Send a Quote Enter a brief message. SendOk2 “Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, "A republic, if you can keep it.” ~ Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) US Founding FatherSource: as recorded by Constitution signer James McHenry in a diary entry.