| Abstrakt: |
In the aftermath of the popular agitation over Wilkes, and in the midst of the colonists' resistance to the government's coercive measures, the cry of liberty struck a responsive chord in the hearts of English Nonconformists. The gripping themes of liberty and independence emanating from London and from Boston arose at the very time when urban Dissenters were enjoying an unusual degree of social and economic opportunity. Having attained to numerous municipal offices of trust and an economic stature that rivalled that of many Anglicans, the Dissenters found the ideology of resistance to oppression wonderfully well-suited to their own needs. We have seen how, in the quest for their own independence, the Dissenters echoed back the liberating notes of freedom and independence, but with greater volume and more focused intensity than most Anglican Commonwealthmen. Radical Dissenting ministers rejected virtual representation and demanded a reconsideration of the very basis of representative government that tradesmen and artisans found compelling; they called for an equal representation, the necessity of an individual's independent consent, and the right, indeed the sacred duty, of resisting political oppression. Then, as if to illustrate their point, they departed from the ordinary channels of parliamentary elections, and boldly petitioned the crown on behalf of the American colonists. The unity the Dissenters demonstrated on behalf of pro-Americanism is all the more striking when it is remembered that there was nothing resembling a national party canvass in the 1770s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
