What did Benjamin Franklin say about slavery?
Asked by: Rhianna Swift | Last update: May 20, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (48 votes)
Benjamin Franklin's views on slavery evolved significantly; while he owned slaves and profited from the slave trade early in life, he became a staunch abolitionist in his later years, viewing slavery as a "debasement of human nature," and his final public act was petitioning Congress for its abolition and for humane treatment of enslaved people. He became president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, advocating for education and integration of free Black people and urging Congress to end the institution.
Was Benjamin Franklin against slavery?
In 1789 he wrote and published several essays supporting the abolition of slavery and his last public act was to send to Congress a petition on behalf of the Society asking for the abolition of slavery and an end to the slave trade.
What was Ben Franklin's famous quote?
Benjamin Franklin's famous quotes cover virtue, industry, time, and liberty, emphasizing practical wisdom like "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," "A penny saved is a penny earned," and "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of". He also noted, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," and famously quipped, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately," highlighting unity.
What is a famous quote about slavery?
"The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states." "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." "Where Slavery is there Liberty cannot be; and where Liberty is there Slavery cannot be."
Which president was against slavery?
Abraham Lincoln is the U.S. President most famously associated with fighting for the abolition of slavery, primarily through the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people in rebelling states, and his crucial support for the 13th Amendment, which ultimately abolished slavery nationwide. While his initial goal was preserving the Union, his actions shifted the Civil War's purpose to include ending slavery, paving the way for its total constitutional prohibition.
Kaye Wise Whitehead on Franklin's Legacy Regarding Slavery
Which president had 600 slaves?
Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, enslaved over 600 Black men, women, and children during his lifetime, the most of any U.S. president, working them at his Monticello estate and even in the White House. Despite his ideals of liberty, Jefferson's life was deeply intertwined with slavery, holding people at Monticello and other properties, with around 400 enslaved at Monticello at any given time.
What did Abraham Lincoln say about black people?
Abraham Lincoln held complex, evolving views: he personally hated slavery but, until late in the Civil War, believed Black and white people could not be social or political equals, opposing Black suffrage, juries, and office-holding due to perceived physical differences, a common view at the time. However, his views shifted, and by his last speech, he supported voting rights for educated Black men and Black soldiers, advocating for the 13th Amendment to end slavery and showing a greater openness to Black civil rights.
What did Thomas Jefferson say about slavery?
Thomas Jefferson called slavery a "hideous blot" and "moral depravity" that violated natural rights, yet he enslaved over 600 people himself, believing it a "necessary evil" and fearing the consequences of abolition, famously stating, "we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go," revealing a deep contradiction between his ideals of liberty and his lifelong participation in the institution, though he proposed gradual emancipation plans and condemned the slave trade in early writings.
What did Martin Luther say about slavery?
That slavery is inconsistent with the genius of republicanism, and has a tendency to destroy those principles on which it is supported, as it lessens the sense of the equal rights of mankind, and habituates us to tyranny and oppression.
What did Mark Twain say about slavery?
Twain was an adamant supporter of the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of slaves, even going so far as to say, "Lincoln's Proclamation ... not only set the black slaves free but set the white man free also".
What did Benjamin Franklin say before he died?
Benjamin Franklin's reported last words were, "A dying man can do nothing easy," uttered to his daughter Sarah who suggested he adjust his position in bed for comfort, just moments before he died on April 17, 1790, at age 84. These words reflect his characteristic wit and acceptance of death as a natural process, fitting for a man who often contemplated life and mortality.
What was Benjamin Franklin's moral code?
Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. JUSTICE.
What is Franklin's famous line?
Benjamin Franklin has many famous lines, but some of the most well-known are "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" and "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," alongside practical advice from Poor Richard's Almanack, like "Time is money" and "Well done is better than well said". His quotes cover themes of industry, virtue, and self-improvement, often emphasizing action over words.
Which president never freed his slaves?
Many U.S. Presidents did not free slaves, as slavery was legal and common, with prominent enslavers including Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, while others like John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln did not own slaves but faced complexities in their stances on emancipation. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in rebellious states, not all enslaved people, and many presidents supported the institution, never freeing those they enslaved.
What was Ben Franklin's most famous quote?
Benjamin Franklin's most famous quote is widely considered to be, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” from his 1789 letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, highlighting life's inevitabilities. Other very popular ones include, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" and "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety".
What did Benjamin Franklin think of Native Americans?
In an essay four decades later expressing unabashed admiration for the Iroquois, Franklin wrote: “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility; they think the same of theirs.”
What did Jesus say about slavery?
Jesus didn't directly condemn slavery in the Gospels, but used slaves as characters in parables (like the Parable of the Talents) and implicitly challenged the institution by emphasizing love, dignity, and freedom, declaring his mission was to "proclaim release to the captives" (Luke 4:18) and redefining relationships as "friends," not "servants" (John 15:15). His teachings promoted equality in Christ (Galatians 3:28), which undermined the hierarchies of slavery, and his focus on the oppressed highlighted the inherent injustice of bondage, suggesting it was incompatible with his Kingdom of God.
Who stopped slavery first in the world?
On March 16, 1792, Denmark became the first country to issue a decree to abolish their transatlantic slave trade from the start of 1803.
Which founding father did not own slaves?
Several Founding Fathers did not own slaves, including John Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, and Alexander Hamilton, all Northerners who generally opposed the institution, while others like Benjamin Franklin and John Jay started as slave owners but became prominent abolitionists later in life, contrasting with slaveholders like Jefferson and Washington who viewed it as a necessary evil, according to sources like Study.com.
Who was the first anti-slavery president?
His advocacy helped lay the groundwork for the abolition movement. Though he was president from 1825-1829, John Quincy Adams became known for his passionate anti-slavery advocacy in Congress.
Why did Jefferson never free his slaves?
So Jefferson was always under the cloud that he couldn't free his slaves because they could be seized by his debtors. Also, in 1806, a law was passed in Virginia that said if a person freed slaves, those slaves had to leave the state within one year or they'd be seized by the state [as slaves].
Was King George III anti-slavery?
Whilst his influence on the American war is well known, George III also used his position to influence policy regarding slavery and the slave trade. Despite his early protestations regarding the slave trade, George III (1760-1820) was a vociferous defender of both the transatlantic trade and slavery itself.
Who ended slavery in America?
On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states (three-fourths) ratified it by December 6, 1865.
What is Lincoln's famous quote in regard to slavery?
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it. I think Slavery is wrong, morally, and politically. I desire that it should be no further spread in these United States, and I should not object if it should gradually terminate in the whole Union.
Who convinced Abraham Lincoln to abolish slavery?
After all, Republicans had always argued that slavery was unconstitutional in national territories. Sumner hoped to pressure Lincoln into emancipating slaves immediately, and he suggested that the president could even compensate enslavers later, if he so desired.