Question: Comment on Burke as a powerful advocate for the independence of America.
Answer: "The thing you fought for is not the thing which you recover; but depreciated, sunk, wasted, and consumed in the contest. Nothing less will content me than WHOLE AMERICA. I do not choose to consume its strength along with our own, because in all parts it is the British strength that I consume."
[Edmund Burke: "Speech on Conciliation with America"]
"Until independence is declared the continent will feel itself like a man who continues putting off some unpleasant business from day to day, yet knows it must be done, hates to set about it, wishes it over, and is continually haunted with the thoughts of its necessity"
[Thomas Paine: "Common Sense"]
Though Edmund Burke agreed with Thomas Paine, the Founding father of American Independence that the only purpose of the government was to "protect us from our own vices," (Paine, Common Sense), he differed on how to accomplish this. In his "Speech on Conciliation with America," Edmund Burke is ardently speaking in favor of the Americans as he proposes his resolutions of peace and conciliation with America in Parliament. From the speech, it appears that Burke is advocating for the independence of America. Whether Burke is a powerful advocate for the independence of America becomes clear if we compare the two quotations above. Whereas Paine is a staunch advocate for the independence of America, Burke is guided by his nationalist, British interest. The quintessence of Burke's attitude towards America is one of rational selfishness. Though apparently, he is speaking in favor of the colonies, he is actually maintaining England's good.
From the very beginning of their history, the American colonies were subjected to various restrictions in the shape of Trade Laws and other legal proceedings. The rigid enforcement of the Navigation Act immediately after the close of the French war created widespread discontentment in the colonies. The American colonies were in a chaotic condition and the Colonial Americans were slowly losing their loyalty toward Great Britain and realized they needed to fight for their independence. It is at that moment Burke made his speech on conciliation with America in the British Parliament. In his speech, he discusses the injustice and imprudence of the imposition of direct taxes on America by the British Parliament. Burke proposes to conciliate America by recognizing America's right to tax herself only because he knows that other measures would hardly succeed and, more importantly, nothing less than the "Whole America" would content him.
In his "Speech on Conciliation with America," Burke is apparently fighting for the interests of the colonies. But, it is the national interest that is the prime consideration for Burke. His sole motive is that the colonies should remain within the empire. He thinks of conciliation only because the colonies cannot be kept united with the mother country by force or by changing their temper and character. It is the solidarity of the British empire that Burke is eying on.
The situation in the American colonies is grave. Analyzing the pros and cons of the matter Burke proposes that America can be won over by giving their national assemblies the right to tax themselves. What Burke is actually doing is balancing "inconveniences" and he proposes to give up certain rights with a view to enjoying others. He states in his speech:
"All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, Rock every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise Bong and barter. We balance inconveniences; we give and take; we remit some rights, so that we may enjoy others; and we choose rather be happy citizens than subtle disputants. As we must add give away some natural liberty to enjoy civil advantages, so we must sacrifice some civil liberties for the advantages to be derived from the communion and fellowship of a great empire."
Burke feels that by giving the American colonies what they want, such as civil rights and other privileges, peace would come naturally and they would reconcile with Great Britain. Burke's idea was that if the British Parliament gives the colonies liberty and freedom, they will still be obedient to the English crown. Burke says in his "Speech on Conciliation with America":
“Let the colonies always keep the idea of their civil rights associated with your government- they will cling and grapple to you, and no force under heaven will be of power to tear them from their allegiance."
He considers that by doing this, the English would be securing their wealth. Thus Burke actually wants England's good. He thinks that the general policy of cooperation may retain the colonies. Preservation of the empire is his motto.
Burke advocated justice for Ireland, but he basically acted in the interest of Britain. In the same way, when he seeks conciliation with the Americans, he is doing so in the interest of his motherland. Burke does not speak in favor of the Americans for the sake of their independence; he does so only to retain the empire and retain the wealthy and opulent colonies. Ross Hoffman makes this point clear:
"Conciliation of the colonies was to Burke a means rather than an end -- a means of preserving the British Empire in North America. The tranquility and prosperity of the empire formed the object of his politics, not the vindication of natural justice. America was not India: never did Burke imagine that British officials in America were guilty of monstrous tyranny and crimes against the moral law: America was not afflicted by a Warren Hastings. As Burke envisaged the Anglo-American crisis, it was a quarrel brought on by ministerial and parliamentary ignorance and imprudence, inconsistency and imbecile feebleness, which had alienated the natural loyalty of the king's subjects on the other side of the Atlantic."
Burke rightly predicted that the American spirit of freedom was not to be crushed. America eventually won independence and the British empire collapsed. Burke tried his best. He did everything to retain the empire, to retain the colonies. The independence of America was a heavy loss to England. By pleading for certain civil rights for the colonial Americans Burke did not advocate for their independence. He was always guided by rational selfishness. He acted in the best interest of his motherland. He was an advocate for the independence of America, but he never was in the way Thomas Paine acted. However, Edmund Burke, the humanitarian, was an advocate for peace. Russell Kirk rightly remarks:
"From the hour when he had first taken his seat in Parliament, Edmund Burke had been an advocate of peace: conciliation with the American colonies, generous concession in Ireland, repudiation of British aggrandizement in India."
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