Courtesy of University of California Libraries, Franklin, Benjamin, "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin," pp. 332-335, 1818-1819
Description
Benjamin Franklin was one of the representatives the United States sent to Paris to negotiate a treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain in order to end the Revolutionary War. Franklin kept private journals, as well as public correspondence. This section of his journal references the possessions the United States held and their importance in negotiating the borders of the newly independent country.
Full Transcript of Excerpt from Benjamin Franklin's Memoir
Transcribed Excerpt from the Excerpt of Benjamin Franklin's Memoir
Source-Dependent Questions
- In this account of the negotiations, how does Benjamin Franklin justify arguments about the borders of the United States? Cite evidence from the text.
- Franklin insisted that America did not need to bargain "for a thing that is our own... which we are in full possession of." Construct an argument you might use if you were part of the negotiations team using the fact that the U.S. had control of western forts.
- Thinking about the same passage, America did not need to bargain "for a thing that is our own... which we are in full possession of." In what ways does this discount the American Indians that were already living on the same land?
- In this writing, Franklin says, "What my memory retains of the Discourse..." Assess the credibility of Franklin's account. How much do you trust what Franklin says?
Citation Information
Franklin, Benjamin, "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin," pp. 332-335, 1818-1819. Courtesy of University of California Libraries