Everyone knows about the Revolutionary War, but few know the true story of Benjamin Franklin's secret plan to turn the northern and southern colonies against their oppressors, and how the freeing of one slave, Somersett, was the catalyst for the colonies to come together against the crown.In 1757, Benjamin Franklin cared most about the security and prosperity of his beloved adopted home of Philadelphia. Threatened by the French during King George's War and with little help from the proprietor of Pennsylvania, the Penn family, Franklin sought assistance in London to force Thomas Penn's hand. However at every turn he found no encouragement, leading Franklin to develop a secret plan to free Pennsylvania, and ultimately all thirteen colonies.Launching this secret plan required politically motivating the colonies, each with vastly different individual interests. Ultimately it was two very different historical events that provided this motivation, and the eventual success of Franklin's plan.Meticulously detailed and with abundant notes, Somersett tells the real story behind the origins of the Revolutionary War and explains how several well-known but random events during the war tied together to culminate in the creation of the United States of America.