When the delegates were gathering for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775, Franklin landed in Philadelphia. He was selected as a delegate the day after his arrival. He was 70. He remained silent at the early meetings, hoping to convert his friend Joseph Galloway and his son William to the cause of independence before making his views known. In July 1775, it became clear that William would remain loyal to England, and his relationship with Franklin would ultimately be destroyed over that. Isaacson argues that Franklin was motivated to support independence not only because of the slights toward him in England but also because of his disdain for the hierarchies of Europe and the actions of Britain at Bunker Hill and Charleston. On the same day he agreed to support an Olive Branch Petition, which was destined to fail, he publicly announced his support for independence. Franklin was ahead of most colonists in stating such support in July 1775.

In his suggestions for a central government in the colonies, Franklin was ahead of his time as well. He recommended a more powerful central authority than the colonists would ultimately accept. While he wanted a division of powers between the state and central government, he advocated for representation in the central government to be based on population.