“Franklin and His Enemies” by Robert Middlekauff Essay

Robert Middlekauff’s book “Franklin and His Enemies” from 1996 provides a unique look at the relationships of Benjamin Franklin. While the majority of the book is dedicated to people he had strong disagreements with, there is an early section dedicated to the friendships he built over the years. His list of friends was extensive and contained people not only from the upper classes. He knew philosophers, merchants, scientists, and a variety of other people from distinctly unique backgrounds. The book shows that despite negative relationships with his opponents, he was also capable of making loyal friendships. Nevertheless, his enemies were also numerous. The book portrays Thomas Penn as the main antagonist to Franklin. They both are described to be in a mutual state of hate for each other.

The issue that started this negative relationship is the opposition of Penn to Franklin’s desire for democracy. Penn was the sole autocratic proprietor of the Pennsylvania Colony and had no intention of ending his control over it. This created a power struggle with Penn and Franklin with neither refusing to give up. The anger that Penn felt towards Franklin transferred to his distrust and opposition to the Constitution. Penn was supported by William Smith who anonymously wrote the following after one of Franklin’s altercations in the region: “[Franklin] is a very bad man, or one delirious with rage, disappointment, and malice.”¹ This sentiment was echoed in the region as his actions angered a large portion of the Pennsylvanian population. While this was decidedly the most hated person in Franklin’s mind, others were also important.

The book covers Franklin’s deep admiration of England and its subsequent change into hatred. The Revolutionary War and the brutality of the British army during that conflict forced Franklin to change his opinion of the country and English people as a whole. The change of mind that he experienced was so great that it is difficult to believe that these were the beliefs of the same person only a few years apart. However, the book mentions another possible reason for the quick change of mind. While Benjamin Franklin had a strong desire for democracy and independence from British rule, his son did not share his views. When the revolutionary war started, he chose to stay on the side of the English.

This event must have been devastating for Franklin and could bring a lot of self-reflection as a result of which he abandoned his beliefs about England. The British became enemies to him as a whole, with no distinction between individual people. However, Franklin soon found a different metropolitan country to love. He lived in France for a period during which he found new friends and developed a lot of successful political relationships. He highly valued the company of women throughout his life, and in France, he met Margaret Stevenson and her daughter Polly who spent a lot of time with him during his stay. The author makes sure to point out that despite this, their relationship was not intimate as Franklin was already in his 70s when he arrived in France for the first time.

Despite all of the positive outcomes of his stay, Franklin also created new enemies. Moreover, they were people who were very close to him. Arthur Lee, Ralph Izard, and John Adams had several disagreements with Franklin. The book describes Lee in the following fashion: “Lee felt about quiet the same way nature felt about a vacuum, and the remainder of the year noise abounded between his lodgings in Paris and Franklin’s in Passy.”² Their arguments with Franklin were loud, but as with John Adams and Izard, he regarded “them with some serenity, as he might have regarded wayward children”³ as the author states based on his research on the topic. His successes in France and connections that he made led to his associates becoming either jealous or mistrusting of him. Their fears seem more or less unfounded based on his future actions.

The main arguments of the book do not lie in the fact that he had enemies. Instead, it shows a much more human side of his personality. When viewed from the broad picture, Benjamin Franklin is often portrayed in a manner that does not allow for any negative emotions or any emotions at all in some circumstances. However, he was a real person who was able to have a true passion both in his times of love and anger towards people around him. This is why the chapter about his friendships was so prominent. It showcased his capacity to make both friends and enemies. These emotions were not limited to individuals because his early love and subsequent hate of England were as real as his relationships with human beings.

Conclusion

The book portrays a much more human picture of Benjamin Franklin than the reader often expects. His weaknesses and faults are as clear in the text as his virtues and strengths. By showing the relationships between Franklin and his opponents, the author creates a complete image of him as a person.

Bibliography

Middlekauff, Robert. Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies. University of California Press, 1996.

Footnotes

1. Robert Middlekauff, Benjamin Franklin, and His Enemies, (University of California Press, 1996), 103.
2. Robert Middlekauff, Benjamin Franklin, and His Enemies, (University of California Press, 1996), 162.
3. Ibid., 212.