"That humble application be made for an act of Parliament of Great Britain, by virtue of which one general government may be formed in America, including all the said colonies, within and under which government each colony may retain its present constitution... A President-General, to be appointed and supported by the Crown; and a Grand Council, to be chosen by the representatives of the people." — Benjamin Franklin, Albany Plan of Union, 1754
Which feature of the plan, as quoted here, best illustrates Franklin's attempt to balance imperial authority with colonial self-government?
- A
Establishing a hereditary American peerage modeled on the House of Lords
- Bcheck_circle
Pairing a Crown-appointed President-General with a Grand Council elected by colonial representatives
- C
Granting Parliament the right to dissolve all existing colonial charters at will
- D
Allowing each colony to negotiate independent treaties with European powers
Explanation
The President-General/Grand Council pairing balances imperial appointment with colonial election. The plan did not abolish charters, create an American peerage, or allow independent foreign treaties—those distractors are period-plausible inventions but contradict the text.