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Observations concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, & etc. By Benjamin Franklin
Observations concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, & etc. By Benjamin Franklin
Even in the 18th century anyone studying it noticed the phenomenon that cities are fertility shredders. Hence the need for a healthy balance between urbanism and land if any country was going to succeed, thrive, be independent, and not become dysgenic
Only by making people stupid could those in power argue seriously against the common sense observation that an expanded labor pool *doesn't* drive down wages and make fertility difficult.
back when globalization was still a seeming impossibility
Franklin making the economic argument against slavery in 1751
What diminishes a nation according to Ben Franklin?
1. Being conquered and increasing foreigners
2. Loss of territory
3. Loss of trade
4. Loss of food
5. Bad government and insecure property, "becoming foreigners"
6. Introduction of slaves which make people indolent and decadent
1. Being conquered and increasing foreigners
2. Loss of territory
3. Loss of trade
4. Loss of food
5. Bad government and insecure property, "becoming foreigners"
6. Introduction of slaves which make people indolent and decadent
"for the gain to the merchant is not to be compar'd with the loss by this means of people to the Nation." - Benjamin Franklin
Muh Founding Fathers libertarians and conservatives can never recover from this
Muh Founding Fathers libertarians and conservatives can never recover from this
The formula that education must therefore lead to lowered fertility is of course a misrepresentation. We know PhDs have generally higher rates of marriage. Culture, beliefs, and virtues based on marriage, education, and industry easily increase a nation's fertility
According to Franklin foreigners do not inherently increase the population productively, and even if they are frugal and industrious will "eat the natives out". There is also no job vacancies requiring an immigrant, just an inability to wait or train
Also Spaniards are lazy
Also Spaniards are lazy
This is the context for Franklin's infamous remarks about Germans. Franklin thought the colonies should be populated by English being they were now English land. Prior to the revolution he was very pro-British Empire. He saw no argument why it needed to be an immigrant nation
Here is the famous passage that's basically "the coloreds start at Calais". This passage has been much abused in the service of "race is a construct". The previous context makes it abundantly clear that Franklin was being wry and cheeky in making a point about increasing a nation
I'm going to provide more context. Franklin was a proponent of the British Empire, which was then led by King George II, a Hanoverian German born in German lands whose first language was French. English was his third language. Do you think Franklin wasn't aware of this?
Furthermore the same people who will point to Franklin's bawdiness and sense of humor will, in the service of their anti-whites agenda, then pretend that the man who wrote "Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress" was suddenly deadly serious in this specific instance
Franklin's views in 1751 are pretty easy to deduce. He wanted stronger ties between the colonies and the Empire and for the colonies to be representative of the English stock, and was arguing forcefully for industrious protectionism against slavery and immigration.
