A history of the United States for schools . he Philadel-phia Library and the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania. Hemade many useful inventions,among them, a kind of openstove that has not yet goneout of use. He also madeone of the greatest scientificdiscoveries of the age, in1752, when, by experimentswith a kite, he proved thatlightning is a discharge ofelectricity. He was also one of the finest prose writers of that century. In 1753, theking appointed him postmaster-general for America, andfor the rest of his long life he played an important partin public affairs. In 1754, when the war with France
A history of the United States for schools . he Philadel-phia Library and the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania. Hemade many useful inventions,among them, a kind of openstove that has not yet goneout of use. He also madeone of the greatest scientificdiscoveries of the age, in1752, when, by experimentswith a kite, he proved thatlightning is a discharge ofelectricity. He was also one of the finest prose writers of that century. In 1753, theking appointed him postmaster-general for America, andfor the rest of his long life he played an important partin public affairs. In 1754, when the war with France was breaking out,several colonies sent delegates to a Congress at Albany,to insure the friendly, aid of the Six Nations. .^ ,,. , -^ trankhns Franklin was present at this Congress, and Plan ofproposed a Plan of Union for the to this plan, the colonies were to elect aGrand Council which was to meet every year at Phila-delphia, the most centrally situated large town. Thiscouncil would have had powers similar to those of our. franklins printing ^ This press may now be seen at the rooms of the Bostonian Society,in the Old State House, at Boston. l88 THE REVOLUTION. Ch. X. National House of Representatives; it could levy taxes,enlist soldiers, build forts, and was to be supreme overmatters which concerned all the colonies alike. Thenthere was to be a president appointed and paid by thecrown, and with authority to veto the acts of the GrandCouncil. This plan of union has ever since been called the Al-bany Plan. If the Revolution had not occurred, weshould very likely have been living under some suchkind of constitution to-day. On the other hand, if theAlbany Plan had been adopted in 1754, it is quite pos-sible that there would havebeen no Revolution. Franklinstrongly felt the need of sucha Federal Union, and for awhile his Pennsylvania Ga-zette appeared with a uniondevice and the motto Uniteor Die. ^ But not one of the colonies accepted the people
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