Edmund Burke was known as the strongest supporter of the American colonies in the English Parliament. His March 22, 1775, speech on reconciliation with America describes his thinking on the colonial crisis. By this point, the 13 colonies were on the brink of war with England. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 turned many colonists strongly anti-British. The British were losing patience with American intransigence. Less than a month after Burke’s speech, the “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired at Concord, Massachusetts (Middlekauff, 1982). This marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
In his speech, Burke recited themes previously raised by American patriots. He defended the actions of the Americans and stated that they were acting out of their love of liberty. At the same time, Burke described this love of liberty as a typically British trait. He viewed the Americans not as inferior colonists, but as Britons who reside in the colonies. As Britons, the colonists were naturally entitled to the same liberties as all Britons. Burke did not bother reciting the specific grievances of the Americans. This is not surprising, since the taxation controversy had been raging for over a decade. By this time everyone in Parliament was familiar with the issue. Instead, Burke praised the Americans’ love of liberty and claimed that this love of freedom tied them towards England. Burke viewed the specific laws at issue here as mere abstractions. He believed that the spirit of the (unwritten) English constitution bound the colonists to the mother country. Burke claimed that these same feelings tied Britons to their country.
He also warned Parliament that the colonists would not hesitate to fight to defend their rights. This seems obvious to us two centuries later, since we know the outcome of the Revolutionary War. However, at the time many Englishmen viewed the colonists as a disorganized rabble. While the English government did acknowledge the possibility of war by 1775, few ministers imagined that putting the rebellion down would be difficult. England was the most powerful empire in the world at the time. Unlike most Britons, Burke realized that the colonists would fight just as hard and just as effectively as Englishmen would in defense of their rights.
Burke reminded Parliament of America’s importance to the British Empire. The King and his ministers did recognize how important American resources were to British prosperity. They strongly supported Parliament’s right to tax the colonies so England could capitalize on America’s wealth. However, Burke stated that British access to American resources depended on good relations between the mother country and her colony. He believed keeping the colonists happy as part of the British Empire was the best way to ensure access to American wealth in the long run. Unlike many in Parliament, Burke realized that England would not be able to exploit America’s wealth against the colonists’ will indefinitely.
Burke denounced the “vulgar and mechanical” politicians in Parliament attempting to impose their will on the colonies. The “mechanical” politicians argued that England had every right to impose taxes on the colonists. For Burke, the theoretical argument over “virtual representation” was irrelevant. Even if Parliament did have the right to tax the colonists, Burke believed that it was foolish and short-sighted to exercise the right. Since the colonies were growing wealthier and more populous, simply maintaining the exclusive right to trade with them would ensure British prosperity for generations. In part, this argument was directed at King George III, who believed that Parliament had to maintain at least one tax on the colonies simply to “keep up the right” (Middlekauff, 1982).
Despite these arguments, Burke did not claim that Parliament acted unconstitutionally in imposing taxes on the colonies. He strongly opposed taxes on the colonies, but only because he thought that taxing the colonists against their will was impractical. Burke was a classical conservative who generally judged laws based on their practical effects. He had little patience for theoretical arguments, but he did support the Declaratory Act. The Declaratory Act gave Parliament the power to bind the colonies “in all cases.” Burke did not support exercising this right by taxing the colonies, but the colonists denied that Parliament had this right, to begin with. This was an example of the differences between England and the colonies. Even a staunch friend of America like Burke was unwilling to support the colonists’ broad arguments. Given the inflexibility of the English government, the Revolutionary War was inevitable by 1775.
Reference
Middlekauff, R. (1982). The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.