“What’s the use of a newborn baby?”
Benjamin Franklin was considered “the grand old man” of the American Revolution, and when questioned about what the men of the Constitutional Convention had delivered, he answered, “A republic, if you can keep it." This week, in an out-of-character program, we talk more about Benjamin Franklin.
Further Reading
Founders Online: From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Banks, 30 August[–2 September 1783]
Even in the midst of the overwhelming “enthousiasme public,” however, there were enough detractors that their grumblings were reported along with the machine’s success. Where would this lead, they asked. What possible utility could be derived from these experiments? When this question was posed to Franklin on the day of the demonstration, he was said to have replied, “Eh! à quoi bon l’enfant qui vient de naître?” (“Eh! Of what use is a new-born baby?”)
Fly Me to the Moon, Please
The Jefferson Watch
Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay Jenkinson discuss Benjamin Franklin. When Franklin was asked what the U.S. Constitution would provide, he answered, "A republic, if you can keep it."
This week we talk with President Jefferson about the British point of view of rebellion in America which eventually led to the Revolutionary War. The conversation begins and ends with Jefferson's thoughts on Benjamin Franklin, who had been an anglophile hoping for peace between the two nations, but ended up as a leading voice for American independence.
Joseph Ellis and Clay Jenkinson revisit their debate about who the “Indispensable Man” of the American Revolution truly was. We share listener comments about the debate and answer additional questions sent in, including a request for discussion about the history of the women’s rights movement, Jefferson’s subpoena during the Burr trial and how slavery affected the economy of the southern states.
This week in an interesting debate match, Clay Jenkinson and Joseph Ellis argue over who is the “Indispensable Man” of the American Revolution. Ellis argues for George Washington, while Jenkinson says it has to be Jefferson. A very wise listener suggests that they are both wrong: it’s Benjamin Franklin.