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Albany Congress
Albany Congress. Representatives of seven American colonies meeting in Albany, New York, in the summer of 1754 drew up a plan to unite the American colonies under a federal government. The Albany Congress had initially been convened by the English Board of Trade, which was concerned about the weakness of intercolonial defense at the beginning of the Seven Years' War, as well as about growing friction between the colonists and the Iroquois.
The plan, derived largely from the ideas of Benjamin Franklin and Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts, provided for a chief military executive and a commissioner for Indian affairs, both to be paid by the Crown. A grand council of delegates would be drawn from the thirteen mainland colonies, the size of each colony's delegation being proportional to its share of taxes. The delegates, to be elected every three years and to meet every year, were charged with negotiating Indian treaties that would bind all the colonies, and with providing for intercolonial defense to be paid for by indirect taxes. The proposed Grand Council would have had more powers than the provincial assemblies vis‐à‐vis the imperial executives, but fewer powers than Parliament enjoyed in relation to the king. Nothing immediately came of the Albany Plan. It was not supported by the colonial assemblies, which distrusted one another. And it was never presented for authorization in Parliament because the English ministry hesitated to introduce a plan for an intercolonial assembly that might facilitate American resistance to imperial authority. An early blueprint for colonial union, the Albany Plan showed that, in the mid‐1750s, intercolonial cooperation was not yet a viable option. See also Colonial Era; Indian History and Culture: From 1500 to 1800; Revolution and Constitution, Era of. Bibliography Robert C. Newbold , The Albany Congress and Plan of Union of 1754, 1955. Alison G. Olson |
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Paul S. Boyer. "Albany Congress." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Paul S. Boyer. "Albany Congress." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-AlbanyCongress.html Paul S. Boyer. "Albany Congress." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-AlbanyCongress.html |
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Albany Congress
Albany Congress 1754, meeting at Albany, N.Y., of commissioners representing seven British colonies in North America to treat with the Iroquois, chiefly because war with France impended. A treaty was concluded, but the Native Americans of Pennsylvania were resentful of a land purchase made by that colony at Albany and allied themselves with the French in the ensuing French and Indian War . The meeting was notable as an example of cooperation among the colonies, but Benjamin Franklin 's Plan of Union for the colonies, though voted upon favorably at Albany, was refused by the colonial legislatures (and by the crown) as demanding too great a surrender of their powers.
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"Albany Congress." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Albany Congress." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AlbanyCo.html "Albany Congress." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AlbanyCo.html |
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Albany Congress
Albany Congress (1754) A congress of seven colonies convened by the British Board of Trade at Albany, a town in New York State, to concert defence against the French and pacify the Iroquois. It was at Albany that Benjamin FRANKLIN presented his “Plan of Union” for a Grand Council elected by the 13 colonies to control defence and Indian relations, but this first step towards American unity was rejected by the individual colonies.
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"Albany Congress." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Albany Congress." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-AlbanyCongress.html "Albany Congress." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-AlbanyCongress.html |
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Albany Congress
Albany Congress (1754) North American colonial conference to discuss Native American relations. Representatives from seven northern and middle colonies met Iroquois leaders and negotiated an alliance against the French. At this meeting Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan for union of the colonies, which was rejected by the colonial governments.
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"Albany Congress." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Albany Congress." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-AlbanyCongress.html "Albany Congress." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-AlbanyCongress.html |
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