The History Behind The Children's Recreational Rhyme "Benjamin Franklin Went To France" (with commentary, information, video, and examples)

HistoryPod, October 25, 2023

Franklin was a notable figure in the Continental Congress and was one of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. At the time of its signing the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain had been at war for more than a year, and the Patriots were in need of foreign support. France had already been secretly providing weapons and other essential equipment to fight the British, but a more formal agreement was desirable. On October 26, Franklin departed for France as commissioner for the newly-named United States. Accompanied by his 16-year-old grandson who served as his secretary, his primary aim was to secure essential diplomatic and financial support. Franklin's tenure in France, which lasted for nearly nine years, was marked by significant achievements. He was quickly welcomed into French society, and forged connections with important government officials. However the French Foreign Minister, Comte de Vergennes, was unwilling to formally commit to the American cause until Washington’s victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 demonstrated that the United States had the potential to win. On February 6, 1778, France formally allied with the American colonies when they signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance. This alliance brought much-needed military aid, including troops, naval support, and supplies that eventually led to the American victory at Yorktown in 1781. Franklin later negotiated and signed the Treaty of Paris which formally concluded the seven-year struggle. **** Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post presents historical information about the American historic figure Benjamin Franklin. This post also presents an example of the English language children's recreational rhyme "Benjamin Franklin Went To France" and my theory that the history of Benjamin Franklin in France inspired and/or preserves a portion of that history. The Addendum to this post presents examples of variants of that rhyme that substitute another famous person's name for the name "Benjamin Franklin". The content of this post is presented for historical and recreational. and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Benjamin Franklin for his legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the producer and publisher of this embedded video.

**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE The mission of this pancocojams blog is to document and share aspects and examples of African American and other Black cultures throughout the world. However, this pancocojams post, and some other pancocojams posts about children's recreational rhymes and children's singing games shouldn't be construed to mean or suggest that these showcased rhymes originated with Black people. One connection to Black culture and this post exists because undoubtedly some Black children have chanted and performed movements to this rhyme. Another connection to Black culture exists because I'm a Black American woman who is interested in collecting, researching, and sharing English language children's recreational rhymes from the United States and/or from other nations. **** INFORMATION ABOUT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
"Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705][Note 1] – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a leading writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher.[1] Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.[2]"... **** ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN FRANCE From https://www.history.com/news/benjamin-franklin-france "Ben Franklin in Paris: How He Won France’s Support for the Revolutionary War"

As colonists faced tough odds in the Revolutionary War, America's first diplomat worked his charm to win France's vital backing.

By: Dave Roos, March 20, 2024
"The Founding Fathers may have been idealistic about Enlightenment principles like “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but they were deeply realistic about the chances of a scrappy, underfunded colonial army to defeat the wealthy and powerful British Empire.

To win the Revolution, America needed allies, but more importantly it needed manpower, munitions and a lot of money.

That’s how 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin—famed inventor, publisher and elder statesman of the Continental Congress—found himself sailing to France in October of 1776. Although a monarchy itself, France was America’s best hope for backing the colonists in their bid for freedom from Great Britain, France’s perennial rival.

Franklin spent the next nine years in Paris as America’s first foreign ambassador. Without Franklin’s celebrity status, savvy networking abilities and unapologetic Francophilia, the American Revolution would almost certainly have failed. Instead, Franklin convinced France to nearly bankrupt its own government in order to ensure American independence.

[…]

A Celebrity on a Secret Mission

In accepting his mission to France, Franklin put his life on the line. Not only was the Atlantic crossing treacherous for all of the normal reasons—stormy seas, shipboard illnesses, piracy—but Franklin was also sailing as a traitor. By signing the Declaration of Independence just months earlier, Franklin would have been hanged if captured by the British Navy.

Franklin survived the arduous journey—his seventh trans-Atlantic crossing—and arrived in Paris as a bona fide 18th-century celebrity.

“Franklin was the most famous American in the world,” says biographer Stacy Schiff. “He was the discoverer of electricity, a man of genius, a successor to Newton and Galileo. He also counted among the greatest celebrities in Paris; he could not walk through the street without attracting a crowd.”

Franklin’s unmistakeable image—wearing glasses and a fur cap instead of a wig—was embossed on collectible candy dishes, stitched into clothing and engraved into snuff boxes and walking sticks.

[…]

While Franklin himself was famous, most French people knew nothing about the American Colonies or their politics. Even foreign ambassadors stationed in France had no idea why the famed scientist had come to Paris.

[…]

Bluffing His Way to an Alliance

For his first 18 months in Paris, Franklin was in a difficult position. The Continental Army suffered a string of defeats and it wasn’t at all clear that the Americans had a fighting chance. Versailles was quietly supportive of the Revolution, but the French crown couldn’t risk backing the wrong horse and getting ensnared in another losing war with England.

So Franklin did something that his younger American colleagues found incredibly frustrating—he played the waiting game. Now in his 70s, Franklin had little to prove and was in no hurry to prove it. Instead of banging on the door of the French foreign minister, the Count de Vergennes, Franklin attended salons with influential aristocrats and engaged in a very French, very laissez-faire charm offensive.

[…]

Franklin lived a type of double life. To outside observers, he was the quintessential cultured French gentleman, the type who arrived appropriately late for appointments and greeted unexpected guests with wine and unrushed conversation. But in private, Franklin put in 14-hour days, often waking in the middle of the night to finish piles of paperwork.

Franklin was so good at making hard work look easy that he fooled even his American colleagues into thinking he was more interested in flirting with French widows than laboring for the Revolution.

[…]

“Nothing could have been more critical to our Revolution than that affection,” says Schiff. “Every other American envoy who approached Versailles bungled along the way. Franklin was inventing the foreign service out of whole cloth. And he was, as we know from so many other realms, a brilliant inventor.

Franklin was almost 80 when he crossed the Atlantic a final time and returned to a Philadelphia he hardly recognized. America had changed immensely in the nine years he was laboring abroad, and that included a new generation of politicians. Franklin had hoped to receive some compensation for his difficult mission—as others had—but Congress didn’t want to dwell on the debt America owed to France.

"The French mission had been, hands down, the most taxing assignment of Franklin’s life,” says Schiff. “Congress never offered a settling of accounts, a reward, or so much as a single syllable of thanks.”

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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WENT TO FRANCE [children's rhyme]
Benjamin Franklin went to France

To teach the ladies how to dance.

First the heel, and then the toe,

Spin around and out you go.

https://globaltoynews.com/2023/04/18/jump-rope-chants-are-they-becoming-extinct/

Jump Rope Chants; Are They Becoming Extinct?

by Global Toy News Posted on April 18, 2023
-snip-
The words for the children's rhyme "Benjamin Franklin Went France" are very stable with no changes. For instance,  the original (?) words "spin around" are used in every example that I came across on the internet instead of "turn around".  Also, I haven't found any extensions (usually consisting of lines from other stand alone rhymes) that are added to the words for the basic "Benjamin Franklin Went To France" rhyme.  The lack of variant words for the basic rhyme and the lack of extensions are very unusual in contemporary (1960s on) English language children's rhymes. Notice the differences in the three examples of "Charlie Chaplin Went To France" that are showcased in this post's Addendum.

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ADDENDUM- "CHARLIE CHAPLIN WENT TO FRANCE" AND SOME OTHER VARIANTS OF THE RHYME "BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WENT TO FRANCE"
I haven't come across any authors for these "__ Went To France" rhymes or any documented date for when any of these rhymes were first chanted. I'm guessing that "Benjamin Franklin Went To France" is the original title of these rhymes because the history of Benjamin Franklin's role as "party going" celebrity in France explains the words of this rhyme. That's not the case with the other celebrities whose name is given in their versions of this rhyme. .   

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The following quotes are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

QUOTE #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipping-rope_rhyme
…."For a line of potential jumpers, the jumpers were restricted on time by the length of the chant. They jumped in at the beginning, jumped out at the end, and the next jumper took their turn.

Charlie Chaplin went to France

To teach the ladies how to dance.

First the heel, then the toe,

Then the splits, and around you go!

Salute to the Captain,

Bow to the Queen,

And turn your back on the Nazi submarine!

In another version, the teacher is "Benjamin Franklin."[7] In the Charlie Chaplin rhyme, the child jumping had to follow directions as the rope was turning: touching the heel of one foot on the ground; touching the toe of the same foot on the ground; doing a (short) split of the feet, turning around, saluting, bowing, and jumping out from the turning rope on the last line. This rhyme, c. 1942, reflects children's awareness of World War II.[3][4]

An Australian version of the Charlie Chaplin Skipping Song, as sung at Salisbury Primary School in Brisbane, Australia in the mid 1950s, is as follows:

Charlie Chaplin went to France,

To teach the ladies how to dance,

First he did the Rumba,

Then he did the twist,

Then he did the Highland Fling,

And then he did the splits.

There's also "Betty Grable went to France,/To teach the soldiers how to dance." (The rest is the same.)"

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QUOTE #2

From  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rucp0rWs4pU&t=163s -@janetgrooms6377, 2021
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WENT TO FRANCE

"Charlie Chaplin went to France

To Teach the girlies how to dance.

A heel, A toe, around we go!

Salute to the Captain and Bow to the Queen,

And touch the Bottom of  the Submarine!

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