Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume 2 (of 2): A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own WritingsBruce, Wiliam Cabell
History
Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume 2 (of 2): A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own Writings
Bruce, Wiliam Cabell
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
After the arrival of Franklin in England, the local struggle in
Pennsylvania was of too secondary importance to command serious attention;
and, beyond a few meagre allusions to it, there is no mention made of it in
his letters. The temper of the English Ministry was not friendly to such a
revolutionary change as the abolition of the proprietary government, and
Franklin, after he had been in England a few years, had too many matters of
continental concern to look after to have any time left for a single phase
of the general conflict between the Colonies and the mother country.
Before passing to his share in this conflict, a word should be said about
the Albany Congress, in which he was the guiding spirit. In 1754, when
another war between England and France was feared, a Congress of
Commissioners from the several Colonies was ordered by the Lords of Trade
to be held at Albany. The object of the call was to bring about a
conference between the Colonies and the Chiefs of the Six Nations as to the
best means of defending their respective territories from invasion by the
French. When the order reached Pennsylvania, Governor Hamilton communicated
it to the Assembly, and requested that body to provide proper presents for
the Indians, who were to assemble at Albany; and he named Franklin and
Isaac Norris, the Speaker of the Assembly, as the Commissioners from
Pennsylvania, to act in conjunction with Thomas Penn and Richard Peters,
the Secretary of the Proprietary Government. The presents were provided,
and the nominations confirmed by the Assembly, and Franklin and his
colleagues arrived at Albany in the month of June, 1754.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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