tive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, & to destroy & be destroyed by the brothron whom they love, to become the executioners of their friends & brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands: [he has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it's most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people, who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, and he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce determining to keep open a market where MEN should be bought and sold: and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished dye, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.]1 in every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only 2 by repeated injuries.3 a prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people [who mean to be free. future ages will scarce believe that the hardiness audacity of one man adventured within the short compass of twelve years only, on so many acts of tyranny without a mack to lay build a foundation, so broad & undisguised," for tyranny over a people fostered & fixed in principles of liberty freedom.] ren. 4 Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethwe have warned them from time to time of attempts by 'Mr. Jefferson, in his "Autobiography," gives the following reason for the omission of this passage: "The clause reprobating the enslaving the inhabitants of Africa was struck out in complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the importation of slaves, and who, on the contrary, still wished to continue it. Our Northern brethren also, I believe, felt a little tender under those censures; for, though their people had very few slaves themselves, yet they had been pretty considerable carriers of them to others.'' 'Against this word Jefferson has written "Dr. Franklin." MS. A reads "scarcely." 'MS. A reads "so undisguised.'' their legislature to extend a1 an unwarrantable jurisdiction over [these our states] us. we have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration & settlement here, [no one of which could warrant so strange a pretension: that these were effected at the expence of our own blood & treasure, unassisted by the wealth or the strength of Great Britain: that in constituting indeed our several forms of government, we had adopted one common king, thereby laying a foundation for perpetual league & amity with them: but that submission to their parliament was no part of our constitution, nor ever in idea if history may be credited: and] we have appealed to their native justice & magnanimity, [as well as to] & we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations which [were likely to] would inevitably interrupt our connection & correspondence & connection. they too have been deaf to the voice of justice & of consanguinity, [& when occasions have been given them, by the regular course of their laws, of removing from their councils the disturbers of our harmony, they have by their free election reëstablished them in power. at this very time too they are permitting their chief magistrate to send over not only soldiers of our common blood, but Scotch & foreign mercenaries, to invade & deluge us in blood destroy us.2 these facts have given the last stab to agonizing affection, and manly spirit bids us to renounce forever these unfeeling brethren. we must endeavor to forget our former love for them, and to hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. we might have been a free & a great people together; but a communication of grandeur & of freedom it seems is below their dignity. be it so since they will have it: the road to glory & happiness & to glory is open to us too; we will climb must tread it in a separately state apart from them, and] we must therefore acquiesce in the necessity which pro denounces our everlasting Adieu [eternal] separation, and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind enemies in war, in peace friends! We therefore the representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions do in the name & by authority of the good people of these [states] colonies, [reject and renounce all allegiance & subjection to the 1 This word should have been stricken out. 3 'Against these two words Jefferson has written "Dr. Franklin." Against the following text Jefferson wrote "a different phraseology inserted." In the engrossed copy this text follows: "I solemnly PUBLISH and DECLARE, That these United Colonies are, and, of Right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance kings of Great Britain & all others who may hereafter claim by, through, or under them; we utterly dissolve & break off all political connection which may have heretofore have subsisted between us & the people of parliament1 of Great Britain; and finally we do assert and declare these colonies to be free and independent states, and that as free & independent states, they shall hereafter have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, & to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration] we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, & our sacred honour. This declaration was directed to be engrossed,2 and on the 2nd of August, 1776, was signed by all the members then present, and by some who were not members on the 4th of July. Copies of the declaration were immediately sent to all the States, and to the commander of the American troops, and was publicly proclaimed in each State, and at the head of the army. The great mass of the people were now prepared for this event, and the declaration was received with acclamation. On the day before the engrossed copy of the Declaration was signed, Samuel Adams of Massachusetts delivered an address on "American Independence," which, as the only speech which has been preserved of this eloquent orator, is a memorable document in American history. In the conclusion of this address he said: AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE SAMUEL ADAMS Countrymen, the men who now invite you to surrender your rights into their hands are the men who have let loose the mercito the British Crown, and that all political connexion between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as FREE and INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. AND for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour.'' MS. B reads "parliament or people." The verbal changes made in engrossing have been pointed out in annotations to the second draft. Besides these there were numerous changes in capitalization and punctuation. less savages to riot in the blood of their brethren; who have dared to establish Popery triumphant in our land; who have taught treachery to your slaves, and courted them to assassinate your wives and children. These are the men to whom we are exhorted to sacrifice the blessings which Providence holds out to us: the happiness, the dignity, of uncontrolled freedom and independence. Let not your generous indignation be directed against any among us who may advise so absurd and maddening a measure. Their number is but few, and daily decreases; and the spirit which can render them patient of slavery will render them contemptible enemies. Our union is now complete; our Constitution composed, established, and approved. You are now the guardians of your own liberties. We may justly address you, as the decemviri did the Romans, and say: "Nothing that we propose can pass into a law without your consent. Be yourselves, O Americans, the authors of those laws on which your happiness depends." You have now in the field armies sufficient to repel the whole force of your enemies and their base and mercenary auxiliaries. The hearts of your soldiers beat high with the spirit of freedom; they are animated with the justice of their cause, and while they grasp their swords can look up to Heaven for assistance. Your adversaries are composed of wretches who laugh at the rights of humanity, who turn religion into derision, and would, for higher wages, direct their swords against their leaders or their country. Go on, then, in your generous enterprise, with gratitude to Heaven for past success, and confidence of it in the future. For my own part, I ask no greater blessing than to share with you the common danger and common glory. If I have a wish dearer to my soul than that my ashes may be mingled with those of a Warren and a Montgomery, it is that these American States may never cease to be free and independent. CHAPTER VIII REVOLUTION OR REBELLION? Speech of Lord Chatham against the American War-The French AllianceSpeech of Charles James Fox on "Folly of the American War"-Speech of John Wilkes on "Revolution, not Rebellion"-Inspiriting Address of Congress (drafted by Samuel Chase): "Be Not Deceived"-Congress Rejects British Proposals-Triumph of American Arms-Debate in Parliament over Grant of Independence to America: Measure Opposed by the Earl of Shelburne-Letter of Thomas Paine to Shelburne: "The Setting Sun of England"-The Treaty of Peace. THE march toward independence was not to be the triumphal progress which the sanguine Adams anticipated. A year followed of doubtful contest. It was not until the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga (October 17, 1777) that the tide turned in favor of American arms. On November 18, 1777, after vague reports of Burgoyne's defeat had reached England, but before news of the completeness of the disaster was known, Lord Chatham arose in the House of Lords and delivered his last appeal to his country to desist from its vain attempt to subjugate America. The occasion was an address to the Throne congratulating the King, among other things, upon the progress of the American war. Although Chatham was in his seventieth year, the speech possessed all the fire of his youth, and indeed is reckoned by many to be the best of all his orations. It is certainly the most finished, as it is the only one which was corrected by him. AGAINST THE AMERICAN WAR LORD CHATHAM I rise, my Lords, to declare my sentiments on this most solemn and serious subject. It has imposed a load upon my mind, which, I fear, nothing can remove, but which impels me to endeavor its |