Benjamin Franklin

Examples of Benjamin Franklin in the following topics:

• The Albany Congress and the Intercolonial Defense

  • Exceeding these limited objectives, the assembly adopted a plan developed by Benjamin Franklin for government of the colonies by a central executive and a council of delegates.
  • Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the seven colonies that greatly exceeded the scope of the congress.
  • The Albany delegates spent most of their time debating Franklin's Albany Plan of Union, which would have created a unified colonial entity.
  • The mural depicts some of the delegates (from left to right): William Franklin and his father, Benjamin (Pennsylvania); Governor Thomas Hutchinson (Massachusetts); Governor William Delancey (New York); Sir William Johnson (Massachusetts); and Colonel Benjamin Tasker (Maryland).
  • "Join, or Die" by Benjamin Franklin is a woodcut showing a snake cut into eighths, with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions.

• The Political Revolution

  • The most important leaders of the American Enlightenment include Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson .
  • Deism greatly influenced the thought of intellectuals and Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, perhaps George Washington, and, especially, Thomas Jefferson.
  • Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were among the five, and their leadership was central to the American Enlightenment.

• Deism

  • American Founding Fathers, or Framers of the Constitution, who were influenced by such philosophy include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Cornelius Harnett, Gouverneur Morris, and Hugh Williamson; their political speeches show distinct Deistic influence.

• The Treaty of Paris

  • The treaty was signed at the Hotel d’York by U.S. representatives John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay, as well as David Hartley, a member of the British Parliament who represented King George III in negotiations.
  • Benjamin West's painting of the delegations at the Treaty of Paris: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.

• France and Spain in the Revolutionary War

  • Benjamin Franklin, dispatched to France in December 1776 to rally support, was warmly welcomed.
  • Following this victory, King Louis XVI immediately negotiated an alliance with Benjamin Franklin.

• The American Enlightenment

  • Politically, the age is distinguished by an emphasis on liberty, democracy, republicanism, and religious tolerance—culminating in the writings of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and the drafting of the United States Declaration of Independence.
  • Deism greatly influenced intellectuals and several noteworthy 18th-century Americans such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson.

• The Treaty of Paris

  • The treaty document was signed at the Hotel d'York by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay representing the United States.

• The Revolution and Churches

  • Benjamin Franklin suggested it, but it was ultimately not used.

• The Patriots

  • Prominent early Patriots include Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and George Washington.

• The Aftermath of Saratoga

  • On December 4, 1777, word reached Benjamin Franklin at Versailles that British General John Burgoyne had surrendered at Saratoga.