Franklin’s Militia

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Benjamin Franklin and the Quakers had a very different ideological stance on the formation of a militia. This difference in opinion shows us the clash of their “mental worlds”. Ben Franklin’s push to raise a militia subverted the Quakers’ moral authority, thus leading to their withdrawal from the public arena. The Quaker’s inability to separate their religious dogma from secular necessities, along with some of their contradictions of principle forced them to leave public office over time. Also the Quakers could not keep consistency within their own community, some of them believing in defensive war, while others not.

In Ben Franklin’s essay Queries on a Pennsylvania Militia he asks the question “Whether from the Purity of our Lives and the Sanctity of our Manners, we have any more Reason to expect the immediate Protection of Heaven than the rest of our Neighbors?” (Franklin 224). The Quakers would most likely answer yes we do. They believe that God will save the colony of Pennsylvania. They have stated that God “for the sake of ten righteous Persons would have spared even the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,” (Kinsey, a). I believe we can safely assume that Franklin did not see it that way and because of this we can see the differing stances of these two groups of people. The Quakers believed religion would save them, while Franklin took a more pragmatic approach, believing that God would not come down from the heavens and spare Pennsylvania for the sake of ten righteous souls. We see a very different world view in these two answers and also part of the conflict that eventually leads to the Quakers withdrawal from the public arena. This conflict is the Quaker’s desire for a passive government, following the guidelines ...

... middle of paper ...

...using the Quakers personal embarrassment. This embarrassment is what eventually led to their falling out of the public arena.

Works Cited

1. Baird, Pat. “His Honour the Governor in Council…” The Pennsylvania Gazette 28 Aug. 1740

http://80-www.accessible.com.ezproxy.libraries.psu.edu

2. Franklin, Benjamin. Benjamin Franklin, Writings. Ed. J. A. Leo Lemay. New York: The Library of America, 1987.

3. Lawrie, Thomas. “On Wednesday last His Honour…” The Pennsylvania Gazette 29 Jan. 1740

http://80-www.accessible.com.ezproxy.libraries.psu.edu

4. Kinsey, John. “On Saturday last the following…” The Pennsylvania Gazette 22 Jan. 1740

http://80-www.accessible.com.ezproxy.libraries.psu.edu

5. Kinsey, John. “A Message to the Governor…” The Pennsylvania Gazette 4 Sept. 1740

http://80-www.accessible.com.ezproxy.libraries.psu.edu

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