Chapter Five: WORLD STAGE Forging Unification Declaring Independence Forming Alliances Mastering Diplomacy Creating a Constitution
Benjamin Franklin, 1777
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Benjamin Franklin, 1777
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ranklin was a master diplomat and negotiator, exercising restraint, flexibility, and compromise to bring opposing visions into accord. Whether negotiating with Native Americans in western Pennsylvania or with the great powers of England and France, Franklin drew on strategies of collaboration and mutual self-interest to forge alliances that shaped the future of America.

Franklin became a powerful force in the fight for independence, traveling to France to seek aid for America’s struggle against Britain. In Paris, Franklin capitalized on his brilliant reputation and charm; his humble demeanor and natural wit served the American cause well, and he forged strong transatlantic ties. In the end, this international alliance resulted in victory after a long Revolutionary War.

Once back on American soil, Franklin brought a spirit of compromise and unity to the Constitutional Convention.
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