Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers and participated in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Born in 1706 in Boston as the tenth son of a soap and candle maker, he went from being a printer’s apprentice to a member of the Continental Congress and a diplomat.
Franklin received only a little formal education, and most of his knowledge he gained through self-learning. Among other things, he is famous for his writings created in an elegant style and revealing the issues that the newly created US was faced with.
Perhaps, the reason for Franklin’s writing Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America was the author’s concern about the future of the US and the relationship between Native Americans and European immigrants.
In this piece, Franklin argued that Native Americans were called savages just because their culture was different from that of Europeans. In order to prove that Indians were not indeed savage, the author told stories revealing Indian hospitality and peacekeeping attitudes.
For example, Franklin wrote that Indians always fed and warmed a stranger coming to their village, while white people were primarily interested in whether a stranger could pay for food and shelter.
One quote from this piece is as follows: “The politeness of these savages in conversation is indeed carried to excess, since it does not permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is asserted in their presence.” By this quote, Franklin meant that Indians always intended to avoid disputes by believing that what the other person said was true.
The author cited an example of a Swedish Minister telling Indians the biblical facts on which Christianity was based. Indians did not argue that that story was false; instead, they accepted it and narrated the tale on which their religion was based.
However, the Christian Missionary objected to Indians’ story, thus offending Indians. This episode shows that Indians were more tolerant toward other cultures and, in fact, more civilized than Europeans.
This piece is considered literature because of the elegance of style in which it is written and the meaningful ideas conveyed by its author. Franklin did not merely narrate facts; he told stories that disclosed the identities of Indians.
The significant ideas found in this piece are the importance of tolerance toward other cultures and the value of hospitality and respect for personal boundaries.
Red Jacket was a chief of one tribe of the Senecas, a group of indigenous Americans living south of Lake Ontario. His Indian name was Sagoyewatha, and he got his nickname Red Jacket for wearing red clothes presented to him by the British.
This man was famous for the significant role he played in the negotiations between the Senecas and the recently formed US. He aimed at peace with the white people, but, at the same time, he defended the interests of his own people.
Red Jacket was an eloquent orator, and his talent is captured in one of his famous speeches called “Indian Speech.” It was delivered to a missionary who aimed at making Indians adopt Christianity.
In this speech, Red Jacket explicitly told the missionary that Indians were not going to renounce their own religion and accept Christianity instead. To defend his views, Red Jacket pointed out the flaws in Christians’ arguments.
For example, he mentioned that it was difficult to believe in the truthfulness of Christianity because Christians themselves could not agree on their religion.
One quote from this speech is as follows: “BROTHER. We do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.” This quote is significant because it shows Indians’ peacekeeping intentions.
Indians respected Christians’ right to practice Christianity, but they also wanted to gain the same respect for their religion. This speech is considered literature for its form and content. As for the form, the speech demonstrates the author’s mastery of rhetoric. In terms of content, it conveys the Indian values through the narration of their history and beliefs.
