Question

Read the excerpt and answer the question.

Savages we call them, because their Manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility. They think the same of theirs.

Perhaps if we could examine the Manners of different Nations with Impartiality, we should find no People so rude as to be without Rules of Politeness, nor any so polite as not to have some Remains of Rudeness

What idea does Franklin present in this excerpt from Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America? Select all that apply.

1. Native American tribes were inferior to white settlers as they lacked manners of any kind.
2. Native American tribes were superior to white settlers as the settlers lacked manners of any kind.
3. Settlers were as imperfect in their customs as the settlers believed the Native Americans to be.
4. Native Americans had the same distaste for the customs of the settlers as the settlers had for Native American customs.

Answer 1

The answer is 3. Basically, the excerpt explains that the Natives manners were different for the settlers and therefore the settlers thought them to be rude or savage. However the Natives believed their manners to be reasonable and polite. Franklin proceed to explain that if we look at the manners from every place without judgement, you would find the rudest of people to still be polite in their own way and the politest of people to be rude in certain ways. Basically, the settlers thought the Natives to be rude and yet disrespected them I their attempts at politeness.