Black History
1730 Regarding Slaves & Indians Printed Laws of Rhode Island as Published By Benjamin Franklin’s Printing Mentor


1730-Dated, 1st Edition, Five Different Printed Acts and Laws of Rhode Island, Printed by James Franklin at Newport, Rhode Island, Including the treatment of Indians and Fees on the Importation of Negro Slaves, Very Fine.
This is an original, exceedingly rare, 1731 edition of Laws “Made and Passed by the General Assembly of HIS MAJESTY'S COLONY OF RHODE-ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, IN NEW-ENGLAND". This important extremely early 18th Century treatise was printed by James Franklin (no notation), at Newport, Rhode Island. It was James Franklin who established Rhode Island's first printing press, and was the elder brother of Benjamin Franklin, whom he originally taught the printing trade.

This historically significant treatise contains a collection of Five different Acts passed in colonial Rhode Island in the year 1730 (see John Alden's Rhode Island Imprints, 1727-1800, number 23). We could not locate another available copy. This volume contains two leaves, 4 pages, and measures approximately 7" wide x 10" tall. The Five printed Acts include:

1. “An Act for regulating Appeals from Judgments obtained upon Bond, at any of the Inferior Courts of this Colony.”

2. “An Act for erecting and incorporating the Outlands of the Town of Providence into three Towns.”

3. “An Act for expediting Business in Town Councils.”

4. “An Act to prevent Indians being abused and wronged by designing and ill minded Persons in making them Servants.”

5. “An Act for enlarging the Naval Officer’s Fees for collecting Moneys arising upon the Importation of Negro Slaves into this Colony”.

The printed text is dark and bold upon watermarked British period laid paper. It is extremely clean and has only one small quill pen made tear at a one word notation "resolved" on the back page. An important early Colonial imprint.


James Franklin (1697-1735) was a noted colonial author, printer, newspaper publisher, and almanac publisher. James published the "New England Courant", one of the oldest and the first truly independent American newspaper. James was the son of Josiah Franklin, a chandler from Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, and Abiah Folger Franklin, who came from a family of Nantucket Puritans.

James had seven other siblings from his father's earlier marriage. In 1717, James returned to Boston from England with a Ramage press and a small quantity of type letters to start in the printing trade, and younger brother Benjamin became indentured to him. James married Ann Smith, who came from a Puritan family, in 1723, on his 26th birthday. The ceremony, in Boston, was performed by the Rev. John Webb of the New North Church.

James began publishing the "Courant" in Boston in 1721 with wife, Ann, and brother, Benjamin, working alongside him. While at the Courant, James gathered a group, referred to by some as "The Hell-Fire Club", for assistance, and introduced "yellow journalism" to Boston. The Courant was considered controversial, and James was imprisoned for four weeks in 1722 for writing "scandalous libel". The paper was suppressed in 1727 and they left Boston in the same year. At the invitation of James' brother, John, a tallow chandler, James and Ann moved to Newport. Here, they had five children, including Mary, Elizabeth, and James Jr. Here, too, James and Ann established the colony's First Printing Press.

Starting in 1727, James printed and published eight editions of the "Rhode-Island Almanack", sometimes under the pseudonym "Poor Robin". They were printed in James' shop near the town schoolhouse, or at his printing-house on Tillinghast's Wharf, near the Union-Flag Tavern. With the assistance of Thomas Fleet, the almanacs were sold as far away as Pudding-Lane in Boston. On September 27th, 1732, James published the first issue of the "Rhode Island Gazette", 12 inches (30 cm) by 8.5 inches (22 cm) in size. Its run lasted only until May 24th, 1733, and its issues were irregular.

James was ill while living in Newport, but before his death, Benjamin came for a visit. When Benjamin left for Philadelphia, he had with him his nephew, James Jr., and provided him with a printing apprenticeship thereafter. After a long illness, James died in Newport in 1735, on his 38th birthday and 12th wedding anniversary. He was survived by Ann, leaving her with four young children to support alone one child having preceded James in death.