Arturo Ortiz
Professor Boden
HIS 103-040
March 1, 2018
John Adams' Novanglus Letter of 6 March 1775 Essay
John Adams’ Novanglus letter was written to inform the colonists of the uncertainty regarding the colonies’ allegiance to Great Britain and parliament. It is a very powerful and informative piece that one can assume at the time galvanized a sense of fire and fury within one’s self. The injustices that Adams speaks of throughout his letter leave the reader feeling a sense of betrayal, that a nation as great as Great Britain could take such advantage of America and all its inhabitants with little to no say. Adams’ knowledge of the issues at hand are evident, as he reflects every possible scenario in his letter with the knowledge of past empires, possible solutions, and even extreme actions.
In the beginning of the Novanglus letter Adams makes it clear why England must take into consideration the need for representation of America in the house of lords. “Nay further, in order to comply with this principle, this new, government… must have an house of lords consisting of Irish, East and West Indian, African, American, … It will flatter those ideas of independency…” (Adams, 80). Adams is trying to reason and avoid a separation of America and Great Britain, by explaining that all the colonists want is a say in the house of lords and nothing more. Afterwards Adams dove into a new idea, the idea for America to be a colony that would be free to prosper and self-govern itself while still under the rule of England by using the example of how the Romans governed, “Witness the example of the Privernates. This people had been conquered, and complaining of oppressions, revolted. At last they sent ambassadors to Rome to treat of peace. The senate was divided in opinion… A faithful peace was to be expected from men whose affections were conciliated… The consul exclaimed, They who regarded nothing so much as their liberty, deserved to be Romans.” (Adams 81-82) and as such the argument for Adams is that even those who revolted were still allowed their own rights to govern with senates of their own. So why can’t the colonies whom have always been loyal to England be allowed the right to govern themselves.? That is the question poised by Adams, and as such question is presented he opens the floor for radical ideas.
“We are not then a part of the British kingdom, realm, or state; and therefore, the supreme power of the kingdom, realm. Or state is not upon these principles… That “supreme power over America is vested in the estates in parliament,” is an affront to us; for there is not an acre of American land represented there- there are no American estates in parliament.” (Adams 84) Adams is speaking about the concept of constitutionalism, constitutionalism is comprised of two elements: the rule of law and the principle of consent, that one could not be subject to laws or taxation except by duly elected representatives. It was the beginning of a debate that Adams had, had his letter poised to. These issues were irreconcilable. The colonies had long been resisting the influence of Britain within themselves, as stated in class “The colonies were ignoring all the taxes that were being imposed by England as they did not have anywhere near enough people in the colonies that were needed to enforce the new taxes.” (Boden, History 103, 2/28/18). Many felt the way Britain was going about placing new taxes to reorganize its North American empire threatened the way of life that had led to the period of prosperity and peace. This resulted in the colonists writing a response to the taxes being placed on them, “they say, they ‘apprehended them to be an invasion of the right, liberties, and proprietaries of the subjects of his majesty in the colony, they not being represented in parliament… the laws of England were bound within the four seas, and did not reach America.’” (Adams 88) The power of parliament was not seen as reasonable to the colonies as they did not have any representation in it, and they choose to ignore all acts governed by parliament and only follow the law of the colony, to which the king agreed. This just made the divide between both parties greater as England wanted the colonies to listen and the colonies wanted a sense of representation and Adams highlighted this divide. “In case of war, it has by some been thought necessary. But, in fact and experience, it has not been found so. What though the proprietary colonies, on account of disputes with the proprietors, did not come in so early to the assistance of the general cause of the last war, as they ought, and perhaps one of them not at all!” This quote is highlighting the failure for American and British soldiers cooperating to fight for the same cause as happened in the French and Indian War which lasted from 1756-1963. John Adams’ Novanglus letter captivates the need for change perfectly in this line “The question we must insist on most is not whether the alteration is for the better or not, but whether parliament has any right to make any alteration at all. And it is the universal sense of America, that it has none”. This line while rather seamless, illustrates that in America the consensus is that there is no way to get representation in England. Period. As the letter winds down and comes to its end John Adams states the sentence that ultimately led my decision to believe that Britain’s attempts to reorganize its North American empire were irreconcilable, “That representation in parliament is impracticable we all agree… When the colonies were first settled, and continued to be the general sense until the last peace; and it must be the general sense again soon, or Great Britain will lose her colonies” (Adams 93)
John Adams’ Novanglus Letter at the time spoke for what most colonists at that time thought and believed. His words can be interpreted in many ways and that is one of the reasons why his work is still being read to this date. His ideas regarding the allegiance of the colonists to Great Britain and parliament were read all over the colonies.
Works Cited
Adams, John. "To the Inhabitants of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay". In Novanglus, and Massachussettensis. ; or Political Essays. 78-94. Boston: Hews & Goss, 1819.
Harrington, James. "The Commonwealth of Oceana." Harrington, James. The Commonwealth of Oceana. 1629. 43.
Of the People. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.