Franklin Among the Delaware

[Smaug]

Fourthded!

[benjamin]

Here it is the long awaited update. Sorry about the delay.

1742: William Franklin leaves his foster parents to live with Benjamin Franklin. William soon develops a love for science and knowledge like his father. William also develops a strong bond with his half-sister Tonawa.
In Philadelphia, Thomas Penn has been busy. He has raised a new force 2,000 strong and sends word of his defeat back to the King. Franklin has learned of this and sends several Iroquois and Delaware envoys to London to explain the grievances they have against Penn. The King is impressed by the Indians and refuses Penn’s request for a second loan, but he is not in the business of aiding radicals so he refuses to grant the colony a new charter.
Fighting erupts in Pennsylvania again in early March. Penn begins a campaign to confiscate property of those suspected of treason and then the auctions the property off to his cronies. With this money he is able to add another 4,000 men to his renewed army. Penn also disbands the Assembly. Public discontent with Penn grows as the pacifist influence of the Quakers is reduced.
Throughout the summer a campaign is fought between Penn and Franklin. Franklin is able to drive Penn back towards Philadelphia. Seeking the safety of the city, Penn retreats to Philadelphia on September 1st. Franklin does not wish to harm the city and so after a month of having the city surrounded he devises a plan. On October 9th, a trusted supporter of Penn enters Philadelphia with word that there has been a revolt within Franklin’s army. Several days later news reaches Penn that Franklin is dead. Penn is dubious at first but similar reports continue to pour in over the next few days and the Citizen Militia begins to break up and retreat west. On October 19th Penn takes his army out of Philadelphia and begins to pursue the remainder of the Militia northwards with hopes of crushing the entire rebellion before heavy snows begin.
On October 27th Penn reaches Easton where he plans to camp for a week before deciding whether or not to continue the pursuit. To his dismay he soon finds himself surrounded by Militia and Indian forces led by Franklin himself. Penn refuses to surrender. The siege continues for 46 days. Penn’s death on December 13th Penn’s leaderless army surrenders to the Citizen Militia and its Indian allies.

1743: Franklin travels to England and meets with the King. The King finally agrees to form a new colonial charter for Pennsylvania. It is a Royal Charter, thus making Pennsylvania a crown colony, and he refuses to make Franklin Governor General. A new Governor General, Edward Thomas, is appointed to Pennsylvania by the King. The Pennsylvania Assembly soon approaches the Governor to explain his role in the local politics. He protests but local merchants promise to make him very wealthy if he does not interfere. Thomas soon learns his place in local politics and becomes a well liked celebrity in the Philadelphia area.
The King also sends two newly formed regiments of soldiers to Pennsylvania to “… ensure the safety of my new Crown Colony.” Franklin is initially resentful, but he travels back to Philadelphia in the same ship that one of the regiments takes. Franklin becomes close friends with Col. Lawrence Tyler, the commander of the 49th Regiment of Foot. Also sent is the 67th Regiment of Grenadiers.

1744: The War of Austrian Succession finally spreads to North America. French backed Indians begin to raid the colonies and attack the Indians allied to the English. Franklin calls for the raising of a militia to assist in the fighting. The Quakers resist Franklin’s calls and he goes about forming a militia himself using publicly donated funds.
Dieter Schmidt, an avid reader of Der Pennsylvanischer and leader in the German community, meets with Franklin to volunteer his services. Realizing that this may be his chance to unify Pennsylvania and reduce Quaker and proprietary influences, Franklin calls for a meeting to be held in Conestoga. The Citizen Militia is reformed as the Royal Pennsylvanian Militia. Along with the three regiments of militia raised, over 700 Indian warriors are accepted into the RPM.

Benjamin

[Kabraloth]

Great TL, I enjoy it a lot.
Little nitpick: Der Pennsylvanischer is German, right? In that case, it should be called Der Pennsylvanier.

[benjamin]

The periodical known is known in English as The Pennsylvanian.
According to The New English-German Dictionary found at
http://www.iee.et.tu-dresden.de/cgi-...nerr/search.sh

Search results for -- Suchergebnisse für 'pennsylvanian':

PA Pennsylvania (Keystone State) - Harrisburg -- US-Bundesstaat
Pa. -- Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania -- Pennsylvania
pennsylvanian -- pennsylvanisch

4 hits.
The New English-German Dictionary

This would make the periodical Der Pennsylvanischer in German. I'm assuming a masculin gender would be applied as males would be the primary readership of the magazine.

I may be mistaken though as I haven't taken German in over ten years.

Thank you,
Benjamin

[G.Bone]

Keep going!

blah blah for minimum post limit

[Max Sinister]

Kabraloth is German, and he's right. In English "Pennsylvanian" can be both noun and adjective, but German separates those cases: "Pennsylvanier" is the noun, "pennsylvanisch/e/r" the adjective. And the latter one would sound stupid as the title of a newspaper in German.

[bill_bruno]

But would the Crown lend money for mercenaries (Moors unlikely, btw) or would he simply offer a regiment or two in return, perhaps, for greater Crown control. British policy was starting to frown on proprietary colonies at this point. According to Regiments.org, the 40th and Oglethorpe's regiments were garrisoned in N. America, the 27th and the 38th were in the West Indies. There was also an local outfit called The Jersey Blues who might've been used.

[benjamin]

Max and Kabraloth...Thank you. I told you its been a while and my German is nicht so gut. I thought it looked funny but I couldn't find any other translation in my books.

Bill...oops I meant to take the reference to the Moors out of the post but forgot. As to the use of mercenaries in general, I'm assuming the King did not wist to beome directly involved in an inner colony dispute. He lends money to Penn (so as to return the favor Penn's father did for the crown in the past) and it is Penn who hires the mercenaries.
It was rare for the crown or Parliment to directly intercede in colonial affairs at the time and Franklin was already something of a celebrity even in Europe.

Thank you,
Benjamin

[Melvin Loh]

Well, from what I've read of Franklin's racial attitudes, apparently he was very critical of the native Americans as being inherently savage, and likewise viewed blacks in a similar negative light, being in favour of deporting freed slaves back to Africa. How and why would his racist vioews change so radically in this TL ?

[Midgard]

Originally Posted by Melvin Loh

Well, from what I've read of Franklin's racial attitudes, apparently he was very critical of the native Americans as being inherently savage, and likewise viewed blacks in a similar negative light, being in favour of deporting freed slaves back to Africa. How and why would his racist vioews change so radically in this TL ?

I think the POD is that he becomes very pro-Native American, and acts accordingly...

[benjamin]

Here is the next part. And Melvin that's the point of this TL. What would the nation be like if someone who was well respected arose to champion the cause of the Natives. I chose Franklin because he is such a pivotal figure in American history.

Back to the TL...
1745: Colonial forces from New England capture Louisburg from the French. Support from England is scarce as the war continues along the frontier.
Swift Deer founds the first foundry and mill in the Iroquois lands. With money from the fur trade, the Iroquois begin to heed Franklin’s advice to learn the techniques of manufacturing.

1746: The RPM captures Fort Duquesne from the French and begin a campaign up towards Fort Niagara.

1748: Despite, or perhaps because of, colonial victories over the French in North America the King of England refuses to enforce English claims to Cape Breton Island and Quebec. The colonists are furious at the King’s reaction and the return to the status quo. The once quiet German immigrants in Pennsylvania and New York begin to question their position as English subjects.

1749: Fearing that anti-Royal feelings may get out of hand, Franklin pleads for calm. His ulterior motive is the desire to get into the King’s good graces so that he may be allowed to hold a seat in the Pennsylvania Assembly. The King refuses to allow Franklin to hold a seat in the Assembly.
In the Iroquois Nations the first batch of locally produced muskets and iron weapons is produced. Trade between the Iroquois and the English colonies increases. The colonies purchase raw materials such as furs and ore while the Indians purchase finished goods and knowledge.

1751: The first Iroquois printing press is established in Onondaga. The Iroquois lifestyle begins to change as the nations begin to industrialize. Many conservatives resist the change and yearn for the “Old Ways”, but the young Indians quickly adopt many European values and styles.

1752: Ben Franklin and his sons William and Joseph experiment with electricity. They prove that lightening is electricity. William becomes quite excited by this revelation and he soon begins his own experiments with electricity. His brother Joseph becomes more interested in chemistry and medicine. Franklin, who is now very wealthy due to his variety of popular newspapers and journals (some of which are read as far away as St. Petersburg), bankrolls his sons’ workshops.

1754: Tensions begin to mount between the French and the English along the frontier. The French begin to support Indian raids throughout New England and along the Ohio River Valley. In September, the Iroquois “Red Face Society” rebels against the Iroquois Council at Onondaga. They attempt to burn the printing press and the mills. Supporters of the “White Face Society” rally to defend the Council and the industrial buildings.
On September 28th, a force of White Faces led by Swift Deer and using European line formations and tactics is defeated by an equal number of Red Faces using traditional Indian tactics. Swift Deer is killed and his son Moon-on-Water takes over the command of the White Faces. Fighting between the two factions continues throughout the winter.
The colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland meet in Albany to discuss the possibility of a loose federation. Despite preliminary disagreements the fear of Indian unrest due to the Iroquois civil war prompts the delegates to schedule a second meeting for the next year.

Thank's for reading,
Benjamin

[Smaug]

I like this, its original and gives hope to Native Americans.... Please continue

[David bar Elias]

Enjoyable.

If there's still an American Revolution, I'm imagining a much better USA. Maybe the Iroquois and the other tribes getting their own states.....

Regardless, keep it up!

[G.Bone]

Ah! The new v. the old!

Is the Iroquois Civil War spreading to the other tribes, namely the Delaware, or is this simply a blanket term for all those part of the Iroquois?

[benjamin]

G.Bone

The civil war within the Irquois nations has not spread to the other nations for several reasons.
First, the Three Nations League have thus far avoided the full scale violence occuring amongst the Hodenosaunee. The Three Nations (Delaware, Shawnee, and Susquehannock) have suffered greater population and land loss. Because of this they have made the conscious decision (largely out of a sense of self-preservation) to integrate themselves into the growing colony of Pennsylvania. Natives can be found in many of the growing settlements throughout the Susquehanna Valley and there is even a growing Indiantown in Philadelphia. The Quakers and Franklin's allies have given the Natives many of the same freedoms enjoyed by the white settlers, and despite some racial tensions there exists a general state of tolerence. Instead of saying..."The only good Indian is a dead Indian.", the settlers along the frontier will differentiate and say..."The only good Huron is a dead Huron." And usually their allied tribes will be the first to agree.

Secondly, the tribes further west have been largely unaffected by the spread of European ideas. And they are still suffering from pandemic induced population loss. Along the Ohio River Valley English furtraders, settlers and frontiersmen are oft accompanied by Native guides, translators, and whole Native families looking for their own land. The idea of individual land ownership has been adopted by the Three Tribes with minor modifications. [Think of the modern situation in Sweden where there is private landownership, but trespassing is not illegal unless vandalism occurs or a disturbance is caused.]

Finally, the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes have acted as a barrier insulating the French dominated tribes from the changes occuring further east. The French never settled Quebec in the same numbers that occured in the British colonies and the local Native tribes felt fewer pressure to accomadate the Europeans. A brisk fur trade developed and missionaries made their presence felt, but Native remianed largely unchanged.

Hope this helps.
Benjamin

[Jordal]

Is this ever going to be updated? I think it's been great.

[stevep]

Originally Posted by benjamin

1748: Despite, or perhaps because of, colonial victories over the French in North America the King of England refuses to enforce English claims to Cape Breton Island and Quebec. The colonists are furious at the King’s reaction and the return to the status quo. The once quiet German immigrants in Pennsylvania and New York begin to question their position as English subjects.

Benjamin

Just come across this and a very interesting story. Was Penn the monster you depict? [I always remember the phase about the treaty between the Quakers and the local Indians as "the only one never written down and the only one never broken"].

Just as a small note Britain gave up its gains in N America in return fro the French agreeing to withdrew from the Austrian Netherlands [modern Belgium, which they had largely occupied].

Hope this will be continued because, although probably way out in terms of the change in attitude of Franklin, its definitely very interesting and like Smaug I like ones that give the locals a better deal.

Steve

[benjamin]

Stevep: To finally answer your question...I don't think that William Penn was as bad as I make him out to be. Remember William Penn rarely went to North America and the stealing of Delaware land by way of the "walking purchase" is well known. Also it is well known that Franklin did not see eye-to-eye with the Quakers that controlled Pennsylvania. Taking these facts together I've decided that the absentee Penn (actually his son) to side with his fellow Quakers against Franklin regardless of who was right or wrong.

So here is more of the time line...
1755: Full-scale warfare erupts in North America when the French capture the post they rename Ft. Duquesne. The British send more regular forces to North America led by General Braddock. He marches on Ft. Duquesne accompanied by two regiments of colonial forces and 300 allied Indians. Ft. Duquesne is captured after a brief siege. Braddock then continues up the Allegheny River towards Lake Erie. He reaches the French held Ft. Venango on September 15th. This fort is also taken after a brief siege.
Following this easy success the majority of the Indians with Braddock leave. Most of them are White Face Iroquois and hurry home to assist in the ensuing civil war. Braddock makes no effort to replace them and he continues northward along the river on September 26th. He has lost almost all of his valuable scouts since the Indians left and he kept the colonial troops at the captured forts. On October 16th as he nears Ft. Le Boeuf, Braddock is ambushed and almost all of his command is wiped out.
The Second Albany Congress is held on September 18th after news of Braddock’s victory reaches the East. Most of the delegates’ fears are assuaged and after pledging mutual assistance to each other in time of need, the delegates head for home. Franklin argues for a strong colonial union to bind the colonies together. Many agree that would be nice in principle, but few delegates wish to reduce the individual power of their colony.
On November 24th Moon-on-Water leads his forces to victory over the Red Face Society. He uses a mix of European tactics with Indian tactics and the massed firepower of the line formation, combined with skirmishers and mobile flank attacks, crush the Red Face warriors. Moon-on-Water realizes that the European ways are not always better and somehow he must find a way to combine the two ways.

1756: The French win a series of victories along the border between New England and Quebec. This prompts the formation of the Third Albany Congress. This time the delegates are ready to listen to Franklin. He calls for the formation of a Grand Council to be chosen by the Colonies and the establishment of a chief executive appointed by the King. Initial reaction in London is poor. The King views this as an attempt by Franklin to spread his influence to other colonies.

1757: William Pitt becomes Prime Minister of England. He realizes that the key to victory against France is to win the war in the colonies. Pitt begins secret talks with Franklin, and Franklin travels to London to meet with Pitt. When Franklin returns to Pennsylvania he throws his full support behind the war effort against France. He also champions the formation of the Colonial Congress based in Albany. Despite questions over the Congress’ legality, the King allows it after receiving pledges that it will be under the control of an appointed Royal Governor.

1758: Colonial forces, including the Royal Pennsylvanian Militia, along with units from the British North American Army defeat the French throughout the Ohio Valley and in Nova Scotia. Franklin is no longer in personal command, but he acts as Quartermaster to nearly the entire war effort.
With the western frontier secure and the Albany Congress now in session, investors and land speculators push for the formation of two new colonies. Vandalia is to be formed in the mountainous region west of Virginia, while Transylvania will take in the region further west and south of the Ohio River.
In Europe veteran British troops transferred from North America enter combat defending Hannover from the French. These forces prove critical in assisting Frederick of Prussia’s battle weary troops.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!!
Benjamin