There is a lovely manuscript letter written by William Temple Franklin coming up for auction (March 26, 2020, in Malaga, Spain). The image captures his fabulous handwriting. On December 30, 1778, WTF wrote to Monsieur Ruault, Librarian, stating `I beg you, Monsieur Ruault, to send to Passy, tomorrow, 2 copies of my Grandfather’s works. The …
To the co-namesake of my son, Benjamin Thomas…. Dear Tom, You asked me online quite a while ago about Franklin and slavery. It’s true, he owned slaves for a while, even though later he joined (and was president of) our first society to abolish African slavery in America. It’s a tough issue for Franklinians, like …
I’m looking forward to Edward J. Larson’s book, Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership, which was released on February 11, 2020. I found my copy on the shelf in a wonderful bookstore (Four Seasons Books in Shepherdstown, West Virginia) a few days ago. George Washington knew how to say goodbye, as seen in the profound …
