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038 - Chapter 30 - Part 3 · The American Revolution A Historical Overview Vol. 3

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty eight of History of the Rise, Progress and
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  Speaker 1: Termination of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren.
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  Speaker 1: This is of LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. History of the Rise, Progress and
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  Speaker 1: Termination of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty Part three. Thus, the renowned Washington, without arrogating
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  Speaker 1: any undue power to himself, which success in popularity offered,
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  Speaker 1: and which might have swayed many more designing and interested men,
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  Speaker 1: to have gratified their own ambition at the expense of
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  Speaker 1: the liberties of America, finished his career of military glory
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  Speaker 1: with decided act onimity, unimpeached integrity, and the most judicious
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  Speaker 1: steps to promote the tranquility of his country. He had
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  Speaker 1: previously published a circular letter to each governor of the
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  Speaker 1: individual States. This was an elegant address, replete with useful
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  Speaker 1: observations and excellent advice to the inhabitants of the United
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  Speaker 1: States in their social, civil and military capacities. Nor did
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  Speaker 1: he neglect on all occasions after the approach of peace
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  Speaker 1: to inculcate on the soldiery, and to impress on the
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  Speaker 1: minds of the people the necessity of union, subordination, economy,
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  Speaker 1: and justice, in the punctual discharge of all contracts, both
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  Speaker 1: public and private, in full possession of the confidence of
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  Speaker 1: the people, the applause of his country, the love of
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  Speaker 1: the army, the esteem of foreigners, and the warm friendship
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  Speaker 1: in respect of the Gallican nation, whose armies and treasures
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  Speaker 1: had aided him to glory and victory, General Washington disbanded
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  Speaker 1: the troops without noise, inconvenience of a new apparent murmur
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  Speaker 1: and his measures by of the commander in chief. The
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  Speaker 1: peace was celebrated at New York on the first day
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  Speaker 1: of December one thousand, seven hundred and eighty three, with
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  Speaker 1: high demonstrations of satisfaction and joy, And on the twenty
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  Speaker 1: third of the Sambon's General Washington resigned his commission to Congress, and,
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  Speaker 1: after acting so conspicuous apart on the theater of war,
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  Speaker 1: retired from public scenes and public men, with the philosophic
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  Speaker 1: dignity honorary to himself into human nature. Before the separation
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  Speaker 1: of the army, the General took a very affectionate leave
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  Speaker 1: of his brave and faithful soldiers and of each of
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  Speaker 1: the officers singly. His farewell to his brave associates, through
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  Speaker 1: the paralleous scenes of danger and war, was attended with
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  Speaker 1: singular circumstances of affection and detachment. His address to the
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  Speaker 1: army was warm, energetic, and impressive. While the sensibility of
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  Speaker 1: the commander in chief appeared in his countenance, it was
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  Speaker 1: reciprocated in the faces of both officers and soldiers, and
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  Speaker 1: in the course of his solomon doo the big tears
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  Speaker 1: stole down the cheeks of men of courage and hardihood,
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  Speaker 1: long inured to scenes of solder and distress which to
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  Speaker 1: generally deaden the best feelings of the human art. The
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  Speaker 1: mutual recollection of pastangs and fatigue which they had endured together,
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  Speaker 1: and the contemplation of retreat that would probably prevent their
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  Speaker 1: ever meeting again. When did this period of separation between
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  Speaker 1: this band of veteran chieftains and valiant soldiers a moment
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  Speaker 1: of extreme sensibility. Many of them had left their pruning
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  Speaker 1: hooks from principle and had girded on the sword in
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  Speaker 1: defense of civil and religious liberty. They were now returning
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  Speaker 1: to the plow, uncertain what kind of masters would in
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  Speaker 1: future reefed they rewarded their labours. They had left many
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  Speaker 1: of their brethren on the field of death the voluntary
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  Speaker 1: sacrifices to the independen undans of their country. They had
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  Speaker 1: freed themselves from the feeders of kings, and by their
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  Speaker 1: prowess and their perseverance, they had obtained a national independence.
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  Speaker 1: General Washington was attempted to the margin of the river,
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  Speaker 1: where he embarked on his way to Annapolis, by crowds
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  Speaker 1: of spectators of every sex and age, while the procession
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  Speaker 1: of officers and gentlemen who followed with solemn steps and
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  Speaker 1: bornful visage, was indicative of a lastitude to their most
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  Speaker 1: beloved and respected friend, Congresses and sitting at Annapolis, where
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  Speaker 1: they received the resignation of the magnanimous and disinterested commander
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  Speaker 1: at the Army of the United States, with the same
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  Speaker 1: emotions of veneration and affection that had agitated the breast
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  Speaker 1: of the soldier. He had refused all pecuniary compensation for
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  Speaker 1: his services, except what was sufficient for its necessary expenditures,
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  Speaker 1: and laid his accounts before Congress. He then hastened with
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  Speaker 1: apostle celebrity to his feastful mansion in the state of Virginia.
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  Speaker 1: There his return was hailed by the joyous acclamation of
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  Speaker 1: his friends, his neighbors, his servants, and the crown of
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  Speaker 1: his domestic felicity. His amiable partner, Missus Washington, had long
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  Speaker 1: sighed for the return of her heroll, whom she endured
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  Speaker 1: as the savior of her country and loved as the
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  Speaker 1: husband of her fond affections. In this lady's character was plunded,
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  Speaker 1: that sweetness of manners, that at once engaged the partiality
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  Speaker 1: of the stranger, sooth the sorrows of the afflicted, and
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  Speaker 1: relieved the anguish of poverty, even in the manner of
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  Speaker 1: extending her charitable and to the sufferer. Thus possessed of
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  Speaker 1: all the virtues that adorn her sex, Missus Washington now
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  Speaker 1: contemplated the completion of her happiness, and observed afterwards, in
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  Speaker 1: a letter to the author, that she little thought, when
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  Speaker 1: the war was finished, that any circumstance could possibly happen
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  Speaker 1: to call the general to public life again. That she
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  Speaker 1: anticipated that from that moment they should have grown old
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  Speaker 1: together in solitude, in tranquility. This, my dear Madam, was
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  Speaker 1: the first and fondest wish of my heart. But General
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  Speaker 1: Washington had yet much to do on the theater of
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  Speaker 1: public action, much for his own thing, and much for
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  Speaker 1: the extrication of his country. With difficulties apprehended by some
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  Speaker 1: but not yet realized. America has fought for the boon
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  Speaker 1: of liberty. She has successfully and honorably obtained it. She
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  Speaker 1: has now her rank among the nations. It was now
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  Speaker 1: the duty of the wise and patriotic characters, who had,
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  Speaker 1: by inconceivable labor and e surgeon obtained the prize to
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  Speaker 1: guard on every side that it might not be sported
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  Speaker 1: away by the folly of the people or the intrigue
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  Speaker 1: of deception of their rulers. They had to watch at
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  Speaker 1: all points that her dignity was not endangered, nor her
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  Speaker 1: independence announced by twostes servily copying either the fashionable vices
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  Speaker 1: of the political errors of those countries where the inhabitants
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  Speaker 1: have become unfit for any character but that of master
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  Speaker 1: and slave. Thus, after the dissolution of the American army,
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  Speaker 1: the withdrawing of the French troops, the retirement of General Washington,
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  Speaker 1: and the retreat of the fleets and armies of the
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  Speaker 1: gang of Great Britain a solemnity, and still disappeared, which
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  Speaker 1: was like the general pause of nature before the concussion
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  Speaker 1: of an earthquake. The state of men's minds seemed for
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  Speaker 1: a show attempt to be palsied by the retrospective dangers,
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  Speaker 1: and counted to break off the fetters and the hazard surmounted,
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  Speaker 1: to sweep away the claims and cut the leading strings
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  Speaker 1: in which they had been held by the ground of Britain.
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  Speaker 1: But though the connection was now dissolved, and the Gladian
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  Speaker 1: nod of union between Great Britain and America cut in sunder,
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  Speaker 1: though the independence of the United States was by the
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  Speaker 1: Treaty clearly established on the broad paces of liberty, if
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  Speaker 1: the Americans felt themselves in such a state of infancy
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  Speaker 1: that as the child is learning to walk, they were
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  Speaker 1: afree to their own movements. Their debts were unpaid, their
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  Speaker 1: governments unsettled, and the people out of breath by their
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  Speaker 1: long struggle for the freedom and independence of their country.
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  Speaker 1: They were become poor from the loss of trade, they
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  Speaker 1: neglected their usual occupations, and the drains from every quarter
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  Speaker 1: for the support of the long and expensive war. From
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  Speaker 1: the versatility of human affairs, and the encroaching spirit of man.
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  Speaker 1: It was yet uncertain when, in hot the States would
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  Speaker 1: be tranquilized and the Union consolidated under wise energetic and
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  Speaker 1: free modes of government, or whether such, if established, would
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  Speaker 1: be administered agreeable to laws founded on the beautiful theory
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  Speaker 1: of republicanism. They pictured in the clausets of philosophers and
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  Speaker 1: idolized in the advanture as amost of the inhabitants of America.
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  Speaker 1: It is indeed true that, from a general attention to
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  Speaker 1: early education, the people that the United States were better
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  Speaker 1: informed in many branches of literature than the common classes
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  Speaker 1: of men in most other countries. Yet many of them
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  Speaker 1: had put a superficial knowledge of mankind. They were ignorant
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  Speaker 1: of the intrigues of courts, and though convinced of the
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  Speaker 1: necessity of government, did not fully understand its natural or origin.
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  Speaker 1: They had generally supposed there was little to do but
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  Speaker 1: to shake off the yoke of foreign domination and annihilate
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  Speaker 1: the name of king. They were not generally sensible that
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  Speaker 1: most established bones of strong government are usually the consequences
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  Speaker 1: of royal violence against the systems of democratic theorists. They
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  Speaker 1: were not sensible, and from age to age. The people
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  Speaker 1: of flatter deceived were threatened until the hood winked multitudes
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  Speaker 1: at their own seals to a renunciation of their privileges,
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  Speaker 1: and with their own hands rippid the chains of servitude
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  Speaker 1: on their posterity. They were totally fearless of the intrigues
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  Speaker 1: or the ambition of their own countrymen, which might in
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  Speaker 1: time bring the fruitless the expense of their blood in
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  Speaker 1: their treasures. These they had freely lavished to secure their
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  Speaker 1: equality of condition, their easy modes of subsistence, and their
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  Speaker 1: exemption for public burdens beyond the necessary demands, with the
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  Speaker 1: support of a free and equal government. But it was
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  Speaker 1: not long before they were waking to new energies by
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  Speaker 1: convulsions both at home and abroad. Now created exigencies or
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  Speaker 1: more splendid modes of government that might hereafter be adopted
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  Speaker 1: had not yet come within the reach of their calculations.
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  Speaker 1: Of these, few had yet formed any adequate ideas, and
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  Speaker 1: few were, indeed were sensible that gulled the name of
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  Speaker 1: liberty to lights the ear and tickles the fond pride
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  Speaker 1: of man. It is a jew much oftener the plaything
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  Speaker 1: of his imagination, than a possession of real stability. It
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  Speaker 1: may be acquired to day in all the triumph of
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  Speaker 1: independent feelings, But perhaps to morrow the world may be
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  Speaker 1: condensed that mankind know not how to make a proper
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  Speaker 1: use of the prize generally bartered in a short time
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  Speaker 1: as a useless marble to the first officious master that
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  Speaker 1: will take the burden from the mind by laying another
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  Speaker 1: on the shoulders a tenfold weight. This is the usual
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  Speaker 1: course of human conduct, however painful the reflection may be
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  Speaker 1: to the patriot and retirement, and to the philosopher absorbed
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  Speaker 1: in theoretic disquisitions on human liberty or the portion of
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  Speaker 1: natural and political freedom to which man has a claim.
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  Speaker 1: The game of deception is played over and overtumously the
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  Speaker 1: judgment of men, and work on their enthusiasm, until by
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  Speaker 1: their own consent, hereditary crowns and distinctions are fixed, and
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  Speaker 1: some scion of royal descent is entailed upon them forever. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: by habit they are ready to believe that mankind in
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  Speaker 1: general are incapable of the enjoyment of that liberty which
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  Speaker 1: nature seems to prescribe, and that the mass of the
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  Speaker 1: people have not the capacity nor their right to choose
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  Speaker 1: their own masters. The generous and disinterested of all nations must, however,
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  Speaker 1: wish to see the American Republic fixed on such a
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  Speaker 1: stable basis as to become the admiration of the world.
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  Speaker 1: Future generations will then look back with gratitude on the
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  Speaker 1: error which wafted their ancestors from the European shores. They
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  Speaker 1: will never forget the energetic struggles of their fathers to
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  Speaker 1: secure the natural rights of men. These are improved in
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  Speaker 1: society and strengthened by civil conducts. These have been established
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  Speaker 1: in the United States by race of independent spirits, will
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  Speaker 1: freed their posterity from the feudal paselage of wedditary lords.
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  Speaker 1: It is to be hoped that the grim shades of
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  Speaker 1: despoted kings will never hopper in the clouds of the
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  Speaker 1: American atmosphere. Diputism the hints of the Sons of Columbia
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  Speaker 1: by imaginary ideas of the splendid beams of royalty. End
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  Speaker 1: of Section thirty eight.