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CNN Live Today

Interview with 'Ben Franklin,' Sylvia Naguib

Aired July 04, 2002 - 11:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Philadelphia is home to the Declaration of Independence, of course, a natural place for us to visit on this Fourth of July, and a natural place for us to find our Michael Okwu -- Michael, happy Fourth.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, happy Fourth to you. I am on historic Market Street in Philadelphia, and of course, this is the birthplace of our nation. And I'm here with a man who, for a long time, I have been wanting to meet, this is Ralph Archibald (ph), but you dare not call him that name more than once in conversation. People around here know him as Ben Franklin.

"BEN FRANKLIN," FOUNDING FATHER: Indeed, sir.

OKWU: Ben, a pleasure.

"FRANKLIN": A pleasure indeed.

OKWU: Now, this is a street that is very near and dear to your heart.

"FRANKLIN": Oh, when I was 17 years old, I arrived here in Philadelphia. I didn't know a single soul, but I was walking up Market Street. My clothes were dirty and wet and I was cold and tired. A young lady was standing on a step similar to the one right over here. I was carrying three rolls of bread, one under each arm, eating the third, had some underwear sticking out of my pocket. She laughed at me, and I've been here ever since. We married eleven years later.

OKWU: And, in fact, this building is a building you gave to your son-in-law, who was a printer and a publisher as well as you.

"FRANKLIN": I have been a printer all my life, and I am glad to see the tradition is going on, I published "Poor Richard's Almanac," a lot of good advice. If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun, you know, I said that.

OKWU: Well, the most important printing, I think, you ever saw you actually took place in, too, which was the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"FRANKLIN": Well, I was there when we were on a committee. There were five of us on the committee. We were supposed to write down the reasons we were unhappy with the king, and why we deserved to seek independence. And John Adams wanted to write the document, and I said you can't write it, Mr. Adams, and we settled on young Thomas Jefferson. Fine young man. Tall, good looking, red hair from Virginia.

And he wrote that declaration, and when 56 of us pledged our lives and our fortunes and our sacred honor in signing it, it was a promise to you, Michael. A promise to this entire world that there will be a free and independent nation here, for you and your children and your grandchildren to live in. I'm glad that dream still is alive.

OKWU: And so am I. You know, all throughout high school and college, I would read about you and the other founding fathers, and I always wanted to know, what was it like in that room, when people were actually debating about independence. Were the windows shut? Was it highly contentious in there?

"FRANKLIN": We were debating, arguing, and disagreeing, but then we realized, if we were going to accomplish anything, we had to discuss our differences, find our points of agreement, and then we could work to solve the problems. Put we left many for you to solve also.

OKWU: I am going to tell you -- ask you very, very briefly to point in this direction. This is where your house was.

"FRANKLIN": Where my home was. My good house, right there in Franklin Court. House isn't there any more, because I left it to my relatives. You have to be careful about that. But that is a wonderful place to have a nice visit under my mulberry tree, and I am there every day from 11 to 12 in the morning.

OKWU: Well, I will come by and visit you soon.

"FRANKLIN": Excellent.

OKWU: Thank you, Ben.

Daryn, lots of things to see here, the Liberty Bell, and, of course, the festivities tonight. July Fourth fireworks, but I think this is a big draw, just talking to good old Ben -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, and Michael, who knew you were on a first-name basis with Ben Franklin. Very impressive.

OKWU: My family will be impressed. And surprised.

KAGAN: Yes, they will. And surprised, as we were. Happy Fourth of July to you, you have a good and safe holiday.

OKWU: Take care.

KAGAN: Well, speaking of the Declaration of Independence, as Michael and Ben were, the Declaration of Independence is on the road this year. The document is one of 25 originals that survived from 1776. It's owned by television producer Norman Lear. The Declaration exhibit right now is at the Carter Presidential Library right here in Atlanta.

Sylvia Naguib is the museum curator -- and what a great day to talk to you. Sylvia, good morning.

SYLVIA NAGUIB, MUSEUM CURATOR: Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I am doing great. Tell me why the particular copy that you have at the Carter Center is so special?

NAGUIB: This is so special because it's only one of 25 of the original 200 broadsides that went out on July the Fourth to the 13 colonies. And it was just after the Continental Congress had approved the Declaration of Independence, and it was rushed off to the printer there in Philadelphia, John Dunlap, and so this is called a Dunlap broadside. And as you can see, it's a large, broad sheet that -- so people could see it, they could hear it read in the town square. They could have it printed in the newspapers, and they could see it posted on the windows of the stores and the shops in the towns. So it was...

KAGAN: I understand this particular copy has a very interesting history as to how it was discovered.

NAGUIB: It was discovered at a -- well, a gentleman bought it at a flea market. He bought the frame, actually, for about $4, and noticed a little tear in the corner, and so he lifted it up and found this folded Dunlap broadside and realized that he had -- well, he didn't realize it, but later it was discovered that he had one of the original Dunlap broadsides.

KAGAN: Incredible.

NAGUIB: Norman Lear -- yes. Norman Lear paid about $8 million for this copy about two years ago. And so, we're so thrilled to have it here on display in Atlanta.

KAGAN: And it looks like you have some company with you there this morning. Have a lot of people come by the Carter Center to see this Declaration of Independence?

NAGUIB: They have. We have had close to 31,000 people visit the museum...

KAGAN: Wow.

NAGUIB: ... it's been here. And of course, the week of the Fourth of July has been especially busy. So we're glad that people are coming. They're coming to see this document. It's important to them.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, thank you for sharing with us on this Fourth of July holiday. Sylvia Naguib at the Carter Center, the Carter Presidential Library right here in Atlanta. Happy Fourth of July to you, thank you so much.

NAGUIB: Happy Fourth to you.

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