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Opposition to the 1765 Stamp Act

By Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia
Ben Franklin at the Court of France

Writing poems and songs in favor of or in opposition to particular events or ideas was a common activity among citizens in all of the colonies. Many newspapers published these poems and songs. This resource includes the words of an untitled poem by Benjamin Franklin. He uses the word mother to mean Britain, the mother country of the empire. The pronouns us and we refer to the colonies and colonists.

We have an old Mother who peevish is grown, She snubs us like children that scarce walk alone, She forgets that we're grown with sense of our own.

If we don't obey orders, whatever the case, She frowns and she chides and loses all patience, And sometimes she hits us a slap in the face.

Her orders are so, we often suspect, That age has impaired her of sound intellect: But still, an old Mother should have due respect...

Questions:

  1. Summarize the main idea of the poem.
  2. As used in this poem, who or what was the "old Mother"?
  3. What are the most positive statements that the narrator makes about Britain?
  4. How does the narrator describe the colonies in 1765? Cite specific words from the text.
  5. As he wrote this poem, what specific emotions might Franklin have felt toward Britain?
  6. What would the narrator prefer "Mother" do?
  7. Suppose you were a Loyalist or a member of Parliament and you read this poem. Would you agree or disagree with this view of Britain?