2. America’s First Public Diplomat

The chapter examines the first year of Benjamin Franklin’s mission to France as a commissioner of the Continental Congress as an early example of US public diplomacy. This first case examines the different ways in which Franklin engaged with the French (and European) public to achieve both immediate and long-term foreign policy goals for the USA. The key findings of this case demonstrate how Franklin and the other appointed US commissioners valued representing the nation to the people of France; the methods used to engage with the people of France and their similarity to public diplomacy today; and the valuable role the engagement played in the American Revolution. The case also discusses some of the issues Franklin had with engagement, as they relate to the key problems identified in Chap. 1.