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Benjamin Franklin, in London, writes to his friend John Hughes in America in 1765, urging him to remain calm in the face of rebellion against the Stamp Act. (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\nFranklin testified at Parliament that he remained loyal to the king but not necessarily to Parliament, saying the governing body had a right to impose external taxes, but not to tax internal transactions within the colonies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a somewhat incoherent position that he was taking,\u201d said Ewald. \u201cIn the first place, distinguishing between internal and external taxation is really difficult to do. And there were plenty of Americans who said, \u2018Look, what we object to is paying taxes. Full stop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Further hedging his bets, Franklin assumed the Stamp Act would be enacted and recommended a friend for the job of collecting Stamp Act taxes in Philadelphia, John Hughes. The law was enacted and later repealed after fierce colonial resistance.<\/p>\n
Tax collectors, including Hughes, became the targets of colonists\u2019 anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Hughes feels the temperature rising in Philadelphia, and he writes to Franklin in London. He says, \u2018Ben, you know, things are getting uncomfortable here,\u2019\u201d Historical Society president David Brigham said. \u201cWe have the letter that Ben Franklin writes back. He says, \u2018John, you\u2019re a loyal subject. Just do your job. Keep your head down. This is all going to blow over.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFranklin is nowhere near ready to sign a Declaration of Independence, in 1766,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Benjamin Franklin, in London, writes to his friend John Hughes in America in 1765, urging him to remain calm in the face of rebellion against the Stamp Act. (Emma Lee\/WHYY)<\/p>\n
By 1775, a year before the signing of the Declaration, the colonists were still unsure about separating from the British empire. On July 5, six weeks after the Revolutionary War had already begun with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, congressional delegates sent the Olive Branch Petition<\/a> to King George, describing themselves as \u201cloyal colonists\u201d seeking a resolution to hostilities.<\/p>\n