Publisher's Synopsis
Edmund Burke (1729-1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher. Born in Dublin, one of only four children to survive from a family of 15, he entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1744, graduating BA in 1748 and MA in 1751. In 1750 he came to London, to the Middle Temple, and in 1756 became known as a writer for two pieces, one a pamphlet called A Vindication of Natural Society, the other his Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful. He married in 1757 and the following year made the acquaintance of Samuel Johnson with whom he soon formed a close friendship. Following the birth of his son in 1758 he suggested the plan of The Annual Register, a record of the year's major events, which he edited as a means of supplementing his income. From 1761-65 he served as private secretary to the Chief Secretary to Ireland, and in July 1765 became private secretary to the newly appointed Whig Prime Minister, Lord Rockingham. Burke then entered Parliament as member for Wendover, taking his place among the leading speakers in the House. The first great subject Burke addressed was the controversy with the American colonies, which soon developed into the American War of Independence and ultimate separation. On 22 March 1775 he delivered a speech (published in May that year) on reconciliation with America, appealing for peace as preferable to civil war, and reminded the House of Commons of America's growing population, its industry and its wealth. He also warned against the notion that the Americans would back down in the face of force since most were of British descent. In his speech Burke was not merely presenting a peace agreement to Parliament, but put before it four carefully reasoned objections against using force, some of which proved to be prophetic. Reprinted from an edition of Burke's speech with an introduction and notes by Sidney Carleton Newsom, Teacher of English at the Manual Training High School, Indianapolis.
