The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin Read online

  Franklin on commission investigating military

  and Izard on Franklin, 276n81

  needs, 164

  Caffieri, Jean-Jacques, 177, 178

  Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of Our Public

  Canada, 91, 98, 105, 169

  Affairs (Franklin), 100-101

  Carroll, Charles, 96, 231

  Cooper, Grey, 133, 134, 135

  Carter, John, 25—26

  Cooper, Joseph, 31

  Chamberlain, Mason, 87, 88

  Cooper, Samuel, 210

  Chatham, William Pitt, Earl of, 91, 92, 148,

  Copley, John Singleton, 41

  149-50

  Craven Street Gazette (parody newspaper), 90

  Chaumont, Jacques Donatien Le Ray, Comte de,

  Crockett, Davy, 3

  175, 177

  Currey, Cecil B., 271n10, 275n76

  Chirac, Jacques, 275n64

  Cushing, Thomas, 149

  Chirac, Mme Jacques, 276n64

  Christian VII (Denmark), 131

  Dartmouth, William Legge, Earl of, 117, 140, 142,

  Clare, Lord, 134-35

  143, 144

  Clark, Abraham, 236

  Darwin, Erasmus, 212

  Club of Honest Whigs, 86, 170

  David, Jacques-Louis, 174, 175

  Cobbett, William, 234

  Deane, Silas

  Cochin, Charles-Nicholas, 176

  and Franklin’s blue velvet coat, 191

  Coercive Acts (1774), 148, 153

  on French attitude toward Franklin, 177,

  Colden, Cadwallader, 61, 67, 75, 80

  187-88, 189, 193, 276n84

  Collinson, Peter

  in mission to France, 169

  Franklin meets in London, 85-86

  Declaration of Independence, 164, 167, 169

  and Franklin on direct taxation of the colonies,

  Declaration of Rights (1688), 121

  107

  Declaratory Act (1766), 120, 124

  and Franklin on English life, 96

  Decow, Isaac, 31

  and Franklin’s Albany Union proposal, 76, 77

  Defence of the Constitutions of the United States

  and Franklin’s deputy postmaster general

  (Adams), 166

  position, 72

  Defoe, Daniel, 19, 40, 42, 51

  and Franklin’s electrical experiments, 63, 64, 65

  democracy

  and Franklin’s meeting with Lord Bute, 94

  eighteenth-century view of, 165

  and Franklin’s overreaching himself, 80

  Federalists on, 232

  colonies. See North American colonies

  Franklin as democrat, 166, 232

  commoners, gentlemen and, 35—41, 46-47,

  Democracy in America (Tocqueville), 16

  253n51

  Denham, Thomas, 27, 31

  Common Sense (Paine), 155

  Dennie, Joseph, 234, 283n92

  commonwealth theory of the empire, 123

  Devonshire, Duke of, 40

  condescension, 38, 46, 50, 57

  Dickinson, John, 96, 100, 123

  Condorcet, Marquis de, 182, 227

  Diderot, Denis, 173

  Confederation Congress, Franklin’s struggle with,

  Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and

  221-26, 280n51, 280n57

  Pain (Franklin), 29-30

  Connecticut, 69, 103

  Dull, Jonathan R., 277n107

  Connecticut compromise, 220

  Duplessis, Joseph-Siffred, 177, 178

  conservation of charge, law of, 64

  Constitutional Convention, 215-21

  “Edict of the King of Prussia, An” (Franklin), 145

  Connecticut compromise, 220

  education, Franklin’s proposals for, 48-49

  Virginia plan, 245

  electricity, Franklin’s experiments with, 11,

  Constitutionalists, 213

  61-66, 86, 172

  Constitutions of the Free-Masons, 44

  Ellsworth, Oliver, 232

  Continental Congresses

  Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at

  First, 148, 149

  Philadelphia in America (Franklin), 64, 171

  Franklin contrasts Parliament with, 160

  Franklin’s enemies taking control of, 211

  Federalists, 5, 232, 23^35, 236, 237, 238

  Second, 154-56, 164

  Feke, Robert, 57, 58, 257n117

  Conway, Stephen, 265n21 Cook, James, 86

  Felton, Silas, 238 Fielding, Henry. 36-37

  Fisher, Edward, 87, 88

  126-29

  Fitzgerald, F Scott, 8

  on cultural inferiority of New World, 95-97

  Ford, Paul Leicester, 248n11

  dedication to British Empire, 10-11, 12,

  Fothergill, John, 86, 99, 149

  91-97,159

  Founders

  on direct taxation of colonies, 107

  Franklin as folksy Founder, 1—3

  on English arrogance regarding colonies,

  Franklin as not most American of, 9—10

  114-15

  Franklin as oldest of, 11

  and French and Indian War, 78-81

  Franklin’s contributions compared with

  and George III, 93-94, 104, 122

  others’, 221-22

  Hillsborough changes attitude toward, 139-40

  marriages of, 33

  hopes for position in British government,

  writing by, 20

  133-35, 138, 148

  See also Adams, John; Franklin, Benjamin;

  in Hutchinson letters affair, 139—47, 158,

  Hamilton, Alexander; Jay, John; Jefferson,

  186, 269n93

  Thomas; Madison, James; Washington,

  last efforts to save empire, 147-51

  George

  as London agent of Massachusetts, 136-38

  Fragonard, Jean-Honore, 176

  mission to Great Britain of, 1764—1775,

  France

  104-51

  John Adams’s missions to, 192-96

  on new colonies in the West, 81-82, 91

  alliance with United States negotiated, 190-91

  new conception of empire of, 120-24

  American distrust of, 187

  on parliamentary representation for the

  Franklin as symbolic American for, 171-83

  colonies, 78, 113, 115-16

  Franklin considers settling in, 207-9

  at Privy Council hearing of 1774, 146-47,

  Franklin’s fellow commissioners, 187-90

  186, 191

  Franklin’s mission of, 1776-1785, 169-200

  as royalist, 93-94, 102-5, 122-23

  images of Franklin in, 176-79, 274n53

  and Stamp Act, 107-8, 110, 111-13, 115,

  Jefferson as American minister to, 212

  117-20,143

  Pennsylvania constitution influencing, 165-66

  on Sugar Act, 106-7

  problems facing Franklin’s mission to, 183-87

  vision of New World’s future, 70-72

  reaction to Franklin’s death in, 230-32, 234

  Walpole (Grand Ohio) Company scheme,

  Royal Academy of Sciences, 172, 258n21

  135-36

  See also Louis XVI; Vergennes, Charles Gravier,

  —as businessman

  Comte de

  in London, 172^1726, 28-30

  Franklin, Abiah Folger (mother), 17

  opens own printing business, 31-32

  Franklin, Benjamin

  partnership in other print shops, 53-54

  —and American Revolution

  Pennsylvania Gazette, 52-53

  on Boston Massacre, 136

  as printer of Pennsylvania Assembly, 52

  and Boston Tea Party, 148

  property of, 54, 1
58, 256n108

  breaks with son William over, 160-63

  retires from active business, 9, 55, 56

  on commission investigating military needs,

  wealth of, 51-55

  164

  —early life in Boston, 17-23

  Declaration of Independence, 164, 167

  apprenticed to candle and soap maker, 18-19

  dedication to American cause questioned,

  apprenticed to his brother, 19-23

  155-58, 271n10

  birth of, 17

  on loyalists, 163

  birthplace of, 18

  Revolutionary fervor of, 154-58, 271n5

  conflicts with his brother, 22-23

  Revolution as personal affair for, 158-63

  leaves Boston, 23

  in Second Continental Congress, 154—56, 164

  —educational projects of

  —and British imperial relations

  American Philosophical Society, 48-49, 72, 213

  Albany Plan of Union, 10, 72-78, 110, 154

  and Franklin’s own education, 257n1

  ambivalence about, in late 1760s, 124—26

  Junto, 42, 44

  confrontation with Hillsborough, 137-38

  Library Company, 44-45, 47, 213

  —education of

  dress while in France, 180-81, 274n56

  elementary, 17-18, 61, 259n1

  fellow commissioners on, 187-90

  honorary degrees, 65, 87

  French alliance negotiated by, 190-91

  languages learned, 56, 184

  on French aristocrats and commerce, 182-83

  reading, 19-20

  French images of, 176-79, 274n53

  —family life of

  as minister plenipotentiary, 193, 196-97

  children, 34, 52

  in peace negotiations with Britain, 195, 196

  engagement to Deborah Read, 27, 29, 30-31

  problems facing mission, 183-87

  grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache, 170, 229,

  residence in France, 175, 177

  234, 246

  as symbolic American for the French, 171-83

  marriage to Deborah Read, 32-34

  in West’s Treaty of Paris, 199

  son Francis (Franky) Franklin, 52, 256n94

  —opinions and views of

  See also Franklin, Deborah Read (wife);

  on appearance and reality, 15

  Franklin, Sara (Sally) (daughter); Franklin,

  on aristocracy, 218

  Temple (grandson); Franklin, William (son)

  behaviorist approach to morality, 277n7

  —as Founder

  on converts’ zealousness, 157

  as folksy Founder, 1-3

  as democrat, 166, 232

  Franklin as famous before Revolution, 11, 87

  on Holland, 183

  Franklin’s contributions compared with

  on labor, 39, 45, 197

  others’, 221-22

  life and chess compared by, 201-2, 221

  as not most American of Founders, 9-10

  on paper money, 45, 108-9

  as oldest of Founders, 11

  pessimistic view of human nature, 266n40

  —images of

  on public service as important as science, 9,

  and American character, 2-3, 12

  66-67

  Autobiography in construction of image, 8-9,

  on public service without pay, 9, 216-17, 244

  13, 235

  religious views, 30, 229, 240

  capitalism associated with, 5-8, 9, 12, 246,

  on slavery, 226-29

  283n92

  on vanity, 207, 241

  celebrated as champion of work, 235-38

  on Wilkes, 128-29

  creation of modern image of image, 13, 16

  —in Pennsylvania government

  criticisms of, 4-8

  as clerk of Pennsylvania Assembly, 52, 59, 68

  difficulty of knowing, 13-16

  enmity with Thomas Penn, 69, 79, 80, 92, 93

  historic eighteenth-century Franklin, 8-13

  on making Pennsylvania crown colony, 69,

  human side of, 4

  82, 92-93, 95, 99-101, 102, 103, 124, 143,

  and myth of American nationhood, 243-46

  155,262nn80-81

  reputation in Europe, 212, 221, 234

  as member of Pennsylvania Assembly,

  as self-made man, 2, 25, 27, 238-43, 246

  68-69, 101

  —last years of

  in Militia Association, 55, 59-60, 69, 79

  and Confederation Congress, 221-26,

  mission to Great Britain of 1757-1762, 82-97

  280n51,280n57

  and Paxton Boys uprising, 98-99

  at Constitutional Convention, 215-21

  and Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776,

  death of, 168, 229-30

  164—66, 213-14, 218-20

  reaction to death of, 230-35

  as president of Pennsylvania, 214-15

  will of, 230, 235, 281n70

  —personal characteristics of

  —mission to France of 1776-1785, 169-200

  calculated restraint of, 13

  Adams questioning patriotism of, 210-12, 215

  as clubbable, 86

  and Adams’s missions to France, 192-96

  curiosity of, 62

  in Americanization of Franklin, 12-13

  human nature understood by, 15

  British and, 184, 185-86, 190-91

  physical ailments in old age, 185, 214, 227

  British peace offerings rebuffed by, 166-68

  physical appearance at age thirty, 51

  Congress debates recalling from France,

  physical appearance at Constitutional

  193-94

  Convention, 216

  considers settling in France, 207-9

  as social being, 16

  diplomatic achievements in France, 196-97

  temperance of, 29

  Franklin, Benjamin (continued)

  origins of, 2, 13, 17, 61, 233

  —in Philadelphia

  patronage in rise of, 25-27

  arrival, 23—24

  stops wearing wig, 271n7

  in city government, 67—68

  and United Party for Virtue plan, 42—43, 44, 56

  civic activities of, 44—46

  —works of

  homes of, 52, 56-57, 98, 111, 153-54

  “Advice to a Young Tradesman, Written by

  returns from Britain in 1726, 30-32

  an Old One,” 57

  returns from Britain in 1762, 97-98

  “Apology for Printers,” 53, 112, 125

  returns from Britain in 1775, 153-54

  complexity and subtlety of, 15

  returns from France in 1785, 213-15

  Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of Our

  works for Keimer, 24, 26, 31

  Public Affairs, 100-101

  —portraits of

  Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure

  Jean-Jacques Caffieri, 177, 178

  and Pain, 29-30

  Mason Chamberlain, 87, 88

  “An Edict of the King of Prussia,” 145

  Charles-Nicholas Cochin, 176

  Experiments and Observations on Electricity,

  Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, 177, 178

  Made at Philadelphia in America, 64, 171

  Robert Feke, 57-58, 58, 257n117

  French translations of, 171-72

  Edward Fisher, 87, 88

  Observations Concerning the Increase of

  Jean-Honore Fragonard, 176

  Mankind, Peopling of Countries, Etc., 70

  French school, 176

  Plain Truth: Or, Serious Considerations on the

  Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 177, 178

  Present State of the City of Philadelphia and

 
Jean-Antoine Houdon, 177, 178

  Province of Pennsylvania, 55

  J. F. de L’Hospital, 177, 179

  Polly Baker hoax, 181-82

  James McArdell, 87, 87

  A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge Among

  David Martin, 125, 126

  the British Plantations in America, 48

  Francois Martinet, 173

  Proposals Relating to the Education ofYouth in