Hello Narrative,
A few sources place this statement in the sentence following a more
famous statement by Franklin: "It is a common observation here that
our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for
their liberty in defending our own." One published source, excerpted
on a web page, cites these statements as coming from "Benjamin
Franklin, who wrote from Paris to a friend in 1777". The author gives
the next sentence as: "It is a glorious task assigned to us by
Providence, which has, I trust, given us spirit and virtue equal to
it."
"Who Speaks for America? Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy -
Eric Alterman" [Chapter One - Section 1] [about one-third down the
page]
Barnes & Noble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780801435744&pwb=2&displayonly=CHP
It is possible that Mr. Alterman says "assigned to us" rather than
"assigned us" by mistake. Other sources, of unknown accuracy, say
"assigned us", and also include the phrase "and will at last crown it
with success" at the end of the statement. See, for example:
"The Bill of Rights" [first of the quotations at the bottom of the page]
Liberty Counsel
http://www.lc.org/OldResources/bill.htm
In any event, for purposes of your question, the main issue is the
identity of the friend to whom Franklin wrote from Paris in 1777.
Several sources state that the more famous part of the quotation comes
from Benjamin Franklin's letter of May 1, 1777, to Samuel Cooper.
Here are two citations:
"Encouraging Voices: Benjamin Franklin"
Traitors, Seamstresses, and Generals: Voices of the American Revolution
http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312848/quotes.htm#Benjamin%20Franklin
"Quotes: Founding Fathers: Benjamin Franklin Quotes" [final quote on page]
Mark's Quotes
http://www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/Franklin/index3.htm
Thus, I am convinced that this letter is the source of the statement,
"It is a glorious task that is assigned us by Providence." If you
need any additional information on the source, I would be happy to do
follow-up research.
- justaskscott
Search terms used, in various combinations, on Google:
"glorious task"
"assigned us"
franklin
"cause of all mankind"
"defending our own * * glorious task"
cooper
1777
"may 1 1777" |
Request for Answer Clarification by
narrative-ga
on
24 Nov 2003 11:53 PST
Hi justaskscott,
Thanks for finding the probable source of the quote. If possible,
however, we'd like the full quote in the letter where it first
appeared. Is that available on line?
|
Clarification of Answer by
justaskscott-ga
on
24 Nov 2003 12:14 PST
The entire letter is not online, so far as I know. The most authentic
looking version of the quote is:
"Hence tis a Common Observation here, that our Cause is the cause of
all mankind, and that we are fighting their Liberty in defending our
own. Tis a glorious task assigned us by Providence; which has, I
trust, given us Spirit and Virtue equal to us, and will at last Crown
it with Success."
"In Dad's Day" [10th paragraph on page]
ledererfamily.net
http://www.ledererfamily.net/history/lhl03.htm
However, even that version has a couple of mistakes ("fighting [for]
their Liberty"; "equal to [it]").
There is a small chance that I will be at a library this evening where
I can look for this letter. If I am not at that library today, I may
not be there again until at least the week after Thanksgiving. Is
there a time limit for the usefulness of any addiitonal information
that I might find?
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
narrative-ga
on
25 Nov 2003 07:24 PST
Thanks so much! There is no immediate time limit on this question, so
if you do get a chance to look at the letter, we'd appreciate it very
much. Thanks for your hard work!
narrative
|
Clarification of Answer by
justaskscott-ga
on
25 Nov 2003 08:47 PST
I didn't go to the library yesterday, but I still intend to go some
time next week. I will let you know what I find.
|
Clarification of Answer by
justaskscott-ga
on
04 Dec 2003 16:49 PST
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 24, William B. Willcox, ed.
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984), pp. 6-7, contains Franklin's
letter to Samuel Cooper, written in Paris and dated May 1 1777. The
quotation as it appears in the text (on p. 7) is:
"Hence 'Tis a Common Observation here that Our Cause is the Cause of
all Mankind; and that we are fighting for their Liberty in defending
our own. 'Tis a glorious Task assign'd us by Providence; which has I
trust given us Spirit and Virtue equal to it, and will at last crown
it with Success."
The phrase "the Cause of all Mankind" is in italics
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
narrative-ga
on
08 Dec 2003 08:16 PST
Thank you so much, justaskscott, we really appreciate your going the
extra mile for us!
narrative
|
Clarification of Answer by
justaskscott-ga
on
08 Dec 2003 11:29 PST
You're welcome.
|
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