Page 162 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

Within les3 than a inontii the Act was repceled and Arnerica quieted.
Franklin, iiowever, was not satisfied beeauw no imperial union had been
establi.jtied, rvhicli lie saw as the hasis iif imperial iiarrnony.(la
Still aoent for Pennsylvania, Franklin waa voted as agent fnr Georaia
in 1763, for &eh- Jersey in 1769 and for hlasaachusetts iri 1770. Had
ttie revolu[ion beeri delayed - or not corne - he migiit have heen
agent-general for ~he Colonies. "He was ati anibassador for hmerica
beiore Atnerica had tlie right to send Once he had herome
the agent for Massachusetts, lie itiiod strongly on the Anieriean side jii
tiiat eoloriu. He hecame more and more a thorri in ttie aide of tlie
British rninist~~.~.'~'
Everits in the Colclnies were movin~ alon: at a rapid Iiace The
Boston Tea Party and the snbsequent closing tif the Port of Rosiuii Lad
roused tlip aitentiori of aIl. Iii September, 1775, delepates iroin every
c:olon)- except Gecirpia met at a ciingress held in Pkiiladelptiia. Franklin
delayed Iiis retnrn io Arnerica uniil the resultr of the coiigress would be
kn~wn.''~)
In Deeember Congresri wtit Franklin ihe petition to he pre~ented
by him and ttie iither cnlonial agents to the king("' Rie king received
it graciously and laid it heiore Parliament wheri it met on Jannsry 19.
But Parliarnent rieglw ted the petition. Measures were considered for
auppressinp iiie "reb~llinn". Frariklin offered tci inake paynient for the
tea destroyed in Boston if the puniiive acts apainst Massachnsetts ~riuld
be rcpraled. The ministry wa9 averse to ieprsI. Finally, haviiig heard
of his wife's death sorne H-eeks befrire. Frankliri cngagrd passage on tIie
next ship {or Ameries. He arrivcd at Philadelphia on May 5, just nfter
the outbreaks at Lexiiigton arid Concord. The next day he Rai chosen
hy the Penns?lvariia Assembly tn be one of its depnties to the Secritid
Continerital Congresa, which was Lo meet in Philadelphia within four
days.
Thns it was that when Congres3 assembled on May IL!, Benjamin
Frariklin, aged 70, was its oldest member. "One of the firmest arid
boldest of thc delegales, Franklin 1%-as one of ihe most ~ilent."'~~' He
adjucted hirnsell to tiie tone of the Congrese. He was willin~ to take a
chance or1 any hope of reeaiiciliatiori as long as there was the hast
poasibility of il. However, lie began to feel that now ihere seemed
no solutiori hut arined tneasuree. "Or ail Anierirans he had had the
largest viuicin of the Empire that might he shayed bv political iuisdrirn.
arid perhaps the strongest aile~tion for iiie idea. But he had alwars
knriwn that ii could not he bruught aboni hy the subordination of t1ie
eolonier. To keep a part of the Empire rveab ivas riot tlie rvay tn make
the whole of it srrimg.. . If the miriistry's plari for the Empire was to

. .
(19) Ihid. n. 411.
1 fhid:; ;. 4fl5.
(?li Ihid, p. 502.
(22) rbid., p. 529.