31From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 4 June 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress In the paragraph of this letter that deals with the Tea Act, Franklin implies that the purpose of the statute was “to keep up the Exercise of the Right” to tax the colonies. This idea was sure to be a red rag to the Bostonian bull. All that is known about the passage of the act, however, indicates that the ministry avoided the...
32From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 10 June 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office During Franklin’s correspondence with leading Bostonians over the past year, the gap between his views and theirs had been gradually narrowing; but this letter shows that it had not yet closed. He deplored the exercise of the King’s prerogative through instructions to governors, he denied that Parliament might bind the colonies without their consent, he believed that...
33From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 24 December 1770 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin … (10 vols., Boston, 1836–40) VII , 492–4. In his letter to Samuel Cooper six months before, Franklin had put more emphasis on loyalty to the King than was perhaps welcome to leaders of the Massachusetts House. During the debate over the agency he had been criticized for being, as a postal official and the father of a colonial...
34From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 5 January 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress I did myself the Honour of Writing to you on the 2d of December past inclosing some news papers to 30th november last which I hope got safe to hand. I have since received your Favour of Oct. 27. which containing in a small Compass so full an Enumeration of our Grievances, the Steps necessary to a Removal of them, and the...
35From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 5 February 1771 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin ... (10 vols., Boston, 1836–40), VII , 501–6. In 1770 Franklin, in a series of letters to American friends, began a commentary on various aspects of the imperial constitution. The letter below is part of this series. It discusses the current state of the American controversy and prospects for the future, and in the process...
36From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 2 December 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and incomplete copy: Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress The interview described in the first part of this letter involved Franklin further in the developing crisis in Massachusetts, and the enclosure he described in the second part inflamed that crisis and deeply affected the remainder of his English mission. The importance of the letter is obvious, and so are the...