CHAPTER NINE: Home Leave: Philadelphia, 1763–1764

Franklin transitions from private civic projects to electoral politics, serving in the Pennsylvania Assembly and emerging as a leading voice for colonial unity against French threats. His efforts culminate in drafting the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, a federal framework rejected by both colonial assemblies and Parliament, while his personal authority grows through militia service and postal leadership.

After retiring from printing, Franklin pursues his long-held dream of founding an academy, publishing a reformist education proposal in 1749 and establishing what becomes the University of Pennsylvania in 1751. He next launches a hospital fundraising campaign using a matching-grant scheme—securing £2,000 in private donations matched by public funds—demonstrating his philosophy of public-private partnership. These projects reflect his Enlightenment pragmatism: he believes in voluntarism and limited government, yet supports government's role in fostering common good, though he cautiously warns against unintended consequences of excessive social engineering.

On slavery and race, Franklin initially shows prejudice, publishing "Observations on the Increase of Mankind" (1751) with assertions about racial hierarchies and opposition to black immigration, while critiquing slavery mainly on economic rather than moral grounds. However, after visiting a school for black children in Philadelphia in 1763, he revises his views, acknowledging their equal mental capacities and omitting racist passages in later editions. His attitudes toward Indians are more romantic, fascinated by their preference for wilderness life over European customs.

Elected to the Assembly in 1751, Franklin champions practical improvements: hiring a street sweeper, paving streets, and designing efficient street lamps. He becomes increasingly opposed to the Proprietors' tax-exempt estates and their resistance to colonial defense funding. Appointed Deputy Postmaster for the Colonies in 1753, he uses the position to strengthen connections among colonies and advance his printing network.

At the 1754 Albany Conference called to address French threat and secure Iroquois allegiance, Franklin champions colonial union. He carries a detailed plan for a General Government handling defense and westward expansion while preserving local power—an early federalist concept. His famous "Join, or Die" cartoon urges unity. The Albany Plan, passed by commissioners but rejected by both colonial assemblies (as usurping power) and Parliament (as too democratic), might have prevented the Revolution, Franklin later reflects.

Returning to Boston in 1754, Franklin meets 23-year-old Catherine Ray and begins a lifelong flirtation marked by playful advances gently deflected, affectionate letters, and tangible respect. He maintains propriety by frequently invoking his wife Deborah's virtues, suggesting amitié amoureuse rather than serious affair.

When General Braddock arrives in 1755 to fight the French, Franklin personally guarantees loans to procure horses and wagons, risking nearly £20,000. After Braddock's catastrophic defeat and death, tensions escalate between the Assembly and Proprietors over taxation. Franklin abandons his mediating role, penning fierce denunciations of the Proprietors, including his famous declaration that those surrendering essential liberty for safety "deserve neither liberty nor safety." He drafts a militia bill, dons a uniform, and serves as colonel, though he later surrenders the commission without rancor.

By 1757, the Assembly votes to send Franklin to London as their agent to pressure the Proprietors and, if necessary, petition the British government. He departs as a proud Englishman seeking colonial rights within empire, unaware that cold reception from London's elite will eventually transform him into a revolutionary.