Poor Richard's Almanack: Benjamin Franklin: 9780880889186: Amazon.com: Books
Poor Richard's Almanack [Benjamin Franklin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Poor Richard's Almanack
www.amazon.com
Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack.
- Thread starter Sam Gamgee
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Yeah, they especially love to denigrate Jefferson. The only one they seem to love is Hamilton because he was the bankers' favorite founding father.
The most common narrative that still gets promoted about Jefferson is his supposed fathering of children with the slave woman, but that's been almost conclusively shown to be untrue, yet somehow still gets repeated as historical fact.
Robert F. Turner: The Myth of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
In The Wall Street Journal, Robert F. Turner writes that the sexual relationship lives on in books and film, despite a lack of verifiable evidence.
www.wsj.com
A young Ben...
As an old man, most of us lose a little of our sexiness. (maybe not me) And, of course, over time, the aesthetics of what people thought were appealing changes with styles.
At one time, this was thought to be the Germanic ideal...
View attachment 180421
That dude is in the wheelchair for a reason ..
I never bothered with Hamilton the play because I knew nothing that popular could be orthodox or pro-American. And you’re right, he is championed because he was one of the most big govt of the Founders.Yeah, they especially love to denigrate Jefferson. The only one they seem to love is Hamilton because he was the bankers' favorite founding father.
The most common narrative that still gets promoted about Jefferson is his supposed fathering of children with the slave woman, but that's been almost conclusively shown to be untrue, yet somehow still gets repeated as historical fact.
Robert F. Turner: The Myth of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
In The Wall Street Journal, Robert F. Turner writes that the sexual relationship lives on in books and film, despite a lack of verifiable evidence.
Yea, but it is an irony that matters greatly to understanding these men. The scare quotes are not needed, because it was a real moral quandary that Franklin, Jefferson, et al., recognized and spoke openly about in their own time. It was an irony they wrestled with, and one our country still wrestles with to this day. I can understand your point to an extent; there are those who are quick to find reasons to dismiss history rather than engage with it, and try to make history a morality play of good and bad guys.
That being said, no serious scholar or student of history can ignore the question of slavery during the Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary time periods. It simply looms too large. Indeed, that Declaration of Independence you mentioned? In its original draft it acknowledges slavery as an evil institution, and lays the blame on King George for pushing slavery on the colonies. Jefferson was obviously stretching credulity to lay the blame solely on the king for slavery in North America, but he understood it to be evil and wanted it stated as much in what would be the nation's most important founding document. It was later excised in order to not offend the southern colonies. It simply looms too large.
As for the topic at hand, I also enjoy Franklin's writings. He has a tendency, especially in Poor Richard, to write satirically. A lot of that is lost in today's time. When Franklin was starting out, homespun-style advice columns and pamphlets were wildly popular. They were like a precursor to self-help manuals we see today. A lot of them laid on thick the bucolic and parochial, and Franklin never tired of poking fun at them. The advice in Poor Richard, though often sensible, is rendered in a way to inspire mirth. Franklin winks so much throughout that you would think he had a stigmatism. If one is serious about knowing what Franklin truly thinks without the sarcasm and satire, the Autobiography and the collection of his private correspondence is a great place to start. Poor Richard is a lot of fun, though.
I would never suggest ignoring slavery or anything else factually historical. But it can only be understood in its own context. And there has to be a willingness to understand and not judge/condemn, which is what modern historical studies and the zeitgeist behind them do.
Example: If anyone stands up today and says, “George Washington was a great man—period.” it would be controversial. But for over 200 years it would have been seen as obvious and even applauded. What changed? The facts? Nope. Everyone knew he was a slave-owner all along. Same goes for Jefferson, et al.
But all too often now, the Founders (or anyone else traditionally deemed important who contributed to the furtherance of western civilization) is dismissed out of hand as bigoted, narrow-minded, and unworthy of our admiration. But don’t stop there: tear down their images, remove their names, and erase them from public consciousness moving forward. These are the types who actually want to ignore/erase history for their own purposes. Who is actually bigoted in this context?
His autobiography is wonderful. I’ve not read the letters/correspondence much.
Yeah, they especially love to denigrate Jefferson. The only one they seem to love is Hamilton because he was the bankers' favorite founding father.
The most common narrative that still gets promoted about Jefferson is his supposed fathering of children with the slave woman, but that's been almost conclusively shown to be untrue, yet somehow still gets repeated as historical fact.
Robert F. Turner: The Myth of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
In The Wall Street Journal, Robert F. Turner writes that the sexual relationship lives on in books and film, despite a lack of verifiable evidence.
Monticello Affirms Thomas Jefferson Fathered Children with Sally Hemings
A Statement by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Oh yeah, I'm aware of that...Monticello is being run by woke Marxist morons now.Monticello Affirms Thomas Jefferson Fathered Children with Sally Hemings
A Statement by the Thomas Jefferson Foundationwww.monticello.org
They're available online. The letters between him and his son, William, are particularly worth reading. Ben started out as a loyalist, then tried to find a middle ground before finally making a clean break with England. William stayed a loyalist, and their falling out is pretty tragic stuff. But it really sheds a lot of light on how the Revolution impacted relationships, both political and personal. If you like reading about Franklin, definitely check some of them out!
I also read your previous response about interpreting history, and I agree with some points, disagree with others, but I definitely respect your viewpoint. I appreciate you being candid and sharing it with me. Good to be able to talk to people about this stuff like adults, ya know?
