The French Mourn Franklin and Hilarity Ensues
In response to the death of Benjamin Franklin, the National Assembly in France sent a letter of condolences to the United States Government.
At this point, the US had been operating under the Constitution for just over a year and were not exactly sure how to handle the communication.
What unravelled was an hilarious game of hot potato during which no one was sure who could open the letter, let alone officially respond.
The Setting
The French Revolution began with the Storming of the Bastille, just three months after George Washington took office as President of the United States of America.
This left the young nation in a strange situation when it came to corresponding with France.
Things became tricky with the death of Benjamin Franklin.
French Condolences
Ben Franklin passed away just a year after Washington was sworn in as Commander-in-Chief.
When news reached France, the National Assembly officially recognized Franklin’s contributions to republican values and sent a letter of condolence to the united states with 26 copies of a eulogie.
This event caused quite a mix up in the United States.
Whose Responsibility is This?
The French letter was, unfortunately, address to ‘The President and Members of the American Congress.’
In the days of the Articles of Confederation, this designation would have been obvious. However, under the Constitution, the Vice President of the United States was also the President of the Senate.
When Washington received the letter, he was not sure what to do with it.
He decided to forward the package to VP John Adams without opening it.
Hot Potato
When Adams received the correspondence, he was under the impression that there had been a mistake and sent it back to Washington.
George, now thoroughly purplexed, figured out a loophole and sent it to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson with instructions to read it and offer the best course of action.
Jefferson reviewed the information and returned it to Washington and recommended sending it back to Adams.
Adams, in turn, read the eulogy to the Senate who agreed this type of low-level glad handing was beneath their esteemed body and sent the package down to the House of Representatives.
The House Takes Action
The House, who’s initial declaration of morning for Franklin had inspired France’s action in the first place, finally did something.
First, they returned half of the copies of the eulogy to the Senate (much to Adams’ frustration).
Then they encouraged President Washington to take charge and send a letter of appreciation back to the National Assembly, despite his officially still being on good terms with the same King Louis XVI that they were rebelling against.
In one last tossing of the hot potato, Washing wrote the letter but forwarded it to Thomas Jefferson who finally shipped it across the Atlantic.
Here are some other HILARIOUS STORIES about BEN FRANKLIN:
Poor Richard’s Hoax - Making Ben Franklin Famous
5 Strange Facts About Benjamin Franklin
There are hundreds of book about Benjamin Franklin.
‘The First American’ is a fairly recent publication that is easy to read but gives a thrilling account of the man’s life.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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