Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government |
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U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation |
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Time Required |
| Two or three 45-minute classes, if a review of the biographies of Franklin and Jefferson is not included. |
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Skills |
| Online research
Debate
Oral presentation
Interpreting primary sources
Collaboration |
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Additional Data |
| Date Created: 07/19/02 |
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Date Posted |
| 7/19/2002 |
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Special Features |
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![Constitution Day](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090117053455im_/http://edsitement.neh.gov/sf_images/sf3/CD-SF-icon.jpg) Constitution Day
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Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers
Q: What state papers should be considered in connecting the
Constitution of the United States with the Magna Carta?
A: …Plans
for colonial union were proposed from time to time, the most important of them
being the Albany Plan of 1754, of which Benjamin Franklin was the author.
— Questions
and Answers Pertaining to the Constitution, by Sol Bloom
Dr. Franklin
drew up and presented to Congress, on the 21st of July (1775), a plan of confederation…
In some of its articles it differed essentially from the one that was finally
adopted, and approached more nearly to the present constitution… Taken in all
its parts, this plan was little else than a virtual declaration of independence.
— Jared
Sparks, The Life of Benjamin Franklin
IntroductionHave
Benjamin Franklin's philosophical contributions to the early development of our
government been overlooked? He was, of course, a member of the committee that
worked on the Declaration of Independence, but did you know he had already penned
his own "virtual declaration of independence" one year earlier? Franklin is widely
known as the "Sage of the Constitutional Convention," but few know he had written
a precursor to the Constitution in 1754, more than 30 years earlier! Thomas Jefferson
is credited as the author the Declaration of Independence, a grand achievement.
But, though Jefferson alone composed the draft of the Declaration, even he admitted
in 1823, "…Before I reported it to the committee I communicated it separately
to Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams requesting their corrections." Both
Jefferson and Franklin were critical in injecting into the debates of the Founding
Fathers vital philosophical and political ideas. Jefferson's contributions are
more widely recognized. Has Franklin, the only one of the two who signed both
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, been unfairly disregarded
as a significant philosopher of the American Revolution? Help
your students deepen their understanding of the documents crucial to the birth
of our democracy as they scrutinize the contributions of two towering figures
of the American Revolutionary period and beyond. Note:
For an introduction to the achievements of Franklin and Jefferson, and a set of
activities that can serve as a prequel to this lesson, see the complementary EDSITEment
lesson plan Jefferson
vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men. Guiding Question: What
ideas did Franklin contribute to the philosophical debate of the leaders of the
movement for American independence? What ideas did Jefferson articulate? Learning
Objectives After completing the lessons in this
unit, students will be able to - State connections among Franklin's
Albany Plan of 1754 and Plan of Confederation of 1775 and the U.S. Constitution
and/or the Declaration of Independence
- State connections among Jefferson's
Summary View of the Rights of British America and Draft of the Virginia Constitution
and/or the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
- State
connections between George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights and Jefferson's
Declaration of Independence
- Give examples of the philosophical and political
contributions of Franklin and Jefferson.
Preparing
to Teach this Lesson - Review the lesson
plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download
and print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student
viewing.
- Download Benjamin
Franklin's Albany Plan of Union 1754 Compared to Two Keystone Documents, available
here as a PDF file. Print out and make an appropriate number of copies of any
handouts you plan to use in class.
- This exercise is intended for students
who already have a basic knowledge of the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, as students will review the texts of the documents and think
about their meaning. Students will look for ideas and text from documents written
by George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin (NOTE: Thomas Hutchinson
contributed to the writing of the Albany Plan, though Franklin is generally given
credit as the primary author) that made their way into the Declaration
of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution, including the Bill
of Rights, all of which are available on the website of the National
Archives, the host site for the EDSITEment resource Digital
Classroom. Students needing a basic introduction to the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution, might benefit from the material in the following EDSITEment
lessons (designed for grades 3-5, but with resources and activities suitable for
higher grades as well):
- Students
will notice that there are scant references to legalities (or "constitutional"
elements) in the Declaration—a reflection of the nature of that document
and an important concept for the students to understand. As stated on The
Library of Congress' America's Library (a link from the EDSITEment resource
American Memory): "The
Declaration of Independence is not the law of the land," but rather "is
more about the ideals of our country."
- The Mason document is included
in this lesson to demonstrate that Jefferson's ideas and ideals were shaped by
a variety of influences. Working in committee and with the full Continental Congress,
Jefferson produced perhaps the finest single statement of those ideals, even if
few of the ideas were original. For background on the Declaration of Independence
and the U.S. Constitution, some good places to start include
- If your class is already familiar with basic biographical information
on Franklin and Jefferson, skip Part 1 under Suggested
Activities, below. For more detailed biographical information, refer to the
sources listed under Selected EDSITEment Websites, below.
- For further reading, consult the Recommended
Reading List provided here as a PDF file.
Suggested
Activities
1. Before You Start
(If Necessary) 2. Getting the
Group Research Started 3. Sharing
the Information 1. Before
You Start (If Necessary) If desired, share
with the class some basic biographical details about Thomas
Jefferson, available via a link from the EDSITEment resource The
American President, and Benjamin
Franklin, available via a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Digital
Classroom. 2. Getting
the Group Research Started Tell the
class it could be argued that Franklin has been given short shrift and that Jefferson
has been given too much credit for the philosophical and political ideas of the
Founding Fathers as expressed in the Declaration
of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution, including the Bill
of Rights. Students will compare five earlier documents to these keystone
documents of our democracy in an attempt to arrive at a conclusion to these questions—Should
Franklin be given more credit as a political philosopher? Has Jefferson been given
too much credit? In preparation for this activity,
students can view a similar comparison of documents online through the EDSITEment
resource Avalon Project
at the Yale Law School, which offers a split-screen interactive exercise to
Compare Franklin's
1775 Articles of Confederation to the 1777 Articles of Confederation. Divide
the class into five groups and assign each group one of the following documents:
- Franklin's
Albany Plan (1754)—Franklin's Albany Plan will be most fruitfully compared
with the U.S. Constitution, though there is also some basis of comparison with
the Declaration of Independence. Though Franklin's solutions are often somewhat
different than what we find in the Constitution, this comparison reveals that
Franklin was already grappling with the same problems as the representatives to
the Constitutional Convention 30 years later.
As war with France
loomed in 1754, Franklin represented Pennsylvania at the intercolonial congress
that met at Albany. While in Albany, Franklin advocated a plan that called for
a colonial union. Franklin's Albany Plan foreshadowed the union that would later
be formed by the U.S. Constitution. However, his plan was too far in advance of
public thinking, and it was not ratified. — From Franklin
Court Pages on the National Park Service,
of which the EDSITEment resource Links to the
Past is an extension
- Jefferson's
Summary View of the Rights of British America (July 1774)—The Summary View
of the Rights of British America is the longest and most difficult of these documents.
It can be most fruitfully compared with the list of complaints in the Declaration
of Independence; the Summary View of the Rights of British America provides detail
and background history for a number of the complaints.
"A Summary
View of the Rights of British America," written in 1774, articulated the colonial
position for independence and foreshadowed many of the ideas in the Declaration
for which he is most famous. — From the EDSITEment resource The
American President
- Franklin's
Articles of Confederation (July 21, 1775)—In Franklin's Articles of Confederation,
students will find many passages with ideas later adopted into the U.S. Constitution.
Article XIII anticipates parts of the Declaration of Independence, though the
language is quite different. As Franklin's Articles do not include a chief executive
(due to the fear of any individual—in the manner of a king—having too much power),
they often differ with the U.S. Constitution, but as with his Albany Plan, Franklin
was looking for solutions to the same problems later dealt with by the members
of the Constitutional Convention.
Dr. Franklin drew up and presented
to Congress, on the 21st of July, a plan of confederation. It was not acted upon
at that time, but it served as a basis for a more extended plan, when Congress
were better prepared to consider the subject. In some of its articles it differed
essentially from the one that was finally adopted, and approached more nearly
to the present constitution. Taxes for national purposes were to be levied, and
members of Congress were to be chosen, in proportion to the number of male inhabitants
between the ages of sixteen and sixty; and each member was to have one vote in
Congress. Taken in all its parts, this plan was little else than a virtual declaration
of independence. It was to be perpetual, unless the British government should
agree to such terms of reconciliation, as had been claimed by the colonies.
— From Sparks'
"Life of Franklin," Chapter 9 on The
Electric Franklin, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library
- George
Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights (adopted June 12, 1776)—Though the
Virginia Declaration of Rights is often cited as one source for the Declaration
of Independence, it also has a number of elements found in the U.S. Constitution
and, especially, the Bill
of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution).
It
is one of the documents heavily relied on by Thomas Jefferson in drafting the
Declaration of Independence. The Virginia Declaration of Rights can be seen as
the fountain from which flowed the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence,
the Virginia Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The document exhibited here
is Mason's first draft to which Thomas Ludwell Lee added several clauses. Even
a cursory examination of Mason's and Jefferson's declarations reveal the commonality
of language and principle. — From Thomas Jefferson at the Library of
Congress, available via a link from the EDSITEment resource American
Memory
- Jefferson's
Draft Constitution for Virginia (June 1776)—This is probably the easiest of
all the documents for comparison. Many passages bear a striking resemblance to
the Declaration. Jefferson's Draft Constitution begins with a Declaration-like
list of complaints, but the remainder of the document is a constitution; therefore,
many passages address issues also dealt with in the U.S. Constitution.
Immediately
on learning that the Virginia Convention had called for independence on May 15,
1776, Jefferson, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, wrote at least
three drafts of a Virginia constitution. Jefferson's drafts are not only important
for their influence on the Virginia government, they are direct predecessors of
the Declaration of Independence. Shown here is Jefferson's litany of governmental
abuses by King George III as it appeared in his first draft. — From Thomas
Jefferson at the Library of Congress, available via a link from the EDSITEment
resource American Memory
As
an aid to the teacher, copies of each of the documents listed above—with passages
that compare to at least one of the key documents highlighted—are available on
pages 1-23 of the PDF file, Benjamin
Franklin's Albany Plan of Union 1754 Compared to Two Keystone Documents. In
some cases, comparable passages from the key documents have been inserted; you
may want your students to try this, as well. Many examples are provided in these
samples, but the selections are not comprehensive. Use these aids to provide examples
for your class, or adapt them to your needs. Each
group is responsible for scrutinizing its document for text, ideas, and structures
(the presence of a preamble, for example) that can also be found in one of the
keystone documents. In many cases, words and phrases will be duplicated in companion
documents. Texts of the Declaration
of Independence, the U.S.
Constitution, and the Bill
of Rights are available on the EDSITEment resource Avalon
Project at the Yale Law School and in most history textbooks. It is best if
each group has access to hard copies of the documents. If
desired, groups can use the "Five Group Comparison Chart" on page 24 of the PDF
file, Benjamin Franklin's Albany
Plan of Union 1754 Compared to Two Keystone Documents, to help them chart
the similarities they uncover. Groups do not need to understand every element
of any particular document to locate comparisons, but they should be prepared
to present and explain the similarities they do find to the class. Remember that
some documents will bear more of a comparison to the Constitution and/or Bill
of Rights, others to the Declaration, and some to more than one document.
3. Sharing the Information As
groups share the comparisons they found, class members can fill in a composite
chart using the "Document Comparison Summary" on page 25 of the downloadable PDF
file, Benjamin Franklin's Albany
Plan of Union 1754 Compared to Two Keystone Documents. If
desired, before the class attempts to arrive at a conclusion about the contributions
of Franklin and Jefferson, students can learn more about the drafting of the Declaration
of Independence through the Library
of Congress Exhibit: Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents, available
via a link from the EDSITEment resource American
Memory. As part of the exhibit, students can view digitized versions (and
transcriptions) of such documents as Jefferson's
Original Rough Draft of the Declaration, with handwritten corrections by Franklin
and John Adams. If it has not already come
up in discussion, share Article XI of Franklin's
Articles of Confederation, available on the EDSITEment-reviewed website Avalon
Project at the Yale Law School. Why is this called a "virtual declaration
of independence?" (Only after all of the colonists' demands are met, states Franklin,
shall "the Colonies return to their former Connection and Friendship with Britain."
Franklin even invites other British colonies in the hemisphere to join the confederation,
specifically naming "the West India Islands, Quebec, St. Johns, Nova Scotia, Bermudas,
and the East and West Floridas.") Taking into
consideration the information on the composite chart, students can now discuss
the influence Jefferson and Franklin had on the keystone documents. What contributions
came from each? How much did Jefferson rely on Mason for the Declaration? Has
Franklin been given short shrift? Has Jefferson been given too much credit? Though
students do not have to agree on the conclusion, they should be able to take a
stand on their opinion. Extending the Lesson
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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