearly three years had

5:19

passed since Crown officials hurled abuse at

5:21

Franklin in a London amphitheater. Their

5:24

withering attack helped transform him from

5:26

a loyal British citizen into a

5:28

full-blown revolutionary, and as Britain

5:31

increasingly met colonial unrest with force,

5:33

Franklin would become one of the

5:35

leading voices of the independence movement.

5:37

But the American Revolution would soon pit

5:40

Franklin against his own son and

5:42

lead him to embark on the most important

5:44

mission of his story career, one that could

5:46

decide the fate of America's fight for freedom.

5:49

This is the last in our two-part series

5:51

on Benjamin Franklin, the Flame

5:53

of Liberty. In

5:58

the spring of 1774, 4,

6:00

Britain launched a crackdown on colonial

6:02

unrest. Parliament passed

6:05

a series of laws to punish Massachusetts for

6:07

the Boston Tea Party. They closed

6:09

Boston Harbor, placed the colony under

6:11

martial law, and banned town meetings.

6:14

In the American colonies, these new laws

6:16

became known as the Intolerable Acts, and

6:19

rather than deterring opposition, they sparked

6:21

a new wave of colonial resistance.

6:24

Benjamin Franklin was still in London as

6:26

a colonial representative, and he was outraged

6:29

by the heavy-handed laws. He

6:31

published an anonymous letter addressed to

6:33

British officials declaring, "'You may reduce

6:35

their cities to ashes, but the flame

6:37

of liberty in North America shall not

6:39

be extinguished. Cruelty and oppression

6:41

and revenge shall only serve as oil

6:44

to increase a fire.'" In

6:46

the months following his public humiliation in

6:48

a London amphitheater called the Cockpit, Franklin

6:51

had lingered in London and become a political

6:53

outcast. His wife Deborah and

6:56

son William urged him to return home

6:58

to Pennsylvania, but he remained in

7:00

London, desperately hoping he could do something

7:02

to prevent this crisis from escalating into

7:04

war. And as tensions

7:06

rose, he found himself increasingly at odds

7:09

with his son William, the royal governor

7:11

of New Jersey. Franklin

7:13

encouraged William to give up his position

7:15

with a monarchy and return to farming

7:18

what he called an "'honister and more

7:20

honorable employment.'" But William refused.

7:23

He wrote to his superiors in London,

7:25

declaring, "'His Majesty may be assured that

7:27

I will admit nothing in my power to

7:29

keep this province quiet. No attachment

7:31

or connections shall ever make me swerve from

7:34

the duty of my station.'" It

7:36

was a clear message. William Franklin's loyalty

7:38

was to the Crown and outweighed any

7:40

he felt to his father. Back

7:43

in America, colonial delegates planned to

7:45

convene a Continental Congress in September

7:49

1774, with the goal of forming a united

7:51

response to British threats to American liberties. Franklin

7:54

was a strong supporter of this plan,

7:56

but his son called the scheduled meeting

7:58

absurd if not unconstitutional. William

8:00

had no tolerance for colonial unrest and wrote

8:03

to his father insisting that Boston do

8:05

justice and pay for the tea destroyed in

8:07

the Boston Tea Party. Franklin replied,

8:09

arguing that Britain ought to pay America

8:11

for the thousands of pounds they had

8:13

extorted from the colonies. And Franklin

8:15

ended his letter to his son with an

8:18

insult, declaring, But you who

8:20

are a thorough courtier see everything

8:22

with government eyes. Still,

8:24

politics was not the only source of conflict

8:26

between Franklin and his son. In

8:28

December, William wrote his father with the news that

8:30

Deborah had died of a stroke. For

8:33

years, Franklin had ignored his wife's appeals

8:35

to come home. They had spent

8:37

all but two of the last 17 years apart.

8:40

William chided his father for not returning

8:42

to Philadelphia sooner, writing, I

8:44

think her disappointment in that respect prayed a

8:46

good deal on her spirits. But

8:49

despite his wife's death, Franklin insisted

8:51

on remaining in England, undertaking

8:53

a flurry of meetings in the hopes

8:55

of finding some last minute compromise to

8:57

the colonial conflict. But by the start

8:59

of 1775, Franklin was

9:01

forced to accept that war was

9:03

looking increasingly likely. King

9:06

George the third had rejected any

9:08

talk of negotiations, declaring the

9:10

New England governments are in a state

9:12

of rebellion. Blows must decide whether they

9:14

are to be subject to this country

9:16

or independent. So at last in

9:18

March, 1775, Franklin finally

9:20

set sail back to Philadelphia.

9:23

With him was his 15-year-old grandson Temple,

9:26

who his son William had fathered out

9:28

of wedlock. Before leaving Britain,

9:30

William had placed him with a British foster

9:32

family, but now Franklin had decided to

9:34

take custody of his grandson and bring him

9:36

back to America. And while

9:39

he was at sea, despite all his

9:41

previous efforts, the war Franklin had long

9:43

feared began. On April 19,

9:47

1775, American militiamen and British soldiers

9:49

exchanged fire in the towns of

9:51

Lexington and Concord in rural Massachusetts.

9:54

And by the time Franklin's ship landed

9:56

in Philadelphia in May, colonial delegates were

9:58

starting to gather for the Second

10:00

Continental Congress. The Pennsylvania

10:02

Assembly soon elected Franklin to serve as

10:05

one of their representatives. But

10:07

in the meantime, William Franklin traveled down

10:09

from New Jersey to meet his son

10:11

Temple for the first time. Benjamin

10:13

Franklin had not seen his son William in

10:16

nearly a decade, and he was determined to

10:18

use this meeting to finally bring his son

10:20

over to the cause of revolution. Imagine

10:26

it's May 1775, and you're in a large field

10:30

stone mansion in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

10:32

A mutual friend is hosting you and your

10:34

father, Benjamin Franklin, in his lavish sitting room.

10:37

You're the royal governor of New Jersey, and

10:39

you haven't seen your father in several years.

10:42

You've been tiptoeing around politics all evening,

10:44

but the tension is growing with each

10:46

passing minute. It's growing late,

10:48

and the wine has been flowing freely. Your

10:51

host serves you another glass of Madeira. Your

10:54

father sits across from you, flickering candlelight

10:56

dances across his face, set in a

10:58

look you recognize. A storm

11:00

is brewing behind his composed facade, and

11:03

finally he says what's on his mind. You

11:07

still believe I should advocate a

11:09

reconciliation with Britain? You

11:11

take a sip of wine, stalling for a

11:13

moment, as you search for the right words.

11:15

Yeah, yes, father. I

11:17

believe that would be the most

11:19

pragmatic approach. Pragmatic. Tell

11:22

me, son, have you forgotten my

11:24

time in London? My countless futile

11:26

attempts to negotiate a reconciliation? My

11:28

pleas for compromise? Met with nothing

11:30

but contempt? You stare

11:32

into the fireplace, feeling your patience dwindle.

11:34

You've already written to me about this.

11:37

You cannot imagine the torrent of abuse that was

11:39

hurled at me. But I know

11:41

better than many that a man must have

11:43

thick skin. If anything, these attacks

11:46

have only hardened my resolve. Well, no one

11:48

is questioning your resolve. Perhaps it's

11:50

best for both of us to remain neutral. Your

11:53

father shakes his head, eyes blazing. Neutral.

11:56

How can you even suggest such a thing?

11:59

The monarchy is corrupt. to its core, and

12:01

it's clear now that the only way forward

12:03

is independence. We cannot afford to

12:05

sit idly by while our freedoms are trampled

12:07

upon. I've said it before, it's

12:10

well past time you step down as governor.

12:12

You must! As long as

12:14

you remain an official of the crown, you

12:16

are an enemy of the Patriot cause. You

12:19

truly believe that's the answer. You

12:21

would have me give up everything and join

12:23

your reckless crusade. I would have you stand

12:26

up for what's right, for the sake of

12:28

our country. You speak of freedom and country

12:30

yet all I see is envy. You're

12:33

jealous of me. My position. Jealous.

12:36

Of what? Of watching you bow and

12:38

scrape to the king. Believe me, I

12:41

have no wish to serve a monarchy hell-bent

12:43

on destroying us. Mark

12:45

my words, father. If you continue

12:47

down this path, the colonies are going to go

12:49

up in flames. You will burn with them.

12:53

You nearly knock your chair over as you

12:55

charge out of the room. You step into

12:57

a dark corridor, your father's words still ringing

12:59

in your ears. But you refuse

13:01

to let him browbeat you. Nothing

13:03

will change your loyalty to the crown. In

13:10

May 1775, Franklin's reunion with

13:12

his son ended in a bitter argument.

13:15

William believed a reconciliation with Britain was

13:17

still possible, but his father saw American

13:20

independence as the only way forward. William

13:23

stormed off in anger, and the pair soon

13:25

stopped speaking to one another. The

13:27

revolution had caused an irreconcilable

13:29

rift. But Franklin was

13:31

kept occupied by his duties in the

13:33

Continental Congress, convening that summer. At

13:36

69 years old, Franklin was by far

13:38

the oldest delegate. John Adams was

13:40

39, while Thomas Jefferson

13:42

was just 32. Many of

13:45

the delegates who only knew Franklin by

13:47

reputation were surprised by his unassuming manner.

13:50

He often preferred to sit quietly and listen

13:52

rather than speak. Adams complained

13:54

that Franklin seemed to spend a great part of

13:56

the time fast asleep in his Franklin

14:00

and the other members of the Continental

14:02

Congress were convening in Philadelphia. The British

14:04

were laying siege to the city of

14:06

Boston. On June 17, 1775, American and British

14:08

soldiers faced

14:11

each other for the first major battle

14:13

of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of

14:15

Bunker Hill. Despite his distance

14:17

from the fighting, the battle was personal

14:20

for Franklin. His sister was forced

14:22

to evacuate the city in a panic, and

14:24

Franklin was furious over what the British had

14:26

done. He wrote a letter to

14:28

his oldest friend in England, intending for it

14:30

to be circulated publicly. He

14:32

declared, "'You have begun to burn our

14:34

towns and murder our people. Look

14:37

upon your hands. They are stained with

14:39

the blood of your relations. You and

14:41

I were long friends. You are now

14:43

my enemy, and I am yours.'" With

14:47

this, Franklin's transformation into a revolutionary

14:49

was complete. Any lingering

14:51

doubts about his commitment to the cause

14:53

disappeared. John Adams declared, "'Dr.

14:56

Franklin has discovered a disposition

14:58

entirely American. He is a

15:00

great and good man.'" So

15:02

quickly, Franklin became one of the most

15:04

devoted patriots in the Continental Congress. The

15:07

delegates assigned him to serve on several committees,

15:09

and he was elected postmaster general. He

15:12

was also tasked with creating a system

15:14

for paper currency, raising money for weapons,

15:16

and negotiating with Native Americans on behalf

15:19

of the patriots. Then, in

15:21

March 1776, the Continental Congress

15:23

sent him on a mission to Quebec

15:25

to try to persuade Canadian leaders to

15:27

join the revolution. It was

15:29

a brutal trip over frozen roads, and along

15:32

the way, the now 70-year-old Franklin was forced

15:34

to sleep in the woods and on the

15:36

floors of abandoned houses. The

15:39

trip was so arduous that Franklin feared he

15:41

would not survive, writing, "'I have undertaken a

15:43

fatigue that at my time of life may

15:45

prove too much for me.' But

15:47

despite enduring these hardships, Franklin failed to

15:49

persuade the Canadians to join the cause,

15:52

and when he returned to Philadelphia, he was so

15:54

exhausted and ill that he could not leave his

15:56

house for days. While Franklin was regaining, he was

15:59

a great man. If

28:00

Britain retains control of America's fertile soil

28:03

and vast coastline, it will

28:05

tip the balance of power and allow

28:07

them to terrorize Europe without fear of

28:09

impunity. This, this is your chance to

28:11

extinguish that threat before it's too late.

28:14

You feel a knot of unease in your stomach, because

28:17

Franklin is echoing your own concerns that

28:19

France's future will be determined on the

28:21

battlefields of America. I fear you may

28:23

be right. Franklin rubs his

28:25

knees and winces. And time

28:27

is of the essence. I'm

28:30

growing old and feeble. My gout

28:32

gets worse with each passing day. I

28:34

will have to retire soon. We cannot afford

28:36

to wait. You look

28:38

into his wearied eyes and sigh. A lone

28:41

of 25 million Libra is out of

28:43

the question, but perhaps

28:45

I can convince the King to offer six

28:47

million Libra as a sign of friendship. Thank

28:49

you, Your Excellency. That will be

28:51

enough to keep American hopes alive. As

28:56

you watch Franklin leave, you realize your offer

28:58

escaped your lips before you even realized what

29:01

you were saying. You find

29:03

yourself amazed once again by Franklin's powers

29:05

of persuasion. You just hope this

29:07

money is enough to save the Americans from defeat.

29:13

In early 1781, Franklin

29:15

managed to secure a gift of six

29:17

million French Libra from Virgin. And

29:20

then in March, he informed Congress that he

29:22

was ready to resign, complaining of debilitating gout.

29:24

Congress refused his request, though. Instead,

29:28

they named him Peace Commissioner in the event the war came

29:30

to an end. But in the

29:32

meantime, the fighting continued to drag on. Then

29:35

in November 1781, a messenger

29:37

arrived in Versailles with stunning

29:39

news. British forces had

29:41

surrendered to General Washington's Army and

29:43

the Americans' French allies at Yorktown,

29:45

Virginia. This was

29:47

the decisive battle of the Revolutionary

29:49

War, marking the end of major

29:51

combat operations. Still, Franklin

29:54

remained cautious. He knew his work

29:56

was not yet finished, until a peace

29:58

treaty was signed that was still there. a chance

30:00

Britain could restart the war. So

30:03

Franklin would lead peace negotiations with the

30:05

British, alongside John Adams and New York

30:07

lawyer John Jay. These

30:09

talks took more than a year, but a

30:11

preliminary peace agreement was finally reached in late

30:13

1782. Although France was excluded from

30:17

the negotiations, Franklin managed to smooth

30:19

things over with Virgin and even

30:21

secured another loan, warning that without

30:23

additional aid, the new republic would

30:25

sink into the ground immediately. So

30:28

it was on September 3rd, 1783 that

30:30

the Treaty of Paris

30:33

was signed and England officially recognized

30:35

its former colonies as the free

30:37

and independent United States of America.

30:40

The Revolutionary War was over.

30:42

Benjamin Franklin's unwavering persistence in

30:44

persuading France to lend money

30:46

and military support had been

30:48

critical to America's ultimate victory,

30:51

but now he would have to turn his

30:53

focus to the challenges of building a new

30:55

nation. The

30:58

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worthy successors to the 1978 originals.

33:05

For kids, there's the new LEGO

33:07

City Explorer rover and the LEGO Creator

33:09

astronaut. And for adults or precocious kids,

33:11

there are more challenging sets like LEGO

33:14

Technic NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle. If

33:16

you have a kid, or maybe you

33:18

still are one yourself, go check them

33:21

out at amazon.com/legospace to see the full

33:23

collection. Man, I love LEGO sets.

33:32

After negotiating the Treaty of Paris,

33:34

Benjamin Franklin remained in France traveling

33:36

and working on his autobiography. In

33:39

the summer of 1784, William Franklin wrote

33:42

to his father in the hopes of

33:44

reconciling. After being arrested by

33:46

Patriot soldiers early in the war, William was

33:48

freed in a prisoner exchange in 1778. He

33:52

spent the rest of the war leading

33:54

a network of loyalist spies and organizing

33:56

guerilla raids against the Patriots. In

33:58

one notorious incident, he ordered the the hanging

34:00

of a patriot leader in what was supposed

34:02

to be a peaceful prisoner exchange. So

34:05

after the British defeat, he, like many

34:07

of his fellow loyalists, had moved to

34:09

England. Franklin's reply

34:11

to his son's letter revealed his lingering

34:13

feelings of betrayal. He wrote, "...nothing

34:16

has ever hurt me so much as to

34:18

find myself deserted in my old age by

34:20

my only son, and not only deserted, but

34:22

to find him taking up arms against me

34:24

in a cause wherein my good fame, fortune,

34:26

and life were all at stake." He

34:29

told William that Congress was keeping him

34:31

in France for another year, and insisted

34:33

that William refrain from visiting him there.

34:36

But by the summer of 1785,

34:39

Congress had accepted Franklin's resignation as

34:41

ambassador to France, and Thomas Jefferson

34:43

had arrived to serve as his

34:45

replacement. After nearly nine

34:47

years, Franklin finally left Paris with

34:49

his grandsons. In July,

34:51

they sailed to England, where Franklin visited

34:53

old friends. William came to

34:56

see his father, and for a few days

34:58

the pair discussed family business manners. But

35:00

there would be no reconciliation. Franklin

35:03

persuaded William to turn his properties in

35:05

America over to Temple, and William was

35:07

not invited to the farewell party aboard

35:09

Franklin's ship. The next morning,

35:11

Franklin set sail, taking Benny and Temple

35:13

with him. Franklin would never

35:15

speak to his son, William, again. In

35:22

September 1785, Franklin's ship arrived

35:24

in Philadelphia. More than six

35:26

decades had passed since Franklin had first arrived

35:28

in this city as a teenage runaway, and

35:31

his arrival now could not be more different. Cannons

35:34

boomed, bells rang, and cheering crowds

35:36

escorted him to his Market Street

35:38

home. He reunited with his

35:40

daughter Sally, and met the four new grandchildren

35:42

who were born during his absence. But

35:45

despite his age, Franklin did not retire

35:47

from public life. In May

35:49

1787, when delegates from the former

35:52

colonies gathered in Philadelphia to draft

35:54

a new constitution, the 81-year-old Franklin

35:56

was there. He was again by far

35:59

the oldest delegate. it, twice as old

36:01

as the average age of his colleagues. Gout

36:03

and kidney stones made it painful for him

36:05

to walk, so he was carried into the

36:07

Pennsylvania State House on a chair every morning.

36:10

But over the next four months, as

36:12

debate over the crafting of the Constitution

36:15

raged in a sweltering, mosquito-infested state house,

36:17

Franklin may not have spoken much, but he

36:20

played a key role in fostering a spirit

36:22

of compromise. In June,

36:24

the convention deadlocked over the issue of

36:26

representation in Congress. Delegates from

36:28

smaller states wanted each state to be

36:30

equally represented in the legislature. The

36:33

larger states argued that representation should

36:35

be directly proportional to each state's

36:37

population. And in early July, Franklin

36:39

was appointed to a committee to settle this

36:41

issue. He knew that if

36:43

he failed, their bold experiment in democracy

36:46

could fall apart. Imagine

36:52

it's 1787, on a hot

36:54

and humid July afternoon in Philadelphia. You're

36:57

a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from

36:59

North Carolina, but you're taking a break

37:01

from your duties taking tea in Benjamin

37:03

Franklin's backyard garden. As you

37:05

sip, you feel grateful to have the shade

37:07

of a large mulberry tree protecting you from

37:09

the blazing afternoon sun. You

37:11

look up to see Franklin emerge from the

37:13

back door carrying a large glass jar. And

37:16

here it is, the latest addition to

37:18

my cabinet of curiosities. Franklin

37:21

takes a seat across from you and it sets

37:23

the jar down beside the teapot. You

37:25

lean forward to get a closer look

37:27

and inside is a small preserved snake

37:29

with two heads. Well, goodness, what a

37:31

strange creature, isn't it? It

37:34

was conscious outside Philadelphia. Fascinating.

37:37

I wonder what would happen if it were

37:39

slithering along and one head chose to go

37:41

one direction and the other head preferred the

37:43

opposite path and neither were willing to give

37:45

way to the other. You

37:47

turn your gaze from the snake to Franklin. His

37:50

eyes are twinkling and you shake your head

37:52

and sigh. We're not talking about a two

37:54

headed snake, are we? No, we are not.

37:57

The snake faces a conundrum similar to that

37:59

of our convention. I'd like

38:01

to discuss this impasse over the issue of

38:03

representation in Congress. What can

38:05

we do? The smaller states are adamant,

38:07

but we larger states cannot abide equal

38:09

representation. It would render our voices

38:12

insignificant. Franklin leans forward,

38:14

the mulberry tree casting dabbled shadows

38:16

on his weathered face. Yes, well,

38:18

what if I propose to compromise?

38:21

Equal representation in the Senate and

38:23

proportionate representation in the House. That

38:26

still hardly seems fair. Why should

38:28

tiny states like Delaware have equal voting power

38:30

to the larger states like my own? Both

38:33

houses should have representation proportional to

38:35

their populations. But consider this.

38:38

Under this proposal, the House would

38:40

control spending. Oh,

38:43

that's intriguing. It would certainly

38:45

tip the scales in our favor. Well, I'm

38:47

glad you're contemplating it, because I fear that

38:49

unless this compromise is adopted, the

38:52

convention will splinter, and all our efforts will

38:54

be for nothing. Well, I worry about that

38:56

too. I just hate to think

38:58

of yielding so much ground on such an important

39:00

issue. Well, you know, when I was a young

39:02

tradesman here in Philadelphia and had a joint of

39:04

wood that didn't quite fit, I'd

39:06

take a little from one side and shave a little

39:08

from the other, until I had a

39:10

joint that would hold together for centuries. Do

39:12

you understand what I'm saying? Yes, I

39:14

understand. Franklin lists his

39:17

chin and smiles knowingly. There's little

39:19

glory, certainly no glamour and

39:21

compromise, but it's the backbone

39:23

of a thriving democracy. Can

39:25

I have your support? You

39:28

nod, and Franklin's smile widens. You

39:30

just hope your concession doesn't backfire. Still

39:33

deep down, you know Franklin is right. If

39:36

you want this new country to succeed,

39:38

this convention cannot fail. During

39:43

the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin frequently

39:45

hosted other delegates in his shaded

39:47

garden, which offered them a relaxed

39:50

and informal environment where they could

39:52

find common ground. Franklin played

39:54

the role of mediator throughout the convention

39:56

and helped push through the Constitution's most

39:58

important compromise. each state would

40:01

have equal representation in the Senate

40:03

while the House would be apportioned

40:05

by population but control spending bills.

40:08

On July 23, the convention narrowly

40:10

adopted what became known as the

40:12

Great Compromise. Two months

40:15

later, the delegates gathered to vote on

40:17

this Constitution, and on September 17, Franklin

40:20

made a motion for its adoption. He

40:22

spoke about the compromises that made the

40:24

Constitution possible and the imperfect nature of

40:27

democracy, declaring, I consent to this Constitution

40:29

because I expect no better and because

40:31

I am not sure that it is

40:33

not the best. One

40:35

by one, the delegates signed their names

40:38

to this new U.S. Constitution. The

40:40

doors to the State House were thrown open,

40:42

and a local woman approached Franklin and asked

40:45

what type of government the convention had created.

40:47

Franklin replied, A republic, madam,

40:50

if you can keep it. But for

40:52

Franklin, one issue remained that compromise could

40:54

not solve — slavery. As

40:57

a younger man becoming more and

40:59

more affluent and influential, Franklin acquired

41:02

slaves of his own who worked

41:04

for him as household servants despite

41:06

growing anti-slavery sentiment in Quaker-dominated Pennsylvania.

41:08

He also profited from slavery by

41:11

including slave advertisements in his newspapers.

41:13

And when he did question slavery,

41:15

Franklin focused on its negative effects

41:17

on white slave owners rather than

41:19

the harm done to enslaved people

41:21

themselves. But over time,

41:23

his views on slavery had evolved, especially

41:25

in the wake of the American Revolution.

41:28

Though he had not spoken out publicly against slavery

41:30

until late in his life in 1787, he accepted

41:32

the presidency of the Pennsylvania

41:35

Society for Promoting the Abolition of

41:37

Slavery. It was the

41:39

nation's first anti-slavery organization. So

41:42

now, determined to address the injustice of

41:44

slavery, in February 1790, Franklin presented

41:47

a formal petition to the new Congress

41:50

asking that the government cut the cancerous

41:52

slavery out of the American body politic

41:54

and grant liberty to those unhappy men

41:56

who alone in this land of freedom

41:58

are degraded in the United States. perpetual

42:00

bondage. Despite this impassioned plea,

42:03

the House rejected the petition, and the

42:05

Senate tabled it without discussion. This

42:08

anti-slavery petition was Franklin's final

42:10

public act. In the spring

42:12

of 1790, chest pains and fever

42:14

confined him to bed, and

42:16

on April 17th, 1790, an

42:19

abscess in his lung burst. He

42:21

died later that night at the age of 84. Twenty

42:24

thousand mourners turned out for his funeral.

42:27

Benjamin Franklin rose from humble beginnings to

42:29

become one of the most accomplished and

42:31

influential Americans of his time. In

42:34

his long life, he found practical ways both

42:36

large and small to serve his fellow man.

42:38

He preached and practiced a vision for

42:41

a new nation rooted in democracy, hard

42:43

work, and civic virtue. But

42:45

above all, his life was guided by

42:47

an unwavering faith in the ability of

42:49

ordinary people to build a better society.

42:52

His words at the Constitutional Convention a

42:54

republic if you can keep it stand

42:57

as a reminder that democracy is

42:59

a shared responsibility, and that the

43:01

nation Franklin helped create rests

43:03

in the hands of its citizens. From

43:07

Wondery, this is episode two of our

43:10

two-part series Benjamin Franklin from American History

43:12

Tellers. On the next

43:14

episode, since the inception of the

43:16

United States, America's First Ladies have

43:19

defied expectations and reshaped the role

43:21

of partner to the president. From

43:23

Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, we'll

43:25

explore how five of these remarkable

43:28

women charted new paths, challenged convention,

43:30

and left an indelible mark on

43:32

American history. If

43:36

you like American History Tellers, you can

43:38

binge all episodes early and ad-free right

43:40

now by joining Wondery Plus in the

43:43

Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime

43:45

members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music.

43:47

And before you go, tell us about

43:49

yourself by filling out a short survey

43:52

at wondery.com/survey. American

43:57

History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced

43:59

by by me, Lindsey Graham, for

44:01

Airship. Audio editing by Christian Peraga.

44:03

Sound design by Molly Bach. Music

44:06

by Lindsey Graham. This episode

44:08

is written by Ellie Stanton. Edited

44:10

by Dorian Marina. Produced by Alita

44:12

Rizanski. Coordinating producer is

44:14

Desi Blalock. Managing producer Matt

44:17

Kant. Senior managing producer

44:19

Ryan Moore. Senior producer Andy Herman.

44:21

Executive producers are Jenny Lower Beckman

44:23

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