Sep 28

Sep 28 David Salisbury Franks - Jewish Officer of the Continental Army

Jews were surprisingly welcome in colonial America.

Naturally, some cities were more open minded than others, but in general Jewish people could expect reasonably equal treatment.

It might not be a surprise to learn that Children of Israel could be found on both sides of the Revolutionary War.

In fact, in all of the Correspondence among Founders, today’s Founder, David Salisbury Franks’ Judaism does not appear to have been discussed.

David Salisbury Franks

David Salisbury Franks was born in Philadelphia but was moved as a child to Montreal.

When the Patriots invaded Canada, Franks was the President of his Synagogue and a wealthy merchant who had spent time in prison for speaking out against Parliament's harsh taxation.

He immediately began promoting the American Cause and was quickly hired by David Wooster as Paymaster for the soldiers in Canada.

Associating with Arnold

After the Patriots were expelled from Canada, Franks signed up to fight with the Continental Army.

He was given the then-impressive position of aide-de-camp to Benedict Arnold.

David served with Arnold for several years, including heroically fighting at the Battle of Saratoga.

Unfortunately, Arnold famously treasoned against his country. This put Franks in a very precarious position.

Franks received a court martial from the Continental Army, but the charges were dropped as absolutely zero evidence was found that he knew what Arnold was up to. The truth seems to be that he was more shocked by Benedict’s actions than anyone.

Fighting for Vindication

Despite David’s exoneration, public opinion was against him.

First, he had a Loyalist uncle in New York who had the same name which didn’t help.

Second, Benedict Arnold wrote a letter defending Franks’ innocence. This backfired because no one trusted Arnold’s word anymore and either way, no one gave a s**t what Benedict thought anymore.

Franks approached General Washington and requested a second hearing. After a month-long investigation, David’s name was officially cleared.

Consul

After the Arnold debacle, Franks was given a new task by the Patriots...go to Europe.

He travelled with correspondence for Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. He would later travel with Thomas Barclay and participate in the establishment in an early important treaty with Morocco.

Throughout the Revolution, Franks had lost his vast fortune spending his own money in support of the Revolutionary War and travelling back and forth to Europe representing the United States.

Back in the USA

When he returned home, he unsuccessfully petitioned Washington for a federal appointment.

It seems that Thomas Jefferson had turned some people against trusting Franks, not because of his association with Arnold or his Judaism, but because he was very loose-lipped around the ladies.

David retired into a clerical position with the Bank of the United States in Philadelphia. Sadly, he became a victim of the yellow fever epidemic that spread through that city in 1793 and died at just 53 years old.

David Franks was far from the only Jew who participated in the American Founding.

You might enjoy this article:

Haym Solomon - The Jew Who Saved the American Revolution

Although David Salisbury Franks does not have a biography that I am aware of, his uncle by the same name (whom I discussed earlier) does.

‘Colonial Merchant’ discusses the whole Franks family with a focus on how personal politics were involved in determining what counted as treason during the Revolutionary War.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).