The Thirteen Colonies are steadily moving toward declaring their freedom. England is send reconciliatory messages to its Colonies on the American continent. The messages from the King’s envoys ask for peace and reconciliation.
Many of the Colonists are loyal subjects of King George III. However, the King’s soldiers based in Colonists’ homes and the British Navy’s assaults on coastal towns scavenging for food to feed its troops turned off a growing number of Colonists toward reconciling with the “Mother Country!” Benjamin Franklin’s son, William, was the Governor of New Jersey and a staunch Loyalist. As the year progressed, Benjamin Franklin became convinced that America needed to declare its Freedom from the world’s mightiest Nation of that time. The Franklin Family like many others in America, were evolving into fractured household with Loyalists and Patriots in the same Family. It was Father against son or brothers against each other debating ideologies and eventually openly fighting each other in battle.
The Colonists, who were Patriots, were convinced that a complete break from the English Monarchy was essential to assert the freedoms that later were described in the Declaration of Independence with those freedoms being Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It would be almost seven months later after long debates over ways to unite the thirteen Colonies that these Thirteen unanimously declared their independence!
Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net.