“A Dangerous Man” and “Tribune of the People”

Historians have often downplayed or even ignored Franklin’s deep affection for England and pride in his English ethnicity. His entire political career until 1775 was devoted to persuading the royal authorities in London that Great Britain’s future greatness as a world power depended on the future development of America. For this reason, its colonial legislatures should be granted greater recognition and decision-making powers. As he wrote in an essay on demographics in 1751, he imagined a time when more English men and women would live in America than in England itself. This chapter begins by examining Franklin’s dual English-American identity. Furthermore, his commitment to expanding the British Empire also had a linguistic dimension and it is for this reason he defended a model of language based on the speech of cultivated London speakers.The chapter also considers the geopolitical situation in North America, particularly the prolonged conflicts with France and its Native American allies, which pushed Franklin to lead a campaign for a common military defense of the colonies. Internecine political struggles within Pennsylvania are explored as well, especially Franklin’s bitter disputes with the Lords Proprietors (Governors) and the pacifist Quakers, who refused to contribute financially to colonial defense. His plans to protect Pennsylvania and other colonies from attack were systematically frustrated by an intransigent royal government in London, which regarded his initiatives as an attempt to usurp the king’s authority. This period laid the groundwork for the popular revolt that ultimately produced a permanent rift between Great Britain and its American colonies.Ultimately, beyond his political and military duties, Chapters 6 through 9 raise questions concerning Franklin’s linguistic identity. Specifically, what impact did the escalating political and ideological tensions with the motherland have on his linguistic views? Did the conflict lead him to revise his heteronomous (London-based) opinions in favor of an endonormative (autonomous) “American” model of the kind later adopted by Noah Webster? (cf. Chapters 14, 29 & 30).