​The Albany Plan of Union

• ​This flag represents the 13 colonies (New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina)

• ​Created by Benjamin Franklin in 1754.

• ​Argued that the colonies needed to unite as one within the British Empire.

​Why Leave?

​In 1750, most British colonists were happy being part of the British Empire. Most colonists were proud to be British. Being part of the British Empire led to business success and military security. White colonists had many of the same political rights of English people. Some of these rights were free

speech and free press. White colonists also had a large degree of self-government, meaning they made their own decisions. White men could purchase property. Living in the colonies led to white men having a better chance at earning a good living than they would have had in a European country.

​The War Begins

As the British colonies got more crowded, settlers wanted to expand the size of the colonies out west. In the 1750s, many British colonists began to move west of the Appalachian Mountains where French colonists and Native American tribes were living. The French and Native Americans felt like the British colonists were threatening them because they were moving onto their land. The British offered to buy the land, but the French and Native Americans refused. Following the French refusal to leave, the colonial governor of Virginia sent a group of British soldiers to set up a fort in French territory, even after the French said they couldn’t. When the fort was finished, the French attacked. They drove off the Virginian soldiers and built a larger fort on the site for themselves. They named the fort, Fort Duquesne. After the British sent in reinforcements led by George Washington, the French attacked and outnumbered the British until they surrendered. The French and Indian War had begun.​

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​Join or Die

​Ben Franklin, who represented Pennsylvania, explained that he felt it would take all the colonies to defeat the French. He believed it was necessary for the colonies to be united. This was easier said than done. Each colony was used to solving their own problems. They had never worked together to deal with a common threat. Franklin presented a plan for unity which he called the Albany Plan of Union. His plan united all of the colonies under one government. To get support for his plan, he published a cartoon titled “Join, or die.”