Franklin considered himself an Englishman for most of his life. At one point,
Franklin wanted to live in England permanently, but his wife Deborah refused
to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Franklin made his first trip to England when he
was 18 and stayed for two years while he worked as a printer and enjoyed the
culture and entertainment the city had to offer him. Franklin returned to London
almost 30 years later as an agent to Parliament for the Pennsylvania Assembly.
Because of Franklin’s work with electricity, he was honored by a number
of British scientific societies and universities, but the political elite of
Parliament never accepted Franklin. This led to friction between Franklin and
Parliament, which ended with a highly charged appearance before the Privy Council
in 1775, where Franklin was severely humiliated. That event turned Franklin
from a loyal Englishman into an American revolutionary. From that point, Franklin
did everything in his power to assure the defeat of England by the colonists.
When the war was won, Franklin helped negotiate the peace treaty that gave the
Americans independence from England.
Here are some highlights in Franklin’s relationship with England:
• In 1724, Franklin made his first trip England. He gained employment with
two famous British printers, Palmer and Watts. During that visit to England,
he taught swimming lessons in the Thames River. Franklin returned to Philadelphia
in 1726.
• In 1757, Franklin returned to England as the agent for the Pennsylvania
Assembly. During this 5-year visit to England, he became the agent for a number
of other colonies.
• In 1762, Franklin returned to America, but came back to England in 1764,
again as an agent to Parliament.
• From 1764 to 1775, Franklin lived in London and became a strong voice for
the American colonists, appearing before Parliament to champion the American
cause. In 1775, he was called before the Privy Council and humiliated, an
episode that turned Franklin into a revolutionary.
• In 1782, while living in France, Franklin helped negotiate the preliminary
peace treaty with England to end the Revolutionary War, and signed the final
document in 1783.
Honors
• In 1753, Franklin was awarded the prestigious Copley Medal by the British Royal Society.
• In 1756, Franklin was inducted into the Royal Society in London as well
as the Royal Society of Arts.
• Franklin was given honorary degrees from Cambridge, Oxford, and the University
of Edinburgh.
• In 1783, Franklin became a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• In 1785, Franklin was honored by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical
Society.
• In 1785, Franklin received honors from the Medical Society of London.
