Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was chosen by the Pennsylvania Assembly to represent them at the Second Continental Congress, which was a gathering of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies to coordinate their military operations against Britain when the Revolutionary War first broke out. Franklin was one of the five individuals chosen to compose the declaration of independence once the group decided to issue one. He made a number of significant alterations even though Thomas Jefferson wrote much of it. On July 4, 1776, the colonies issued the U.S. Declaration of Independence, declaring their independence as sovereign, independent states.

Benjamin Franklin served as the first American ambassador to France in December 1776. He was highly regarded in France and contributed significantly to the improvement of ties between the United States and France. Early in 1778, he began negotiating a long-term military alliance with France. The American colonies' success over Great Britain was largely due to French support. Thus, Benjamin Franklin's efforts were crucial to the success of the American Revolution. Franklin also signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which among other things ended the war and forced Britain to recognize the American colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states. Franklin was one of the American representatives who signed the treaty.