Franklin, Benjamin. “Benjamin Franklin Papers: Digital Collections: Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/collections/benjamin-franklin-papers/about-this-collection
For any students learning about the formation of the United States of America, the Revolutionary War, or the early years of the United States as a nation, these papers will provide a valuable resource for educators to use and share. Often when students are learning about the early years of the United States as a nation, they consult primary source documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, but rarely do they read Benjamin Franklin’s letters during this time. Students will be able to learn about Franklin’s role in the formation of the new nation, his diplomacy, and his inventions.
The papers of statesman, publisher, scientist, and diplomat Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) consist of approximately 8,000 items spanning the years 1726 to 1907, with most dating from the 1770s and 1780s. The collection's principal strength is its documentation of Franklin's diplomatic roles as a colonial representative in London (1757–1762 and 1764–1775) and France (1776–1785), where he sought to win recognition and funding from European countries during the American Revolution, negotiated the treaty with Britain that ended the war, and served as the first United States minister to France. The papers also document Franklin's work as a scientist, inventor, and observer of the natural world and his relations with family, friends, and scientific and political colleagues.
- In 1776, the American colonies declared their independence from England to establish themselves as their own country, the United States of America, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Benjamin Franklin had many roles in the early years of the United States, including: scientist, inventor, letter writer, politician, diplomat, and philosopher.
- These papers span Franklin’s personal and professional documents from before the Revolutionary War until after his death, with most dating from the 1770s and 1780s.
- How did Franklin’s writing change over the course of his career?
- What were some of the inventions that Franklin included in his letters, and how did these change the future of America?
- How do Franklin’s diplomatic efforts correlate with American values at the time?
- How do the ideas presented by Franklin in these letters align with historical fiction, including Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson and Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda?
New Jersey Student Learning Standards
RI.CI.9–10.2.: Determine one or more central ideas of an informational text and analyze how it is developed and refined over the course of a text, including how it emerges and is shaped by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- These letters and documents span 1726–1907, and as a result, students can track how Franklin’s ideas have changed or remained the same over time. Students can refer to specific details in history that may have caused any changes that they identify over the course of the letters. Additionally, information about Franklin’s inventions, diplomacy, and philosophy are shared posthumously.
RI.IT.9–10.3.: Analyze how an author’s ideas unfold throughout the text, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- Franklin’s well-written letters will serve as a great example of informational text for students to read in terms of rhetoric, organization, and language. Students can analyze the points that Franklin makes in his letters and how he lays out those claims in an organized way.
- Laurie Halse Anderson stated that she used these Benjamin Franklin papers on the Library of Congress website in order to complete some of her research for Rebellion 1776. Use an excerpt from Anderson’s Rebellion 1776 and have students make connections between information learned in the text and Benjamin Franklin’s letters. Teachers can pre-select relevant letters from the collection or, for more advanced students, teachers can let them sift through the collection to find the connections.
- When students are learning about significant historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution, provide them with some of Benjamin Franklin’s letters from the time of the creation and signing of the documents. Ask students to compare and contrast Franklin’s concerns in his letters with those ideas presented in each primary source document.
- As a Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin is taught in most schools, so there may not be as much potential for challenge with this source as with some others on the LOC website. That being said, some of the ideas of the Founding Fathers may be viewed as outdated and antiquated, especially with the taking over of Native American lands.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- Educators can refer to this resource from Facing History about the teaching of the founding of America.
- Print of the Declaration of Independence: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018757136/
- The US Constitution: https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/constitution/
- American Revolution and Founding Washington: https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/american-revolution/
- George Washington Papers: https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/about-this-collection/
- We the People: Expanding the Teaching of the US Founding: Facing History
- The modern edition of Benjamin Franklin's papers, published by Yale University Press, is available on Founders Online and as a digital edition sponsored by the American Philosophical Society and Yale University.