1784: "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America" by Benjamin Franklin

"I" created the image above using the Midjourney server in Discord by typing these words: "forest landscape with Benjamin Franklin shooting a bow and arrow in the style of Thomas Cole."

Ideology: America vs. Book smarts

As the records smartly state, “different nations have different conceptions of things” (217). Where whites would need to know more math, science, and overall book smarts, Indians had to focus more on their physical capabilities to assure their survival within their tribes and maintain balance.

". . . if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take great care of their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them" (217).

Ideology: Imperialism, Cosmopolitanism, and Difference

• Franklin opens . . . by saying “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility; they think the same of theirs.”  Establishing that both sides think themselves to be in the right, he continues on to discuss which ones are truly the more civilized.  He notes their politeness, hospitality, etc., all of which exceed that of the whites.  Franklin proved to be quite open-minded about a number of things as wonderfully shown in these treatises.
• . . .  when NativeAmericans are asked to respond to another group of people, they are determined “not to answer a public proposition the same day that it is made.” As Franklin mentions, this is a sign of respect towards the waiting party among the Native Americans. He uses this metaphor to liken the beliefs of the Native Americans to respecting differences among nations; furthermore, even the title appears to be a jab at those who are unable to understand this concept, with “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” playing up the exaggerated hatred towards North Americans.
• . . .  Native Americans that have been victimized by prejudice and labeled "savage," but are in fact infinitely more well-mannered and civilized in diplomatic nature than most adherents to industrial civilization. This can be seen in his writing when he states “The Indians hear with patience the truths of the Gospels explained to them, and give their usual tokens of assent approbation; you would think they were convinced. No such matter. It is mere civility.”
• My favorite line of the entire record Franklin preserved was when the leader of the Indian tribe said “‘You saw that we… believed all your stories; why do you refuse to believe ours.’” Something about this line was so raw and powerful to me. We’re always taught to believe in everything, yet also taught to shun anything that doesn’t fit in our ‘vision’ or teachings. The way he says this shows just how closed minded we are as a nation as we refuse to listen to other standpoints, which is very true for the generation we’re now seeing today.
• "My brother, it seems your friends have not done you justice in your education; they have not well instructed you in the rules of common civility. You saw that we, who understand and practice those rules, believed all your stories; why do you refuse to believe ours?"