Benjamin Franklin: “In Europe it has indeed its value; but it is a commodity that cannot be carried to a worse market than to that of…”

And as there are already in the old colonies many thousands of families that are ready to swarm, wanting more land; the richness and natural advantage of the Ohio country would draw most of them thither, were there but a tolerable prospect…

But let us take a cool view of the general state of our affairs, and perhaps the prospect will appear less gloomy than has been imagined.

That it would be treating them as a conquered people, and not as true British subjects.

Strong forts on the lakes, the Ohio, &c. may, at the same time they secure our present frontiers, serve to defend new colonies settled under their protection; and such colonies would also mutually defend and support such forts, and better…