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Battle at the Ballot Box: Royalization and the 1764 Election

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Many of those who criticized both the Paxtons and the Quakers thought the problem lay in Pennsylvania’s proprietary form of government, and that the solution would be for it to become royal colony, like most of the others. Benjamin Franklin’s pamphlet Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation presented one of the most influential arguments for royal government. Opponents of royalization included John Dickinson, who later became to delegate to the Stamp Act Congress, and Isaac Norris, who resigned as speaker of the assembly after the passage of the petition. Both men feared that Pennsylvanians might lose civil and religious liberties under monarchical rule.

The debate continued into the 1764 elections, which hurt Franklin and his allies. Franklin lost his seat, while Paxton apologists and sympathizers voted their representatives into the assembly. In demanding greater representation in the provincial legislature, the Paxtons anticipated future calls for representation during the American revolution.

This page has paths:

  1. A New Looking-Glass for the 1764 Paxton Pamphlet War Will Fenton

Contents of this path:

  1. Franklin's Royal Problem
  2. 1764 Election

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  1. Anonymity Will Fenton
  2. Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of Our Public Affairs Will Fenton

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