Benjamin Franklin is often remembered as a Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat, but some of his views reflected the prejudices of his era.

In a 1751 essay, he argued that only the English and Saxons were truly "white," describing many other Europeans, including the French, Spaniards, Italians, Swedes, Russians, and most Germans, as "swarthy." He worried that large numbers of non-English immigrants would change the character of Britain's North American colonies.

This map illustrates Franklin's personal opinions, not accepted science or a universal belief of the era.