Changes

Franklin proved himself to be a crafty diplomat.  By the end of 1777, after the great American victory at [[Battle of Saratoga|Saratoga]], the French became confident the Americans were strong enough to prevail. The French favored an alliance with the Americans, but their ally [[Spain]] was opposed, fearing that anti-imperial republicanism might emerge ion Spain's many colonies. Franklin played on the traditional hatred between the British and the French, using the press to get his messages across.  On February 5, 1778 he officially signed a treaty of alliance with France with the stipulation that the U.S. must have France's approval to negotiate peace with Britain.  The American revolution was now a world war, and as the Netherlands and Spain joined France, and the rest remained neutral, Britain was outnumbered on land and sea and had little hope of defeating the Allies.  French aid proved to be critical to the Americans success, most notably in October 1781 at [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]] in which the victory at sea of the French fleet over the British fleet, and the 15,000 French ground troops forced the British to surrender.  The Revolutionary war was now won, but negotiations dragged on until 1783.  

Franklin proved himself to be a crafty diplomat.  By the end of 1777, after the great American victory at [[Battle of Saratoga|Saratoga]], the French became confident the Americans were strong enough to prevail. The French favored an alliance with the Americans, but their ally [[Spain]] was opposed, fearing that anti-imperial republicanism might emerge ion Spain's many colonies. Franklin played on the traditional hatred between the British and the French, using the press to get his messages across.  On February 5, 1778 he officially signed a treaty of alliance with France with the stipulation that the U.S. must have France's approval to negotiate peace with Britain.  The American revolution was now a world war, and as the Netherlands and Spain joined France, and the rest remained neutral, Britain was outnumbered on land and sea and had little hope of defeating the Allies.  French aid proved to be critical to the Americans success, most notably in October 1781 at [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]] in which the victory at sea of the French fleet over the British fleet, and the 15,000 French ground troops forced the British to surrender.  The Revolutionary war was now won, but negotiations dragged on until 1783.  

===Constitutional Convention===

==Constitutional Convention==

Franklin returned home in September 1785.  Like all nationalists he could see that the Articles of Confederation created a government that was too weak to survive in a dangerous world.  It had no president and no tax base, for example. In 1787 the [[Constitutional Convention]] convened in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution. Franklin, at age 81 the oldest delegate, played an honorific role and his support helped legitimize the project.

Franklin returned home in September 1785.  Like all nationalists he could see that the Articles of Confederation created a government that was too weak to survive in a dangerous world.  It had no president and no tax base, for example. In 1787 the [[Constitutional Convention]] convened in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution. Franklin, at age 81 the oldest delegate, played an honorific role and his support helped legitimize the project.