Franklin both owned and sold slaves, a fact that is hardly touched on in most biographies. David Waldstreicher, in his recent book Runaway America, writes: [Franklin] profited from the domestic and international slave trade, complained about the ease with which slaves and servants ran off to the British army during the colonial wars of the 1740
Franklin both owned and sold slaves, a fact that is hardly touched on in most biographies. David Waldstreicher, in his recent book Runaway America, writes: [Franklin] profited from the domestic and international slave trade, complained about the ease with which slaves and servants ran off to the British army during the colonial wars of the 1740’s and 1750’s, and staunchly defended slaveholding rebels during the Revolution. He owned a series of slaves between 1735 and 1781 and never systematically divested himself of them. After 1731 he wrote publicly and regularly on the topics of slavery and racial identity but almost never in a straightforwardly antislavery or antiracist fashion. He declined to bring the matter of slavery to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 when asked to do so by the abolition society that he served as president. Yet as early as 1751 Franklin had pointed out the economic weakness of slavery, and in 1758 had suggested the establishment of the first school for African American children. Franklin’s views gradually changed as he grew older. After about 1770 his writings became progressively more anti-slavery, and in a letter to the London Chronicle he called slavery "a constant butchery of the human species by the pestilential detestable traffic in the bodies and souls of men." After the Revolution, Franklin was involved with the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and served as its president for a time. In 1789 he drafted a petition condemning slavery and sent it to Vice President John Adams. The petition was rejected, as Franklin had anticipated. Franklin, who as a former indentured servant was the only Founding Father to have been "owned" by someone else, came to see both the economic and the moral paradox of American freedom and American slavery.
Franklin founded the first abolitionist society
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin did not encourage abolition in the U.S. Constitution. He did, however, become very active in Pennsylvania's anti-slavery societies.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin was quite famous in his time. He was involved in the constitution and signed it and his last public act was a message to Congress urging the abolition of slavery.
Benjamin Franklin's fears are... Slavery America's Suffer
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin did not encourage abolition in the U.S. Constitution. He did, however, become very active in Pennsylvania's anti-slavery societies.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin pierce
The group of people during the Civil War that were opposed to slavery were referred to as abolitionists. One of the most famous abolitionists was Benjamin Franklin, who was a leading member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, one of the first formal organizations for abolition in the United States.
Franklin was quite famous in his time. He was involved in the constitution and signed it and his last public act was a message to Congress urging the abolition of slavery.
Benjamin Franklin's fears are... Slavery America's Suffer
slavery
Benjamin Franklin left behind a great gift to us. He left freedom from slavery and he left us a great deal of knowledge. He discovered electricity for us, he was one of our great founding fathers and he helped us understand electricity more:)
slavery
abolition of slavery
Benjamin Franklin