Remarks Concerning The Savages Of North America Summary

Benjamin Franklin evaluated the Indian men they encountered in “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America,” and he commented on the civility the Indians displayed in their interactions with the white people. These interactions showed that the Indians knew more about civility than the white men in regards to education, religious beliefs, and hospitality. Both the white men and the Indians valued education, but each had two vastly different notions of what they considered the ideal education. When the Indians were offered to send half a dozen of their youth to become educated in the ways of the white people, they declined. The white people educated their youth in scholarly matters such as the sciences, which was something the Indians thought of as insignificant, useless, and a complete waste of time. The Indians valued …show more content…
Whenever a stranger would arrive in an Indian village, they would be fed, provided furs, and given pipes for tobacco. Afterwards, the Indian people would converse with the stranger about who they are, where they have been, and their story. However, this was not a practice shown by the white people to the Indians. For example, before showing any sign of hospitality, the white people would demand money from the Indians first. If the Indians did not have money, they would be sent away. When the Indians questioned Conrad Weiser on why the white people would assemble in the great house, he explained that it allowed them to learn good things. To the Indians, their version of good things relied on how they treated another human being. Therefore, when Conrad Weiser told the Indians that the white people were learning good things, they found it quite humorous, for the white man knew nothing of good things in regards to hospitality. They learned good things from their mothers and did not have to meet weekly to discuss such