Disturbed by increasing French pressure along western frontier, devises and prints cartoon of snake cut into sections, over heading "Join or Die," in Gazette May 9 America's first political cartoon. Attends Albany Congress as commissioner from Pennsylvania, June-July; meeting brings together representatives from seven colonies to restore alliance with Iroquois and arrange common defense of frontier against French. July 2, conference votes to form colonial union; Franklin proposes plan, which is approved July 10 and sent to colonies for ratification. Pennsylvania Assembly rejects Albany Plan August 17, as do other colonies and British government. Third set of electrical experiments (New Experiments and Observations on Electricity) published in September in London, along with second edition of first two parts. Writes series of letters to Massachusetts Governor William Shirley in December protesting taxation without representation and claiming American right to self-government.