Summary
Many Americans came to trust Franklin as their advocate
in Britain. They saw him as someone who could help Britain and
America work out their differences in a positive way. They were
wrong. In the 1770s, even after helping to defeat the Stamp Act
and (later) the Townsend Acts, Franklin grew frustrated with the
British leaders' ignorance of America and condescending attitude
toward the colonies. He wrote more essays denouncing British policies
toward America, including his famous "Rules By Which a Great Empire May
Be Reduced to a Small One" and "An Edict by the King of Prussia"
(both in September 1773).
Though Franklin's reputation as an American patriot was
growing, his credibility was about to suffer. In Massachusetts,
anti-British sentiment was on the rise. Radicals there believed
that Britain was bent on their destruction. Franklin hoped the
colonists in Massachusetts would be less angry with the British
if they realized that Britain's heavy-handed behavior was the result
of letters sent to the British government from their own leaders,
Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver.
These men, fearing revolt, had asked the British government to
crack down on the radicals. Franklin acquired the letters–how he
did it remains a mystery–and sent them to the Massachusetts House
of Representatives.
Though Franklin had asked the House of Representatives
not to publish the letters, they were somehow leaked to the press.
The letters were soon published and created even more anger at
the British among Massachusetts colonists. After another man was
wrongly accused of having stolen the letters, Franklin came forward
and took sole responsibility for the scandal. In London he was denounced
as a thief and traitor. Though humiliated and angry, he made no
reply.
Franklin's fall from grace continued two days later, when
he was dismissed as deputy postmaster general for North America.
This began his final years in London, where Franklin continued
to write pro-American essays and grew increasingly bitter toward
Britain. By early 1775, after the British closed the Port of Boston
in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party, Franklin gave up hope
of reconciling American and British differences. He left Britain
for good in January.
Commentary
Franklin's humiliation in Britain over the Hutchinson-Oliver
letters was the lowest point in his career. His carefully cultivated
image was shattered. In London, at a hearing with the government,
the British solicitor Alexander Wedderburn spent an hour calling
Franklin a criminal. Dozens of British officials, most of whom
Franklin knew, watched and snickered. They made him into America's scapegoat.
Franklin sat stone-faced, refusing to show any emotion–but he was
furious.
Every American who wanted independence from Britain–and
we should remember that even at the beginning of the war these
people were a minority–had his or her own reasons for wanting it.
Some knew they would benefit politically or financially. Others
believed in the ideals of liberty and equality–ideals an independent
America was supposed to represent. Others simply thought independence was
inevitable. For everyone, though, the decision to support independence
was personal as well as political. Many people had simply gotten
fed up with everyday indignities, tired of feeling like second-class
citizens.
There may not have been a single, particular moment when
Franklin became a revolutionary. Probably his feelings changed
gradually. That said, Franklin's humiliation in front of his British colleagues
might have been the defining moment. He was deeply hurt and disillusioned.
He may have concluded once and for all that the British could not
and would not understand America and Americans. He may have decided
that America was better off without its mother country. He may
have decided, for good, that he would support independence.
We cannot know for sure, as Franklin never publicly lashed
out at his critics. He stayed in London for another year, trying
to help Britain and the colonies reach a compromise. He seemed
pessimistic, though. His essays grew more critical of the British,
more sarcastic and bitter. After he finally gave up and went home,
he sprang into action and instantly became–at the age of sixty-
nine–one of the most radical revolutionary leaders. Though Franklin
carefully guarded his inner feelings from the public, we can only
assume that he was deeply, personally disappointed in Britain.
Another aspect of Franklin's life during this time deserves
mention. In 1774, his wife Deborah died in Philadelphia. She had
not seen Franklin in a decade. He would have brought her to London with
him, but she was afraid of crossing the ocean. Instead, she waited
for years to see her husband again–and never did. Historians have
wondered how close Benjamin and Deborah were. The two were very
different: he was a brilliant scientist and diplomat; she was uneducated
and unworldly. Franklin loved her dearly and insisted on being
buried with her, but his long separation from her suggests that
their relationship was distant. Franklin never got too close to
anyone; he was always on the move, always socializing, always leading
some new project or writing a new essay. He probably was not the
best husband and family man.
