Written by: Timothy J. Shannon, Gettysburg CollegeBy the end of this section, you will:
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In 1753, tensions on the American frontier were high because European rivals France and Great Britain were nearly at war over their competing imperial claims in North America. Meanwhile, a group of Mohawk Indians traveled to New York City, where they declared an end to the alliance between the British colonies and Iroquois nations. The Mohawks were the easternmost nation in the Iroquois Confederacy (the other five nations in the confederacy were the Oneidas, Tuscaroras, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas). They were also key players in the Covenant Chain, the alliance that kept the peace between the Iroquois and the northern British colonies. When the British crown learned of the Mohawks’ complaints about land frauds and diplomatic neglect, it ordered the colonial governments to convene a meeting in Albany to address these grievances and restore the alliance. Seven colonies (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland) sent delegations to Albany in June 1754, where they negotiated with approximately 150 Iroquois. Albany had long served as the geographic center of the Covenant Chain, and it had hosted many previous intercolonial treaty conferences. This one, which eventually became known as the Albany Congress, was different because of the unprecedented number of colonies represented and because of the urgency of the situation. Britain could not afford to go to war against France if the Iroquois were not willing at least to remain neutral. The colonial delegates turned their attention first to renewing the Covenant Chain, which involved exchanging speeches with the Iroquois and providing them with presents. The Crown and colonial governments donated trade goods as material evidence of British regard for their Indian allies. In addition to conducting their business with the Iroquois, the delegates addressed the issue of intercolonial union. Unity among the colonies was an elusive goal because of their many political, economic, religious, and cultural differences. Benjamin Franklin had first proposed the idea of an intercolonial government in 1751, and a month before the Albany Congress convened, he had published his famous “Join, or Die” cartoon in the Pennsylvania Gazette. The political cartoon showed a snake cut into several pieces, which Franklin used to warn his readers about the dangers of division in the face of French encroachments on British claims to the Ohio Valley. On May 9, 1754, this political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette. Note that some of the Colonies are not listed, because Franklin lumped the New England Colonies together, and excluded Georgia and Delaware, the latter of which was then part of Pennsylvania. As a member of the Pennsylvania delegation in 1754, Franklin drafted “Short hints towards a scheme for uniting the Northern Colonies” before arriving in Albany and circulated it among some friends. Other delegates also arrived in Albany ready to discuss forging such a union to counter the growing threat on the frontier. Massachusetts and Connecticut authorized their delegations to address the matter, reflecting the New England colonies’ long experience of cooperating in their Indian relations and military affairs. Other colonial governments were more suspicious of any plans that might limit their autonomy, however, so most of the delegates arrived in Albany either without authorization to discuss union or with express instructions not to do so. Despite this lack of a mandate, the delegates in Albany formed a committee to draft a plan of union, taking Franklin’s “Short Hints” as their starting point. Delegations from each colony were to form an intercolonial legislature called the Grand Council, with representation apportioned according to each colony’s contribution to a common treasury. A royally appointed President General was to work with the Grand Council in the same manner that a royal governor worked with a colonial assembly, having the power to command troops, to negotiate treaties and land purchases with Indians, and to oversee the formation of new colonies in the continent’s interior. The Albany Plan of Union was a creative response to the problems facing the colonies on the eve of the French and Indian War, but it failed to impress the colonial governments or policymakers in Britain. When the delegates carried the plan back to their home governments, they found their efforts greeted mostly by indifference or hostility. None of the colonial assemblies endorsed it. The king’s ministers dismissed it as a threat to royal powers in colonial affairs and only appointed two royal superintendents who would oversee the fur trade, land purchases, and diplomacy with Indian nations. During the Revolutionary era, creating an American political union again became important, but patriots did not cite the Albany Plan as an influence when they attended the Stamp Act Congress (1765), adopted the Articles of Confederation (1777), or ratified the Constitution (1788). Despite his presence in the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, Franklin never explicitly linked the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution to the Albany Plan either. Rather, in his Autobiography, he postulated that had the Albany Plan been adopted in 1754, it might have very well prevented the crisis that drove the colonies and Britain apart a generation later. Some historians have argued that the Albany Plan is evidence of American Indian influence on the ideas that have shaped U.S. democracy and federalism. Proponents of the “Iroquois Influence Thesis” claim that Franklin and several other founders were keen observers of American Indian government, and that, in particular, they were impressed with the way the Iroquois nations used their confederation to preserve their security and power. In a letter he wrote in 1751, Franklin cited the Iroquois as an example of successful political union, stating, “It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages, should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner, as that it has subsisted Ages, and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous; and who cannot be supposed to want an equal Understanding of their Interests.” Franklin never expressed curiosity about how “ignorant Savages” formed or operated the Iroquois Confederacy, however. The other founders of the American nation, when they exhibited any familiarity with the Iroquois, shared similar sentiments, praising the Iroquois for their military power and political unity but generally dismissing them and other American Indians as savages who possessed no government worthy of study or imitation. Review Questions1. Benjamin Franklin’s Plan of Union faced all the following obstacles except
2. What was the intended purpose of the Albany Congress in 1754?
3. Why did the British fear a failure of their alliance with the Iroquois?
4. Why was unity among the colonies an elusive goal in the 1750s?
5. What did Benjamin Franklin and the Albany Congress suggest on the topic of colonial confederation?
6. Which of the following statements is true regarding the Albany Plan of Union?
Free Response Questions
AP Practice QuestionsBenjamin Franklin published his famous “Join, or Die” cartoon in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. Refer to the image provided.1. The political cartoon published by Benjamin Franklin suggests
2. In his cartoon, Benjamin Franklin combined the New England colonies into one group and listed the other colonies individually. What does this say about the New England colonies?
3. Benjamin Franklin created the image in response to
Primary SourcesAlbany Plan of Union: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/albany.asp Join or Die: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Franklin_-_Join_or_Die.jpg Suggested ResourcesAnderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. New York: Vintage, 2001. Brands, H.W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Anchor, 2002. Shannon, Timothy J. Iroquois Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier. New York: Penguin, 2009. Shannon, Timothy J. The Seven Years’ War in North America: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford, 2013. What was the purpose of the Albany Plan of Union?The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. The plan was adopted on July 10, 1754, by representatives from seven of the British North American colonies.
What was the result of the Albany Plan of Union?Despite the support of many colonial leaders, the plan, as formulated at Albany, did not become a reality. Colonial governments, sensing that it would curb their own authority and territorial rights, either rejected the plan or chose not to act on it at all.
What was the purpose of the Albany Plan of Union quizlet?The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal developed by a committee led by Benjamin Franklin. The Plan of Union proposed that the colonies unite to form a federal government. Although the colonies rejected the plan, it showed that many colonial leaders had begun to think about joining together for their common defense.
What was the goal of the Albany Plan of Union was it successful?The Plan represented one of multiple early attempts to form a union of the colonies "under one government as far as might be necessary for defense and other general important purposes." The plan was rejected but it was a forerunner for the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.
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