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Karen Palumbo

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On This Day 4/5/1774
4/11/2011 3:04:52 PM

Benjamin Franklin publishes:
"An Open Letter to Lord North"

Benjamin Franklin writes an open letter to Great Britain's Prime Minister Frederick Lord North from the Smyrna Coffee House in London, Great Britain. It was published in "The Public Advertiser", a British newspaper.

Benjamin Franklin's tongue-in-cheek letter suggested that the British impose martial law upon the colonies and appoint:

a "King's Viceroy of all of North America".

Benjamin Franklin satirically went on to suggest that such centralized power over "Yankee Doodles", who had "degenerated to such a Degree" from their British Ancestors:

"that one born in Britain is equal to
twenty Americans"

would allow the British Crown to collect its taxes, then sell their impoverished colonies and colonists to Spain. Smyrna Coffee House on St. James Street in London, Great Britain had been a meeting place of "Whigs", or political Liberals, since the Seventeenth Century.

For Benjamin Franklin to sign a letter drafted at Smyrna's:

"A Friend of Military Government"

was an obvious use of irony. The details of purported plan for a military government, including the exclusive use of military courts in colonies known for their committment to trial by jury, and:

"One Hundred to a Thousand Lashes
in a frosty Morning"

for offenders made Benjamin Franklin's disdain for Frederick, Lord North and his heavy-handed tactics clear. In fact, Benjamin Franklin's letter proved prophetic when Frederick, Lord North imposed martial law on Massachusetts the next month with the passage of the "Massachusetts Government Act".

General Thomas Gage received the appointment to institute the military government as the colony's Royal Governor. Benjamin Franklin had snidely suggested in his treatise:

"that great Commander G....l G....e"

could take but a few men and:

"so intimidate Americans that the
General might march through the
whole Continent of North America
and would have little else to do
but to accept of the Submission
of several Towns as he passed."

Benjamin Franklin, of course, found his own suggestions laughable. Frederick, Lord North however, seemed to find such a scheme practiceable, and pursued it at the cost of many lives, and eventually,Britain's thirteen colonies.

(K) (HST)

Benjamin Franklin American Patriot
Frederick Lord North Prime Minister of
Great Britain
Thomas Gage Royal Governor, Massachusetts

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