Wednesday, April 22, 2009

137. Benjam Franklin and the Great Wall of China



Dr. Wang presented Benjamin Franklin and the Great Wall of China in Benjamin Franklin House in London on April 9, 2009. More detailed information is available through this link.
According to Dr. Wang, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was arguably the most famous lover of the Great Wall of China in the United States. In 1756, when Franklin was entrusted to be the leader of defense in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), he organized the Pennsylvanian colonists to build a great wall between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna River in Northampton County as a means of protection against the French and their Indian allies. Later in 1760, Franklin recommended the English Parliament to build a great wall resembling that of China’s to safeguard the British Colonies in North America. Even later in 1776, Franklin recommended the colonists to build a great wall for shelter during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) against the English empire.

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