The Correspondence Between Gaetano Filangieri and Benjamin Franklin: Enlightenment for the American Federation and for European Integration

The chapter examines the correspondence between Gaetano Filangieri and Benjamin Franklin as an expression of a shared set of values and ideas that were fundamental to the American Constitution and the process of European integration. After analysing the nine letters and their respective attachments, it explores common themes between the two intellectuals: peace as “the first law of nations,” the general freedom of trade and industry, and the primacy of human rights enshrined in a constitution superior to ordinary laws. It highlights how these principles influenced not only American federalism but also the evolution of the European Union, from its earliest economic treaties to its jurisprudence on fundamental rights. The reflection concludes by underscoring the universality of Filangieri’s thought, capable of transcending centuries and continents, embodying the vocation of the Enlightenment philosopher as a “citizen of all places, contemporary of all ages.”