“In England, for a long time after the Norman Conquest, the authority of the monarch was almost unlimited. Inroads were gradually made upon the prerogative, in favor of liberty, first by the barons, and afterwards by the people, till the greatest part of its most formidable pretensions became extinct. But it was not till the revolution in 1688, which elevated the Prince of Orange to the throne of Great Britain, that English liberty was completely triumphant.”
Our Founding Fathers rebelled against Great Britain, but were still proud of their heritage
In the thirteen American colonies, George Washington once fought on behalf of the mother country of Great Britain. At that time, the colonies had not even contemplated declaring their independence from Great Britain. Therefore, George Washington fought as a British soldier, early in the “French and Indian War” (as it is now called). Benjamin Franklin spent an even longer portion of his life being patriotic to Great Britain, and even working as part of the distant British government. Nonetheless, both men would eventually rebel against the mother country, with Benjamin Franklin voting in the Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain. George Washington would even take up arms against the British Empire on the battlefield. For many years, the British (and their American Loyalist allies) would be extremely unpopular in the rebellious American colonies, and in the new American republic that was soon succeeding them. This would eventually lead the colonies to fight against Great Britain one more time in the War of 1812, under President James Madison. Thus, you might expect that the Founding Fathers would have begun to hate their British heritage. But, on the contrary, they continued to remain proud of many aspects of their British heritage. This post will attempt to show this, and explain why they were right to remain proud of the mother country’s heritage, even after 1776.
Lord Cornwallis surrenders to General George Washington at Yorktown, 1781
With the Magna Carta, the British created the first democracy since the Roman Empire
In that day and age, monarchy was pretty much the universal norm everywhere in the world. One would have had to go back pretty far, to find any known exceptions to this. For example, one might have needed to look to the democracy of Ancient Athens in Greece, or to the Roman Republic and the later Roman Empire. (More about the Founding Fathers’ relationship with the Ancient Greeks and Romans here.) Like other nations, the British originally had an absolute monarchy – until, that is, the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. King John was forced to sign this groundbreaking document, when his nobles rebelled against the king’s tyrannical rule. This was the beginning of the triumph of English liberties. Even though King John (and others) tried to have the Magna Carta discarded and repealed, it was re-issued many times over the coming centuries. This led to the subsequent rise of democracy in England, possibly the first such democracy since the Roman Empire.
Magna Carta replica and display, in the rotunda of the United States Capitol
The seventeenth century saw many important developments in English liberties
Later on, the seventeenth century saw many other important developments in English liberties. These included Sir Edward Coke’s “Petition of Right” in 1628, the Habeas Corpus Act in 1679, and the English Bill of Rights in 1689. Many of these would be influential on the United States Constitution, and particularly on the United States Bill of Rights. The Founding Fathers drew upon many other influences, including the “celebrated Montesquieu” of France. But they drew most heavily upon their own heritage from Britain. They also drew heavily upon the documents of Colonial America, with a few particular documents written while the colonies were still ruled from Britain. These included the Mayflower Compact in 1620, the “Fundamental Orders of Connecticut” in 1639, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641. In so many ways, the seventeenth century was a critical period for British legal developments, and for those in its American colonies.
Sir Edward Coke, the English jurist who authored the “Petition of Right”
The Founding Fathers were also influenced by the greatest thinkers of the British Isles …
The Founding Fathers were also influenced by many thinkers from back in the British Isles. For example, they liked the English writer John Trenchard and his Scottish collaborator Thomas Gordon. These two men would together write a work called “Cato’s Letters.” The Founding Fathers also liked the Scottish philosopher David Hume, the author of “Essays, Moral, Political, Literary” – a work cited by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. They also liked Mr. Hume’s six-volume “History of England,” praised and quoted by John Adams in a letter. John Adams also liked the English writer James Harrington, the author of “The Commonwealth of Oceana.” (More about that influence here.) The Founding Fathers had a more mixed relationship with Thomas Hobbes, the author of “Leviathan.” But they loved John Locke (famous for his “Two Treatises of Government”), as I show in multiple posts listed at the end of this one. And the Founding Fathers loved Algernon Sidney as well (famous for his “Discourses Concerning Government”), as I show here. Algernon Sidney was actually martyred for his beliefs, since he was wrongfully executed for high treason in 1683. (More about that here.) The Founding Fathers also liked the English jurist Sir Edward Coke, author of the aforementioned “Petition of Right.” The Founding Fathers also admired Lord Coke’s great work “Institutes of the Laws of England.” And the Founding Fathers also liked the English jurist Sir William Blackstone, and his great work “Commentaries on the Laws of England.” This might seem ironic, because Blackstone disapproved of the American Revolution, and had no sympathy for the American rebels. But this didn’t stop Hamilton from quoting Blackstone in the Federalist Papers, more than seven years after Blackstone’s 1780 death back in England.
Algernon Sidney, an English philosopher who was martyred in 1683
Sir William Blackstone, an English jurist who disapproved of the American Revolution, but was still cited by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers
… and by its ideals of free markets and free trade (with disclaimers about imperialism)
In fairness, I should acknowledge that there were many other British thinkers with whom the Founding Fathers ultimately disagreed. And, while each of the above-named British thinkers has been known to be praised by at least one Founding Father, some of them have also been criticized by one or more Founding Fathers. Thus, the Founding Fathers sometimes disagreed among themselves – both about these thinkers, and about many other subjects. Nonetheless, the influence of our British heritage on the American Founding Fathers is quite well-attested from their own words, and shows that they borrowed heavily from the legacy of the mother country. Even during (and after) the American Revolution, they continued to appeal to many of the laws inherited from the mother country, and continued to cite the ideals of its greatest thinkers. Thus, they did not throw out the baby with the bathwater, as we say today. Nor, I think, should we do so. Today, people condemn the British Empire for its shameless imperialism, both before (and after) the American Revolution. For example, they condemn Britain’s imperial actions in the Caribbean, in Africa, and especially in India. And, like every other empire in history, the British committed some shameful acts to enforce their imperial designs. But the British also spread Parliamentary democracy throughout the known world, and created the conditions for thriving markets with economic development and infrastructure. They created the conditions for largely free trade, which has enriched many of the world’s economies. These free-market economics came from the Scottish economist Adam Smith, another philosopher to be praised by at least two of our Founding Fathers. For example, Thomas Jefferson once wrote a letter to Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., in which he said that “In political oeconomy I think Smith’s wealth of nations the best book extant.” (Source: Letter of 30 May 1790) And John Adams once wrote a letter to his son John Quincy Adams, in which he said that “There is a sett of Scotch Writers that I think deserve your Attention in a very high Degree … Adam Smith &c both his Theory of Moral Sentiments and his Wealth of Nations” (Source: Letter of 19 February 1790). Some of Britain’s former colonies have since moved away from free markets – including India, which actually went socialist for a time. Even the British themselves have since moved in a more socialist direction. But, for a long time, they helped to spread the free-market practices that were preached by Adam Smith, which were temporarily revived in the 1980s during the Margaret Thatcher era. This returned the United Kingdom to a certain measure of its former glory.
Adam Smith, Scottish economist admired by the Founding Fathers (as proved above)
David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian, and friend of Adam Smith
I acknowledge the contributions of other cultures, and immigrants from around the world
Lest this post be misunderstood, I should acknowledge that many other cultures have made great contributions to the culture of the world. Moreover, our country has been enriched by immigration from many diverse lands, and from the heritage that they bring here with them. I am not of pure British heritage myself, and I gratefully honor the contributions of my non-British ancestors. I am just saying that we owe a great debt to the British, for creating the conditions necessary for this multi-ethnic democracy. They allowed this country to thrive, and to welcome people from many distant lands … into a land of opportunity.
Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher who laid the groundwork for Locke’s ideas
John Locke, English philosopher who was much admired in the American colonies
Nonetheless, our British heritage still needs to be taught in our school system today
And, most relevantly to the original topic of this post, the aforementioned British thinkers continue to be invoked in the massive (and now-powerful) United States. Blackstone is still frequently cited by our court system, and the other writers continue to be mentioned in universities – although not always as positively as they should be, I should acknowledge. The Founding Fathers themselves are also sometimes attacked, and denied the reverent admiration that they so deserve today. But there is still great admiration in many circles for our Founding Fathers, and for the ideals that they garnered from the mother country. People in certain educational circles still know the names of Hobbes and Locke today, and how they influenced some of our Founding Fathers. If our British heritage were discarded, we would certainly be considerably worse off for it. Thus, I hope that our rich British heritage continues to be taught in our school system (even if sometimes it is taught badly), and that we may continue to learn from the ideals and laws inherited from our mother country. This heritage continues to remain quite relevant today, and I thus hope that it will live on for years to come … and never die.
“The history of Great Britain is the one with which we are in general the best acquainted, and it gives us many useful lessons. We may profit by their experience without paying the price which it cost them.”
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