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050 - Chapter 31 - Conclusion · The American Revolution A Historical Overview Vol. 3

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  Speaker 1: Section fifty in the History of the Rise, Progress and
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  Speaker 1: Termination of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warrant.
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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 to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. History of the Risprogress and Termination
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  Speaker 1: of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty one conclusion. Great revolutions ever produced excesses and
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  Speaker 1: miseries at which humanity revolts in America. Indeed, it must
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  Speaker 1: be acknowledged that, when the late convulsions are viewed with
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  Speaker 1: the retrospective eye, the scenes of our varity were not
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  Speaker 1: so universal as had been usual in other countries that
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  Speaker 1: have been at once shaken by foreign and domestic war.
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  Speaker 1: Few histories have recorded examples of equal moderation and less
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  Speaker 1: violation of the three feelings of humanity. Were general revolt of
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  Speaker 1: evolution had pervaded such an extensive territory, the enthusiasm of
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  Speaker 1: opinion previous to the year one thousand, seven hundred and
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  Speaker 1: seventy five bore down opposition like a torrent, and enkindled
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  Speaker 1: the flame which emancipated the United States, Yet it was
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  Speaker 1: not stimulated by a fear spirit of revenge, which in
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  Speaker 1: similar circumstances too frequently urges to cruelties which can never
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  Speaker 1: be licensed by the principles of justice or freedom, and
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  Speaker 1: must ever be abhorrent to humanity and benevolence. The United
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  Speaker 1: States may congratulate themselves on the success of a revolution
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  Speaker 1: which has done honor to the human character by exhibiting
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  Speaker 1: a mildness of spirit amidst the ferocity of war that
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  Speaker 1: prevented the shocking scenes of cruelty, butchery, and slaughter, which
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  Speaker 1: have too often stained the actions of men when their
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  Speaker 1: original intentions with the results of pure motives and justifiable resistance.
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  Speaker 1: They have been hailed by destinations in terms of respect
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  Speaker 1: and applause, but the closed and successful stand made by
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  Speaker 1: them in favor of the liberties of mankind. They have
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  Speaker 1: now to maintained their well earned fame by a strict
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  Speaker 1: adherence to the principles of the revolution and the practice
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  Speaker 1: of every public, social, intermestic virtue. The enthusiastic zeal for freedom,
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  Speaker 1: which had generally animated all classes throughout the United States,
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  Speaker 1: was retained with few exceptions, to the conclusion of the
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  Speaker 1: war without any considerable appearance of relaxation in any part
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  Speaker 1: of the Union until the sword was resheathed and the
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  Speaker 1: conflict terminated by a general peace. After this, indeed, though
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  Speaker 1: the spirit for freedom was not worn down, a party
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  Speaker 1: of rose, actuated by different principles, new designs were discovered,
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  Speaker 1: which spread suspicion among the people that the object of
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  Speaker 1: their exertions was endangered from circumstances they had never calculated
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  Speaker 1: as probable to take place in their country until some
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  Speaker 1: ages had elapsed. But notwithstanding the variety of exigencies and
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  Speaker 1: the new opportunities which offered to interested individuals for the
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  Speaker 1: aggrandizement of the family and the accumulation of wealth, no
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  Speaker 1: visible dereliction appeared, nor any diminution of their general partiality
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  Speaker 1: in favor of republicanism, which had taken deep ruth in
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  Speaker 1: the minds of the inhabitants of the United States. These
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  Speaker 1: principles did not apparently languish until some time after the
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  Speaker 1: adoption of the new constitution. Exertions were then made to
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  Speaker 1: damp their ardor by holding up systems of government asserted
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  Speaker 1: by some to be better adapted to their happiness and
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  Speaker 1: absolutely necessary for the strength and glory of the American states.
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  Speaker 1: The illusion was, however, discos governed, and a constitutional argency
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  Speaker 1: for general freedom revived among the people. The feelings of
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  Speaker 1: native freedom among the sons of America, and their own
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  Speaker 1: good sense taught them that they did not need the
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  Speaker 1: appendages of royalty and the bainful curves of a standing
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  Speaker 1: army to support it. They were convinced that rational liberty
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  Speaker 1: might be maintained, their favorite system of republicanism might be revived,
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  Speaker 1: established and supported, and the prosperity of their country heightened
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  Speaker 1: at a less gorgeous expense than a resort to the
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  Speaker 1: usages of monarchic states in the introduction of hereditary crowns
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  Speaker 1: in the proclaims of noble ancestry, which usually involved the
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  Speaker 1: mass of the people in poverty, corruption, degradation, and servility.
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  Speaker 1: Under the benediction or divine providence, America may yet long
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  Speaker 1: be protected from sanguine projects and indigested measures that have
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  Speaker 1: produced the evils felts were depictured among less fortunate nations,
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  Speaker 1: or if not laid the foundations of their governments on
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  Speaker 1: the firm basis of public virtue, of general freedom, and
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  Speaker 1: that degree of liberty. Most reductive of the happiness of
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  Speaker 1: mankind in the social state, but from the accumulated blessings
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  Speaker 1: which are showered down on the United States. There is
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  Speaker 1: reason to indulge the benign hope that American may long
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  Speaker 1: stand a favored nation and be preserved from the horrors
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  Speaker 1: of war instigated either by foreign combinations or domestic injury,
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  Speaker 1: which are equally to be deprecated. Any attempt, either by
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  Speaker 1: secret fraud or open violence, to shake the Union, to
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  Speaker 1: subvert the Constitution, or undermine the just principles which brought
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  Speaker 1: out the American Revolution, cannot be too severely censured. It
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  Speaker 1: is true there has been some agitation of spirits between
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  Speaker 1: existing parties, but doubtless the prudence of the inhabitants of
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  Speaker 1: the United States will suffer this to evaporate as the
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  Speaker 1: cloud of the mourning, and will guard against every point
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  Speaker 1: that might have the smallest tendency to break the Union.
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  Speaker 1: If peace and unanimity are cherished, and the equalization of
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  Speaker 1: liberty and the equity and energy of law maintained by
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  Speaker 1: harmony and justice, the present representative government may stand for
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  Speaker 1: ages a luminous monument of Republican wisdom, virtu and integrity.
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  Speaker 1: The principles of the revolution ought ever to be the
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  Speaker 1: pole star of the statesmen respected by the rising generation,
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  Speaker 1: and the advantages bestowed by providence should never be lost
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  Speaker 1: by negligence, indiscression, or guilt. The people may again be
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  Speaker 1: reminded that the elective franchise is in their own hands,
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  Speaker 1: that it ought not to be abused, either for personal
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  Speaker 1: gratifications or the indulgence of progess in acrimony. This advantage
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  Speaker 1: should be proved not only for the benefit of existing society,
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  Speaker 1: but with an eye to that fidelity which is due
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  Speaker 1: to posterity. This can only be done by electing such
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  Speaker 1: men to guide the national councils, whose conscious probity enables
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  Speaker 1: them to stand like colosses on the broad basis of independence,
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  Speaker 1: and by correct and equitable arrangements, endeavor to lighten the
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  Speaker 1: burdens of the people, strengthen their unanimity at home, command
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  Speaker 1: justice abroad, and cultivate peace with all nations, until an
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  Speaker 1: example may be left on record of the practicability of
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  Speaker 1: mereliorating the condition of mankind. The internal strength of America
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  Speaker 1: is respectable, and her borders offense by the barriers of nature,
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  Speaker 1: may the wisdom bigger and ability of her native sons
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  Speaker 1: teach her to surmount every difficulty that might arise at
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  Speaker 1: home or abroad, without ever calling in the aid of
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  Speaker 1: foreign relations. She wants not the interference of any of
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  Speaker 1: the nation to give a model to her government or
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  Speaker 1: secretly influence the administration by bribe's flatteries or threats. The
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  Speaker 1: enterprising spirit of the people seems adapted to improve their
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  Speaker 1: advantages and to rival and grandeur and fame those parts
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  Speaker 1: of creation which, for ages have been merely awaiting and
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  Speaker 1: refining until the period of decays seems to have arrived
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  Speaker 1: that threatens the fall of some of the proudest nations.
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  Speaker 1: Humanity recalls that a view of the wretched state of asolage,
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  Speaker 1: in which a great part of mankind are involved. Yet
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  Speaker 1: America may sit tranquil and only extend her compassion to
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  Speaker 1: the European world, which exhibits the shambles of despotism, with
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  Speaker 1: the purple of kings sustained by the blood of their subjects,
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  Speaker 1: butchered by thousands. To cut the ambition of a weak
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  Speaker 1: individual who frequently expires himself before the cup of his
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  Speaker 1: intoxication is full, the vesture of royalty is however, still displayed,
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  Speaker 1: and the weapons of wars for death or three fourths
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  Speaker 1: of the globe without satiating that those vic drinks of
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  Speaker 1: weavers of human gore. When the proud victor wife's the
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  Speaker 1: stained weapon covers the guilty visage with a smile at
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  Speaker 1: the incalculable carnage of his own species by his mandates
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  Speaker 1: and his mermidons, it will be the wisdom improbably the
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  Speaker 1: future effort of the American government forever to maintain with
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  Speaker 1: unshaken magnanimity, the present neutral position of the United States.
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  Speaker 1: The hand of nature had displayed its magnificence in this
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  Speaker 1: border of the globe, in the astonishing rivers, lakes, and
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  Speaker 1: mountains replete with the richest minerals and the most useful
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  Speaker 1: materials for manufactures. At the same time, the indigenous produce
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  Speaker 1: of its fertile lands yields medicine, food and clothing, and
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  Speaker 1: everything needful for man. In his wa present condition, America may,
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  Speaker 1: with propriety, be styled a land of promise, a happy climate,
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  Speaker 1: though remarkably variated, fruitful and populous, independent and free. Both
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  Speaker 1: necessity and pleasure invite the hand of the industrious to
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  Speaker 1: cherish and cultivate the prolific soil which is ready to
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  Speaker 1: yield all that nature requires to satisfy the reasonable wishes
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  Speaker 1: of man, as well as to contribute to the wealth, pleasure,
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  Speaker 1: and luxury of the inhabitants. It is a portion of
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  Speaker 1: the globe that appears as a fair and fertile vineyard,
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  Speaker 1: which requires only the industrious care of the laborers to
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  Speaker 1: render it for a long time productive of the finest
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  Speaker 1: clusters in the full harvest of prosperity and freedom, instead
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  Speaker 1: of yielding thorns, thistles, and flour grapes, which must fee
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  Speaker 1: certain fruits of animosity, disunion, venality, or vice. Though inner
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  Speaker 1: infantile state, the young Republic of America exhibits the happiest
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  Speaker 1: prospects her extensive population, commerce, and wealth. The progress of agriculture, art, sciences,
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  Speaker 1: and manufactures have increased with the rapidity beyond exailent. Colleges
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  Speaker 1: and academies have been reared, multiplied, and endowed with the
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  Speaker 1: best advantages for public instruction on the broad scale of
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  Speaker 1: liberality and truth. The effects of industry and enterprise appear
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  Speaker 1: in the numerous canals, turnpipes, elegant buildings, and well constructed
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  Speaker 1: bridges over lengths and depths of water that open and
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  Speaker 1: runt of the communication easy and agreeable throughout a country
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  Speaker 1: almost without bounds. In short, arts and agriculture are pursued
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  Speaker 1: with avidity. Civilization spreads in science, and full research is
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  Speaker 1: investigating all the sources of human knowledge. Indeed, the whole
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  Speaker 1: country with a face of improvement. From the extreme point
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  Speaker 1: at the northern and Western Woods, through all the Southern
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  Speaker 1: States into the vast Atlantic Ocean the eastern boundary of
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  Speaker 1: the United States, the wisdom and justice of the American
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  Speaker 1: governments and the virtue of the inhabitants may, if they
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  Speaker 1: are not deficient in the improvement of their own advantages
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  Speaker 1: under the United States of America, an enviable example to
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  Speaker 1: all the world of peace, liberty, righteousness, and truth. The
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  Speaker 1: western wilds, which ages have been little known, may arise
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  Speaker 1: to that stage of improvement and perfection beyond which the
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  Speaker 1: limits of human genius cannot reach. And this last civilized
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  Speaker 1: quarter of the globe may exhibit the striking traits of
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  Speaker 1: grandeur and magnificence which the divine economists may have reserved
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  Speaker 1: to crown the closing scene, when the Angel of his
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  Speaker 1: presence will stand upon the sea and upon the earth.
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  Speaker 1: Lift up his hand to Heaven, and swear by him
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  Speaker 1: that liveth forever and ever, that there shall be time
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  Speaker 1: no longer. End of Section fifty