The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-06-22

ees But if the Revolution was an era in the history
Of man, favorable TO human happlness-if II was an
event which marked the progress OF nun, all over the
world, from despo,i,n 10 liberty then this monument
is MOI raised without cause Tlen, the battle OF Bun
Aer Hill Is not am event undeservipg celebrations,
concentrations and reoiclngs.
What then is the true and peculiar princ'p'e of the
American Revolution, and of the systems of Covert
ment which it has confirmed and established Now
he truth is, that the American Revolution was moi
caused by the instantaneous discovery of principles
of Government before unheard of, the practlcabi
adoIten OF political ideas, such as had never before
entered into the minds OF men. was but the full de-
velopment OF principles If Government, forms OF so
ciety and political sentiments the origin of all which
lay back TWO centuries in English and American his
tory.
The discovery of America, its colonization by the
nations OF Europe, The history and progress OF the
colonies, from their establishment 10 the time hen
the principal Of them threw off their allegiance to the
respective 5 ales which had planted them, and kund
cd governments of their own, constitute one OF t'e
most interesting trains of events In human annals.
These events occupied three bundled years curing
which period civilization aud knowledge made steady
progress the old wotd at Europe, the
| Nencemeni OF The nineteenth century, had become
greatly changed from that Europe winch hogan the
coonization of America at the commencement of the
| fifteenth. Aud What Is most material TO my pres.
purpose is, that in the progress of the first of these
centuries thai Is to say from the discovery of Ameri
ca 10 The -i,lements OF Virginia and Massachusetts,
political and religious events took place, which most
MATERIALLY affected the state Of society, and the senl
ments OF mankind especially in England and in parts
of Continental Europe Alter few feeble and un
successful efforts hy England, under Henry the
| Seventh to plant colonies in America designs o
| that kind prosecuted for long period, either b,
he English govern any of It's subjects With
out inquring into the of this long delay its
consequences sufficiently clear and striking.
| England in this lapse of century, unknown to her
self bnt under the Providence of God, and the infu-
ence OF events fitting herself for the work of CO.
! onIzng North America, on such principles, and by
such men, as should spread the English name and
English blood, IN time, over great portion of the
! Western hemisphere. The commercial s. irt was
greatly encouraged by several laws passed in Henry
the Seventies reign; and in the same reign encou-
ragement was given to arts and manufactures in the
/ East countries and some not unmportant mod
cations of the Feuda system, by allowing the break
ing of entails. These, and other measures, and other
occurrences, were making way for ella of So
ciety to emerge, and show itself in military and
| icuda age middle class, neither BaroDs great
landholders on the side, nor the mere retaners
oil the Crown, nor Barons nor mere agricultural Ia
borers the other. With the rise and growth of
| tins new class Of society," not only did commerce and
the IS Increase, but better education, greater de-
gree of knowledge, uster notions Of the ends Of
government and sentiments favorable to civil liberty,
| began to spread abroad, and become and more
common But the plants sprlnglng from these seeds
were o! slow growth. The character Of English
ciety had indeed begun to undergo change but
changes of national character ordinarily the ork
! of time Operative causes were, however evidently
In existence, and sure to produce, ultimately, their
proper effect. From the accession of Henry 7th, to
the breaking out of the civil wars, Eng land enjoyed
much more exemption from war; foreign and domes-
tic, than for long period before and during the
troversy between The houses OF York and Lancaster.
These years of peace favorable to commerce
and the arts. Commerce and the arts augmented
general and individual knowledge; and knowledge is
the only first fountain, both Of the love- and the prin
| ciples of human liberty. Other powerful causes
came into active play. The reformation Of Lu.
thur broke out kndling up the minds of men afresh
leading to new habits of thought, and awakening in
individuals energies before unknown, to them
selves. The religious controversies of this period
changed society as well as religion; indeed, it would
be easy to prove, if this occasion proper for it.,
that they changed society TO considerable extent,
where they did not change the religion of the State.
| The spirit OF commercial and foreign adventure,
therefore, on the one hand which had gained much
strength and influence since the time of the dscove-
ry OF America, and, on the other the assertion and
maintenance of religious liberty, having their
indeed in Reformation, but continued diversified,
and continually strengthened by the subsequent d.
visions Of sentiments and opn among the reformers
themselves and this love Of religious liberty drawing
after them, or bringing along with them, they al
ways do, an ardent devotion to the principle of civil
| liberty also, were the powerful Influences under
which character formed and men trained for the
great work Of introducing English civilization, Eng
! sh law, and what is more than all, Ango-Saxon
blood, into the wilderness of North America. Ra-
leigh and his companions may be considered the
creatures principally, of the first of these Causes
High-sprited full Of the love Of personal adventure
excited too, In some degree, by the hopes of sudden
riches from the discovery of mines OF the precious
metals, and not unwilling TO diversity the abors Of
settling colony with occasional cruising against the
Spanards III the West Indian seas, they crossed and
recrossed the ocean, with frequency which SURPRISES
US, when we consider the state of navigation, and
which evnces most daring spirit. The other cause
peopled New England 4 he May Flower sought our
shores under no high wrought spirit of commercial
adventure, no love of gold no mixture of purpose,
wariike or hostile, TO any human being. Like the
dove ON tie ark she had put forth only TO find
Solemn prayers from The shores OF the sea IN Hol-
land had Invoked for her. at her departure, the es-
! sings of Providence. The stars which guided her
were the unobscured consultations of ciy and relI-
| gious liberty Her deck the altar Of the living
! God. Feryent prayers from Bonded knees, mingled,
morning and evening, with the voices of ocean, and
the signing of the Wind in her shrouds Every pros
porous breeze, which, gently swelling her sails he ID
/ ed the Pilgrims onward in their course awoke new
anthems OF praise and when the elements were
wrought into fury, neither the tempest tossing their
! fragile bark like feather, nor the darkness and
bowling of the midnight storm, ever disturbed in
man or woman, the firm and settled purpose of their
souls, 10 undergo all and to do ALL that The meehest
patience, the bodest resolution, and the highest trust
~ God, could enable human beings 10 suffer or to
perform.
some differences may, doubtless be traced at this
day. between the descendants of the early coonists
OF Virginia and those of New England, owing 10 the
different influences and different circumstances under
which the respective settlements made. But
only enough to create pleasing variety in the midst
OF a general .esembi nee,
"--}deies, omnibus una,
Nee diuersa tdB1cn, quaiem deceit Sororem"
But the habits sentiments and objects Of BOTH soon
became modified by local causes, growing OF their
condition IN the New World; and this condition
was essentially alike in both, and both at once
| adopted the general rules and principles of
Engsh jurisprudence, these differences gradually d.
minishcd. They gradually disappeared by the prog
ress of time and the influence of intercourse TIM