Introduction
Though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, mine convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest.
-Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was the type of writer who would use every tool and writing style he had in order to deliver his messages about politics, economics, and society; sarcasm and pragmatism were two of his most common methods of doing this. The first Franklin text in this critical edition, “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly,” was first published on October 22, 1730 in The Pennsylvania Gazette, which was the newspaper Franklin owned. Owning this newspaper allowed Franklin to publish this article which normally would have been seen as too controversial to post. This article is a satirical piece about the witch trials that took place in the U.S. in the mid-17th century, and Franklin uses his sarcasm to educate Americans on the insanity of those witch trials. “A Way to Wealth,” also known as “Poor Richard Improved,” is the sequel to “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” “A Way to Wealth” was written in 1757 as a summary of the advice Franklin gave in the Almanac and is also included in this edition. It was written in the form of a sermon delivered by the fictional character, Father Abraham, and included a few introduction paragraphs and concluding paragraphs by Poor Richard. Franklin uses pragmatism to show his readers that their finances are important, but so is their well-being and if they care for themselves, as Poor Richard advises, their finances will fall in order too. “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” was written in 1784 and was never formally published in Franklin’s lifetime but is included in this edition. This is a satirical essay written about the relationship between Native Americans and Americans. Franklin uses sarcasm and hard truths to show his readers that the relationship between Native Americans and Americans is only depicted as a positive relationship when it is displayed by white leaders and it is almost only ever in favor of the Americans. Benjamin Franklin uses pragmatism and sarcasm to contribute to society in “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly,” “A Way to Wealth,” and “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” by opening his readers’ eyes to what is really true, rather than the truth projected by the white leaders.
The Enlightenment and How It Affected Franklin’s Writing and Thinking:
Benjamin Franklin is a perfect example of someone who was a product of their time. He was a strong political and scientific thinker in the eighteenth century, when the Enlightenment was prominent in America. In American Enlightenment Thought Shane Ralston says, “In the American context, thinkers such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin invented and adopted revolutionary ideas about scientific rationality, religious toleration and experimental political organization.” Franklin portrayed his ideas of science, religion, and politics through his writings and scientific experiments. Franklin was known for his Enlightenment way of thinking and he was known for using pragmatism and sarcasm to portray that Enlightenment thinking to his readers by breaking the standard bounds of white leaders in political and social standing. Franklin became many things because of his Enlightenment thinking such as “a staunch defender of federalism, a critic of narrow parochialism, a visionary leader in world politics and a strong advocate of religious liberty” (Ralston). Franklin shows these beliefs and feelings in “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly,” “The Way to Wealth,” and “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” For example, in “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” Franklin uses sarcasm to show his critique of narrow-mindedness, his scientific ideals, and his advocacy for religious liberty. In “The Way to Wealth” he shows his leadership for world politics and all around self-enlightenment. In “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” he, again, shows his critique of narrow-mindedness in relation to the Americans’ treatment of Native Americans. In every piece of writing Franklin has created, the reader can see where his Enlightenment thinking has bled through. He uses satire to hide some of his more radical thinking, and he uses practicality to make a more solid point about his Enlightenment thinking. Benjamin Franklin is known for being a forward thinker and for effecting the thinking of others for the better.
A History of Witch Trials in America:
The first witch trials to take place in America were in Hartford, Connecticut in 1662. However, the first suspected witch to be executed was in Windsor, Connecticut in 1647 and a few more were executed before the hysteria struck Hartford creating the first publicized witch trials. These trials took place thirty years before the better-known Salem Witch Trials and included seven trials and four executions (Klein 1). The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem Massachusetts in January of 1692, and the hysteria from these trials quickly spread across the Massachusetts colony. In autumn of that same year “two hundred women and men had been accused, nineteen hanged, and one pressed to death with stones. Four others died in prison whilst awaiting trial” (Plath 504). Some of the tests conducted to determine if someone was a witch included throwing them in water while bound to see if they would float or sink, having them recite scripture, or checking for witches’ marks. These testing methods are important to remember when examining Franklin’s “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” because knowledge of the actual tests used in the Salem Witch Trials helps the reader examine which parts of Franklin’s article are exaggerated for satirical purposes. It is also important to understand that although many colonists recognized innocent people were executed for wrongly being accused of witchcraft after the trials were concluded, many of the leaders of the colonies in which these trials took place refused to admit any sort of wrongdoing. The witch trials in America represented sociological and economic issues that were presented in Puritan America. Benjamin Franklin shows just how unscientific these trials were by writing a story about a fake trial to display and exaggerate the unthinkable things done to accused witches. He does this to show society that repeating that bit of history would damage everything that was built and accomplished by the colonists after the trials had finished, such as their sense of safety. He also does it to show that treating our neighbors justly is necessary to creating a healthy and productive community and all-around society.
Franklin’s use of Humor in “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly”:
In the first sentence of “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” Franklin uses the word “experiment” to explain how the trials were used against the accused: this wording shows that the people conducting the witch trials really had no idea what they are doing and it was all just a horrible “experiment.” In the second sentence, the accused’s neighbors have said they made their “sheep dance in an uncommon manner.” Using this phrase, “in an uncommon manner,” implies that sheep dance in a more common manner which is purposefully comedic and absurd because sheep do not dance. This absurdity is exactly Franklin’s point: sheep dancing is just as impossible as accusing your neighbor of witch craft. He uses this exaggeration to show that most of the accused in America were accused for reasons that either made no real sense scientifically or reasons that could easily be explained in another manner like an illness or an ill turn of fate. Franklin’s goal of pointing out how unscientific the witch trials were is a very Enlightenment way of thinking because he often tries to find a scientific and educational answer to problems.
Next in the article, the accused agree to undergo the trials only if two of their accusers can undergo the same trials. Franklin adds this bit of information to show how unplanned and random the trials were. It would never make sense for those being accused of a crime to demand their accusers get the same punishment as them. Today, that would be like an abusive husband demanding his wife stand trial for beating him too, when she never lifted a finger against him, and having those demands be met. During the first trial, the accused and accusers were to be weighed against the Bible: literally, on one side of scale the accused would sit and on the other a Bible would sit. Franklin says the men and women were searched to see if they had anything of weight on them “particularly pins.” Stating that the people of Mount Holly believed pins had weight to them, enough to matter when a human being is going to be weighed against a book, makes the reader question the intelligence of those people. If someone truly believes that for some reason a book will weigh more than a Bible, then it is no surprise that that same person would believe a single pin would make the difference in weight. Franklin does this to show once again how ludicrous these trials were. The weighing commences and of course the results are that every human weighed weighs more than the book. Franklin says “their Lumps of Mortality severally were too heavy for Moses and all the Prophets and Apostles.” The use of “Lumps of Mortality” is referring to the accused and accusers’ bodies. Franklin uses this phrase to show how absurd it is to try and learn something about the supernatural through weighing the “mortality”, flesh and bones, of someone against a book, even if it is a religious one such as the Bible. Scientifically this process of weighing a human against a book does not make any sense.
The second test for a witch was a dunking in water; the accused and accusers were bound and thrown in the water, the thought being if they float then they are a witch. However, they all float or lightly swim at the surface, because scientifically that is what happens to humans in water. One of the accusers claimed she was floating because one of the accused bewitched her. One of the accused men “being surprised at his own Swimming, was not confident of his Innocence as before.” This sentiment is laughable because any human being can float with very little effort, as most people know. Some of the bystanders also claimed that the women may have floated because of their shifts, undergarments. This sentiment irrational considering that cloth often grows heavy and sinks when wet so it would only bring the women down faster. Franklin is once again using an absurd exaggeration to prove his point: the witch trials were a disastrous waste of time and made Americans seem susceptible to lunacy. They were also, very obviously, not considered to be under the umbrella of Enlightenment thinking because they almost exactly, went against everything scientific and rational.
Franklin’s Contribution to Society Through “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly”:
The Enlightenment gave America what it needed to finally realize how preposterous the witch trials were. With new developments in sciences and critical thinking, Americans could look back on what was done to their families and fellow citizens and understand how wrong it was that other human beings were subjected to such horrible fates. Franklin, being an Enlightenment thinker, saw it as his duty to educate society about this past mistake through satire and exaggeration in “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly”. This article was published in 1730, thirty-seven years after the Salem Witch Trials ended, which made it still very prominent in society as well as cultural and religious thinking because it was not so long ago. Franklin’s writing was current and touched many people that were directly or indirectly affected by the witch trials in America. His fictional story of a witch trial helped to open the eyes of many people who were still ignorant in the belief that witches were real and they could be found out by using inhumane and brutal methods of “testing.” Franklin uses his sarcasm to help society by opening their eyes to how uneducated and frightening it all was.
Benjamin Franklin, Life Coach:
We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly.
-Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin explains that the most-costly things in life are often our own vices, such as greed and materialism. He uses “The Way to Wealth” to summarize all of his most important words of wisdom from the “Poor Richard Almanac.” He does talk about finances but the main idea is that, more generally, if people can control their unnecessary urges they will save much more money and their needed expenses will be more manageable. Franklin is a good adviser on the subject because he understands the reality of such things. He was a hard worker and had many jobs when he was younger that were taxing and had very little benefit financially. He worked at his brother’s printing shop for a time and later worked at other printing shops. When he was twenty years old Franklin found himself in London and wishing to return to Pennsylvania but he did not have the money to pay for the passage home. He traveled to London at the expense of Sir William Keith who promised him “letters of recommendation and instruments of credit that would enable him to obtain the supplies needed to set up a colonial print shop” (Houston 22). Unfortunately, upon his arrival Franklin found this promise to be false and he was left penniless in London. As a young man Franklin found himself penniless on more than one occasion and had to learn to survive on what little he had. He understood that prioritizing needs and wants was crucial. Later in his life he bought his own newspaper and become a successfully published author, political figure, and scientist. His life experiences make his wisdoms in “The Way to Wealth” all the more meaningful and realistic.
The Pragmatism of “The Way to Wealth”:
Franklin reached a large audience with his writings in “The Way to Wealth” by writing honestly and in a style that is easily understood by many people. The particular writing style Franklin uses in “The Way to Wealth” is the advice is given in the form of a sermon by the fictional character, Father Abraham. This reaches a wider audience because most citizens at this time were very used to hearing sermons on a weekly basis. As Zall tells us: “’The Way to Wealth’ would be translated into many languages and distributed around the world and become one of the most popular publications in nineteenth-century America” (Zall 76). Franklin’s pragmatic writings in “The Way to Wealth” reached and continues to reach an audience far and wide which shows just how far reaching his contributions to society were at the time, and still are. The advice Franklin gives in the text are timeless words that can be applied to everyday life by everyone. His words contribute to society in the fact that they better each individual person that is willing to heed his advice.
Not only is his advice in “The Way to Wealth” helpful from an economic standpoint but it is also helpful in the fact that it teaches the readers how to be healthier, stronger, and all around better people. He talks about the sin Sloth and how dangerous it can be to a person’s health and economic standing when he says “But Idleness taxes many of us much more, if we reckon all that is spent in absolute Sloth, or doing of nothing, with that which is spent in idle Employments or Amusements, that amount to nothing.” He also talks about unnecessary temptations that people will spend money on which hinders their finances and their personal will. He does all this through the words of Father Abraham which made his readers feel a sense of familiarity and comfort when reading “The Way to Wealth” because they often heard sermons. Franklin’s pragmatism and his delivery method are extremely effective in contributing to society by teaching his readers how to be better contributing members of that society and by bettering themselves personally.
Franklin’s Authority on Savages:
It is no surprise to most people that the relationship between Native Americans and Americans has been strained from the first colony of Jamestown was founded in 1607. Americans have always viewed the Native Americans as a savage people, simply because their culture and customs differ from ours. Franklin exploits this point in his essay “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” using sarcasm and examples of interactions between Native American tribes and American leaders. Franklin is a worthy writer on this topic because he has had first hand experience in interacting with the Native Americans. As Aldridge explains “In studying his “Remarks Concerning the Savages,” we may try to decide how much of his inspiration is purely literary…and how much is based upon his actual experience with Indians, which, his biographers have shown, was direct and extensive” (Aldridge 398). Franklin would often volunteer to be the spokesperson between the Americans and the Native Americans when it came to creating treaties and such. He would go and visit the tribes on their land and partake in their customs and traditions. This first-hand experience with both cultures, American and Native American, allowed Franklin to give an extensive view on the treatment of one culture by the other, and he does this by using sarcasm and exaggeration to convey his points.
The Real Savages in “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America”:
“Savages we call them, because their Manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility. They think the same of theirs.” The very first sentence of Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” says a lot about what Franklin thinks of the Americans’ treatment of the Native Americans. It also sets the tone for the rest of the piece. Franklin calls out the American way of thinking of “ours is better than yours.” He remarks that every civilization believes their manners and culture are better than another’s culture because that is a natural and human way of thinking. Franklin uses the wording of this sentence to show his dislike for Americans’ treatment of the Native Americans. Just because someone does something differently than you does not mean your way is better. Franklin uses satire and hard truths throughout this piece to show that the so called “primitive” nature of the Native Americans is just an intolerant way of thinking by the American people.
Throughout the entire essay it is clear that Franklin wants to give a true and personable portrayal of the Native Americans to his readers. Aldridge says in his journal article, “Franklin’s Deistical Indians,” “although primarily a series of humorous character sketches, the “Remarks” has an underlying serious purpose of indirectly urging that justice be done to the Indians” (398). Franklin wholeheartedly takes on this task, the task of getting his fellow Americans to see what injustice has been done to the Native Americans and to fix it. “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” was a great start to this purpose because it effectively opens his readers’ eyes to the true treatment of the Native Americans by the Americans, and it showed that the assumptions most whites had about the Native Americans was very wrong.
At the start of “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” Franklin explains the general running of a Native American tribe and he does this all in a very positive light. He then tells the story of an educational offer made by the government of Virginia in which they offered to take a half dozen Native American children and educate them at Williamsburg. Franklin’s wording of this offer tells more though when he says the youths will be “instructed in all the Learnings of the White People” because it is clear he is trying to point out that the Virginia government deems their education systems to be superior than that of the Native Americans. Regardless of this clearly high-handed offer, the Native Americans treat it with the utmost respect, taking time to truly consider the offer. Franklin explains that the Native Americans declined by showing their gratefulness of the offer and explaining that they declined because the last time some of their youth were educated in white schools they came back and were useless to the tribe’s way of living:
Experience of it: Several of our young People were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces; they were instructed in all your Sciences; but when they came back to us they were bad Runners ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin, take a Deer or kill an Enemy, spoke our Language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for Hunters Warriors, or Counselors, they were totally good for nothing (“Remarks Concerning”).
Franklin pointing out how useless the Native American youth were upon return is meant to show that the whites never thought about such things when “educating” the Native American youth. Despite this lack of forethought, the Native Americans also offer to take a dozen of the whites’ youth and “take great Care of their Education, instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them.” This quote shows what the Native Americans thought of the white men and their lack of “manliness” because they imply that only they can teach the white youths how to be real men, how to care for their families by hunting for their food and building their homes. Franklin’s ability to use his words in such a precise manner helps to convey the true meaning behind this story: that the Americans are the real savages in that they do not think about the outcomes of their actions.
Franklin then goes on to compare American and Native American customs. He explains that Native Americans respect each other when they speak and they never interrupt one another. Whereas Americans often grow hoarse trying to call order to a meeting because everyone shouts over one another to be heard. Again, this example points to who the real savages are. Another example of white savagery is when a Swedish minister goes to a Native American tribe and tells them the story of Adam and Eve, after the telling the tribe leader thanks the minister immensely and then offers to tell one of their origin stories in return. When he finishes the story, the minister says “What I delivered to you were sacred Truths, but what you tell me is mere Fable, Fiction and Falsehood” to which the Native Americans take offense because their beliefs have just been called falsehoods by someone who just shared their own beliefs and was granted respect and gratitude in return. This example again shows the rudeness, arrogance, and ignorance of the American people and how unfair we have been to the Native Americans. The Natives have always shown kindness and gratitude and the Americans meet it with rudeness, anger, and injustice.
What Society Learns From “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America”:
Franklin continues on with many more examples of how unfair the Americans’ treatment of the Native Americans is by using some sarcasm and pragmatism. He gives real examples of how the Native Americans have been treated and how no reparations have been taken by the Americans to fix the damage they have done. Franklin uses “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” to contribute to society by teaching his readers the truth about the Native Americans and how their culture differs from ours but is still no less genuine and important. He uses sarcasm and pragmatism to show his audience that the Native Americans are not the true savages but the whites are because of their treatment of a people and culture that is not to their “civil” standards, a culture the whites deem as “savage.”
Concluding Thoughts:
“Perhaps if we could examine the Manners of different Nations with Impartiality, we should find no People so rude as to be without Rules of Politeness, nor any so polite as not to have some Remains of Rudeness” (“Remarks Concerning”). These opening words by Franklin are not to be taken lightly. Whether he is talking about absurd witch trials, personal betterment, or the treatment of others, he says it all with a purpose: that purpose being to educate his readers economically, socially, and psychologically. Using sarcasm, satire, pragmatism, and hard truths Franklin gives his readers something new to learn from all of his writings whether it be economic, personal, or societal. Franklin also knows how to reach audiences of different demographics by catering his writing to his subjects and his audience. For example, “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” can easily be read by anyone because it is relatable and funny in its sarcasm and exaggeration. “The Way to Wealth” reaches a wide audience because it is written through the sermon of Father Abraham which many people can relate to because they have heard sermons many times before. “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” uses exaggerated stories and examples from real life situations which many people can relate to as well, especially government officials and religious leaders. Throughout all his writing methods, character portrayals, words of wisdom, sarcasm, and pragmatism Franklin ensures that his readers will take away truly meaningful thoughts and practices from his writing: something meaningful enough that they can apply it in their everyday life. They will learn that witch trials are an inhumane way of treating your neighbors. They will learn that paying attention to what is necessity versus want will better their lives in finance and health. They will learn that just because a culture differs from theirs’s does not make that culture any less than theirs’s and that everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, should be treated with care because that is the humane thing to do. Essentially, Franklin uses his witticisms to make enlightened arguments for the sake of humanity.
References
Aldridge, Alfred Owen. “Franklin's Deistical Indians.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 94, no. 4, 1950, pp. 398–410. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.
Franklin, Benjamin. “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly.” Packard Humanities Institute: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 22, Oct. 1730, http://franklinpapers.org.
Franklin, Benjamin. Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. 1791. Ed. &Trans. Joyce Chaplin. Norton Critical Editions. New York: Norton 2012. Print.
Franklin, Benjamin. “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” Packard Humanities Institute: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, http://franklinpapers.org.
Franklin, Benjamin. “The Way to Wealth.” Packard Humanities Institute: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 1758, http://franklinpapers.org.
Houston, Alan. “Commerce.” Benjamin Franklin and the Politics of Improvement, Yale University Press, 2008, pp. 22–59. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
Klein, Christopher. “Before Salem, the First American Witch Hunt.” History.com, A & E Television Networks, 31 Oct. 2012, https://www.history.com.
Plath, Lydia. “The Spector of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America.” Women’s History Review, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 503-505, EBSCOhost, http://ezproxy.snhu.edu.
Ralston, Shane J. “American Enlightenment Thought.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University, 15 Oct. 2015, http://www.iep.utm.edu/amer-enl/.
Zall, Paul M. “Philadelphia Comic Relief: 1748–1757.” Benjamin Franklin's Humor, 2005, pp. 65–84. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.