If the new Universal History were also read, it would give a connected idea of human affairs, so far as it goes, which should be followed by the best modern histories, particularly of our mother country; then of these colonies; which should be accompanied with observations on their rise, increase, use to Great Britain, encouragements and discouragements, the means to make them flourish, and secure their liberties.
Benjamin Franklin, Jared Sparks (1844). “The Life of Benjamin Franklin: Containing the Autobiography, with Notes and a Continuation”, p.574