Britons Shall Never Be Slaves

Monroy 1 Tony Monroy American Heritage Dr. Calvert 2/23/08 “Britons Shall Never be Slaves”1 The American Revolution has a very complex set of roots located in the Enlightenment, English tradition, and classical works. The American Revolution marked a renaissance in classical thought in that it formed a government that resembled a fusion between the aforementioned thoughts. America’s protection of tradition resulted in an outcome that differed greatly from the French and Russian Revolutions. The American Revolution was a conservative revolt because of the way it unfolded and that it based its principles upon the works of the Enlightenment and the Ancient world. The principles of the American Revolution are not revolutionary because they appear in the works of the Ancient world, English tradition and the Enlightenment. For example, the Declaration of Independence’s “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”2 passage is almost a direct quote of Locke. What Locke wrote was that “life, liberty, and property”3 were the rights that man had, but Jefferson added happiness because it goes beyond property rights to the seeking of excellence. The founders did not create these rights but drew upon the writings of Locke and other enlightenment thinkers. Furthermore, The Northwest Ordinance also presents the seeking of excellence, in that for a good government to exist the people must be virtuous. “ Religion, Morality, and Knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and means of education shall forever be encouraged.”4 Without the aforementioned qualities, man cannot govern himself properly and the government shall become corrupt and immoral. This echoes what Plato wrote in the Republic in that once the student has been educated and “excelled in all areas” then they can be virtuous and “bring order to the city

Monroy 2 and to private persons and themselves”5 The influence of Plato and Locke developed the principles of the American Revolution. Moreover, they shaped what the founders expected of the people and of the new government. The founders shaped the American government from the Roman Republic and Athenian democracy. The founders’ inspirations were the classical and enlightenment works and they used both to create a new and brilliant government. Additionally, the founders looked back to the documents of English tradition to form the Declaration and Constitution. The text of the English Bill of Rights greatly influenced the Northwest Ordinance and the U.S. Constitution. The English Bill of Rights contains the rights to bear arms and freedom of religion among many of the other rights that appear in the first several amendments of the Constitution. “That the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law […] that excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”6 Instead of discarding their heritage, the colonists looked back to the documents that formed the “English Constitution” and used them to create a government that followed British tradition and upheld the principles that past Britons fought to obtain. Some people argue that the concept of a revolution appeared due to the enlightenment works of Locke and the fiery rhetoric of Thomas Paine; however, the idea of a revolution is not new to the modern world because there had been several prior to the American Revolution. In ancient history, there is the expulsion of the kings from Athens and the civil war in Rome. The overthrow of the Athenian rulers resulted in Athenian democracy, which helped inspire the founders to create a democratic republic thousands of years later. These ancient revolutions show that revolution was not a modern occurrence. Additionally, The English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution established the idea of the Monarch being unfit to rule and the creation of the English Bill of Rights, which greatly influenced the American counterpart. The history of

Monroy 3 man contained numerous revolutions spanning from the ancient world to the present day. The revolution did not first appear during the Enlightenment, but back in the earliest part of human history. The American Revolution was conservative in method because the colonists did not want anarchy, but the preservation of the rule of law consequently the American Revolution was not radical like the French and Russian Revolutions. An instance is the Declaration of Independence as a whole because the founders wrote it to explain to Europe that Britain’s government was antinomian and that the colonists wanted to preserve the tradition of the rule of law. Jefferson explains in the Declaration the reasons for separating with Great Britain quite clearly. “A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.”7 The colonists wanted to prove to England that they were not a mob, but a group of civilized individuals who wanted their rights preserved. In Contrast, the Russian Revolution desired to destroy tradition and replace it with communism. Karl Marx, the father of communism and a main influence of the Russian Revolution, states in the Communist Manifesto “The Communists openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution.”8 The American Revolution was neither an insurrection against tradition nor a dispute between social classes, but a defense against a corrupt British government and the preservation of the rule of law. The American Revolution was unique in that it did not have a mass genocide following the separation from the old government like the Russian Revolution, which caused the death of thousands at the hands of the proletariat. Furthermore, after the American Revolution there was no reign of terror or unstable government like the French Revolution. Although the French Revolution resembled the American Revolution in principles, it resulted in genocide and the destruction of its first republic, which led to the rise of the Napoleonic Empire. The difference

Monroy 4 between the American Revolution and the rebellions that came after it present that America desired tradition and not a new form of government as with communism or Jacobin radicalism. The American Revolution formed from many different documents and schools of thought. Classical, Enlightenment and English traditional works played a key role in the formation of the republic during the American Revolution. This marked a renaissance in not only classical, but also English tradition. Moreover, the revolution is not a modern phenomenon, but an event that has occurred on numerous occasions throughout human history from the ancient times of Athens to today with Kosovo. Lastly, the American Revolution, carried out by men who wanted to preserve the rule of law, was different from the French and Russian Revolutions since there was no mass murder of the remaining opposition of the new government and the new government did not collapse, as was the case with the French Directory. The return to English and classical tradition makes the American Revolution a conservative revolution.

1 Taken from the song Rule Britannia by James Thomson, music by Thomas Arne

2 Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." In American Heritage: A Reader, by Hillsdale College History Department, 94-98. Acton: Tapestry Press, 2001.

3Locke, John. "The Second Treatise of Civil Government." In American Heritage: A Reader, by Hillsdale College History Department, 79-93. Acton: Tapestry Press, 2001.

4 Congress. "The Northwest Ordinance." In American Heritage: A Reader, by Hillsdale College History Department, 99-105. Acton: Tapestry Press, 2001.

5Plato. Republic. Newburyport: Focus Publishing, 2007.

6Parliament. "English Bill of Rights." In American Heritage: A Reader, by Hillsdale College History Department, 75-78. Acton: Tapestry Press, 2001.

7 Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." In American Heritage: A Reader, by Hillsdale College History Department, 94-98. Acton: Tapestry Press, 2001.

8Engels, Karl Marx and Friedrich. Communist Manifesto. Northbrook: AHM Publishing Corporation, 1955.