User:Robbie/Franklin here - Revision history

https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=User%3ARobbie%2FFranklin_here User:Robbie/Franklin here - Revision history 2026-04-03T21:09:40Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.45.1 https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=4324&oldid=prev Robbie at 02:09, 19 January 2026 2026-01-19T02:09:26Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 20:09, 18 January 2026</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l1">Line 1:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 1:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">__NOTITLE__</del></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">style</ins>="<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">max-width: 650px;</ins>"></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">{{Setup|tick=NoNav}} </del></div></td><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-added"></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">class</del>="<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">apts</del>"></div></td><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-added"></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> </div></td><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-added"></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><h2>If Franklin Were Here . . . </h2></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><h2>If Franklin Were Here . . . </h2></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=4044&oldid=prev Robbie at 15:32, 1 January 2026 2026-01-01T15:32:27Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 09:32, 1 January 2026</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l3">Line 3:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 3:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div class="apts"></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div class="apts"></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2</del>>If Franklin Were Here . . . </h2></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">h2</ins>>If Franklin Were Here . . . </h2></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=4043&oldid=prev Robbie at 15:32, 1 January 2026 2026-01-01T15:32:15Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 09:32, 1 January 2026</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l1">Line 1:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 1:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>__NOTITLE__</div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>__NOTITLE__</div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>{{Setup|tick=NoNav}} </div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>{{Setup|tick=NoNav}} </div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div class=" apts <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">numsoff</del>"></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div class="apts"></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">h3</del>>If Franklin Were Here . . . </<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">h3</del>></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2</ins>>If Franklin Were Here . . . </<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">h2</ins>></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><blockquote>On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, having worked since May in confidentiality to draft it. At the end of the session, they left Independence Hall to dine at a nearby tavern, passing through a curious crowd. One of them, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia, asked Benjamin Franklin,<br> </div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=4011&oldid=prev Robbie at 19:20, 31 December 2025 2025-12-31T19:20:01Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 13:20, 31 December 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l10">Line 10:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 10:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>— "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."<ref>Based on an anecdote contributed by James McHenry, delegate from Maryland, to <i>The records of the federal convention of 1787,</i> Max Ferrand, ed. III:85.</ref></blockquote></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>— "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."<ref>Based on an anecdote contributed by James McHenry, delegate from Maryland, to <i>The records of the federal convention of 1787,</i> Max Ferrand, ed. III:85.</ref></blockquote></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. On this substack, we'll take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the simple statement that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they were then founding? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know. We ask such questions wanting to construct <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">in </del>our own <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">ideas </del>about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. On this substack, we'll take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the simple statement that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they were then founding? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know. We ask such questions wanting to construct our own <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">idea </ins>about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations.</p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">, a woman among the bystanders and by extension, we </ins>the people <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">who were constituting their governing principles, </ins>could keep it?</p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">, the revered commander in chief of the revolutionary forces </ins>who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3793&oldid=prev Robbie at 15:20, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T15:20:20Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 09:20, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l10">Line 10:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 10:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>— "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."<ref>Based on an anecdote contributed by James McHenry, delegate from Maryland, to <i>The records of the federal convention of 1787,</i> Max Ferrand, ed. III:85.</ref></blockquote></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>— "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."<ref>Based on an anecdote contributed by James McHenry, delegate from Maryland, to <i>The records of the federal convention of 1787,</i> Max Ferrand, ed. III:85.</ref></blockquote></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Here on </del>this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">of fact </del>that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Why did </del>he think the people might someday loose their republic that they <del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">had just founded</del>? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">On </ins>this substack, we<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">'ll </ins>take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">simple </ins>statement that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Did </ins>he think the people might someday loose their republic that they <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">were then founding</ins>? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">. We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations</ins>.<<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">/</ins>p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. </del>Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3792&oldid=prev Robbie at 14:23, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T14:23:06Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 08:23, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l11">Line 11:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 11:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</del></div></td><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-added"></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3791&oldid=prev Robbie at 14:22, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T14:22:20Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 08:22, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l11">Line 11:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 11:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-deleted"></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</ins></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">/</del>p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p> </div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td></tr>  </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3790&oldid=prev Robbie at 14:18, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T14:18:22Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 08:18, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l12">Line 12:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 12:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> </div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p> </ins></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3789&oldid=prev Robbie at 14:17, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T14:17:58Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 08:17, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l12">Line 12:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 12:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>This anecdote gets quoted often, especially in recent months. Here on this substack, we take it as a hint and wonder why Franklin might have added "if you can keep it" to the statement of fact that the new Constitution would establish a republic, not a monarchy. What was on his mind? Why did he think the people might someday loose their republic that they had just founded? We ask such questions, not expecting Franklin to answer, giving us knowledge about his thinking, which we cannot know.<p></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p> </del></div></td><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-added"></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-deleted"></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></ins></div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie https://www.robbiemcclintock.net/w/index.php?title=User:Robbie/Franklin_here&diff=3788&oldid=prev Robbie at 14:17, 21 September 2025 2025-09-21T14:17:25Z

<p></p> <table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 08:17, 21 September 2025</td> </tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l14">Line 14:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 14:</td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div></p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p> </div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div></p>We ask such questions wanting to construct in our own ideas about what Franklin might have had in mind, thereby wanting to achieve some insight or comprehension that will help us hone and expand what we actually think about our own present situations. Can we, informed and imaginative, a part of the American people circa 2025, better understand how to keep our republic by speculating about why Benjamin Franklin, just after he and his colleagues signed the draft Constitution, said that it established a republic, if you the people could keep it?</p> </div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><p>Of course, one brief anecdote will not sustain our speculative efforts. Franklin had a well-documented role in the actual signing of the draft Constitution on September 17th. The record of it may give us insight into how Franklin viewed the prospects for the government to be instituted by the new Constitution. Next to George Washington, a delegate from Virginia who presided over the Convention deliberations, Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, had the most gravitas in public opinion. He was 81, suffering from the gout and the stone. Nevertheless, he participated in the deliberations with attentive reserve, an elder statesman who spoke up as needed to keep unity among the delegates, promoting compromises when serious deadlocks were arising. At the start the concluding session, Franklin gave a short speech to initiate the signing of the Constitution by the assembled delegates.</p></del></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> </div></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></td></tr> <tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><p>Let's attend to what he said, engaging both his words and noting important implications as we go along, but let's do that with our speculative efforts foremost in mind. Given Franklin's prominence as a Founding Father, the function of the speech on the culminating session of the Convention, and the mystique the Constitution gained in 19th and 20th century American history, interpreters have paid much attention to his words. But they have done so either by situating it in its immediate historical context, encouraging the few delegates whose support wavered to sign and to prepping all in a gameplan for the coming ratification debates, or by celebrating the basic collaborative commitment to the public good essential to American exceptionalism. Let's read the speech speculating that Franklin wrote it for us, we the people at an historical juncture in which the risk to the republic is actual that we may not keep it.</p></div></td></tr> </table>

Robbie