Monday, September 27, 2010

Franklin Fans the Flames in France


As the War for American Independence continued, it became increasingly necessary for the Americans to have the support of the French. As a whole, the American army was weak and nearly defenseless. Woefully unprepared, the patriots lacked supplies, weapons, and most of all, experience. Many men had never even used a musket before, and were lucky if they even had access to one. Not to mention, the American army was a remarkably tiny force comapred to the massive British army and navy that they had engaged in war with. It quickly became clear that the Americans would not be able to fight this war on their own.


And so, Benjamin Franklin was selected as ambassador to France. Already a well respected rebel leader, he accepted this new challenge eagerly. There could hardly be a better man for the job. Franklin was already well known and very popular and France, as a result of his scientific experiments and other discoveries. His witty aphorisms and perhaps even his fur cap played a part in winning the French. Nevertheless, Franklin would prove much more than just a popular figure.


The journey to France itself would be exceedingly dangerous for the new amabassador. At the time of his crossing, in late 1776, Franklin had signed the Declaration of Independence and branded hismelf a traitor. As a result, Franklin would have been in terrible danger had he encountered any British during his voyage. It is almsot certain that he would have been sent to London and hanged as a traitor. Despite this looming threat, Franklin bravely continued onward, safely arriving in France without any problems.


Franklin was warmly welcomed upon his arrival in France. As mentioned before, he was quite popular among the French public, renowned for his many inventions and discoveries(particularly taming lightning), as well as his exceptional wit. It has also been remarked that Franklin was something of a ladies' man... even at the age of 70 (He was noted to be a notorious flirt after the death of his wife, Deborah). This great popularity did not distort Franklin's political intelligence in any way, and it certainly was useful in allowing his gracious welcome to Paris and for great value being given to his ideas and requests, which would benefit America greatly.



And so, France would serve as an exceedingly valuable ally to America. As referenced earlier, the American army was terribly unpeprared to singlehandedly defeat the enormous British threat. For this reason, France was needed, to supply the Americans with weapons and other supplies, as well as its own soldiers and formidable naval power. At this time, France and England were the most powerful nations in Europe, and either one was possibly powerful enough to topple the other. But first, the Americans needed France's support. Benjamin Frnaklin was on the case!


France, now ruled by King Louis XVI, bitterly resented the British for defeating them in the Seven Years War. For years, they hoped that the British would lose their North American empire as well. Meanwhile, it seemed as if the America and the British were clsoe to reconciling. If this were to happen, Britain would not only regain, but probably permanantly secure, its immense empire in America! Ben Franklin, therefore, did not have a difficult time convicning the French monarch to intervene, wisely playing off their fears of a unified Britain and America. Before long, Franklin had succeeded in his quest and won the French support of the colonial effort!


Thanks to Benjamin Franklin, America's strength was more than doubled! France would, over the next few years, supply the patriots with weapons and more soldiers, in addition to an excellent navy. These valuable assets, combined with American bravery and ingeneiuity, would eventually allow the Americans to win their Independence!
As for Franklin, he would remain in France for the duration of the War. He would later serve as a peace negotiator at the Treaty of Paris in 1783, alongside John Adams and John Jay, and would so help to lay the final touches to American Independence, before his return in 1785.

And, to finish with an amusing quote by Ben Franklin: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!"

Sources of Information:
"The American Pageant" Textbook
theamericanscholar.org
ushistory.org

16 comments:

  1. Ben Franklin is amazing. As far as historical figures go, he has to rank among my favorites. It doesn't hurt that we share a birthday! Anyway, France's entry into the war, taken into context, was an incredible moment in the shift of world power. What if Britain had won? I find it funny that once France joined on the side of the Americans, everyone else seemed to jump in too (like Spain, Holland, etc.) Anyway, I admire Franklin for his actions, and of course his quotes are always good for a laugh.

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  2. I totally agree with your post. America's smartest product in my opinion is Ben Franklin and without him, this might be a colony. I also love his aphorisms.

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  4. I liked reading this post! Ben Frank is a pretty cool guy. I did not think about him and his dangerous voyage to France, that was an intersting twist and exciting! I wonder how long he was anxious about getting caught until he hit French waters. Thanks Shane

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  5. Wow! I'm so surprised that one man could do so much work! It seems that his lifetime was jampacked with furthering the Patriot cause. You had a great summary; in fact, I shall certainly be giving it a second look.

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  6. Shane, good post. I knew about Ben Franklin's role in the American Revolution, though you went in depth into his role. Many of your classmates will benefit from your post.

    Good job Shane.

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  7. As one may say Ben Franklin was around in more ways than one. Although I'm not sure why anyone would go after a 70 year old man.....

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  8. whitehawk agree, benny should definetly go to france because he is a great leader and was very popular, even in france. because he was so smart, he could be trusted as a rep from the us in france.
    nice post.

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  9. Well he was just a pretty awesome guy all around! We learned a lot about Ben Franklin in English last year, but nothing really about his life in France, so this post was especially nice. Thanks!

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  10. Come on Brendan, how can you resist that shiny bald head and those bifocals. This is a good post. Big Ben played a larger role than a lot of people think. He is to whom we owe our independence for persuading the French to aid us while using his coolness.

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  11. Nice alliteration in the title. Ben Franklin is awesome! I have always wanted to learn more than just his aphorisms and your blog taught me all I should know!

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  12. Did I tell you about my Uncle Frank? He did a bunch of the same stuff: nunchuck fighting, wolverinme hunting, computer hacking... These Franklin was liked by the ladies so much cause he had great skillz! Gosh! Your post makes me want more fricken chips (that's a good thing in case you're wondering).

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  13. Did I ever tell you about my Uncle Frank? He was so much like this guy.. I mean, they both had nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... And all the ladies liked these guys cause they had great skillz! Gosh! Your post makes me just wanna eat more fricken chips! (tis a compliment in my country)

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  14. Great job! Benjamin Franklin just seemed good at everything, didn't he? I liked how you talked some about how Franklin was able to win over France. We couldn't have done it without them!

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  15. "The French are coming! The French are coming! God save the king!"
    Indeed, Ben Franklin was the most active man ever, traveling across oceans and taking parts in diplomacy when he is an ancient person.

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  16. Ben Franklin is awesome! He was a player in France, so he deserves some props. Ben Franklin just rocks. Thanks for the post

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