The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin (49 page)

Page

18

Courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

58

Courtesy of the Harvard University Portrait Collection, bequest of Dr. John Collins Warren, 1856. Photographed by Katya Kallsen. © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College.

86

Courtesy of the American Philosophical Society.

87, left

White House Historical Association (White House Collection 1981.)

87, right

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/Art Resource, NY.

88, left

Philadelphia Museum of Art: gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wharton Sinkler.

88, right

Philadelphia Museum of Art: purchased.

89

Courtesy of the American Philosophical Society.

126

Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Gift of Maria McKean Allen and Phebe Warren Downes through the bequest of their mother, Elizabeth Wharton McKean.

141

Courtesy of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop. Photographed by Photographic Services. © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College.

161

Private Collection. Photograph courtesy of the Frick Art Reference Library.

173

Franklin Collection, Yale University Library.

175

The Louvre. Photograph courtesy Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY.

176, upper left

Philadelphia Museum of Art: gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr, 1946.

176, upper right

Philadelphia Museum of Art: gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr, 1946.

176, lower left

Courtesy of the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California.

176, lower right

The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

178, upper left

RSA, London.

178, upper right

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of John Bard, 1872 (72.6). Photograph all rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

178, lower left

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Friedsam Collection, bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931 (32.100.132). Photograph all rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

178, lower right

Courtesy of the American Philosophical Society.

179

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania Art Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

199

Courtesy Winterthur Museum.

214

Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadephia. Bequest of Mrs. Sarah Harrison (The Joseph Harrison, Jr., Collection).

242

John Neagle, American, 1796-1865;
Pat Lyon at the Forge,
1826-27; oil on canvas, 238.12 x 172.72 cm (9354 x 68 in.); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund, 1975.806. Photograph © 2004 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Page numbers in
italics
refer to illustrations.

as jealous of Franklin and Washington, 232 marriage of, 33, 90

abolitionism, 227—28

and Massachusetts Constitution of 1780,

Act of Union (1707), 116

193,219

Adams, Abigail, 33, 90, 208, 277n98

missions to France of, 192—96

Adams, John

in negotiations with Howe, 167—68

autobiography, 14

and Pennsylvania constitution, 165, 166

commonwealth theory of the empire, 123

protégé delivering Treaty of Paris to Congress,

on Deane, 276n84

211

declines to be commissioner to France, 169

as wearing his heart on his sleeve, 16

Defence of the Constitutions of the United States,
166

in West’s
Treaty of Paris,
199

as difficult to identify with, 1

Adams, Samuel, 137, 155, 156, 189, 193

on William Franklin, 95, 263n87

Addison, Joseph, 19—20

on Franklin and Voltaire meeting, 180

“Advice to a Young Tradesman, Written by an

on Franklin as curious character, 2

Old One” (Franklin), 57

Franklin as older than, 11

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

on Franklin at Second Continental Congress,

Alexander, James, 74

154

Allen, William, 27, 31, 72, 101, 251n25

on Franklin on loyalists, 163

American colonies.
See
North American colonies

and Franklin’s ability to influence British

American Magazine, The,
46

government, 263n84, 264n87

American Philosophical Society, 48-49, 72, 213,

Franklin’s patriotism questioned by, 210, 215

232-33

on Franklin’s Revolutionary fervor, 154—55,

American Revolution

271n5

British peace offerings in 1776 rebuffed,

on Franklin’s theory of colds, 167—68

166-68

on Frenchwomen and Franklin, 209

Declaration of Independence, 164, 167, 169

on gentlemen and commoners, 35, 36, 253n51,

early military difficulties, 184

255n69

education of leaders of, 18

on Anne-Catherine Helvetius, 208

Franklin as oldest of leaders, 11

on Hutchinson, 110

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, 158, 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