Which Benjamin Franklin—Yours or mine? Examining responses to a new story from the historical archaeology site of Franklin court

Abstract

O ~a cc 24 ABSTRACTS Resumen: La reciente revision de las campafias arqueologicas llevadas a cabo en la mansion de Benjamin Franklin en Filadelfia (excavada entre 1953 y 1975) revelan una nueva historia muy significativa para las comunidades que riven en la actualidad en Estados Unidos. La historia de Franklin, inicialmente poseedor de esclavos y posteriormente abolicionista da un giro completo cuando, en sentido figurado, los descendientes de la comunidad Afro-americana, por cuya libertad Franklin luchO, excavan la historia de Franklin para crear un lugar de culto para la memoria histOrica nacional. Asi mismo se ha encontrado una nueva historia relevante para los Nativos Americanos, el Movimiento de los Trabajadores, las mujeres y los colectivos de gays y lesbianas. A la luz de un contexto mas amplio que engloba varias temas colectivos se analizan las diversas respuestas a estas nuevas interpretaciones.R~asum~: Une r~acente evaluation de l'archeologie effectu~e sur le site de la demeure de Benjamin Franklin ~ Philadelphie (d~terr~e 1953-1975) revele l'interpr~tation d'une nouvelle histoire d'int~r~t aux communaut~s modernes des Etats-Unis. L'histoire de Franklin, d'abord proprietaire d'esclaves puis devenu abolitioniste est r~volue lorsque les descendants de la communaute afroam~ricaine que Franklin s'est evertue ~ lib~rer, fouillent l'histoire de Franklin pour la creation d'un monument a la memoire nationale historique. On trouvera aussi des faits nouveaux d'int~r~t pour les Americains natifs, sur le mouvement travailliste, sur les femmes et les homosexuels. On examine de nouvelles reponses sur ces sujets & la lumi~re des contextes plus ouverts a la base des programmes communautaires.

Millennial archaeology. Locating the discipline in the age of insecurity

“…Intriguingly, this can even happen retrospectively. It matters to members of communities today that a historical archaeology project investigating the history of archaeological study and commemoration at Franklin Court at Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia found a significant involvement over time of African Americans, organized union labourers, Native Americans, female leaders and gay archaeologists (Jeppson 2006). • For the past 15 years, millions around the world have been watching the highly entertaining documentary series Time Team on the British Channel 4.…”

African American Archaeology, for Now

“…Archaeologists interested in African America have engaged a number of transdisciplinary realms of theory, including critical race theory and whiteness (Bell 2005, Epperson 2004, González-Tennant & González-Tennant 2016, McDavid 2007, Palmer 2011, Palus 2011, White 2017, semiotics and pragmatism (Agbe-Davies 2016Dawdy 2005;Jeppson 2007;McDavid 2002;Morris 2017;Planto 2021), and, most notably, Black feminist theory (see above, but also Burnett 2022, Flewellen et al 2021a, Franklin 2020, Franklin & Wilson 2020, González-Tennant 2018, Sterling 2015, Watkins 2020.…”

“…For example, through collaboration with sister organizations such as the National Association of Black Scuba Divers and Diving with a Purpose, the SBA is having a significant impact on scholarship the underwater heritage of the transatlantic slave trade (see also McGhee 2007, Moore & Malcom 2008, Webster 2008. Another program demonstrates through oral history and archival projects the contributions to the field that have already been made by Black and African people (see also Battle-Baptiste 2011, Blakey 2020, Jeppson 2007, Little 2007.…”

The Ethics of Cultural Heritage

“…In particular, the potential of these archaeological sites and their archives to endure and outlive the particular sociopolitical contexts within which they were created means that they provide material artefacts that can subsequently be reinterrogated and reshaped in response to new questions (Jeppson 2006 ). These places are thus examples of what Ann Laura Stoler terms 'imperial debris'-locations where we can examine the 'political life of imperial debris, the longevity of structures of dominance, and the uneven pace with which people can extricate themselves from the colonial order of things' (Stoler 2008 :193).…”