From the pen of Benjamin Franklin comes a furious letter, written in 1775 to William Strahan — a British Member of Parliament who had, until that point, been a friend of 30 years — as the American Revolutionary War took hold.
For many years, Strahan attended debates in Parliament and wrote reports of the proceedings that were widely circulated; his paragraphs of political news were frequently printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette, and he became a friend of its owner, Benjamin Franklin.
His protégé, David Hall, succeeded Franklin at his print shop in Philadelphia when Franklin retired, in 1747.
At first he sympathized with the grievances of the American colonists, disapproving of the Stamp Act and publishing arguments in favor of a reconciliation in his London Chronicle.
However, he later developed a much more hostile attitude, writing to Hume in 1775
“I am entirely for coercive methods with these obstinate madmen.” This hostility also led to Benjamin Franklin ending their friendship but reconciling after the war.
Franklin quickly had a change of mind after penning it, and it was never sent; however, word of its content later circulated and it soon become famous. If anything, it’s a lesson in how to sign-off with style.
Transcript follows.
Transcript
Philada. July 5. 1775
Mr. Strahan
You are a Member of Parliament, and one of that Majority which has doomed my Country to Destruction. You have begun to burn our Towns and murder our People. — Look upon your hands! They are stained with the Blood of your Relations! — You and I were long Friends:— You are now my Enemy, — and
I
am
Yours.
B. Franklin
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Thank you so much for the encouragement, it means a lot 😊
I like reading these historical accounts very much because they are the root of the things we face today in this world. Perhaps not a specific event, but you can see the evolution of the issues that affect us all. It is easy to blame one man, and the fact is that history is built human being by human being and the acts that they commit for whatever reason (or lack thereof). Thank you kindly.