Ben Franklin on "Stupid, Swarthy Germans"

Immigrants to America have always been feared and hated. Germans represent the largest group of immigrants to America, outnumbering the English and Irish by a wide margin. Nearly 20% of Americans can trace their ancestors back to Germany.  But they were not universally welcomed to our shores.  Louis Rumbaut (via Matt Yglesias) reminds us that one of our iconic founding fathers - Benjamin Franklin - warned about German immigrants overrunning America - in language that sounds very much like that of Mitt Romney and Roland Koch. Franklin warned that Germans were too stupid to learn English, and therefore represented a political threat to America:

"Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant Stupid Sort of their own Nation…and as few of the English understand the German Language, and so cannot address them either from the Press or Pulpit, ’tis almost impossible to remove any prejudices they once entertain…Not being used to Liberty, they know not how to make a modest use of it…I remember when they modestly declined intermeddling in our Elections, but now they come in droves, and carry all before them, except in one or two Counties...In short unless the stream of their importation could be turned from this to other colonies, as you very judiciously propose, they will soon so out number us, that all the advantages we have will not in My Opinion be able to preserve our language, and even our Government will become precarious."

The other objection that Ben Franklin had to German immigrants was their "swarthy complexion", which was an affront to the "purely white people" who originally settled America:

Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the   English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as   to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our   Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion. 

24. Which leads me to add one Remark: That the Number of purely   white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is   black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new   Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians,   French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call   a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only   excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People   on the Face of the Earth. I could wish their Numbers were increased. And while   we are, as I may call it, Scouring our Planet, by clearing   America of Woods, and so making this Side of our Globe reflect a   brighter Light to the Eyes of Inhabitants in Mars or Venus, why should   we in the Sight of Superior Beings, darken its People? why increase the Sons of   Africa, by Planting them in America, where we have so fair an   Opportunity, by excluding all Blacks and Tawneys, of increasing the lovely   White and Red? But perhaps I am partial to the Complexion of my Country, for   such Kind of Partiality is natural to Mankind.

Of course, Franklin's animosity towards Germans may have another explanation: as a young man in Philadelphia Ben Franklin published the first German language newspaper in America - the Philadelphische Zeitung - which failed after only one year.

Comments

[Jennifer]

In this same book, there is a diagram of all the Dark nations he speaks of.... the land masses are swarthy... dark, pictured in black ink, dark. Russia as well has a swarthy past. Also in the book Bastards, Hitler was never against Swarthy people especially American Swarthy ones... he referred to us as The Jewels of God. Race only becomes a factor when the whites want the LAND! American swarthy ones are the Indigenous of this land. meaning we were cultivated here. We are the only group Aboriginal to this land. The only non-import.

[Malik Bey]

The true kings and Queens of Europe was of Swarthy complexion ie dark skin meaning they was Moors this is a fact no more lies about some one else's History with this Hollywood fantasy about history was of pale skin when in fact it was far from the truth and now come into question was the founding so called fathers also of swarthy complexion starting with George Washington in which i know of no pale skin with the last name Washington they are all people of dark skin ie Moor has nothing to do with belief for i'm a moor here in the America's born and raised and know who the true foreigners are and they are not of Coppertone and differently not the $5 Indians which is a whole new story read the negro question part 7 - Swarthy memoirs of a black american revolution 1775-1783 and will see who the true people of that time was...Smh

[the unveiler]

Yessir to anyone who didn’t comprehend what Benjamin Franklin was stating when he said the Europeans were of a swarthy or tawny complexion. He really
Means these people were of the darker shade “black” which is just a “color” not a race. “Black people were in rulership during those times and the “white” man was not, they were more oppressed. Really changing the narrative that “white” people, which is just “color” not a race were in fact inferior. Hence why he says “in sight of being in front of superior beings” meaning they were the “minority,” which is just a label, and the other people of “color” were the majority in rulership. Great letter Mr. Franklin!

[I.R]

How can you discover a land, that was already inhabited?
How is that a new land? No one is white or black. They are shades. Pure white, really? Pure black, really? What type of crayon would I use, if I had to draw a picture of you?
Don’t forget, your body adapts to its environment. Complexion, body type, hair color, eyes, noses etc. I believe everyone is mixed. No one is pure. Especially not pure white or pure black. That is a joke. Intelligence is bliss.

[the unveiler]

Ben Franklin is saying that these people were so called “black” what is so hard to understand about this? I know it’s hard to get rid of this narrative we’ve been indoctrinated with, but it’s not that hard to understand. It’s much harder to accept as I can see judging by these comments. Do a little more research and you’ll see for yourself. The thirteenth tribe by Arthur Koestler will give you much insight into where the so called “Caucasian” came from. Peace.

[melvin brauer]

5 Hebrew Israelite tribes, Asher ,Asher, the father of viking Gods, Judah, ( the Trojans ,Jason and the Argonauts, ) The tribe of Dan, Mycenean. Greeks, Achaians, Spartans Danoi, Tuatha Da NA Ian/Sardinians,Langobards ( Longbeards),Dardeneans, Simeon, ( Achilles and the Antmen/Myrmidions) and the Danite-Phoenicians, intermarried until they became one...were black Hebrew Israelites! When people immigrated to the USA they were already black with black Male y haplog group dna I-M253 and its subclades ! I-M253 is African derived DNA!

[melvin Brauer]

The tribe of Dan had already left the tribes while they were in Gothan in Egypt! They worked as mercenary’s for Egypt and the Phoenicians and learned how to become the best sailors in the world! They mined all the tin out of Scotland, and sailed to Mexico and mined tin!! They made King David the richest man on earth! His treasure house was astounding In terms of tons of metal ores! He left enough gold to his son King So.o on to encase the ate ple of jerusalemn in gold!

[sdfgsdfg@wergwerg.com]

The English were not immigrants they were conquerors. Every other race just came to take what the English made.

[Dallas Stjean]

So where the Germans black at the time because of there swarthy complexion?