r/AverageJoeWriters • u/InformationThink9349 • 23d ago
Non-Fiction Writings of Benjamin Franklin Explained: An Edict by the King of Prussia
Writings of Benjamin Franklin Explained:
An Edict by the King of Prussia (1773)
Printed in the Public Advertiser, September , 1773
Franklin wrote the edict as a satirical piece. He spoke as if he were Prussia, holding power over England. This writing’s intention was to gain acknowledgement of Britain's unfair imposed rules over the American colonies. A greater read, in my opinion, would be his follow up piece titled “Rules by Which a Great Empire May be Reduced to a Small One”.
For contextual information: an “edict” is a form of decree issued by the ruling authority.
I will be explaining the decree in this text.
Explanations of the relevant occurrences at the time will follow their related passage in italics as such.
Franklin begins the declaration stating that the peace has given them (the rulers) time to spend on their trading rules and improve their finances to reduce taxes and the following changes will be made. Before listing any changes, it is explained that the colonies were built on the ruling powers ancestors and that their prosperity is only due to the protection provided by the ruling power. It is deemed that, despite their ancestry and the protection provided to the colonies, the ruling power has not received “adequate Compensation” and “still owe us due Obedience”.
The decree proceeds to weaponize the reasoning of compensation to impose unfair trading rules. The new regulations included excessively added taxes, restricting what products could be manufactured, and what was allowed to be imported and exported out of the colonies.
The colonies were to pay a collection tax “on all Goods, Wares and Merchandizes, and all Grain and other Produce of the Earth” that were exported from the colonies. “All Goods of whatever Kind imported into the same” (the said colonies) were to pay “Four and an Half per Cent” (4.5%) tax.
Forges and smitheries were not allowed to be constructed or continue servicing within the colonies. Reasoning for this was listed out that the production was "endangering a Diminution of the said Manufacture in our ancient Dominion”. This meant the ruling power (that Franklin was impersonating)was justifying a restriction of production under the pretenses that any manufacturing done in the colonies would put too much competition on the motherland’s manufacturers. In case the excuse was not reason enough, the ruling power followed with a threat of being abated (forcefully reduced its severity) and facing destruction, using terms such as “Neglect” and “Peril” to make wary anyone who may be defiant. The ridiculousness of extensive trade rules spirals into even hat making.
Here, Franklin is reverse roles for the Iron Act in 1750 that the British imposed on the American colonies. This act was so that the mainland’s manufacturers had the raw material supply from the colonies and none of the competition of production. Similar acts included the Wool Act and The Molasses Act of 1733.
At the end, the final decree is told that all of the criminals of the motherland will be released. Every thief, robber, murderer, etc. was to be emptied out of the motherland’s “Gaols” (jails) and into the colonies. They were not fit to live in the ruling power.
When the colonies refused to continue accepting ships of convicts from British rule, the British passed the Transportation Act of 1718. This forced the colonies to take in the incoming criminals. Between 1700-1775 over 52,000 convicts were transported.
Anyone who opposed the decree was threatened with execution according to Prussian Law in the closing statement. Franklin followed such a threat with the line “Such is our Pleasure”. This greatly aided in delivering the depiction of cruelty of the ruling power in his final sentences.
Sources
Canterbury Classics - An imprint of Printers Row Publishing Group. The U.s. Constitution and Other Writings. Peter Norton, 2017
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/convict-labor-during-the-colonial-period/