A Letter to Sir William Windham ; II. Some Reflections on the Present State of the Nation ; III. A Letter to Mr. Pope
by Henry St. John Bolingbroke
Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751), was a politician, diplomatist, and an author. His political career was defined by his association with the Tory party and his antireligious views. His first years in Parliament saw a sharp increase in Tory political power due to dissatisfaction with the reign of the foreign king William III and the privileged position of power the Church of England maintained. Somewhat ironically, Bolingbroke staunchly opposed the doctrine of “divine right,” while vigorously supporting the royal prerogative. Bolingbroke’s reputation was mixed. Many saw him as ruthlessly ambitious and pointed to the fact that he often betrayed close compatriots to further his career. Eventually, he became Secretary of State from 1710-1714. He would eventually be charged with treason for his support of the Jacobite Cause and would flee to France, only to be pardoned and return to England later in his life. In the end, his writings would have a more lasting and direct influence in the formation of the United States government and republican ideals than his mixed political career.[1]
Bolingbroke's collected works, including "A Letter to Sir William Windham," "Some Reflections on the Present State of the Nation," and "A Letter to Mr. Pope", are broadly considered to be foundational in the literature surrounding republican ideals of government. Bolingbroke’s writings were particularly popular among the founders of the United States, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. John Adams claimed to have read Bolingbroke’s works at least five times. Bolingbroke’s focus on the liberty afforded by the Rule of Law was considered by many of the founding fathers as the bedrock of any republic government.[2]
Bibliographic Information
Author: Henry St. John Bolingbroke.
Title: A Letter to Sir William Windham ; II. Some Reflections on the Present State of the Nation ; III. A Letter to Mr. Pope.
Published: London: Printed for the Editor, and sold by A. Millar, 1753.
Edition: ; [2], 531, [1] pages, [1] leaf of plates
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
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References
- ↑ H. T. Dickinson, "St John, Henry, styled first Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 10, 2013.
- ↑ Republicanism and Constitutionalism in Early Modern Europe, Republicanism: A Shared European Heritage, vol. 1, ed. Martin van Gelderen and Quentin Skinner (West Nyack, NY: Cambridge University Press 2002), 41.
