America 250 — Landmark Documents from President Roosevelt’s Early American History Collections
Follow our #America250 series of articles highlighting hundreds of remarkable historical documents, manuscripts, and rare books collected personally by Franklin D. Roosevelt. These special collections reflect Roosevelt’s abiding interests in early American history, our nation’s founding fathers, the American Revolution; and they evidence the personal importance he placed on historical preservation of American heritage. President Roosevelt donated each of these treasures to the National Archives so they would be permanently preserved and made available for public research and exhibition at the FDR Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, NY.
Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed collecting historic documents and autographs. His interest in the “Founding Fathers” in particular, led to collecting signatures of key American figures from the American Revolution.
This month, we feature a letter written by Benjamin Franklin in May of 1779.
Already in France for over two years, Benjamin Franklin was vital to the American cause in gaining French financial and military aid. Among his closest friends in France was Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, a French aristocrat, who sympathized with the American cause. Chaumont was instrumental as an intermediary between the American representatives and the King of France, Louis XVI. Chaumont even gave the use of his chateau in Passy, outside of Paris, to Franklin. Additionally, Chaumont gave from his own wealth to help provide weapons and other supplies to the American cause.
In this letter to Chaumont, Franklin writes from Passy to discuss recent developments in the war, including the talk in Paris concerning the Marquis de Lafayette and his return to America with French troops. Lafayette had recently returned to France to secure military aid for the American cause – and his mission would be successful. Franklin’s letter also mentions a resolution from the “States General” of “Holland” (Netherlands), providing for the convoy and protection of Dutch merchant vessels.
The Benjamin Franklin letter was given to President Roosevelt on March 10, 1944, by Vice Admiral Raymond A. Fenard, of the French Naval Mission to Washington, along with a letter from Fenard. A translation of Fenard’s letter was later made for the White House, even though President Roosevelt could read French. Fenard’s letter and its translation can be seen here, along with the President’s response to the Vice Admiral.
The documents featured here remain a part of the President’s personal papers, preserved at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
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