Reply #7: I assume you mean Franklin [View All]

[zipplewrath]

Yes, his loyalist phase, which was always a tad strategic and suspect, was well before the declaration. By that point he was well on board with the revolution, and probably could be considered a prime instigator.

The funny part was, the Crown had a window of opportunity when Franklin was in London to avoid the whole mess. He offered several opportunities to avert what came but the crown and parliment both literally avoiding dealing with him at all. The end result was that one of the few voices with influence in the colonies was made to look foolish for trying to deal with the Crown at all. Only served to strengthen those who had already decided that the separation was inevitable..