Tag Archives: Benjamin Franklin

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Ben there.

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Source: Shadows Within My Mind on Facebook

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“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

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“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

“A Republic, if you can keep it.” — Benjamin Franklin, at the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, when asked as he left Independence Hall 

 

First_Lady_and_Son._Mrs._Kennedy,_John_F._Kennedy,_Jr._White_House,_South_Portico_Entrance._-_NARA_-_194240

First Lady and Son. Mrs. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. White House, South Portico Entrance, 1962.

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“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

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Happy Independence Day, all!  Enjoy any celebrations you might attend, and please be safe.

The quote above is attributed to Benjamin Franklin.  Upon exiting the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was asked by a bystander what form of government the delegates had created:

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

His reply was documented by Dr. James McHenry, the delegate from Maryland.

The imperative implied in Franklin’s words is the same as what Thomas Jefferson expressed when he warned us that “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

 

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Photo credit: By U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos (120504-M-IX426-237) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.