Why did Benjamin Franklin help create your country?

Answer 1

Franklin ended up advocating a nation on the American continent, completely independent of Great Britain, because he concluded that the rulers of Great Britain could not rule Americans justly. Franklin was, at first, completely supportive of the American colonies being part of the British Empire; and felt that, if the ruling parties in England were fully aware of the injustices done by their representatives, those in power would end the abuses. When he found out that those in Great Britain had no desire to curb these injustices, Franklin reached the conclusion that independence was the only solution.

The specific breach was over the letters of Colonial Governor Hutchison, who proposed becoming a near-dictator of Massachusetts. Franklin leaked these letters to the public, hoping that Britain would over-rule the idea. When the British government instead treated Franklin like a low-life thief for his actions, he gave up his hopes for reconciliation. I recall a quote (whose source I cannot find) about Franklin's time before the Privy Council: "He entered the room an Englishman, but left the room an American."