
Benjamin Franklin


Today in History: Benjamin Franklin Urges Adoption of the Constitution with a Warning
On this date in 1787, James Wilson delivered a speech written by Benjamin Franklin on the last day of the Philadelphia Convention. The speech urged the adoption of the Constitution despite Franklin’s reservations. In the opening words of the speech, Franklin...
Today in History: Benjamin Franklin Introduces Plan for American Confederation
On this date in 1775, Benjamin Franklin introduced in the Second Continental Congress a formal plan for a confederation of the American colonies. Franklin introduced his plan, “The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,” nearly a year before...
Today in History: Benjamin Franklin Born
Today in 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born. He was a diplomat, writer, printer, inventor, and politician. Beloved in America and Europe, Franklin may very well have been the most popular figure in the world during his lifetime. Born in Boston, Franklin migrated to...
Benjamin Franklin on “Doing Good to the Poor”
The federal government lacks any legitimate constitutional authority to establish welfare programs for the poor. Not only that, the federal welfare system fails in its promise to “help the poor” out of poverty. Supporters of the expansive federal welfare...