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In this episode, we delve into the fascinating life of Benjamin Franklin with Colonel Bill Rutledge. As one of the most versatile founding fathers, Franklin’s contributions spanned from scientific inventions to diplomatic triumphs. Join us as Colonel Rutledge shares remarkable insights about Franklin’s early life, his storied kite experiment proving electricity, and his pivotal role in securing French support during the American Revolution. This conversation not only uncovers overlooked aspects of Franklin’s legacy but also draws connections between historical facts and modern-day learnings. We also pay tribute to the hardworking team behind The Kim Munson Show and express gratitude
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It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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And welcome to the Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You each are treasured, you’re valued, you have purpose. Today, strive for excellence, take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. And so grateful for this team that I work with. That’s producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa. Amanda and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. So it is the day after Thanksgiving. We are prerecording these shows for Thanksgiving week. And before we get into it, I always like to let you know how grateful I am for our sponsors. I’m so thankful. for Laramie Energy because it is reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant power from naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as oil, natural gas, and coal that powers our lives and fuels our hopes and dreams and empowers us to change our own personal climate to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And if you have any challenges with being warm in the winter or cool in the summer, be sure to reach out to Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling. All of that information is on my website. Hope that you had a great time with your family on Thanksgiving Day. And very grateful to have on the line with me, Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, 97 years young. He’s traveled the world. He has this curiosity for people and places in history. And we are blessed that he shares that with us. Colonel Rutledge, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, good morning, Kim. It’s a pleasure to be on.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it is great to have you. And you read constantly. And you said, Kim, I’m reading this really interesting book about Benjamin Franklin. And I thought, well, how appropriate that we would do a show on him. And you said, Kim, I think it’s two hours. So we’re doing hour one and hour two on Benjamin Franklin. And the paper that you sent over, you said, how does one define Benjamin? Benjamin Franklin. What would you say to that, Colonel Rutledge?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Benjamin Franklin was a very versatile man. He is known most frequently because of his association with electricity and where he and his son, William, went out and were flying their kite on very hazardous weather. And they proved that there was electricity in these clouds. And because of that decision, then this led to his writing down his premise that we should develop lightning rods. And he wrote this down. He hadn’t even made any. And some of his correspondents got to France. And the king over there directed that they use lightning rods on so many of their big buildings, so that in effect, the French were the first to implement his greatest creativity.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and what happened when they were flying that kite? I’ve always heard they were flying a kite. I guess I assumed that the lightning hit the kite and that the electricity traveled down the line as they were holding the kite. Is that what happened?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, that’s what happened. But because of that experiment, he then drew… in his own mind, a conjecture of something that could be done to protect people from this during a thunderstorm. And that was the overall evolution of the lightning rod. And, of course, it’s still in effect. It has been ever since he came up with that concept back in the early 1700s.
SPEAKER 04 :
Boy, that is really remarkable. And even though he really was such a contributor to the founding of our country, but sometimes he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s correct. And what’s so significant is that he was one of the 50-odd people that were in Philadelphia on the July the 4th, 1776, to be one of the signers. And He also, again, a rarity, was one of those who was in Philadelphia again to sign the Constitution a decade later. And he was the oldest to sign the Constitution. But he was a person who actually maintained a low profile in America. We think often of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Hamilton Because these were all very active in the American political environment. But Benjamin Franklin’s greatest contribution to us as a nation was his diplomatic relationships in France. Because he is the one who was representing us during the Revolutionary War. And during the early part, he was most instrumental in persuading the French government that they should become actual allies militarily and economically to support our gaining freedom from England. And, of course, people who knew much history realized that the French and the English had been fighting wars off and on all the way back to the Norman conquest. And we’re talking about 1066 AD. But they always had something going on. So they had just completed the French and Indian War, which in Europe was called the Seven Year War. So there was still this animosity. But nevertheless, he went in and when he got to France, he was most well received by the court. And he was the most instrumental individual who gained our support when we needed it so badly from the French.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, he’s probably considered maybe a Renaissance man, but tell us about his childhood. How did he grow up? What happened there?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, he was born in Boston in 1706. He was one of 10 children there. He was like sort of a third generation in that area. And generally in those days, people did not have very much mobility. They would stay usually in the area in which they were born. And if they had a large family, they would work together to make a livelihood. And he, as a young man, as a teenager, he had an older brother who had become a printer. And so he… he began an apprenticeship with his brother. Now, when we think of apprenticeship in our trade unions here in America, most of the apprenticeships are like three years or four years. My father was a three-year apprentice to work for the railroads when he was a child. But in those days, it was also like an indentured servant who would come to America. And those who did that, they had a seven-year apprenticeship. commitment. And Benjamin had a seven-year contract with his older brother to develop his capabilities to become a printer. However, he got tired of that relationship. So when he was 17, he left Boston. And there was a question on the part of his father’s whether he should go and get him and bring him back But he finally concluded that it was better just to let him go on. And so he went to Philadelphia, and with the skills he had already acquired, he was able to get a job in a printing shop down there.
SPEAKER 04 :
So, Colonel Rutledge, just a comment regarding indentured servant. Our family lore, if you will, family history, is that my great-grandmother, who immigrated from Germany during the Great Migration, that she came to America and basically was an indentured servant to a family in Omaha to pay off the cost of her passage on the ship to get to America. And I don’t know how many years it was. She eventually married my great-grandfather where he whisked her off to the plains of western Kansas. But I think it’s important that we make that point. When we talk about immigrants, And people coming here, it wasn’t government programs that brought people here and then took care of them. People worked their passages off. They got jobs. And I think it’s important to make that distinction, Colonel Rutledge.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it is. And in England, they had not only the concept, the indentured servants very often were, that was the concept, that you as an individual would have the right to sign an agreement with to go to America and work for your sponsor who had paid for your right to go over by the ship. But the English also had a concept of ridding themselves of anyone who was in prison. So often, if they weren’t going to have some fatal type treatment, but maybe they were just poor or they hadn’t paid their debts, there are any number of reasons And sometimes they even were mothers and children in jail. And then what the British would do, they would send them to America. And then later, after the Revolutionary War, they would send them to Australia and New Zealand. So it was an expansion of their colonial power and their empire by sending people to these areas to develop them. And yet… When they got there, they also had an indentured relationship, in many cases, with people who had come before them. So this situation lasted a long time, and it was still going on during the American Revolution. My wife’s great-great-great-great-grandparents came from Scotland, and they came… During the Revolution, they arrived in 1780 in North Carolina. Now, I don’t know if it was an indentured relationship or not, but the fact was that even during the Revolution, when you wouldn’t even think about people coming from the British Isles to America, it was actually happening.
SPEAKER 04 :
So, yeah. And I think it’s important to realize that. But again, there weren’t government programs when people were coming to America during the Revolution all the way up until modern day times. We’re talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge regarding Ben Franklin. We’re pre-recording these shows for the week of Thanksgiving. And I did want to mention… The USMC Memorial Foundation, as we are getting into the holidays, a wonderful gift is to buy a brick to honor your loved one’s military service or your military service. You can get information on how to do all that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. That’s usmcmemorialfoundation.org. And we are an independent voice. We’re independent because of all of your support and also our great sponsors. And the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Team wants you to feel safe and well-served and to understand your insurance coverage. Their office will respond to your call or text 24 hours a day. So for that 24-hour peace of mind, call Roger Mangan at 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, Roger Mangan’s team is there.
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SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And we are pre-recording these shows for Thanksgiving week. And before we continue the discussion with Colonel Bill Rutledge, I wanted to mention Hooters Restaurants, who’s been great sponsors of the show for years. many years, also sponsors America’s Veterans Stories. And while the family’s in town and you might want to get out of the house, but watch all the games, Hooters restaurants is a great place to do that. They have locations in Loveland, Westminster, and in Aurora on Parker Road. Colonel Bill Rutledge, you read this book regarding Benjamin Franklin. You said that there’s so much about this man that we need to learn And he’s kind of a quiet founding father. He doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as some of the other founding fathers. But let’s talk about him or continue him as a young boy. When he was an apprentice for his brother and was learning the trade, what was going on?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, to become a printer, you had to start off at the bottom where you were what was called a printer’s devil. And this was some reference to the heat. The printer’s devil, one of his principal jobs was to take type because the type was in lead. And if it was worn down, what he would do is take the old worn type and put it into some sort of a cauldron and melt it down and then pour it into molds. where they would have a mold for each of the capital letters and each for the smaller letters and also for numbers, anything that they would use in the printing process. So it was a very time-consuming project. But one of the interesting factors is that was the way they were doing it in the early 1700s. And I had a very close friend in Florida who did exactly the same thing in the 1940s when he went down to our local weekly paper and applied for a job, and they taught him to become a printer’s devil. So after they made the letters and he took them out of the mold, then they had what’s called a printer’s case, and it had little individual boxes for each of the letters and each of the numbers. so that it would be easy for the printer to know exactly where to get the printer and get the individual letter out when he was actually preparing a printer set before it got ready to run the prints. And we still use that terminology. I actually had an odd case where I was told to go take a course in printing when I was in the seventh grade, and I had no knowledge of it. But they showed us I didn’t have to be a printer’s devil, per se, but I had to work with a printer’s case, and the capitals all went up in the top of the case, and the others, the non-capital letters, would be in the lower part. And we had to learn which were the most common, and we found that E, the letter E, both capital and capital, lowercase, were used more frequently than any other letter. So the E box was the largest. And all of the capitals were in the upper part of the box of the case, and the others were below there. And as you know now, people will ask you when you’re doing an email address or some other item like that, and you’re spelling something out, They’ll say, is this uppercase or lowercase? And that’s what they’re referring to. The origin goes all the way back to Benjamin Franklin’s time and perhaps predates that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. It’s so great to connect this history to modern day life. But after Franklin leaves his brother and he goes to Philadelphia, what happened then?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, he was not there very long. when he got a job with a print shop. At the time, there were, I think, two printing shops in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was one of the larger towns along the coast. But we have to remember, so long ago, a larger town might be 3,000 or 4,000. So he went to Philadelphia, and he went to work for a printing company, which in that days, the printing company was composed of the owner, who was the printer, and he probably had someone acting as a printer’s devil for him, and that was about the extent of it. But he was so effective because of the experience he had gained in Boston. Well, Benjamin was so effective working with his boss in Philadelphia that his boss made a promise to him, and he told him that although he was only about 18 years old by this time, that he was going to send him to London to learn the latest technology in the printing business, because London would be the best place to go as a center. So what he would do, he would buy him a ticket to go aboard ship to go to London, and then when he got there, someone would meet him and would provide for his cost of living and escort him around and introduce him to the printers there and assist him in finding employment with some of the best printing companies. And so he did. He took his ticket, got aboard ship, went to London. But when he got there, he found that his boss was a liar. Nobody met him. There was no money. There was no job. There was nothing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Colonel Rutledge, why would his boss pay for passage over there, but yet lie about what was on the other side? That’s so curious to me.
SPEAKER 12 :
Nobody really could explain it, except apparently when he later came back from London, some of the other associates said, well, unfortunately… Before you left, we didn’t have a chance to talk to you and explain that your boss, he just lies. You can’t depend upon him. So he did get to London, and he went to work for one of the finest printing companies because of his skill. And that gave him an opportunity as a very young man to learn a great deal, not only about the printing business, but about the culture of London itself. So he could go places like the British Museum, to the theater districts, to the libraries. And he was an unknown from the colonies. So his contacts on his first trip to London were limited to the working class people. Later, he would go back where he was associating with people that were members of parliament. But on his first trip, It was all a learning process that he could transfer back and apply it when he returned.
SPEAKER 04 :
Colonel Rutledge, I think this is an important point to make for young people. So Franklin was very young when he was an apprentice, but he really applied himself. He learned the trade. Then when he moved to Philadelphia— He, again, because he had worked hard, he got a job. And then because he excelled at that, his boss noticed it, although his boss was a liar. So out of lemonade sometimes, or out of lemons, you can make lemonade. Benjamin Franklin gets to London and nothing is there for him, but he makes the best of it. And I think that we can take just great heart from just these little stories about Benjamin Franklin as a young man, Colonel Rutledge.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think that’s true and has always been true. When you’re young and you have an opportunity to take a job, you should do it. It is not necessarily going to be a career, but it’s a starting thing. And it starts you off in working a relationship with a supervisor, serving the public, or doing production. But you have to start somewhere. And the younger, really the better. Most of our really accomplished leaders, you think about Edison and Ford and all, all these other people who were great inventors and developers in America. Not one of them had finished high school, and none of them had gone to college. But they were brilliant people who started at the bottom in their trade.
SPEAKER 04 :
And they learned their trade, which is so amazing. So Franklin is in London for a couple years. He comes back to Philadelphia. What happens then?
SPEAKER 12 :
When he came back to Philadelphia, he took a job. at the other printer shop. He didn’t go back to the man who’d sent him to England. He actually became in competition with him in the Philadelphia printing business. And after about two or three more years, he found another young man who would work with him, and they formed their own company. So by the time Benjamin Franklin was, say, 25 or 26, he had his own independent printing company in Philadelphia. And when people would ask him in later years about, well, what are you? Because he, by that time, was well-known and was versatile and did many things. He said, I am a printer, which he was. And as he joined with this other gentleman, he found that he could expand the printing business by establishing his own paper, a newspaper. So he did that. And he did that, and he also established an annual almanac. And he did things which were creative. But with his newspaper, he took the opportunity to develop his writing skills. And he did some things which are, I mean, they’re traditional today, but they weren’t then. He established what was basically an editorial page, where he put down his opinions. And he also did something that’s similar to the articles and columns that we’ve had in the papers that date back to Dear Abby, and what it was, it was like letters to the editor. And sometimes if he didn’t have enough letters coming in from other people, he would just create the situation. He would write a letter as though he was John Brown, and then he would later, he’d print that. And then in the next copy, he would write a reply as though he were John Brown, and he was answering the letter that had been sent to Mr. Brown. So He sometimes would make it very interesting, and people would ask him, well, why do you do this? And he said, because it sells papers.
SPEAKER 04 :
all the way back then. We’re talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, about Benjamin Franklin. We get to have these discussions. It’s always fun to have these special shows that we prerecord for Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, Easter week, and the Fourth of July week. And we get to do this because of our great sponsors. And the Second Syndicate is doing such great work to protect our right to keep and bear firearms.
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SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. We are pre-recording these shows for the week of Thanksgiving, doing special shows, special subjects with special guests. Before we get back to Colonel Bill Rutledge, just a quick question. Do you have big dreams for your future, but you’re not quite sure how to get there? Call our friends at Mint Financial Strategies. They know your financial life is unique and as an independent firm and an accredited investment fiduciary, Thank you so much for joining us. We’re talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge. He is 97 years young, retired United States Air Force, and a great curiosity of people and places and history, an avid reader. And he read a book about Benjamin Franklin. He said, Kim, he is such an interesting person. And I said, how about let’s do a show, actually both hours, hour one and hour two, for this Friday after Thanksgiving. So, Colonel Rutledge, Franklin has returned back to Philadelphia. He is a printer. He started his newspaper. What happens next?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, he settled down in Philadelphia. He was not well known beyond the city itself, but he’s started living a normal life, except for his creativity. So what happened was, first of all, he fathered an illegitimate son named William, who later became the royal governor of New Jersey. Then he began a lifelong common law marriage with Deborah Reed. Deborah Reed had been married twice. And her husband just abandoned her. He left. He was gone. Well, that was an era when there was not a lot of court procedures. There was nothing to do for her to get a legal divorce. But common law is still in practice in many parts of the world, and some places probably in the States, where the key determination is if… two men and a woman declare that they are married, and she changes her name, and she starts signing things with the same last name as he. This was done now in the earlier days, because there was no civil operation. There was no civil government in many of our rural areas. There was no church relations. But once this commitment was made, it was it was accepted as a common law marriage. So he had this common law marriage, and he honored it for the rest of her life. And they had two children, Frankie and Sally.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now, were Frankie and Sally her children before Franklin?
SPEAKER 12 :
No, no, no. She had no children by this first marriage to Mr. Reed. He just left. So they became the family, and they built their home there in Philadelphia. And so they had the two children, Frankie and Sally. Now, Frankie, unfortunately, died at the age of four from smallpox. Now, smallpox was a really common problem in those days, and it was more prevalent in port cities. And, of course, Philadelphia was one of the major port cities in America. It also happened in Boston. And what happened frequently, ships would come in from overseas, And then the sailors would come and mill with the people in town. And before long, a contagion had started. And in some cases, 10 or maybe even more, 10 percent or 20 percent of some populations were decimated and they died. Maybe far more of them may have had smallpox, but it was a very catastrophic disease. And yet, by the time we got to the American Revolution, George Washington insisted upon his soldiers, when he was spending his winter in Pennsylvania, he had them take inoculations. Now, there were a few cases of people who died, but the vast majority of people were protected. And one of the reasons he did it was because he had had smallpox when he was a teenager. aboard a ship in the Caribbean.
SPEAKER 04 :
Colonel Rutledge, as you were saying this, I was just reflecting about the narrative out there that has blamed the white man, the Europeans coming to the Western Hemisphere and with the diseases that killed Indian populations, which is true. But As you are mentioning this regarding Frankie dying from smallpox, it also happened to the colonists as well. So just to say that it just happened to one population, I think is important that we understand that it actually happened to more populations.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think this is a very important factor to be considered because so many historians have just dwelt upon the idea of Europeans coming over and that the natives had no resistance to the disease. That was true. But they always ignored the fact that maybe in many cases there were just as many colonial citizens, or maybe in some cases more, who died from contagions that were brought in by ship than the natives who were out, especially those who were west of the Appalachian Mountains. who weren’t even exposed. So during the early days, say the 1700s, I would think probably more colonial citizens would have probably died from these contagions than any of the Indian tribes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Boy, this is the first time that I’ve ever heard anybody connect that dot. I’m sure people have, but, uh, I think that’s a, that’s a big aha here. Now, education was always important to Franklin. He was a self-educated man pretty much though. Yes.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, he was, but he, he was so, so unique in his perception of things that he, um, Because of his business success, he was able to be more influential in the city. And he made contributions, very nominal, to establish a university, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. And one of the interesting parts about that is that they have a big track at the University of Pennsylvania, and it’s called Franklin Field University.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. But reading was important. He had a lot of great contributions to Philadelphia, yes?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. And he was one of the creators of the public library system in the city. He also realized that the firefighting capabilities were not good, so he helped organize a fire department with people trained to actually fire. go and fight the fires. And the days before that, and even later up in New England, the practice was that in each of the homes, people used to have a big bucket near their door, and they would take the bucket with them whenever they heard that there was a fire in the neighborhood. So all the neighbors took their buckets to help put water in them, and they’d get a regular chain of people going from the source of water to fight the fire. So he was sort of modernizing what was already in existence there. But it was his creativity during that era that just he would go from one subject to the next. And we’ve talked briefly about the kites and the thunderstorms and the development of the lightning rods. But also one thing we don’t talk about very much The Franklin stove. I had heard of the Franklin stove, but I had surmised that this was probably something that was used in the 1700s and was gone. I had never seen anything. I’d never seen it advertised in America. So what was a Franklin stove? What did it look like? A Franklin stove was a metal stove that stood alone. It was not in a fireplace. It was out, but it used a flue. to connect to either a fireplace or to just go straight out a window or up a roof to take the fumes. But the idea was that because it stood alone, it was separate and out away from a wall. First of all, it did not create the fire hazard that an open fireplace would have. Secondarily, by having a closed window, and it was metal, it would radiate much more heat so that they would use either wood or coal and put it in there, put it in the container, get it lighted. It had a top on it. It would close. Now it would have just enough vent so it would get enough oxygen to burn. And I’d never seen one or heard of one until I was in Germany in the 1960s, and I was visiting a German home. And they had a beautiful stove in their living room, and it sat away from the wall. And I was admiring it. It was a beautiful blue enamel. And I said, what is this? And they said, this is a Franklin. Wow. And I said, you mean Benjamin Franklin? They said, yes. I said, we’ve had these for a long, long time in Germany. And he said, they’re great. And it was very warm, and it was pretty. And I thought, it’s amazing that we Americans had completely forgotten about something like that, but it was still in use, and it was very practical. But then again, we thought a lot of things were developed long, long ago, and we just have taken them for granted and forgot about their origins. But that was one of his great contributions. And it wasn’t just to us. It was around the world. Wow.
SPEAKER 04 :
In 1960. That’s just amazing. A couple of other things that he did that you put in your notes was he introduced Night Watchman in Philadelphia.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, that’s correct. And, of course, it was a city. It was a port city. And he felt that it was very important. to have a man going around in the evening as a watchman. But a part of that whole package was to establish streetlights. So they had streetlights in there. And, of course, this was before the electricity program was. So they used oil. And what they used was oil from the whaling industry. And it was a huge industry because… We didn’t get oil out of the ground in America. Until 1859.
SPEAKER 04 :
But oil out of the ground actually helped save the whales. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. Now the only problem the whales have are those crazy windmills.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly. So, Colonel Rutledge, let’s go to break. We’re talking about Benjamin Franklin. And it’s fun to get to do this. And we get to because of our sponsors for Everything Mortgages. Reach out to Lauren Levy. Thank you.
SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
April 26th, 1777. Colonel, the British are raiding Danbury and burning the town. I’ll go tell them. 16-year-old Sybil Ludington mounted her horse and rode 40 miles through night and pouring rain. That’s twice the distance of Paul Revere to sound the alarm.
SPEAKER 01 :
Quickly, assemble at my father’s house.
SPEAKER 10 :
The Kim Monson Show is our modern-day Sybil Ludington, bringing us the latest breaking news in the battle for truth and freedom. Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling is proud to stand with Kim. Will you stand with us? Get engaged with the issue that keeps you up at night so that you can influence your school and community with truth and justice. And for quality craftsmanship at a fair price, call or text Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling at 303-995-1636. That number again is 303-995-1636.
SPEAKER 02 :
Do you strive for excellence as you work with your clients and customers? Does it make sense for you to add a unique and focused branding opportunity to your marketing portfolio? Would you like to access a broad customer base that loves our country and wants to make life better for ourselves, our neighbors, our colleagues, our children and our grandchildren? Then you may be a perfect fit as a sponsor slash partner of The Kim Monson Show. To learn more, reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again, that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And a nonprofit that I dearly love and support is the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. You should put it on your bucket list to take the kids down there over Christmas break or over these breaks. to see the Portraits of Valor. The center focuses on these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. They’re non-political, non-partisan, but just really believe in these principles that are so foundational to our country. We are pre-recording our shows for Thanksgiving week, and on the line with me is Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, 97 years young. We’re talking about Benjamin Franklin, and he was just such an interesting man, a creator, a printer, but he eventually retired at a pretty young age from the printing business, yes?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. By 1748, he had now reached the age of 42, and he was financially independent because of the success of his printing businesses and contracts that they had made for companies and with other printing out organizations. And he established this web that provided a steady income of him for decades in the future. Now, this gave him a freedom to travel and to do other things that were more interesting to him or his family and ultimately to become one of America’s greater diplomats. So in 1857, he decided that he would take one of his grandsons, no, take his son William with him, and he made his first trip back to London since he had left there at age 22. But in 1757, this was right in the middle of the French and Indian War, and the war in Europe, which was at the time called the Seven Year War. So he was leaving America during a wartime era in which the fighting was being done between the French and the British, but he was going back to England and was having no direct contact with the French. But he took his grandson along with him. Or you said his son, William, right? His son, I’m sorry, William. However, when he got to London, it gave him the opportunity to let his son gain the experience of many wealthy people in Europe, especially in the English side, where they used to call it the Grand Tour, where they would go over to the mainland of Europe and visit other parts, such as Italy and France and Spain and others. and broadened their understanding. So they arrived there in 1757, and they began this grand tour where by this time, Franklin had gained the reputation because of his creativity, and especially with the electricity, and also with the stove and other things which he had done which made him more famous. But the electrical research opened the door to him so that many of the people in the scientific field in England were very receptive to talking to him and letting him be their very close associates. And this included many people who are members of Parliament. So he had the entree to be representing American colonial interest, but he was not, at that time, he was definitely a strong royalist. He was not seeking any independence. He just was there to gain more knowledge for himself, and especially for his son. And his son, obviously, was a very smart young man, and because of his exposures, then later upon their return to America, five years later, then he would be appointed as the royal governor of New Jersey, the whole colony of New Jersey. And that was William, right? That was William, correct. So it showed how these contacts were made subsequent to this period of two decades of his creations and inventions and scientific discoveries so that he became an international celebrity. And so he was sought after for his ideas just as much as he was seeking information that would broaden his perspective from the English research side. So it was a great time for him and a great time for William. And they stayed there and did not return to the state’s until 1762. So they were away for five years, and it was a great time to have been learning things. And it was just about the time when the French and Indian War slash Seven Year War was winding down. So it was this peaceful era. And it was also the introduction, though, of the parliamentary concept that those colonial people over there in America, they should be paying for this war and for the defense of their property. Now, it never seemed to get a point to Parliament that what happened is, yes, the Americans were there, but they were on the front line with the French and the Indians and all during the war. And as a result, they helped contribute to doubling the size of the British Empire with the conclusion of that war.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and this is where things started to go south between Britain and the colonists, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, correct. And it’s where the English felt that we should be paying taxes and doing everything we could to help them financially, since they viewed that they had sent Redcoats and Hessians over to protect us, but they were also sending them over there to protect their colonial interest.
SPEAKER 04 :
It seems like we see that typical politicians, they may have one agenda, but they’re saying something else. That even happens in 2025 America. So they started implementing taxes on the colonists, yes?
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s correct. And This was just starting when they got back. In 1764, Benjamin Franklin and his son William returned from England. They’d been there for five years. Also, his son had been appointed to become the royal governor of New Jersey. So upon their arrival, he assumed that responsibility. At the same time, because of the war with the French, between the French and the English, and especially this case for possession of Canada and America. It was very important that the British pay for it. Well, they felt that the best way to do that was to require the Americans to share in that responsibility with a taxing procedure. And the one that they came up with initially was what was called the Stamp Act. And the Stamp Act required using these stamps, which were mailed to America and were given to their tax collectors over here. And they had to be affixed to all legal documents and many items that were sold. And the concept was such that And so extensive that there was an immediate great response in America. So the people who were in business or anyone who was affected were very much concerned. And as a result of that, there was an organization which was called the Sons of Liberty, which was formed by Samuel Adams and others. It expanded all over, but it was primarily concentrated in Massachusetts. And it was to resist these actions on the part of the British. And that’s when they started with these comments about no taxation without representation. And that was attributed to Samuel Adams, because what it was referring to is that Parliament was making these decisions that were affecting only the Americans. But we had no voice in Parliament. We never had one representative from America to speak on behalf of our people.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. Colonel Rutledge, we are out of time for our number one. We’ll come back with our number two. Our quote for the end of the show is from Benjamin Franklin. He said this. He who would trade liberty for some temporary security deserves neither liberty nor security. So, my friends, today be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for hour number two.
SPEAKER 13 :
To this great. And I don’t want no one to cry But tell them if I don’t survive
SPEAKER 14 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ Management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 04 :
An early childhood taxing district? What on earth is that?
SPEAKER 09 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t think that we should be passing legislation that is so complicated that people kind of throw up their hands and say, I can’t understand that.
SPEAKER 09 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 04 :
And it’s not fair just because you’re a big business that you get a break on this and the little guy doesn’t.
SPEAKER 09 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome to our number two of the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. The show podcast, you can find those there, as well as Spotify and iTunes. And I want to say thank you to Laramie Energy for their gold sponsorship of the show, because it is reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant power from naturally occurring hydrocarbons, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, that powers our lives, fuels our hopes and dreams, and empowers us to change our own personal climate. We are doing part two of Benjamin Franklin with Colonel Bill Rutledge. He recently read a book, extensive book on Benjamin Franklin. And we thought this would be a great show for the day after Thanksgiving. We pre-record these shows for the week of Thanksgiving. And we’re talking about Benjamin Franklin and Colonel Rutledge. First of all, welcome. I learned so much from you and I so appreciate you sharing all of this with us.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, thank you. I learn more than I can even share.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that’s why you’re 97 years young. But let’s continue on with Franklin. Things are getting hot, or beginning to get hot, between the colonists and the English, the Britons. So what happens then?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, take yourself back to London in 1764, and the atmosphere there is one of mixed emotions. because they were just winding up the war with France, which we call the French and Indian War, and they had acquired all of Canada, as well as the maritime provinces, which were separate at that time, like Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. And they were recognizing the magnitude of their debts that they had incurred, and they felt that the Americans should be sharing and perhaps paying millions of the lion’s portion of the debts through a taxing process. So their first effort was the Stamp Act. Now, the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament without any consultation with any people in America, but it had a delayed effective date so that there was time for them to do their homework on it. Well, during that time, Benjamin Franklin and his son, William, had just arrived back in London. And because of his prior contacts and also because of his reputation as an inventor and a philosopher and a person of multi-talents, he had entrance to so many influential members of Parliament. And he was given the unique experience of having an opportunity as a colonial to speak on the floor of Parliament to the parliamentarians about the dire consequences that would follow if the Stamp Act were actually implemented. It’s hard to determine whether Franklin’s speech to the members of Parliament was a deciding factor. But ultimately, the Stamp Act did not go into effect. So we had a breath of fresh air for a short time. However, shortly thereafter, there was a change in the prime minister, who is now Mr. Townsend. And he had a very strong opinion that the Americans should absolutely be taxed to the point of helping to pay for the program, for the war itself. And so during this time, actually Franklin was over there from 1764 up until the spring of 1775. And during that time, there were many types of actions that were relevant. Now, it wasn’t included in this particular story, but it was included in another book that, while Franklin was still there, we had a situation where there were greater activities, especially in Massachusetts and Boston, whereby the colonial people were very much opposed to the British actions in the taxing And so what had happened, Mr. Townsend had sent Redcoats, their army, and some Hessians who were paid warriors from Germany, and they were in Boston. And it was almost Boston was very similar to martial law, where the British presence and their general pretty well decided what was going on. the first evidence of this and again franklin was still overseas was what was called the boston massacre now the terminology is way overborne it’s what happened was the the british army and it was only like a platoon a small group of soldiers were in downtown boston And a lot of the colonial people were rebellious and were very much opposed to it. And they were antagonizing the soldiers. And what eventually happened is some of the colonials may or may not have fired the first shot. But anyhow, there was an exchange of fire in Boston. And a few people… We’re killed. Well, and Boston, it was close to Boston, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it Lexington and Concord? No, no, this was before that. Oh, okay, okay. This was in 1700. I’m sorry, 17 what?
SPEAKER 1 :
1770.
SPEAKER 12 :
So it was called the Boston Massacre. Okay. But it was a misnomer, but the name was used throughout the colonies to imply that this was a much greater killing situation. But it was really provoked by the local people who were making threats against the armed soldiers. And so anyhow, there were probably five or six people killed and a few other wounded, but it was nothing to be called a massacre. Nevertheless, the British officer was charged with the responsibility, and he was defended by John Adams, our second president. And John Adams was a graduate of Harvard and also a member of the bar. So he defended him, and he was found not guilty because the colonial people had been the ones who’d started the action. So that was one of the things that happened. Then this meant a few more redcoats were brought into Boston. And then by 1773, in December, we had the Boston Tea Party again. Franklin is still in London, but these things are happening, and he’s getting word as it comes back to him about this animosity that has grown back in his home area. And so in 1773, when all the teapots from three different British ships that had come in loaded with tea were thrown into the water, This was done by the Sons of Liberty, created by Samuel Adams, who was a cousin of John Adams. And they, of course, we know from our history books, dressed up as though they were Indians. And so they actually tossed it in. And Parliament then said, we will close the port of Boston until you pay for the teat. Well, this reaction came all up and down the East Coast for these other ports. And the most extreme situation happened down at Annapolis, Maryland, where the people went out, the Sons of Liberty, and captured the British commercial ship that had come in there. They took the boxes of tea and threw them in the water. And since they had no other instructions from anybody else and they were pretty mad, they burned the ship.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, boy. Okay. Let’s keep that as our cliffhanger. I did not know this part at all, Colonel Rutledge. This is fascinating. And I’m talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge. We get to have these conversations because of our great sponsors. And I am blessed to work with amazing people as our sponsors of the show. We have two of them on right now, and that is Teddy Collins and Alicia Garcia. They are with Spartan Defense, as well as the co-founders of the Second Syndicate, bringing all these different voices together to protect our Second Amendment rights. And Alicia Garcia, welcome. Good morning. And you also have another business, and that is Concealed Carry of Denver, correct? Concealed Carry Classes of Denver, yes. Okay. And people can get that information on my website. But I would think a very nice gift during this holiday season would be to get some classes for your loved ones so that they can protect themselves against bad actors.
SPEAKER 18 :
Absolutely. And for a lot of people out there, I think that they don’t understand that concealed carry is an art form. So it’s something that requires a lot of dedication and education. The requirements that we have right now for the state require that people take an eight-hour class, but the truth is… You should be taking way more than that. So training is the best investment you can make for yourself. So if you believe in the Second Amendment and you want to be better with your firearm or you have somebody in your life that you want to protect, get them a gift certificate and have them come on down and get some training.
SPEAKER 04 :
And what is that website, Alicia Garcia? It is concealedcarryclassdenver.com. And both of you are with Spartan Defense, which is a firearm store in Colorado Springs. Teddy, you moved to Colorado to start the business of Spartan Defense, correct?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, that’s right, Kim.
SPEAKER 04 :
And this, we’re pre-recording all these shows for Thanksgiving week, and this is broadcasting on the day after Thanksgiving, which is Black Friday. And so by this time in the day, well, actually, this will be about 7-10, so people will be able to get a whole bunch of information about this. What’s happening on Black Friday at Spartan Defense, Teddy?
SPEAKER 05 :
So we’re opening up at 8 a.m., starting to give away prizes at 6.30 a.m. We’ll be giving away everything from firearms to suppressors to body armor to knives, all kinds of goodies and swag. First 100 people are going to receive breakfast burritos and hot cocoa. And then we’ll be open all the way until 8 p.m. tonight. So those of you who may not have been able to make it this morning, come out and join us. The deals will go fast. all the way through Cyber Monday. So come on down to Spartan, support local, get some of the best deals out there. We’ll match any Black Friday deal out there, monetary value on a firearm as long as it’s above our cost. Definitely something you don’t want to miss. We’ve got the best selection in the state of some of the craziest guns you’ve ever seen. So come on down.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. And you are located where in Colorado Springs?
SPEAKER 05 :
6130 Barnes Road. That’s Spartan Defense Armory and Training off of Powers on Barnes and Tutt.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Now, Alicia, we’ve got just a couple of minutes left. And the work that you’re doing with the Second Syndicate is so important. And you are, I think you still have this drawing going on. If people contribute, their name will go into a drawing. And then contribute towards helping an educator go through the FASTER program and also outfitting them with holster firearm and all that. This is so important. And so how can people help with this and also get their name into the drawing for a really cool firearm?
SPEAKER 18 :
what they can do is if they donate any more five dollars or more we will do a drawing for a custom engraved uh oh no wait yes custom engraved springfield 1911 courtesy of the damage factory on the day after christmas so if they go and they can go to operation armed educators on give send go i believe it’s operation educators on give send go they can also find those links on all of our social media platforms as well as our website And if they donate to that cause, they are entered into a giveaway to win that custom gun.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the website is the2ndsyndicate.com. Teddy, we’ve got just about 30 seconds left. We are excited about the holidays, Black Friday, all these things. We’re going to have work to do, though, when this legislative session convenes right after the first of the year. You and Alicia and the Second Syndicate are going to be there. At the Capitol, working to protect our Second Amendment rights, and I thank you for that. So that’s going to happen quite soon, yes? And that’s what we’re getting ready for.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s coming up. And just one more thing I wanted to state, guys, for those of you who missed this morning, this Black Friday morning for the prizes at the door, we’ll also be giving out prizes in the afternoon for people that come by. We’re giving away an Alpha Foxtrot 2011 today on Black Friday. We’ll also be giving away a Terran Tactical AR-15 on Monday. And for New Year’s, you’ll be entered as well for coming by the store and shopping with us. You’ll be entered to get it. Honey Badger SD from Q. It’s about a $4,000 AR-15. Other chances to win.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the website is SpartanDefense.com. Teddy, Alicia, I wish you a very great holiday season, and we’ll talk next week.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, ma’am. Thank you, Kim. You as well, Kim.
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Monson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to the Kim Monson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m. with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at KimMonson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And if you’re craving real New York-style pizza and pasta, Little Richie’s and Parker and Golden have you covered. Authentic New York flavor with Colorado roots. From daily specials and weekday lunch deals to a happy hour worth planning around, They are your neighborhood favorite, and they’re always serving up something worth stopping for. And during Thanksgiving week, we are pre-recording these shows with special subjects and special guests. We’re talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge, 97 years young, retired United States Air Force, regarding Benjamin Franklin. And Benjamin Franklin had been in London. Things are heating up over in America. The Sons of Liberty burn a ship in… Was it Charleston or Annapolis? Annapolis. Annapolis. And so at that point, Franklin thinks, I need to leave London and go back to America.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s correct. And one of the interesting things on this particular trip, Franklin was always motivated by science. And he had noted when he had been to Europe on two other occasions that that the current in some parts of the North Atlantic seemed to be going against the ship if it was trying to come back to America. And really what it was, it was a Gulf Stream, but nobody knew about it. And what he would do, he would take soundings from his ship to find out what the temperature of the water was and also temperature. how deep this warmer water may or may not be, and he actually did a diagram that was not published or anything in that era, but some of his descendants recognized what he had done and spoke about it later, and it turned out that he was basically following the Gulf stream, and of course he was going against the tidal direction when he came back to America. But going over the Gulf Stream enhances the sailing ship by going quicker. So it’s easier and faster to go from America to England by sail than it is the other way. And so a lot of this was occurring. And then he got back to Philadelphia and Just a few days after we had had confrontation in Massachusetts where the Redcoats went to Lexington on their way to Concord. They were going to Concord because there was a big supply of gunpowder and weapons out there. And that was their objective, but they had to go through Lexington. And in so doing, the so-called Minutemen, that is, men who were called very quickly, many of whom were at the pub across the street from the Lexington Green, they came out with their weapons and put up a front to stop the British from going to Concord. However, the British officer in charge insisted that they lay their guns down and back off. They refused to do that. And so, therefore, we had the Battle of Lexington, which was later referred to as Shot Heard All Around the World. And all of this was occurring there on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775. And after Lexington, they went on to Concord. They either confiscated or destroyed what was out there, but they had to come back the same route. And when they did, there were many hundreds of American colonials who had gotten their rifles and were in trees and nearby, but they were all along the route that the Redcoats had to come back. So the Redcoats lost far more of their soldiers on their return than any damage they did to the Americans going out there.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the English commander referred to that as a Pyrrhic victory, which means it was named a victory, but their losses were so significant that the colonists inflicted that they said, we can’t have too many victories like that. So at this time, Franklin is moving away from being a royalist to realizing that he was probably moving towards independence for America, yes?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. After getting back to Philadelphia and seeing what had transcribed, he transpired. He recognized that this was getting out of hand, and he’d always hoped for reconciliation. Now, the thing we have to recognize is that in 1775, even after this occurred, and when the colonial representatives came back to Philadelphia, there was still hope that they were able to turn the corner and still continue to be a part of the British Empire. It took that year of 1775 towards 1776 and the things which occurred during that period that convinced Franklin and many, many Americans, that this was going to have to become a war of independence. So in 1775, then when they gathered in Philadelphia, this is when they had to make a decision as to whether they were going to bear arms or not. And when they came back there, they met, and they had representatives from the various colonies, And they decided that they were going to have to appoint someone to be in charge of the defense of America. And that’s when George Washington showed up in Philadelphia as a representative from Virginia. And George very wisely had on his dress uniform that he had worn during the French and Indian War and also when he had become basically the equivalent of a brigadier general in the militia for the state of Virginia. So he was the most experienced, most qualified man. And so consequently, the Continental Congress appointed him in June of 1775 to become in charge of what would develop into the Continental Congress. which would be a collection of all these various untrained militia members from around the various colonies. And he was to report to Cambridge because Boston was under siege and Cambridge is just on the periphery. So the first week in July 1775, George Washington appeared at and they made that his headquarters. And the British at that time, the British general, he had pulled his forces back to Boston so that they could be better accommodated as far as their living conditions and to be more secure and also be closer to the port where they could get more soldiers coming in and more supplies. So actually… It’s hard to say that Boston was a siege, but Boston was most assuredly under martial law, and the general was controlling everything.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so we’re going to leave this segment at that, Colonel Rutledge. So hold on, Colonel Rutledge. We’re going to go to break, and we’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 01 :
All Kim’s sponsors are in inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmonson.com. And are you ready for your financial freedom? We talk about freedom all the time. Well, call our friends at Mint Financial Strategies. As an independent firm and an accredited investment fiduciary, they always put your interests first. Mint means more than money. It stands for meaningful relationship, information sharing, a network of smart strategies, and a thoughtful advisor who puts you in control. No cookie cutter plans. Everything is tailored to you. So call Mint Financial Strategies today. That number is 303-285-3080. 303-285-3080. And for this week of Thanksgiving, we are pre-recording special shows with special guests. We’re talking with 97-year-young Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, regarding Benjamin Franklin. And so we are in July of 1775, and George Washington has entered the stage.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. George has arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is where Harvard is located. And in those days, it was the perimeter of Boston. It’s actually sort of north and west of the main part of the city. And when he got there, of course, the British had all their troops and things in the city itself. They weren’t extended out. They had already had the battle a few weeks before then, the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which The British were victorious, but they also had a lot of casualties. And General Howe pulled them back and was eventually going to maintain martial law and control. However, it turned out that by July of 1775 and the arrival of Washington, he was able to assemble a sizable number of militia members from New England, and they were sort of on a perimeter all around Boston, but they weren’t making any offensive actions towards him because they weren’t that strong. Then one of those odd coincidences occurred. A gentleman named… Well, he was a bookseller there, and his name was Knox. And he had a fascination with military things. And he had learned that the Vermont Green Mountain Boys had taken Fort Ticonderoga and that there were a lot of cannon over there. And he approached Washington and said, would it be all right with you if I tried to go get— the guns from Ticonderoga and bring them to you. Washington gave his approval, not thinking that anything would come of this. Well, it turned out that this young man also got some financial support and perhaps maybe some other physical support from John Hancock, because John Hancock was the richest man in Boston, and he had a great vested interest in the protection of Boston. So what happened was things sort of stabilized throughout the fall and winter of 1775, 1776, with Washington still on the outside of Boston. In March, and during the winter, Knox came back with the cannons, and there was a bunch of them, and they were not shown. They were kept back away so that the British did not know that the cannons had arrived in the area. Washington then arranged to go at night and have some of his soldiers go out and build foundations that they could put the guns on to aim them directly from higher ground into Boston. But the guns were not moved forward. It was just done at night. And so the general had no idea. So in March, Washington decided he was going to move all of the guns up one night. And he did. And he moved all of the cannon and put them in a place so that they were on this high ground and they could shoot into the city of Boston. What happened was one morning, General Howe, when he woke up and came out, he was alerted by his staff that we can see cannon from left to right from that high ground over there, and they’re all pointing to us. When General Howe conferred with General Washington, Washington agreed to withhold firing upon the city in order to give Howe time to evacuate his troops from and the Tories or the Americans who were loyal to the crown to evacuate them from Boston. This is not covered in most books. So this was agreed upon. But before they left, they pillaged and damaged the city of Boston terribly. And they started a lot of fires. There was a tremendous amount of damage. But they got on their British ships. And they took many, many hundreds of families that were loyal to the crown, as well as all of their British soldiers. And they shipped out and went to Halifax, Nova Scotia. So then when they were all gone, then Washington and the various militia members under his control went into Boston. And they had to fight fires. They had to do all sorts of things. Well, this is where John Hancock came in. John Hancock was the greatest financial magnate in New England. And he also was a very compassionate patriot. So he used a lot of his money and a lot of his contacts to put out fires and to try to salvage so many things and even to start to rebuild and repair buildings. His presence was very, very important to restoring Boston to an operational community, even down to the shipyards, because he had an interest in all of the commerce going between England and Boston specifically. So this was all transpiring in that period. And this, again, was in the spring, late spring of 1776. Okay. So we’re moving towards independence.
SPEAKER 04 :
So that’s the spring of 1776. We get to July of 1776. Connect that dot for us, Colonel Rutledge. Well, in the spring of 1776, Franklin was representing—
SPEAKER 12 :
He was one of the representatives from Pennsylvania, and that was assembled in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress. And after what had transpired that spring before, and there had been more conflict with the British, they had to meet there, and they had made a decision that they were going to prepare – a declaration of independence. And they had sufficient support from all of the 13 colonies to pursue it. Now, there were some people who were opposed and still wanted to be a part of the empire, but nevertheless, they had a majority representation present. So in June, they started working on preparing a declaration of independence. And the person who was presiding there was John Hancock, who had been so helpful in trying to restore Boston. And the reason John Hancock was there is that he was, like a chief executive officer, a big business today. He was the most prosperous person in New England, but he was a true patriot, and he was extremely well organized. So he appointed a committee of five to prepare a Declaration of Independence. John Adams and, of course, Franklin was there as a consultant also. But Jefferson and Adams were the two contributors who had most of the ideas. Adams would like to have done it, but he deferred to Jefferson because he felt that Jefferson was the better writer. Nevertheless, Adams and Franklin were editors. who proofed the Declaration as it was being prepared. And one of the provisions that was initially in the plan for the Declaration of Independence was to outlaw slavery. This was recommended by Franklin. They could not get enough support to have that, so that was removed from the draft. There were other… controversial issues, of course, and wordings that were changed so that there was an editing process. Frank, actually, Jefferson maintained a personal copy of what he had written, and he kept that, and later that came to light. There were a lot more changes than we had realized.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. But with that, Franklin does become one of the 56 signers to the Declaration.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s correct. And they agreed on it on a final draft on the 4th of July, 1776. But only one person signed the original that day, and that was John Hancock. And he did it because he was working in the capacity of chairman for the whole gathered group. They were to make… other many copies shortly thereafter, in which everyone would get their signatures. So in the copies that we see of those 56 people, it still shows John Hancock as the first signer, and his signature is the boldest of them all.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and with that, Franklin had a great sense of humor, but it was true as well. As they put their names on that document, they knew that they were potentially signing away their lives because of treason. And he said, we must all hang together or we will hang separately. And with that, we’re going to go to break and complete our discussion of Benjamin Franklin with Colonel Bill Rutledge. We will be right back.
SPEAKER 06 :
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SPEAKER 17 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you so much for having me. To learn more, reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again, that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmonson.com. We are pre-recording the shows for this week of Thanksgiving week with special guests and special subjects. Before we get back into it, I would really recommend that you support, as we’re getting into year end, two organizations, the USMC Memorial Foundation and as they are taking care of the Marine Memorial out in Golden, Colorado, and raising the money for the remodel. And then the Center for American Values, which is located down in Pueblo, and focused on these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. So the website for the memorial is usmcmemorialfoundation.org, and the Center for American Values is americanvaluecenter.org as well. Colonel Rutledge, 97 years young, retired United States Air Force. We’re talking about Benjamin Franklin and really our freedom. Now, by this time, they’ve just signed the Declaration of Independence. What happens with Ben Franklin?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Ben Franklin was asked or appointed to go to France and be our emissary there because we had not been recognized as a separate country. We were going there to seek that recognition from France, and he was hopeful to get France to become our military ally in our search for freedom from the British. And, of course, the French and the British had been fighting forever. So it was a logical move to do. Now, most of us have heard about Lafayette and his role, which was very significant. but that was to come later. But in the meantime, Franklin went back to Paris, and by this time, he had an international notoriety, and he was received in Paris by the king and his court, recognizing that it was still a strong kingdom at that time. And even Marie Antoinette was there and all of her friends. So he was a very popular man within the society. And also he became very confidential, had a confidential relationship with a person who was working directly for the king as his principal assistant. representative of the government for negotiations, sort of like a Secretary of State. And they worked very closely together to try to seek French recognition. And the French had to do it very carefully because they were still having the aftermath of the French and Indian War and the loss of Canada. But they still, of course, had these strong animosities towards the British and therefore anything good for the colonies was good for France as they viewed it. And Franklin had the ability to work with not only the diplomats but the people within the city so that he was extremely well received and was considered to be the person who best spoke for the interest of the Americans. Now while he was there Adams and Jay, two more Americans, came to be a part of the overall delegation. But before they came, Franklin had finally gotten the French to recognize us as an independent nation and had agreed, rather covertly, to sign an agreement with us to become an ally to help support us financially and with their military strength. So that was extremely important. That was the most significant reason as to why he was in France. Now, later, as the war progressed and as we got on towards ending the war, he continued in France because he was the most influential American. Adams was over there on two different occasions, but Franklin stayed there, and he was our great ambassador there. Now, he was so popular that he was invited to all of the big parties and events and things around there. And one of the things that relates to our own understanding of history was that John Paul Jones had been commissioned— as an officer in the brand-new American Continental Navy. And he had been doing raids with a smaller ship all along the perimeter of the English ports. But he had come to Paris seeking a battleship or a big ship at the line. And it just wasn’t going to happen. But Franklin, because of his influence… got the king to agree that they would take one of their commercial ships and convert it into a fighting ship. And what it was, it was an older commercial ship that actually had been used on the runs that went from Paris all the way out to the Orient and back. So it was not a very good vessel. But So John Paul Jones took his ship out in September of 1778, and he was along the English coast, and he came and encountered the HMS Serapis. The Serapis was a British ship of the line, top of the line. It was a new ship, much stronger, and anyhow, John Paul Jones realized that The only chance he had was if he could use grappling hooks and pull his ships together because he couldn’t fire with the British. They had too many guns, and he already had a lot of holes in the side of his ship. So he did that, and he put all of his Marines up in the top, and they were shooting down on the deck to keep the British away from their guns as far as their small arms. And so he boarded the British ship, and that was about the time that the British captain wanted him to surrender. And John Paul Jones supposedly said, I have not yet begun to fight. No one ever knows if that was true, but it was made for a great legend. And John Paul Jones is buried at the Naval Academy and is considered to be the founder of the U.S. Navy. So that all happened while Franklin was there. And because of Franklin, that battle was possible. John Paul Jones became the leader he was. And so many spinoffs from the presence of Franklin in France.
SPEAKER 04 :
So we have just a few minutes left. When Franklin was in France, he had relationships with some of the ladies, yes?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. There were two especially. One was very—they were both very wealthy. The one was very wealthy, but she was only 33 years old. Now, Franklin this time was in his 70s, so that didn’t last too long. But— Shortly thereafter, there was another widow who was 60, and she was also very wealthy. And Franklin’s wife, meanwhile, had died a few years earlier, and so he was not married. And he actually is reported to have proposed to the 60-year-old lady, but that didn’t work. We don’t know the particulars of the circumstances, but nevertheless, it showed that Franklin was a romantic character, and he was considered very much so by the ladies in France.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. So John and Abigail Adams were very, have Puritan heritage. And so they thought it was scandalous what Franklin was doing. But John Adams eventually could respect Franklin’s diplomatic success. So let’s get over here to the Constitutional Convention.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. Well, after the war, well, first of all, we had to get the war over and had to have the Constitution. piece at Paris. And Franklin was still over there at the time that they finally finished that. And then he came back to America. And what was the subject we were talking about?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and so let’s get to the Constitutional Convention. We’ve got about a minute.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. And we found out that the Articles of Confederation weren’t going to work. So we had their meeting, and Washington presided, and they worked on the Constitution. And Franklin again was trying to eliminate slavery but he he didn’t make it because they had there were too many people voting against him so franklin was there he helped edit it and um he was very instrumental in the tenth amendment which protected the rights of the states john hancock also was very instrumental they said those first ten amendments were essential or we wouldn’t be able to get the The convention, we couldn’t get it ratified by the various states.
SPEAKER 04 :
So, Colonel Rutledge, we are out of time. This is fascinating. But just one other little tidbit. What did Benjamin Franklin, which bird did he want for the national bird?
SPEAKER 12 :
He wanted the American turkey to be our bird. And that was a real fact. It wasn’t just a rumor. So for all of those who are listening the day after Thanksgiving, just remember that Benjamin Franklin was looking out. for your interest and your table.
SPEAKER 04 :
Colonel Rutledge, thank you so much. And our quote for the end of the show is Benjamin Franklin. He said this, instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle. So wishing you all a great weekend. We’ll talk with you on Monday.
SPEAKER 13 :
I don’t want no one to cry But tell them if I don’t
SPEAKER 14 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
