Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine's Views on the American Revolution - Essay Sample

Introduction

The American Revolution represented the pursuit of independence from the law of Great Britain by 13 British colonies in North America. The revolution introduced institutions and ideas that define the image of Americans themselves, and new ideas that changed history and triggered the age of revolution (Locke & Wright, 110). However, the revolution was contradictory and unpredictable; it fought for liberty but allowed slavery to remain, produced selfless politicians but also provoked self-interest and personal benefit, and as the “founding fathers” inspired the fight for independence from Britain, they did not fight to create democracy (Locke & Wright, 110). As the 13 of England's North American colonies declared war against Great Britain, the American Revolution sparked debates amongst politicians as well as philosophers on both sides of the Atlantic on whether the revolution was beneficial or harmful. Edmund Burke, a member of the British parliament and a philosopher, argued against Britain’s coercion to North American colonies to abide by taxation and other colonial regulations claiming they were misguided (Burke, 114). Through his speech, Burke gave reasons to affirm that Britain needed to maintain conciliation among her colonies, rather than coercion. Thomas Paine, a political activist, and philosopher, also advocated for the independence of Americans. He authored the book "Common Sense," which explores the moral and political arguments to advocate for the egalitarian government (Paine, 120). This paper compares Burke’s and Paine’s philosophies on the American Revolution, to show various reasons why North America needed the Revolution.

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Edmund Burke’s Speech to Parliament

In his speech on 22 March 1775, Burke proposed that Britain should seek peace in its natural course and common haunts. He advocated for peace sought peacefully and grounded on solely pacific principles (Burke, 114). Burke contended that the American colonies required peaceful governance to preserve their liberty, rather than coercion that would kindle the spirit of resistance. He based his argument on six capital sources of the spirit of liberty; the decedent of the colonized, form of government, religion in the northern colonies, manners of the southern colonies, education, and vastness of the colonies (Burke, 117). First, Burke argued that there were at least two million European descendants, who respected and adored freedom, and about 500,000 others. Together, this population could stage a rebellion that could topple Britain’s control of the colonies. Moreover, the commerce of the colonies was critical to Britain; it grew from about £1,000 to roughly £6M from 1704 to 1772, which was only £500,000 less than the value of trade between England and other countries (Burke, 115). Second, the provincial legislative assemblies ruling the colonies included ordinary representatives who according to Burke, never fails to inspire aversion from the colonial administration. Third, the colonies were mostly Protestants, especially the northern colonies. Burke identified Protestantism as a major cause of free spirit in America because it was built on the submission to natural liberty, and it developed opposition to all worldly powers (Burke, 116). Also, the Church of England was vast and regularly established in the southern colonies, which contributed to a higher spirit of liberty. Also, Burke identified that education in the colonies had enlightened them and gradually provoked the spirit of liberty. Lastly, the American colonies were vast, which weakened the colonial government (Burke, 117). Burke contended for more peaceful administration of the American colonies to avoid a revolt that would disadvantage Britain.

Thomas Paine’s Pamphlet “Common Sense”

Amidst conflicting opinions of Tories, patriots, and rebels, Paine published his pamphlet “common sense” in 1775 that portrayed a revolution as common sense. In this pamphlet, Paine condemned autocracy and advocated for an American Revolution. He began the pamphlet by establishing the irony of monarchy; he posits that monarchical administration excludes people from the means of information, yet it endows them to act in situations requiring the highest judgment (Paine, 120). Paine established that equality is the original nature of mankind, and it could only be destructed by a subsequent circumstance; exalting a man above the rest is not justifiable according to the equal rights of nature, and it is not defendable by the scripture (Paine, 120). Unlike Britain's monarchy that created a havoc of mankind, Paine posited that America approved monarchy, as long as the law was the king. He declared the ideology that America had flourished under Great Britain fallacious and affirmed that America would have bloomed as much, if not more, without the relationship with the European powers (Paine, 121). He challenged advocates for reconciliation to state a single benefit that America had reaped from Britain and asserted that there was not a single benefit, but America had suffered countless injuries and disadvantages from her submission to Britain colonialists. Satirically, Paine argued that even the distance at which God had placed England and America was proof that the former had no authority over the latter, and added that while it was logical for a continent to rule over an island, but the vice versa was absurd (Paine, 122). Consequently, he posited that an American government was a natural right, and proposed that each colony should be divided into convenient districts, and each to send several delegates to Congress (Paine, 123). Overall, Paine advocated for America's independence and encouraged Americans to fight against Britain's tyranny.

Comparison and Contrast of Burke’s and Paine’s Courses

Burke’s speech to parliament and Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” have several points of consensus and differences. Both Burke and Paine advocated for American liberation, condemned the coerciveness of the British monarchy, and agreed that American commerce was self-sustaining. First, Burke urged the Britain government to give a level of liberation to the American colonies by enacting peaceful policies that did not force Americans to submission. Similarly, Paine encouraged Americans to unite and pursue their liberation from the colonial government. Second, Burke is against Britain’s coercive policies to American colonies like taxation, claiming that such policies would enhance the spirit of aversion and overpower the colonial administration. On the same interest, Paine objurgated the mistreatment of Americans by the colonial government and declared that America did not need Britain to flourish, but Britain depended on American efforts on many fronts. Lastly, both Burke and Paine agrees that the commerce of the colonies substantially contributed to Europe’s success, and it would sustain America with or without Britain’s presence. However, Burke’s and Paine’s opinions differed in various contexts. For instance, while Burke advocated for a change in colonial governance of American colonies and recommended a more peaceful approach, Paine condemned colonial monarchy and advocated for an American government. Also, Paine encouraged Americans to form a revolution and cut off the relationship between America and England, while Burke tried to prevent a revolution by amending the colonial administration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the American conclusion was the pursuit of independence from the British colonial government by 13 North American colonies. The revolution led to the rise of institutions and ideas that defined the image of Americans themselves, and new ideas that provoked the age of revolution. However, the revolution was contradictory and unpredictable, and it sparked different debates on whether the revolution would be good or bad for America. Edmund Burke, a member of the British parliament and a philosopher, urged the Britain government to adopt a peaceful approach to the administration of American colonies. In his speech to parliament, Burke gave the reasons why he advocated for a peaceful relationship between Britain and her American colonies, which mainly focused on preventing an American revolution. Thomas Paine, a political activist, and philosopher condemned the British colonial administration and encouraged Americans to resist Britain's tyranny to achieve their freedom.

Work Cited

Burke, Edmund. Speech to Parliament on Reconciliation with the American Colonies. America in Class, 1775. https://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/war/text1/burkereconspeech.pdf

Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright, eds. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Stanford University Press, 2019. http://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/Locke_American-Yawp_V1.pdf

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense and Other Writings. Modern Library Classics, 1775. https://rivercity.wusd.k12.ca.us/documents/Academics/Social-Science/GRADE-11-US-HISTORY/PRIMARY-SOURCE-DOCUMENTS/1233520721729936645.pdf