At the end of March [1783] Franklin applied to [French Foreign Secretary] Vergennes for permission to publish a complete translation of the United States constitutions in French, the only language in which they could be widely read. He was eager to correct Europe’s misapprehensions about the new nation; he knew as well that he was offering up an advertisement for American trade and immigration.... Copies went out over the summer to the entire diplomatic corps and, in extravagantly bound editions, to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The most influential of Franklin’s European publications the constitutions were universally well received.
Hamilton, Alexander
Philadelphia, PA — Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin and John Bartram to promote
Useful Knowledge.Philosophical Hall (1789) is now a museum featuring art, scientific instruments, rare books, original manuscripts, natural history specimens, and curiosities.
New York, NY — Completed in 1802, Alexander Hamilton commissioned this Federal style country home on 32-acres in upper Manhattan for use during the summer by his family.
New York, NY — Founded in 1804, the Historical Society is both a museum and a library, with an outstanding collection of items from the American Revolution, the early republic, and on New York and its impact upon the nation.
Albany, NY — The Georgian house was built on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River in 1761 and was occupied by General Schuyler and his family until his death in 1804; available for tours.
Trenton, NJ — A 155-foot granite column that commemorates the 1776 Battle of Trenton; accessible by means of an elevator with good views of the capital of New Jersey.
A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America (2005)