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020 - Chapter 25 - Conclusion · The American Revolution A Historical Overview Vol. 3

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty of History of the Rise, Progress and Termination
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  Speaker 1: of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or the volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit liprivox 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 twenty five conclusion. The other articles contained in this
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  Speaker 1: treaty principally related to commercial intercourse between the contending powers.
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  Speaker 1: These were of great importance to the Dutch, whose energies
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  Speaker 1: were remarkable lesser trading nation, nor were they of less
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  Speaker 1: consideration to the Americans, whose advantages promised that they might
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  Speaker 1: become one of the first commercial powers in the world.
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  Speaker 1: The British Minister, Sir Joseph Yorke, sent on for the purpose,
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  Speaker 1: still zealously indeavored, as he had done before, to shake
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  Speaker 1: the engagements of the Republic of Holland and draw them
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  Speaker 1: off from the interests of the American States. Though the
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  Speaker 1: Court of Great Britain had been irritated until they had
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  Speaker 1: proceeded to the most vigorous and severe measures against the Dutch.
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  Speaker 1: Yet on the successes of America and the prospect of
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  Speaker 1: new acquisitions of strength and dignity from foreign alliances. They
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  Speaker 1: had condescended so far as to permit their minister to
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  Speaker 1: make proposals of a separate peace with the United States
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  Speaker 1: of Holland. These overtures for a separate peace, which England
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  Speaker 1: had recently made, might probably quickened the measures of the
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  Speaker 1: United States of Holland and hastened the completion of the
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  Speaker 1: wishes of the Americans. They were rejected with disdain by
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  Speaker 1: the honest Republicans, and at this period of amity between
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  Speaker 1: the two republics, the American minister boasted a letter to
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  Speaker 1: the author that he should look down with pleasure from
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  Speaker 1: the other world on the American flags to have planted
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  Speaker 1: in Areland. The exultation exhibited in the Batavian provinces on
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  Speaker 1: signing the treaty between the two republics was more than
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  Speaker 1: usually animated, and rose to an exhilaration of spirits seldom
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  Speaker 1: discovered in such a phlegmatic nation. Among many other instances
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  Speaker 1: of the general approbation of the measure, a society of
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  Speaker 1: citizens established at Leon Warden under the motto of Liberty
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  Speaker 1: and Zeal presented a metal to the States of Friesland
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  Speaker 1: as the first public body that had explicitly proposed to
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  Speaker 1: connection and alliance with the American States. No people on
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  Speaker 1: earth were more passionately enamored with liberty or more obstinate
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  Speaker 1: in the defense of freedom than the inhabitants of Friesland.
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  Speaker 1: This is known from their ancient history. They enjoyed their
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  Speaker 1: liberty and retained a greater degree of independence than their
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  Speaker 1: neighbors to a long course of years, even from Drufus
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  Speaker 1: to Charlemagne, and from Charlemagne down to the present time,
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  Speaker 1: they have always been distinguished for their free, independent spirit,
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  Speaker 1: for their valor, magnanimity and bold defense of the liberties
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  Speaker 1: of their province. Though a general uneasiness had long prevailed
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  Speaker 1: through every part of Holland, the Deputies of Friesland had
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  Speaker 1: been more explicit than any of the provinces with regard
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  Speaker 1: to the pernicious influence of the Duke of Brunswick. They
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  Speaker 1: had strongly expressed their discontent in general with respect to
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  Speaker 1: public measures, and particularly with those relative to the Navy Department.
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  Speaker 1: They had written to the Stadtholder and strongly expressed the
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  Speaker 1: universal distrust and discontent respecting the manner in which the
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  Speaker 1: affairs of the nation had been conducted, and the consequences
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  Speaker 1: the apprehended, which could not fail to be highly prejudicial
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  Speaker 1: to public tranquility. They attributed these words to the maladministration
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  Speaker 1: of the Duke of Brunswick, requested that he might no
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  Speaker 1: longer be permitted to continue, either as an actor or
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  Speaker 1: adviser in the affairs of Holland, but that his Serene Highness,
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  Speaker 1: the Stadtholder would cause him to be removed from court immediately. This, however,
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  Speaker 1: was not done, nor was there any reason to suppose,
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  Speaker 1: notwithstanding he had exceeded there too, that the Stadtholder and
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  Speaker 1: such as were attached to his family interest and to
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  Speaker 1: the schemes and projects of the Duke of Brunswick, were
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  Speaker 1: well pleased with the alliance between the United States of
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  Speaker 1: America and the Batavian provinces. Subsequent transactions evinced this to
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  Speaker 1: the conviction of every one, But notwithstanding the secret chagrin
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  Speaker 1: which might proveay it his or the mind of any
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  Speaker 1: other individual, the great body of a nation that had
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  Speaker 1: for near a century discovered an enthusiastic attachment to liberty,
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  Speaker 1: and who had surmounted inexpressible sufferings to maintain it did
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  Speaker 1: not suppress the most lively demonstrations of general satisfaction on
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  Speaker 1: the happy event. The metal above mentioned, presented by the
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  Speaker 1: Society of leon Warden to the States of Friesland, was
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  Speaker 1: expressive of the general sentiment of the nation, as well
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  Speaker 1: as of their own alienation from England and their attachment
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  Speaker 1: to America. On one side of it, dedicated by the
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  Speaker 1: Society of Liberty and Zeal was represented of f Regian
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  Speaker 1: dressed according to their ancient characteristic custom, holding out his
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  Speaker 1: right hand to a North American in token of friendship
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  Speaker 1: and brotherly love, while with the left he rejects a
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  Speaker 1: separate piece which England offers him. There had been dissensions
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  Speaker 1: in Holland which had existed a number of years previous
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  Speaker 1: to the present period. The people had been divided between
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  Speaker 1: an aristocratic and a republican party, the one influenced by
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  Speaker 1: their attachment to the Stadtholder, the other had cooperated with
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  Speaker 1: the interests of France. In the midst of the animosities
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  Speaker 1: occasioned by the dissensions of these two parties, a third
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  Speaker 1: arose of a still more important nature, which embraced a
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  Speaker 1: system more free than had yet existed in the Republic
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  Speaker 1: of Holland. This gave rise to the observations in a
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  Speaker 1: work of celebrity, then animated by the example of North America,
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  Speaker 1: and by that spirit of liberty and independence which has
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  Speaker 1: lightly diffused itself in the world in favor of democracy.
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  Speaker 1: The language of pure republicanism has been held by its citizens.
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  Speaker 1: They have publicly talked of choosing delegates and asserting the
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  Speaker 1: rights of nature, emergence of manufacturers, have taken to the
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  Speaker 1: use of arms, and aredeally improving themselves in military discipline.
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  Speaker 1: To judge from the auspicious contagion that has been caught
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  Speaker 1: from the revolution in America, we should be almost ready
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  Speaker 1: to say one more such revolution would give freedom to
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  Speaker 1: the world. The prevalence of this spirit in the Batavian
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  Speaker 1: provinces rendered the work of negotiation less arduous for the
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  Speaker 1: American ambassador. Yet while in Holland, mister Adams was in
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  Speaker 1: no point efficient in vigilance, nor did he neglect to
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  Speaker 1: fail the republican zeal. By every argument in favor of
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  Speaker 1: civil liberty are the equal rights of man and of
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  Speaker 1: a republican form of government. During his residence in the
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  Speaker 1: low countries. His satisfaction at the successful termination of his
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  Speaker 1: mission was evinced both in his public conduct and in
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  Speaker 1: the private effusions of his men. In his diplomatic character,
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  Speaker 1: mister Adams had never enjoyed himself so well as while
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  Speaker 1: residing in the Dutch Republic. Regular in his morals and
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  Speaker 1: reserved in his temper, he appeared rather gloomy in a circle,
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  Speaker 1: but he was sensible, shrewd, and sarcastic among private friends.
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  Speaker 1: His genius was not altogether calculated for a court life
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  Speaker 1: amidst the conviviality and gaiety and Parisian taste and francy.
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  Speaker 1: Was never happy, not beloved by his venerable colleague doctor Franklin,
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  Speaker 1: thwarted by the Minister, the counter of the gens, and
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  Speaker 1: ridiculed by the fashionable and polite as deficient in the
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  Speaker 1: journe sat croix so necessary in highly published society, viewed
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  Speaker 1: with jealousy by the court, and hated by courteous but
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  Speaker 1: the perseverance, frigidity, and warmth blended in his deportment. He
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  Speaker 1: there did little of consequence until the important period, when,
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  Speaker 1: in conjuncture with doctor Franklin and mister j a truly
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  Speaker 1: apiece was negotiated between Great Britain and the United States
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  Speaker 1: of America. Soon after the present period, mister Adams was
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  Speaker 1: summoned from the Hague by order of the American Congress
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  Speaker 1: to rect to repair to Paris, and assist in the
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  Speaker 1: important work of negotiating a peace between Great Britain and
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  Speaker 1: her former colonies, now a confederated and independent nation. In
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  Speaker 1: this business he acquitted himself with equal firmness and equally
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  Speaker 1: to the satisfaction and approbation of his country, as he
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  Speaker 1: had before done in Holland. His reputation was enhanced among
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  Speaker 1: his countrymen, and his popularity kept up for a number
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  Speaker 1: of years after the honorable part. He had acted as
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  Speaker 1: a diplomatic character in his treaty with Holland, and as
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  Speaker 1: a firm and zealous friend to the interest of his country.
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  Speaker 1: There the negotiations for peace with his colleagues in France.
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  Speaker 1: The loan of money obtained from Holland by the address
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  Speaker 1: of mister Adams was a great relief to the United States.
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  Speaker 1: This was at a crisis when their resources were drained
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  Speaker 1: by a long, expensive war, and a paper substitute for
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  Speaker 1: specie had ceased to be of any further utility. He
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  Speaker 1: had so handsomely anticipated the future resources of America, and
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  Speaker 1: contrasted the immense public data of Great Britain with the
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  Speaker 1: comparatively small expenditures for national purposes in America, that not
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  Speaker 1: only the Dutch government conceded willingly to the propriety of
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  Speaker 1: assisting the United States by the advance of monies, but
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  Speaker 1: the affluent merchants and others in possession of best private
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  Speaker 1: property in that rich commercial country, often with the utmost alacrity,
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  Speaker 1: some handsome loans to assist to facilitate the freedom and
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  Speaker 1: growth of a younger sister republic, from whom they expected
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  Speaker 1: to derive the greatest commercial advantages when war should cease
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  Speaker 1: and her independence was universally acknowledged. Mister Adams's opinion at
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  Speaker 1: this early period seemed to favor the idea then America
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  Speaker 1: would be capable of bearing taxes to an immense amount
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  Speaker 1: in future. This was a burden of which they had
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  Speaker 1: added comparatively little experience. He observed that the people in
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  Speaker 1: America had not yet been disciplined to such enormous taxation
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  Speaker 1: as in England, but that they were capable of bearing
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  Speaker 1: as great taxes in proportion as the English, and if
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  Speaker 1: the English forced them to work by continuing the boar,
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  Speaker 1: they will reconcile themselves to it. But it might have
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  Speaker 1: been abserved that it would require a great number of years,
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  Speaker 1: in many contingent events, to reconcile the inhabitants of the
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  Speaker 1: United States to the taxing of houses, lands, hearts, window lights,
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  Speaker 1: and all the convenience of self life, as in England.
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  Speaker 1: Not the necessity of extricating themselves from all foreign debts
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  Speaker 1: or newly contracted expenses, or exigencies or projects which they
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  Speaker 1: considered unnecessary in a republican government could suddenly lead a
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  Speaker 1: people generally to acquiesce in measures to which they adhere
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  Speaker 1: to foremen strangers. The artificial creation of expenses by those
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  Speaker 1: who deem a public debt a public blessing will easily
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  Speaker 1: suggest plausible pretenses for taxation, until every class is burdened
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  Speaker 1: to the utmost stretch of forbearance, and the great body
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  Speaker 1: of the people reduced to penurye and slavery. It does
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  Speaker 1: not always redound to the benefit of younger states unless
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  Speaker 1: affluent ass to become intended to foreigners large sums of money.
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  Speaker 1: But without this assistance from several of the European powers.
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  Speaker 1: It would have been impossible for the United States, under
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  Speaker 1: their complicated inconveniences and embarrassments, to have resisted so long
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  Speaker 1: The opulent and powerful nation of Britain America was necessitated
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  Speaker 1: to borrow money abroad to support a credit at home,
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  Speaker 1: and had not the Dutch loan been obtained, it is
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  Speaker 1: impossible to calculate what would have been the consequences to
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  Speaker 1: the United States, who had not, at this period even
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  Speaker 1: the weak supportive and artificial medium. While their armies were
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  Speaker 1: unpaid and their soldiers on the point of mutiny for
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  Speaker 1: the want of immediate subsistence. His countrymen thought themselves highly
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  Speaker 1: intended to mister Adams. But procuring this timely supply of cash,
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  Speaker 1: as well as for so ably negotiating a treaty of
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  Speaker 1: amity and commerce, it gave a new spring to all
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  Speaker 1: their exertions, which had for some time lacked heavily. Who
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  Speaker 1: wanted the necessary sinews for the retraction of war or
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  Speaker 1: for enterprise in any other line of business? End of
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  Speaker 1: Section twenty