From the historic campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the good, the true, and the beautiful are taught, nurtured, and honored, this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education of the college to listeners across the country.

I don't think there's much dispute that Franklin, in terms of the philosophical questions he's engaged in, was the most celebrated of the American founders.

If you look at the depth and the complexity of his writings, that demonstrates that. This is your host, Scott Bertram. And that's Dr. Kevin Slack,

Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College and author of Benjamin Franklin,

natural right and the art of virtue. We conclude our three-part series on Benjamin Franklin

with Dr. Slack, who joins us now. Thank you for being here.

Hey, Scott. Talking Benjamin Franklin, we've discussed him as an enlightenment philosopher,

we've discussed him as moral lawgiver, and in this final part of the trilogy, we'll talk about

Franklin as statesman. Now, Franklin's public career spans multiple decades. Counselman, diplomat,

representative, governor, how would you describe his statesmanship and how did it evolve over time?

Well, I think in one sense, you have to look at Franklin's participation in politics indirectly

as a newspaper man and as a journalist. So in the

1720s and the 30s, he's writing about political issues. He's taking sides on political issues. He's

he has a patron Andrew Hamilton or Logan. These are prominent politicians in Pennsylvania.

So in the paper, for example, he's focusing on questions of colonial politics.

For example, and he had come from Boston, we find criticisms of the Massachusetts colony.

For example, in 1729, a criticism of the governors there, for example, in 1729,

a criticism of the governors there,

their desire for a fixed salary as opposed to being determined

by the legislature.

Or also the swearing in, or the swearing to instructions

whereby they would hold to certain instructions from

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