William P Duncan

Looking forward to our quotable explorers and pioneers for April, we will hear from some Founding Fathers (Benjamin Franklin and George Washington), then from some of their contemporaries in the far West of North America (the Spanish missionary Junipero Serra and some Russian explorers of Alaska).  We end the month with one of the men who opened the frontier after the Revolutionary War – Daniel Boone. 

Benjamin Franklin is one of the most quotable of the Founding Fathers – no small feat, given the competition: Adams, Jefferson, Washington and more.  He was not an explorer or pioneer in a physical sense – but we will see next month (National Inventor’s Month) that exploration may not always be about geography!  Franklin was an inventor and much more –  a writer, a publisher, an administrator, and a diplomat.  His Poor Richard’s Almanack was always filled with pithy sayings, for April 1 we include this one about Fools.

Benjamin Franklin

“Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have
brains enough to be honest. “

In today’s quote, Franklin reminds us that the smart and intelligent way of living our lives is honesty and doing things the right way.  Although it may seem smart to try and work the system or to succeed through dishonest behavior, this is an illusion.  It has always been a strength of our nation that the greatest number of citizens do live honestly. 

Young George Washington: Surveyor

George Washington was the indispensable man of the American Revolution: the leader of the army who was universally trusted, turned down offered kingship, and set the standard for a two term presidency.  As a young man Washington was an explorer – he surveyed lands that are currently part of West Virginia.  Gaining military experience in the French and Indian War, Washington was the only choice to lead the Continental Army.

George Washington

“Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole
world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground,
is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth. “

This quote from General Washington is from July 1776.  It is an exhortation we can all take to heart: the free people of the United States, seeking the cause of liberty, are a match or more for any other force on this Earth.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Caramelo

Junipero Serra was born in Majorca, and left a comfortable life as a religious scholar to become the head of the California Missions.  He established nine missions from San Diego to San Francisco, naming many of the well-known towns and cities of California.  Following the Franciscan Rule, he walked on all his journeys, until crippled with pain.  At age 70 he made a final, 600 mile tour of all the missions before he died at the Mission at Carmel (San Carlos Borromeo). 

Junipero Serra

“A grateful heart is a magnet for blessings. “

Today’s quote from Serra states a truth that is hard to understand.  When we are grateful for what we have received, we will receive more and be aware of more.  Those who are ungrateful and feel perpetually victimized will fail to be aware of the blessings they have and that they might receive.  So let us be on the side of gratefulness.

Daniel Boone’s name is known to most Americans, and we may have a vague idea that he was an early frontiersman.  He explored what is now Kentucky as a hunter and trapper, and was held captive by the Shawnee tribe for a time.  Just prior to the Revolutionary War, he blazed a trial through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky and founded a settlement on the Kentucky River (Boonesborough).  During the War, the Native Americans allied with the English to drive out the American settlers.  Boone led the Kentucky militia, protecting the settlements.  He rescued his daughter from a Shawnee raiding party, and was again captured by the Shawnee in 1778.  After the war, he continued moving west, and died in Missouri in 1820. 

Daniel Boone

“I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. “

Today’s quote from Boone captures the wry humor that has always been part of the American character.  There is a little bit of bragging, but also a bit of self-deprecation.  This is the character that has built and sustained this country for 250 years.

April has a wide variety of quotable offerings in our celebration of America250.  Along with those highlighted here, we note a few others: Hendrik Aupaumut, who captained a company of Native Americans fighting in Washington’s army; St Herman of Alaska, a powerful voice for justice in Russian America; and Georg Wilhelm Steller, the naturalist who accompanied Vitus Bering on the voyage that discovered Alaska.  Much more to come!