Posted on 10/25/2015 11:00:06 AM PDT by Politicalkiddo
Thanks. :)
Edmund Burke rejected the appeal made by the revolutionaries to abstract individual rights. For Burke the important contrast is not between repressive governments and the abstract rights of the rational individual, but between the beautiful order of society bonded by loyalties and prejudice and a disbanded race of deserters and vagabonds.
I suggest perusing Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France. Burke is generally regarded as the father of conservatism and while sympathetic to American grievances with the Crown, he took a dim view of overthrowing governments.
A possible idea to explore:
Establishment Christian doctrine was greatly at odds with supporting the American colonial revolutionary movement.
One side extolled God commands obedience to the King he allowed to be in power, versus the opposing minister’s who preached the parallel analogy of God’s people having a right to escape tyranny (Moses leading Jews out of Egypt).
This same religious division arose during early labor union formation in the 1890’s thru 1930’s. Respecting master - slave / servant worker relationship in spite of poor pay and work conditions, versus rejecting that old biblical premise in favor of supporting of socialist labor rights of the worker for revolution, espoused by Engel, Marx and Lenin.
The Loyalists were colonists who were against the Revolution. These were mostly exiled of fled the USA after the war. History doesn't much care what they had to say or think.
Thank you very much. :)
At least 40 US presidents have been against the right to revolution.
I would use both Lincoln and Obama.
Odd as it seems, he was vehemently opposed to the French revolution, and argued vociferously with John Locke on the subject.
But Ed was a strong supporter of our own revolution against England.
I think he must have been a very wise man .... :^)
The Divine Right of Kings is contrary to lockes natural law. Look there,
You will find a good summary of the issues (and perhaps some valuable footnotes) in Rousas Rushdoony’s “This Independent Republic” (c1964, I think). Also check his “The Institutes of Biblical Law” (c1973, I think).
Shay’s Rebellion might be a useful starting point. It was a significant driver of the Constitution (Shay’s Rebellion took place under the Articles of Confederation.)
In any event, Geo. Washington came out of retirement to quell the rebellion.
The Constitutional clause concerning treason against the United States was an outgrowth of Shay’s Rebellion and perhaps you will find a useful discussion or two in the Federalist Papers or the Anti-Federalist Papers.
Abraham Lincoln and his thoughts on the Civil War.
Perfect. I will look into it. :) Thank you.
Locke sub Thomas Paine
Try William Franklin, Royal Governor of New Jersey and Ben’s son. Also see what we did to him and how he was treated by the rebellion’s leaders.
Locke was one of the first positivists: `positive law’.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-political/
the Ventian Black Nobility families. I.e. the Guelfs, of which the Queen of England is a direct descendant.
Look up “Tories” in the American Revolutionary period. For the most part, they resisted the notion that the Colonists had any right to reject English sovereignty. I can’t cite any particular personality, but there should be some if you research.
A famous argument for despotism is given by the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov.
There is also a very good book called “Tories” by Thomas B Allen about the American colonists who remained loyal to their King and country. There is an old adage that the history of wars are usually written by the victors, and the American Revolution is an excellent case in point. We have successfully whitewashed a very messy and at times dirty war and created a whole mythology around it. Probably a third or more of the people living in the colonies were loyalists and they suffered quite badly. There is a branch of my own family in Canada who trace their move there to when they had to flee New England after having their land stolen in the period following our Revolution.
The war was far more complicated then most Americans realize.
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