Principles of an American Whig
Noted for its similarities to the Declaration of Independence, “Principles of An American Whig” (1775) was written by North Carolinian and later United States Supreme Court Justice James Iredell. The essay reveals that a budding American independence movement had been blossoming into political maturity.Written sometime several months before July 1776, “Principles” contains three major points later reiterated in the Declaration of Independence. First, “[t]hat mankind were intended to be happy, at least that God Almighty gave them the power of being so, if they would properly exert the means he has bestowed upon them.” Iredell’s belief in this divinely granted right was of course later echoed in the Declaration’s claim that the pursuit of happiness is a divine right. Second, Iredell argues, “That government being only means of securing freedom and happiness to the people, whenever it deviates from this end, and their freedom and happiness are in great danger of being irrevocably lost, the government is no longer entitled to their allegiance, the only consideration for which it could be justly claimed or honorably pledged being basely and tyrannically withheld.” The aforementioned principle is echoed in the Declaration’s assertion which is summed up by historian Willis Whichard: “That the purpose of government is the protection of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that people may alter or abolish government if it becomes destructive to these ends.” Third, as the Declaration did in greater quantity, “Principles” lists British legal abuses, including the Stamp Act and troop deployment in Massachusetts.
"To the Inhabitants of Great Britain" and “Principles,” however, did not mark Iredell’s cultural and political divorce from Great Britain, for as late as early 1776, he considered moving back to England. In the end, he never left America and identified with his friends and neighbors in what he called “the noblest of all causes, a struggle for freedom.”
Sources:
Willis P. Whichard, Justice James Iredell (Durham, 2000).
See Also:
Related Categories: Political Documents, Political History, FederalistRelated Encyclopedia Entries: William Hooper (1742-1790), Federalist Party, Francis Oliver (1740-1808), James Iredell, Sr. (1751-1799), William Richardson Davie (1756-1820), William Blount (1749-1800), Alfred Moore (1755-1810), Arthur Dobbs (1689-1765), Edward Vail (1717-1777), Edenton Tea Party, Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, Carteret County, Robert Howe (1732-1786), Republicanism, Watauga Association, Cross Creek, Stamp Tax Protests (Wilmington), Sons of Liberty, Non-Importation Movement, Merchants Committees of Inspection, The Justice and Policy of Taxing the American Colonies in Great Britain Considered, Provincial Convention (1775), Tories, John Alexander Lillington (c.1725-1786)
Related Commentary: Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, A Duel to End All Duels: Richard Dobbs Spaight Vs. John Stanly, When Wilmington Threw A Tea Party: Women and Political Awareness in Revolution-Era North Carolina, Edenton Tea Party: An American First
Timeline: 1664-1775
Region: Statewide