Showing results for "Edmund Burke" in Americas

History is often concentrated into short bursts of change, with long periods of shifting before and waves of alteration afterwards. Nowhere is this more obvious than the thirty year interregnum between the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. In this period, three figures stand tall; Pitt, the elder stateman who saw the need for genuine constitutionalism; Burke, the consummate parliamentarian, speaking for the glory of empire; and Robespierre, the legendary and controversial frontman of the French Revolution.

This speech by Edmund Burke was delivered 22 March 1775. He submitted a set of resolutions affirming the principle of autonomy for the American colonies with the view of preventing their defection. Burke concludes the speech by exalting the ties of common descent, common institutions, and common sentiment as the strongest links of empire. The cogency of Burke’s arguments and the depth of his political wisdom were ignored by the House of Commons and his resolutions were defeated.