June 2004 Feature of the Month: Albany Plan of Union

The Albany Plan of Union was created 250 years ago, in the summer of 1754, when delegates from seven of the thirteen British colonies, as well as representatives of the six Iroquois tribes, met in Albany, New York. A war among the British and French in North American seemed to be imminent, and the Albany Congress was held in an attempt to unite the British colonies and secure the support of the Iroquois tribes in a common defense against the French.

At this congress, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Hutchinson, the Massachusetts governor, drafted the Albany Plan of Union, a proposal for uniting the British colonies in a loose confederation with a representative grand council, headed by a President-General appointed by the king. The grand council would have the power to levy taxes, raise troops, regulate Indian trade, and provide mutual defense.

The Albany Congress voted to adopt the Plan, but it was later rejected both by the colonial governments and by England. The Albany Plan of Union remains an important document in American history, however, because its model for uniting the colonies influenced the government that was designed later, when the colonies declared their independence and created the United States of America. For a comparison of the text of the Albany Plan of Union to both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, see Benjamin Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union 1754 Compared to Two Keystone Documents, a PDF document available from EDSITEment, The Best of the Humanities on the Web (sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the National Trust for the Humanities and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation).

The online text of the Albany Plan of Union is provided by CIVNET, an online resource provided by Civitas International "for civic education practitioners (teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum designers), as well as scholars, policymakers, civic-minded journalists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting civic education all over the world."

The Benjamin Franklin image is adapted from one available at the "Images of American Political History" site at <http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/>.

Transcriptions of the Albany Plan of Union, as well as many other historical documents, can also be found at these Web sites:

• The Avalon Project of Yale Law School: This web site is devoted to documents, grouped by century, that are relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.
• Basic Readings in US Democracy: This site links to a variety of documents, spanning almost four centuries, that chart the development and evolution of democracy in America. "Document" is interpreted broadly, so that the site includes traditional documents such as court decisions, legislative acts and presidential decrees, but also letters, essays, surrender speeches and even poems.

Suggest a Site!

Archives of Previously Featured Sites

2002 Features: Web Sites | Documents

2001 Features: Web Sites | Documents

2000 Features: Web Sites | Documents

Last Updated: May 28, 2004/dvm
URL: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/library/features/featmo/04junfea.htm