This speech, delivered in 1775 before the British Parliament, is a profound commentary on America's early experiment in liberty. Keeping in mind that it was delivered prior to our 1776 Declaration of Independence, Burke's observations, in retrospect, take on special meaning.
The speech traces the roots of liberty and its effects, including the unheard-of economic progress achieved in the colonies, utilizing charts and real figures to back his claims.
Today's politicians, who debate taxes and regulations, should be required to read this early history of America, when there was no government structure to interfere with free men and women creating a place of productivity and innovation which, eventually, became the literal breadbasket of the world.
Read online, here
Burke also enlightens our minds on the roots of the tremendous "spirit of liberty" Burke observes among the colonists, the hypocrisy of the position his government was taking on the matter of slavery toward colonists who, already, were rejecting it, and a wide variety of subjects related to our heritage as Americans.
“Burke’s Politics,” by Ross Hoffman and Paul Levak offers a good selection and commentary on Burke’s writings.