Or, Comment on Burke’s understanding of the American -people as reflected in his “Speech on Conciliation with America”.
Or, Discuss the temper and character of the American people as reflected in Burke’s “Speech on Conciliation with America”.
Or, What factors or influences/circumstances contribute to the growth of a fierce love of liberty among the American colonists?
Or, What, according to Burke, are the six capital sources of the fierce love of liberty, found among the Americans?
Or, Account for the spirit of freedom in the American colonist.
Or, “In the character of the Americans, a love of freedom is the predominating feature which marks distinguishes the whole”. What, according to Burke, are the causes of this “love of freedom”?
Answer: Burke’s “Speech on Conciliation with America” progresses through three phases: an ostensibly objective review of America and the facts of her condition; an argument for restoring colonial loyalty through self-taxation; and a defense of the resolutions as the best course of future action. What is remarkable about the whole speech is that Burke has based his arguments and subsequent proposition of resolutions of conciliation on the realities of American colonies. In fact, Burke’s knowledge of America functions as the foundation of his proposition. His understanding of the nature of the American people, particularly their love of freedom and liberty, is a striking feature of the whole speech.
Burke studied intensively about American affairs. His review of the Americans is detailed, systematic, and factual. He locates important for Burke. At the very opening he urges the listeners “to the problem in phenomenal reality. The material circumstances are review the subject with an unusual degree of care and calmness” because he knows that America is well worth fighting for.
Burke is of the opinion that the American question consists of her population, wealth, and character. He first pays attention to the population in America, which is ever-increasing. He then considers about the wealth of America in its three aspects of the trade, agriculture, and fisheries. But, it is Burke’s knowledge and understanding of the temper and character of the American people which constitute a more significant basis for his argument. His understanding of the factors contributing to the growth of a fierce spirit of liberty amongst the colonies is significant in the context. He is of the opinion that it is this fierce love of liberty and freedom that cause the colony people to become suspicious, restless, and indomitable whenever they see any attempt to take away from them their real freedom whether by force or by cunning.
Burke’s understanding of American people is deep and insightful. He does not stop saying that the American people possessed fierce love of freedom and liberty; he also traces the powerful factors contributing to this strong love of liberty. His understanding of the factors contributing to the growth of a fierce spirit of liberty amongst the colonies is significant in the context. He identifies several reasons for this. These are (i) English descent of the colony people (ii) existence of popular government in the colonies (iii) practice of Protestantism (iv) possession of slaves (v) their study of law and (vi) the geographical distance between the colonies and the mother country.
The first of the causes is the English descent of the colony people. England formerly worshipped, but now at least respects freedom. The colonists have inherited in their blood that great love and respect for freedom. Thus, the English descent explains the freedom-loving character of the Americans and, in particular, their resistance to taxation without local representation. The colonists were not just “descendants of Englishmen”, but they had “emigrated from [England] when this part of [the English] character was most predominant”. The colony people left England at a time when they measured liberty in terms of their right to tax themselves. None else has the right to tax them. This is in their blood.
The second cause is the existence of popular governments in the colonies. This character of freedom and liberty was encouraged by Britain’s benign neglect, which helped to establish American traditions of ordered liberty. The colonists were allowed to form popular assemblies. These assemblies, operating for decades, gave the people’s habits of self-government and self-taxation, and the acceptance of these developments by Britain was taken by Americans to be a recognition of the right to enjoy them:
“Their governments are popular in an high degree; merely popular; in all, the popular representative is the most weighty; and this share of the people in their ordinary government never fails to inspire them with lofty sentiments, and with a strong aversion from whatever tends to deprive them of their chief importance.”
The third cause is their religion. The people of the northern colonies were Protestants. The Puritan religions of the northern colonies inculcated a particular love of liberty among the inhabitants there “The people are Protestants; and of that kind which is the most adverse to all implicit submission of mind and opinion.” Differing from one another in many details, Dissenters and Puritans shared a history of struggle and persecution. They have always protested against all forms of excesses either in religion or in civil governments. This spirit of protest is very active in the colonists.
The fourth cause is the possession of slaves. The colonists of Virginia and Carolina have their own slaves. Ironically, Burke argues that southern colonists owed their love of liberty to the institution of slavery. Slavery had led free colonists to pride themselves on, and cling tightly to, their own freedoms. Burke says:
“Not seeing there, that freedom, as in countries where it is a common blessing and as broad and general as the air, may be united with much abject toil, with great misery, with all the exterior of servitude; liberty looks, amongst them, like something that is more noble and liberal.”
Being masters of slaves, they cannot allow themselves to be slaves of others. Freedom is to them not only an enjoyment but a kind of rank and privilege.
The fifth cause is their study of law. Americans developed a deep study of law which made them extremely jealous of their liberties, or, in Burke’s own words, rendered them: “acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defence, full of resources. In other countries, the people, more simple, and of a less mercurial cast, judge of an ill principle in government only by an actual grievance; here they anticipate the evil and judge of the pressure of the grievance by the badness of the principle. They augur misgovernment at a distance, and snuff the approach of tyranny in every tainted breeze”.
The sixth and the last cause of liberty is the geographical distance between the colonies and the mother country. The vast Atlantic Ocean separates England from America. The great geographical distance has resulted in the weakening of the government:
“Three thousand miles of ocean lie between you and them. No contrivance can prevent the effect of this distance in weakening government. Seas roll, and months pass, between the order and the execution, and the want of a speedy explanation of a single point is enough to defeat a whole system.”
What Burke concludes is that the temper and character of the colonists cannot tolerate any encroachment upon their liberty from outside. Therefore, England’s desire to control them, adversely combining with their fierce spirit of liberty, has enkindled the flame. Burke points out, with systematic argumentation, that governing America by force is almost an impossible task.
In the “Speech” Burke passes judgments and his basis for judgements is his knowledge of America. He provides facts about American population and wealth. But he is more interpretive and comparatively less detailed when he describes the American character and its resistance to arbitrary rule. By touching different aspects of American colonies Burke systematically points out where the problem lies and what need to be done.
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