Programs and Events
Benjamin Franklin and John Morton Visited Finland
On September 20, 2006, the American Embassy in Helsinki welcomed John Morton and Benjamin Franklin to Finland. John Morton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, of Finnish descent, and a native of my home state, Pennsylvania, cast the deciding vote in favor of our Declaration of Independence. We feel that we owe a debt of gratitude not only to John Morton’s Finnish ancestors for making the decision in 1654 to come to the United States, but also to the millions who followed them over the next 300 plus years, all with the hope of finding a better life and greater freedoms. Benjamin Franklin, another Founding Father, America’s first diplomat, inventor, and a witness to John Morton’s great courage when he signed the Declaration, joined him in Finland.
Franklin and Morton conducted a tour of libraries, schools and universities in Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Rautalampi and Vaasa. They brought America’s colonial era to life, including America’s history as a country of immigrants. John Morton spoke about his Finnish ancestors and talked about his life during a pivotal time in America’s history: the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Morton also re-traced his roots in Finland, in particular, to Rautalampi and Savo from where he hailed.
In honor of the celebration of the Finnish Parliament’s 100th year anniversary, John Morton presented a copy of the Declaration of Independence to the Finnish people and the Speaker of the Eduskunta Paavo Lipponen along with a letter from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell congratulating the Eduskunta in honor of its 100 year anniversary.
One of the major highlights of the visit was John Morton’s and Benjamin Franklin’s visit to the former’s home town Rautalampi. In Rautalampi, Morton, Franklin and I visited the Delaware Statue in memorial to those Finns who chose to undertake the difficult voyage to America in the 1640s. I presented a bouquet of flowers in their honor and after a tour of the city’s landmarks we met with Rautalampi’s citizens to discuss the significance of John Morton in American history as well as the developments surrounding the birth of the Declaration of Independence.
Ambassador Marilyn Ware