The Albany Plan and Benjamin Franklin’s Concept of a British Imperial Constitution

The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to create a unified federal government for the British colonies in America at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754 in Albany, New York. One of its originators was Benjamin Franklin – a delegate from Pennsylvania. The plan called for a general government to be administered by a President-General, to be appointed and supported by the Crown, and a Grand Council to consist of delegates nominated by the colonial assemblies. Proposed powers included treaty-making, and raising army and naval forces and, most significantly, included the right of taxation. The plan was part of the implementation of Franklin’s concept of changing the way British rule in America and creating a federal British Empire. The plan was rejected by colonial assemblies and the Crown but it was a forerunner for the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.