Did the Smithsonian Really Say This About Benjamin Franklin?

Benjamin Franklin was one of our greatest Founding Fathers. A brilliant man, Franklin was a newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia; he wrote the Poor Richard's Almanac, was the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania), and secured French aid for the American Revolution, among many other things.

Franklin, who also loved science, charted and named the Gulf Stream current and studied electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the glass harmonica and the Franklin stove.

In short, there's a reason his face is on the $100 bill.

But the Smithsonian decided to slander Franklin instead of honoring him. They had a display that "pondered" if Franklin tortured slaves by performing electroshock experiments on them

SHOCKING ⚡️ DISRESPECT

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s “Electric Dr. Franklin” has a display that "pondered” whether Ben Franklin had performed electroshock experiments on slaves.

“Pondered”? With ZERO evidence. One of our greatest Founding Fathers.…
— David Burke 🇺🇸 (@ConservativeTht) July 23, 2026

Here's more:

During a House hearing Tuesday, Heritage Foundation expert Mike Gonzalez testified that a multiyear special exhibit, "The Electric Dr. Franklin," included a display that "pondered whether he had ever done experiments, electrical electroshock on indentured servants or slaves."
Gonzalez testified that the display included this suggestion "without producing any evidence whatsoever," which he called "shocking."
"Why smear a Founding Father such as Ben Franklin by pondering such a really bizarre thing," Gonzalez asked.
Immediately after Gonzalez’s testimony, Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., confronted Hartig, saying, "We've heard a lot of concerning examples as just referenced. Do you have any regrets in your tenure thus far [about] some of the exhibits that have been displayed? Do you regret any of the exhibits and, if so, which?"
Hartig answered, "I am incredibly proud of the work we've done, but we are imperfect, and we surely have made mistakes. But I don't have any regrets."
Jack pressed further, asking, "Which mistakes would you say you've made?"
"There are always factual errors," Hartig responded.

Ben Franklin was the President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. He lobbied for Congress to end slavery. This is all nonsense. He had doubts starting in 1750s after seeing black children being taught to read. https://t.co/setNfDDtn4
— Tyler Boliver (@TylerBoliver) July 24, 2026

The ahistorical garbage peddled by the Smithsonian is an insult to the memory of Franklin and to the intelligence of every American. It's an anti-American piece of propaganda meant to undermine this nation's founding so the Left can dismantle it and rebuild a socialist utopia.

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