November 14, 1776, an article was run in a London newspaper that stated that the famous Benjamin Franklin was “now at the head of the rebellion in North America.” Up until that time not many people on the other side of the Atlantic were aware of where Benjamin Franklin’s allegiances lied. Although this may seem inconceivable to us today, with Franklin being one of our country’s most prominent founding fathers, it was not so farfetched back then to think that Franklin could have been on either side. Franklin had lived in England for years as an ambassador for multiple colonies. He had honorary doctorate degrees from Oxford University in England and St. Andrews University in Scotland. His son, William Franklin was the Royal Governor of New Jersey and a Loyalist. And he had spent endless amounts of time climbing his way up the London social ladder. All these reasons would have been strong indicators of where Franklin’s loyalties lied. However there was one underlying reason for his steadfast promotion of the cause of liberty. Throughout his time in England and throughout Europe no matter how high he climbed on the social ladder he was still looked down upon because of his colonial birth. In the end, what finally sealed the deal for Franklin was the dressing down he got from England’s Privy Council, who in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party blasted and scolded him as a parent would do an unruly child. Franklin made up his mind right then and there - from that moment on he was an unconditional patriot.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 17:55:06 +0000
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