Summary
The Philadelphia Associators were a volunteer military organization founded in Philadelphia on November 21, 1747, by Benjamin Franklin and other prominent members of Philadelphia society. The group was formed because the pacifist Quakers who controlled Pennsylvania’s government would not approve a mandatory militia unit to help defend Backcountry settlers against Native American Indian attacks.
The prominence of the group’s founders helped it gain government recognition on December 7, 1747. Officials formally organized the unit on December 29, 1747, as the “Associated Regiment of Foot of Philadelphia.”
The Associators helped defend Philadelphia in 1763 when the Paxton Boys threatened to march on the city, following the Conestoga Massacre, which was partially caused by Pontiac’s Rebellion. Following the massacre, Governor John Penn had peaceful Indians relocated to the city barracks in Philadelphia. In February 1764, roughly 100 Paxton Boys advanced toward Philadelphia intending to eliminate all the Indians who were living in the city. Governor Penn appointed Franklin to gather and organize the Associators to prepare for hostilities with the Paxton Boys. The Paxton Boys eventually ended their march on the city, due in part to the presence of Franklin and the city’s military forces, which included some Quakers.
By 1775, the group had expanded to five battalions and was renamed the “Associators of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia.” Over time, the organization continued to grow and change, and so did its name; however, it is most commonly referred to as the Philadelphia Associators.
During the American Revolutionary War, the Philadelphia Associators served among the militia forces that reinforced General George Washington in December 1776, following his Retreat Across New Jersey. Led by John Cadwalader, the Associators participated in the operations for the Battle of Trenton, the Second Battle of Trenton, and the Battle of Princeton. In 1777, officials reorganized the Associators as the “Philadelphia Brigade of Militia” under Cadwalader’s command.
The organization continued to operate after the Revolutionary War. On April 11, 1793, it was reorganized again as a volunteer infantry unit in the Pennsylvania Militia.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Chester County Associators, Associated Regiment of Foot of Philadelphia, Associators of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Brigade of Militia.
- Founded: Benjamin Franklin and others founded the Philadelphia Associators on November 21, 1747.
- Purpose: The Associators formed because Pennsylvania’s Quaker-led government would not approve a compulsory (mandatory) militia unit.
- Location: The organization formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Significance
The Philadelphia Associators are important to American History because they connected volunteer military service with political change in colonial Pennsylvania. The organization formed after the Quaker-led government refused to approve a mandatory militia unit to defend the colony. Its creation is often seen as evidence of the slow decline of Quaker authority in Pennsylvania. The Associators later joined the American war effort by reinforcing General George Washington in December 1776.
Timeline
- 1747, November 21 — Benjamin Franklin and others founded the Philadelphia Associators.
- 1747, December 7 — The government recognized the Associators.
- 1747, December 29 — Officials organized the unit as the Associated Regiment of Foot of Philadelphia.
- 1764, February — The Associators helped defend Philadelphia against the Paxton Boys.
- 1775 — The organization grew to five battalions and became the Associators of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia.
- 1776, December — The Philadelphia Associators reinforced General George Washington during the New Jersey Campaign.
- 1777 — Officials reorganized the organization as the Philadelphia Brigade of Militia under John Cadwalader.
- 1793, April 11 — Officials reorganized the group as volunteer infantry in the Pennsylvania Militia.
AP US History
Definition
Philadelphia Associators — The Philadelphia Associators was a volunteer military organization founded by Benjamin Franklin and others in Philadelphia in 1747, during King George’s War (1744–1748). It was formed because Pennsylvania’s Quaker-led government refused to approve a compulsory (mandatory) militia unit for the city’s defense. The unit participated in the American Revolutionary War and fought at Trenton and Princeton.
Alignment
The Philadelphia Associators are part of the following AP US History sections:
- 3.5 — The American Revolution
- Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (1700–1775)
- The Road to Revolution (1763–1775)
- America Secedes from the Empire (1775–1783)
Key People
George Clymer (1739–1813) — George Clymer was a Founding Father from Pennsylvania. Clymer was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and also a signer of the United States Constitution.
- As war with Britain approached, he served on the Pennsylvania Council of Safety and was a member of the Philadelphia Associators.
Thomas McKean (1734–1817) — McKean was a well-known lawyer, politician, and judge from New London, Pennsylvania. He is a Founding Father because he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation and was the second President under the Articles of Confederation. He also participated in key events that shaped the American Revolution, including the Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress, and Second Continental Congress. He also played a key role in Pennsylvania’s ratification of the United States Constitution.
- McKean was a Colonel in Philadelphia’s Fourth Battalion of Associators and marched it to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, soon after independence was declared, so he could reinforce General George Washington for the New Jersey Campaign.
George Taylor (c. 1716–1781) — Taylor was an Irish-born businessman who settled in Pennsylvania in 1736 and became a Patriot leader during the American Revolution. Elected to the Continental Congress in July 1776, he signed the Declaration of Independence, making him one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
- In 1747, Taylor was appointed to the rank of Captain in the Chester County Associators. This group was founded by Benjamin Franklin and others to help protect Backcountry settlers against Native American Indian attacks.
External Links
“As a Quaker settlement, Pennsylvania was among the last American Colonies to establish a standing militia. During early European conflicts on the continent, British authorities called levies of Pennsylvanians into military service for the duration of the crisis or campaign, and at its close, they would be discharged and return to civilian pursuits. Though Quaker leaders preferred this form of service, some Pennsylvanians felt that pacifist leanings had left them “thus unprotected by the Government under which we live, against our foreign enemies that may come to invade us.” On November 21st, 1747, a group of men met in Walton’s Schoolhouse in Philadelphia to remedy this situation.” — The Philadelphia Associators at Princeton by SFC Aaron Heft, via the National Guard Educational Foundation.
