Albany Congress was a meeting that adopted the first formal proposal for a political union of the American Colonies. It was held in Albany, N.Y., in June 1754. Representatives from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland met with representatives of the Iroquois tribes at the request of the British government. The purpose of the meeting was to win the loyalty of the Iroquois in view of a threatening war with France, and to work out some form of agreement with them. The colonial representatives to the congress included James DeLancey (New York), Thomas Hutchinson (Massachusetts), Stephen Hopkins (Rhode Island), William Pitkin (Connecticut), John Penn (Pennsylvania), and Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania).
The delegates realized the real problem was to unify the colonies, and several plans were proposed. The congress adopted Franklin’s proposal, often called the Albany Plan of Union. Under this plan, each colony would send from two to seven representatives to a Grand Council. This council would levy taxes, raise troops, and regulate trade with the Indians. Neither Britain nor the colonies seriously considered the plan. Eleven years later, the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 marked the colonies’ next major step toward an American union (see American Revolution (The Quartering and Stamp acts) ).
