Quote:
Originally Posted by Taltarzac725
|
Staten Island Peace Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
During another round of trying to fix the growing chasm between the colonies and England, it seems John Adams really got Admiral Richard Howe's goat as well as his
goose. This applied to many other Englishmen. Adams was singled out as being one rebel that the English would not pardon. Benjamin Franklin though was quite another story because of his long going relationship with the Mother Land and his extensive history of trying to keep the two together. Howe had sent Franklin a letter which gives a
window into the respect many English still held for Benjamin Franklin. Howe addressed Franklin as "my worthy friend" and hoped to
sculpt "the establishment of lasting peace and union with the colonies." Ben Franklin received permission from the Continental Congress to reply to Lord Howe's letter. They had set up Staten Island as the meeting place for negotiations towards a route to peace but the result was a foregone conclusion because of the requirement that the British insisted on the return to allegiance to the Crown.
The story of Franklin and Adams' night together in a bed on the way to the Peace Conference is an amusing one and shows just how
needy Adams could be and how adept Franklin was at getting the upper hand.
http://amhistnow.blogspot.com/2009/07/window.html