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
The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin Page 36
