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This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay is a political pamphlet engaging with the legacy and controversy surrounding the Treaty of Paris (1763), which brought the Seven Years' War to a close. The author undertakes a reasoned assessment of the peace settlement’s… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay inverts the Grenville administration’s arguments, asserting that a true understanding of the Atlantic trade proves that a reduction of income supporting the circulation of goods must reduce commerce overall. This was in… more

This anonymous pamphlet enters the political debates of an acute moment in British imperial history by offering a direct rebuttal to Sir William Meredith’s published letter to William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham. Meredith, a… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay was published anonymously in 1774 and addressed directly to Frederick Lord North, then serving as Britain’s First Lord of the Treasury (effectively Prime Minister), this pamphlet belongs to the robust transatlantic debate… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay is a political pamphlet engaging directly with what contemporaries called the “American Question” — the escalating constitutional and imperial crisis between Great Britain and its North American colonies.

The year of… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay is a wide-ranging political and historical treatise by the Scottish minister and philosopher Robert Wallace, a prominent figure in Edinburgh’s intellectual circles alongside contemporaries such as Henry Home and Hugh… more

This essay is a forty-page pamphlet by Joshua Steele, a London merchant with close ties to colonial commerce and an acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin. Published anonymously amid the heated transatlantic debate over British colonial… more

The essay is a follow-up to his influential 1772 work on British public finance, in which Richard Price had argued for a rigorously managed sinking fund as a means of paying down Britain’s burgeoning national debt. In this additional… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay was among the most rhetorically colorful of the responses to the writers in the pay of the British government, Samuel Johnson, John Shabbeare, and John Wesley. Taking a strong moral stance against taxation without… more

This essay is a political pamphlet — part of the broader pamphlet debate over British colonial policy in the years leading up to the American Revolution — in which Pownall attempts to draw a principled constitutional line between… more

Drawing on his direct administrative experience, Pownall argued that the existing colonial system was structurally flawed and in urgent need of reform. Rather than treating the colonies as subordinate dependencies to be taxed and… more

Published anonymously in 1766, this essay is a satirical pamphlet that uses the literary device of tracing a bale of American goods on its journey through the commercial and legal maze created by the Stamp Act of 1765. By… more

The author of “America Vindicated” presented arguments and word choices very similar to an essay written by the American New York jurist William Smith (1728-1793). This piece presents a strong refutation of Parliamentary Supremacy… more

The text uses vituperative rhetoric rare even for other defenders of British policy. The author relies heavily on the analogy of the aggrieved parent and ungrateful child, with the American colonists exemplifying “Ingratitude…the… more

This text presents a fusion of natural law, natural rights and contemporary Christian universalism, contending that the American colonies are deserving of their own governance on grounds of “the plain maxims of the law of nature, and… more

The American Republic is an excellent textbook for classroom use which provides, in a single volume, critical, original documents revealing the character of American discourse on the nature and importance of local government, the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Written by Joseph Priestley in 1774 and timed to coincide with a British general election, this pamphlet urges Protestant Dissenters to use their votes in defense of both civil liberty and the American colonies. Priestley argues that… more

This essay is an anonymous political pamphlet published in 1766. Written during a period of notable ministerial instability — when the Grenville ministry’s Stamp Act had just been repealed under Rockingham — the pamphlet takes the… more

Published in 1763 and written under the pen name “Cecilius Calvert” (a nod to Maryland’s original proprietor), this pamphlet is a polemical defense of Maryland’s proprietary government against critics who had raised pointed… more

This essay is an anonymous pamphlet from 1766, published during the heated transatlantic debate over British colonial policy in America. The pamphlet offers a defense of a prominent but controversial ministerial figure — almost… more

This text refutes the idea of Parliament’s total supremacy. Taking the perspective of an English resident, the author disavows all authority to taxing colonials without consent. Ireland is seen as “a case more exactly similar to that… more

Published in 1774 and dedicated to the Society of the Supporters of the Bill of Rights, this anonymous pamphlet mounts a pointed critique of the Quebec Act, one of the measures Parliament passed that year alongside the so-called… more

This essay is a 1766 pamphlet by William Greatrakes, addressed to Richard Grenville-Temple, the Earl Temple. Published during the height of the Anglo-American constitutional crisis, it forms part of the broader pamphlet debate over… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Published in 1764, this essay is a pamphlet by Arthur Lee — a Virginia-born lawyer and future American statesman — written in direct response to a critical remark https://oll.libertyfund.org/people/adam-smith had leveled against the… more

This essay is a 1770 political pamphlet written under the pseudonym “Cato. Published during the heated transatlantic constitutional debates preceding the American Revolution, the pamphlet examines the nature and foundations of the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Published in 1764 by William Bollan — a lawyer who served as colonial agent for Massachusetts Bay in London — this essay is an early and significant entry in the British pamphlet debates over American policy that preceded the… more

This essay is an anonymous British pamphlet written as a direct rebuttal to William Pitt the Elder’s celebrated speech in the House of Commons in January 1766, in which Pitt famously praised the American colonies for resisting the… more

Published in 1766 under the pseudonym “Hildebrand Oaktree,” this essay by a Wooden Legged Soldier in Gloucestershire is a short British pamphlet written in the epistolary style popular among political commentators of the era. The… more

Published in London in 1774, this essay is a polemical pamphlet written anonymously by Arthur Lee (though sometimes attributed to William Henry Drayton). It was written as a direct rebuttal to Sir Egerton Leigh, attorney general of… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Published in 1774 and addressed to both Houses of Parliament, this anonymous pamphlet argues that New England — and Massachusetts Bay in particular — had earned the right to fair treatment from Britain through more than a century of… more

This pamphlet is a patriotic verse survey of British history from the Danish invasions and King Alfred through the Tudor monarchs and the Hanoverian succession, celebrating the nation’s gradual triumph over tyranny, religious… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

The influential theologian John Wesley uses this pamphlet to argue for the right of the British government to tax the American colonies at will. He also asserts that American objections to a lack of representation are groundless… more

Some scholars have suggested Gervaise Parker Bush as the author of this anonymous pamphlet that argues that the American colonists are even more disenfranchised and unrepresented than Englishmen without suffrage. The anonymous author… more

Having lost his valuable estate in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution, the Loyalist Galloway spent the rest of his years in exile in Britain lobbying the government for compensation and writing books like this one to… more

This piece defends Parliament’s right to tax by contending that no distinction in law can be maintained between regulation and taxation. Both arise from the same power to determine the disposition of property and precedent gives that… more

A two volume collection of newspaper articles and other writings by the Jacksonian era journalist and advocate of free banking and other free market policies, William Leggett.

This is an anonymous pamphlet (attributed to John Morton) published just months after Parliament passed the Stamp Act — and amid fierce colonial protest against it — the piece takes the form of a formal academic exercise (likely a… more

Published anonymously in 1774, this pamphlet examines the relationship between Great Britain and its American colonies from legislative, political, and commercial perspectives. The pamphlet is part of the broader British debate over… more

In keeping with its name, this “Conciliatory Address” seeks to persuade both Britain and America toward peace by reminding both parties of their mutual duties to one another as well as of the great benefits to be had by remaining… more

The anonymous author of this pamphlet outlines the history of the American question and calls upon every individual British subject to remonstrate against the King, to call upon him to cease military action against the Americans, and… more

Published in London in 1767, this essay is a self-vindication written by Colden, the late Lieutenant-Governor of New York, in response to a public censure passed by the New York General Assembly. Printed for distribution among… more

This essay is a political pamphlet by Charles Lloyd — secretary to the Marquess of Rockingham — written in defense of the Rockingham ministry’s decision to repeal the American Stamp Act in 1766. Lloyd argues that repeal was not a… more

Otis wrote a couple of pamphlets in the early phase of the American Revolution which galvanized and radicalized the colonists’ opposition to the British Empire. In Considerations of Behalf of the Colonists Otis continues his… more

This essay is an anonymous pamphlet from 1766. As its title suggests, the pamphlet critically examines the Stamp Act — Britain’s controversial tax on American colonial documents — and takes aim at the government minister responsible… more

This pamphlet examines the colonial legislature of South Carolina and draws comparisons to the British parliamentary model. The work arose from a specific political controversy: after the King’s Council refused to pass currency bills… more

In this essay, points are drawn from Irish experience to contend that the necessities claimed for taxing the colonies cannot be well founded, but “it is evident that this is not the harvest-time there for a rapacious minister.”… more

This is a pamphlet written anonymously by Francis Maseres, a British lawyer and public official. The work argues for the idea of granting the American colonies seats in the British House of Commons — a proposal put forward just a few… more

This pamphlet is an excerpt from Maseres' broader collection of occasional essays on political and historical subjects, and contains five essays, including two of particular Canadian historical interest.

This text makes a constitutional case for local self-government based on the historical precedents of the early dominions of Great Britain, arguing that the jurisdiction of Parliament over internal revenue was not extended to Ireland… more

This pamphlet written anonymously under the byline “a country gentleman,” addressed as a letter to a noble lord. It examines the English penal laws targeting Roman Catholics and argues for how those policies should be applied — or… more

This 1766 pamphlet by Thomas Pownall, was published as an appendix to his broader work The Administration of the Colonies. It engages with the heated debate in Great Britain over Parliament’s authority to tax the American colonies,… more

This essay is a seminal British political pamphlet by Anthony Bacon. It outlines the profound importance of the colonies to Great Britain—focusing on their booming trade, consumption of British manufactures, and their critical role… more

This essay is a political pamphlet written by John Fothergill, a prominent English Quaker physician and naturalist, in response to the mounting tensions between Britain and its American colonies in the mid-1760s. Published the same… more

This pamphlet from 1764 was written anonymously by Sir William Young. The work argues for British colonial expansion in the Caribbean in the aftermath of the Seven Years' War, when Britain acquired new island territories, making the… more

Sometimes attributed to Richard Goodenough, this pamphlet blames intellectual laziness for the lack of sympathy that a portion of the British showed to the Americans. He argues that a rigorous examination of the facts of the case… more

This pamphlet was published at the height of the colonial taxation controversy — the same year the Stamp Act was repealed — and it examines the legal and constitutional arguments surrounding Parliament’s authority to tax the American… more

A scathing attack on colonial claims, this article excoriates Parliamentarians like William Pitt who aided and abetted American errors, as practitioners of the lowly “arts of prostitution and cabal.” Through such encouragement and “… more

This essay is a pamphlet by William Bollan, who served as the colonial agent for Massachusetts in London. Drawing on Old Whig principles, Bollan argues against standing armies, critiques political corruption, and ultimately advocates… more

William Knox’s pamphlet is a Loyalist tract that systematically dismantles the constitutional arguments colonial assemblies had advanced to resist Parliamentary authority. Knox examines the colonial claim to all the rights and… more

This is pamphlet contains official records of two formal protests lodged in the British Parliament against the bill to repeal the American Stamp Act, along with lists of the speakers and voters involved in that debate. The document… more

This four-volume edition, edited by Henry P. Johnston, presents the complete public and private correspondence of John Jay across his life (1763-1826). It covers his diplomatic service, role in the Revolution, tenure as the first… more

The Crisis was a London weekly published between January 1775 and October 1776. It was the longest-running weekly pamphlet series printed in the British Atlantic world during those years, and it used unusually bold, pithy language.… more

This pamphlet addresses representation and taxation. It critiques virtual representation as new and asks what such a practice could possibly look like? The writer reasoned that Parliament would be obliged to receive all American… more

The Latin epigraph for this pamphlet, “he who determines any matter without hearing both sides, though he may have decided right, has not done justice” emphasizes the evenhandedness with which the author hopes to approach the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

A reprint of Webster’s famous speech against conscription during the War of 1812 against Britain. It was reprinted by the American Union against Militarism in 1917 when America was on the verge of entering World War I and… more

This pamphlet was written by Granville Sharp. Sharp, a prominent British abolitionist and legal reformer, argues in the work that participation in the legislature is a natural right of the people and the foundational principle of the… more

The anonymous author of this pamphlet takes care to remind the reader of his title page that he is also the author of a pamphlet titled Regulus. This time he, like many of his contemporaries, has been moved to write in response to… more

This piece depicts a fictional exchange between a representative of imperial administration, Aristocraticus, and a defender of America, Philodemus, making the case for colonial self-government. The example of Ireland plays a… more

A two volume diary which Morris kept while he was Minister to France for the new American Republic from 1792-94. It provides much detail about the social life and political turmoil of Paris during a critical phase of the French… more

This 10-page pamphlet written by Thomas Crowley and published in 1774, at the height of the political tensions that would soon erupt into the American Revolutionary War. The work engages with the central constitutional and political… more

Two sets of letters that have been described as “the wellsprings of nearly all ensuing debate on the limits of governmental power in the United States” are collected in this volume. They include Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania… more

This essay is a political pamphlet written by Stephen Sayre. The pamphlet addresses what its author presents as significant hidden matters of state, framed as a warning or corrective to British readers regarding the political… more

Exploring the Bounds of Liberty is a 3-volume collection of political writings from colonial British America in the century before the Revolution. First printed mainly in London, pamphlets and broadsides soon spread as presses… more

This pamphlet presents 31 depositions from soldiers and witnesses of the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, with the intent of exonerating the British soldiers involved and advancing the loyalist cause — and was notably the first… more

This essay is an anonymous British pamphlet from the height of the imperial crisis preceding the American Revolution. The work concerns British colonial policy toward the American colonies at a particularly tense moment — the same… more

Four essays on trade, war, and the rebellion in the American colonies.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay is an anonymously authored pamphlet from 1766. The pamphlet engages with a notable public oration of its day and offers commentary on the political unrest unfolding in colonial America, reflecting the lively transatlantic… more

This pamphlet is a political pamphlet by William Bollan addressed to the freeholders, citizens, and burgesses who elected members to the British Parliament. Its central purpose was to defend what Bollan characterized as the violated… more

The Free Britons Supplemental Memorial is a 1770 pamphlet by William Bollan. The work addresses British parliamentary electors and examines the historical origins of parliaments across Europe, alongside other political matters… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This is a 29-page pamphlet from 1774 recording the courtroom speech of Lord Mansfield (William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield), the Lord Chief Justice of England, as he delivered the Court of King’s Bench judgment in the case of … more

George Washington speaks for himself on behalf of liberty and the emerging American republic. Drawing extensively on his correspondence, this volume includes all of his presidential addresses, various public proclamations, his last… more

This essay is a 1766 pamphlet authored under the pseudonym N.T. Pharmacopola. The pamphlet engages with the heated British political debate over how to handle the American colonies, taking aim at the popular standing of William Pitt… more

A biography of one of Indiana’s most prominent twentieth-century families. It begins with the birth of James P. Goodrich in 1864 and continues through the death of his son Pierre F. Goodrich in 1973. James Goodrich served as governor… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

David Ramsay’s History of the American Revolution appeared in 1789 during an enthusiastic celebration of nationhood. It is the first American national history written by an American revolutionary and printed in America. Ramsay… more

William Findley’s 1796 History of the Insurrection in the Four Western Counties of Pennsylvania offers a firsthand, constitutionalist critique of the federal government’s use of military force to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in… more

Mercy Otis Warren has been described as perhaps the most formidable female intellectual in eighteenth-century America. This work (in the first new edition since 1805) is an exciting and comprehensive study of the events of the… more

This essay is a 18th-century pamphlet published in 1770 that weighs the relative strategic and political value of Britain’s colonial holdings in India against those in the Americas — a pressing question at a time when Britain was… more

This essay is a 18th-century political pamphlet written by Nicholas Ray and published in 1766. The work examines the strategic and economic value of the North American colonies to Great Britain, while also offering a critical… more

The Interest of the Merchants and Manufacturers of Great Britain, in the Present Contest with the Colonies, Stated and Considered is a pamphlet written anonymously by William Knox, a British colonial official, during the escalating… more

Justice, a Poem (1774) is a short 27-page verse work from eighteenth-century Britain, touching on themes of law, philosophy, literature, and political life. The work sits within a broader collection of eighteenth-century texts and is… more

This essay is a 41-page political pamphlet published in 1766, at the height of the colonial taxation controversy that would help ignite the American Revolution. Written from a pro-Parliament perspective, it argues for both the legal… more

This is a 90-page pamphlet published in London in 1774, written anonymously by William Knox. It defends and argues for the legitimacy of the Quebec Act (14 Geo. III c. 83), a piece of British legislation aimed at improving the… more

In a landmark work, a leading scholar of the eighteenth century examines the ways in which an understanding of the nature of history, seen as as a continual struggle between liberty and virtue on one hand and arbitrary power and… more

This essay is an eighteenth-century pamphlet that examines the political tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Published in the same year Parliament… more

The Laws and Policy of England, Relating to Trade (1765) is an 18th-century treatise by Sir William Mildmay — also known as the author of a prior work on the policing of France — that critically examines England’s commercial laws by… more

This essay defends Parliament’s authority over America “when considered as a collective Body of Colonies,” because only it could consider “the general good of the whole.” While certainly consistent with an idea of virtual… more

A Letter Concerning the Privileges of the Assembly of Jamaica is an 18th-century text addressing the legal and political standing of Jamaica’s colonial legislative body. The work is sometimes attributed to Nicholas Bourke and was… more

This pamphlet takes the form of a letter from a London correspondent to a friend in the country, addressing the controversy surrounding the American Stamp Act, and includes speeches delivered in Parliament on the matter — with “Mr. P… more

A Letter from a Merchant in London to his Nephew in North America, Relative to the Present Posture of Affairs in the Colonies is a pamphlet by Josiah Tucker written at a pivotal moment in the tensions between Britain and its American… more

This is an 18th-century pro-British pamphlet and as its full title indicates, it takes a staunchly loyalist stance — arguing for Parliament’s supremacy over the American colonies and making the case that the colonies must be… more

Published in 1765, this 32-page political pamphlet was written at a pivotal moment of tension between Britain and its American colonies — the same year the Stamp Act was passed. The work examines the scope of Parliament’s authority… more

Spooner criticised Senator Sumner of Massachussetts for not being rigorous enough in his condemnation of the unconstitutionality of slavery. Like all politicians, according to Spooner, Sumner made too many compromises once he entered… more

This 1774 pamphlet is a rejoinder to Josiah Tucker, a British clergyman and economist who had provocatively proposed that Great Britain simply let its American colonies go rather than continue the costly struggle to maintain control… more

A Letter to Dr. Shebear (1775) is a polemical pamphlet by Hugh Baillie in which he challenges the arguments put forward by Dr. John Shebbeare in defense of the Boston and Quebec Acts of Parliament — two highly contentious pieces of… more

The essay argues against Parliament’s taxation of America, contending that “subordinate states,” whether Wales or the “palatinates of Chester and Durham” or the colonies, can only be taxed by representatives of their own choosing… more

A Letter to His Grace the Duke of Grafton, on the Present Situation of Public Affairs is an anonymous 30-page political pamphlet published in London in 1768 by J. Almon. It has been attributed to Richard Grenville, Lord Temple, based… more

Siding with Richard Price’s earlier work in favor of colonial rights but dismayed that it did not get the attention it deserved, the writer of this essay set out to counter the attack on “the laws and constitution” by those “… more

A Letter to the Administration for the Time Being is an 18th-century pamphlet written under the pseudonym Titus Pomponius Atticus, Junior and published in 1768.

A Letter to the Earl of Chatham, on the Quebec Bill is an anonymously published 1774 pamphlet, later attributed to Sir William Meredith, directed at William Pitt the Elder (the Earl of Chatham) regarding the Quebec Act of that year.… more

It is widely accepted that the pseudonym Americanus was used here to protect the identity of Caleb Evans, the Welsh Baptist theologian and educator. The pamphlet examines the contested matter of British taxes on the American… more

The text presents a distinctive set of views, excoriating both Josiah Tucker and Samuel Johnson, the first for countenancing the idea of setting the colonies free; the second for attempting to enslave them. The argument contends… more

This is an 18th-century pamphlet published in 1769, written by someone identified only as “A Grenada Proprietor” — a landowner with interests in the Caribbean island of Grenada. The title, rendered with dashes to obscure proper names… more

In this extensive review of colonial charters and English laws pertaining to the colonies, the author finds compelling reasons to support American claims to an exemption from internal taxation. The author finds strong grounds for… more

This essay is a 1768 pamphlet written by George Canning. Addressed directly to the Earl of Hillsborough — who served as Britain’s Secretary of State for the Colonies — the pamphlet engages the pressing question of how Great Britain… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Douglass’s third and last autobiography of his life as a slave, runaway, and then campaigner for the abolition of slavery. This edition is interesting because of the introduction by one of Britain’s leading classical liberal… more

A one volume abridgement of the first major biography of Washington by John Marshall who became the third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. An influential conservative interpretation. The volume also contains 5 of the more… more

This is the first modern publication of ten essays published in the popular Boston newspaper The Independent Chronicle, a significant intellectual event in Massachusetts politics.

A Man of Abilities for the Earl of B———e, or, Scotch Politics Defeated in America is a 53-page pamphlet that engages with the charged political atmosphere of mid-eighteenth-century Britain and its American colonies. The title… more

Beaumont and Tocqueville jointly collected information about American slavery on their 1834 trip, but Beaumont was the one to publish the book on slavery. The first part is in the form of a novel, rather sentimental at times but full… more

A legalistic defense of the Loyalist opposition to the right of the American colonies to seek independence from Britain. This work was the subject of John Adam’s lengthy rebuttal in “Novanglus”.

This 1764 pamphlet, authored by Jasper Mauduit, was written as part of the broader colonial debate over British taxation policy in the years leading up to the American Revolution. In it, Mauduit — serving as the colonial agent for… more

This essay is an anonymous pamphlet that addresses the state of British royal governance in America during the years leading up to the Revolution, reflecting the broader transatlantic debate over colonial policy that took place in… more

This 1770 pamphlet, authored by Thomas Pownall. The title reflects Pownall’s address to the House of Commons, in which he advocates for resolutions as a basis for repealing the duties imposed on the American colonies.

This essay is a 1765 pamphlet attributed to William Bollan, written as a letter to a member of Parliament in response to a contemporaneous pamphlet entitled Objections to the Taxation of the American Colonies. The work engages… more

Published anonymously, this pamphlet has sometimes been attributed to John Lind, the loyalist lawyer and pamphleteer. Lind’s loyalist preferences were certainly in keeping with this pamphlet’s argument that any response to the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

An Appendix to The Present State of the Nation (1769) is a pamphlet by William Knox that serves as a rebuttal to criticisms of his earlier work, The Present State of the Nation. The objections Knox responds to were written by Edmund… more

This essay presents an extensive critique of virtual representation, arguing that a representative had to at least live among those being taxed. To assert otherwise was to accept that they could impose laws “without ever being… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

The anonymous author of this Inquiry proposes to apply the science of legislation to the American question. He hopes to use what he calls “the fundamentals of legislation” in order to determine not the limits of what is permissible… more

A Narrative of an Extraordinary Escape Out of the Hands of the Indians, in the Gulph of St. Lawrence is an 18th-century first-person account by Gamaliel Smethurst, originally published in 1774 in London, recounting his experiences… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet’s full title describes it as an examination of Britain’s real state with respect to its civil and religious liberty, commerce, public credit, and finances, interspersed with critical remarks on a rival pamphlet titled … more

The Necessity of Repealing the American Stamp-Act Demonstrated is a 32-page pamphlet published in 1766, structured as a letter addressed to a member of the British House of Commons. The work argues that the Stamp Act, passed by… more

Although this is numbered number 1 there were only three parts to this series (1, 2, and 6) in which Spooner argues that the individual is not bound to obey the American constitution because it justified slavery and otherwise… more

Although this is numbered number 2 there were only three parts to this series (1, 2, and 6) in which Spooner argues that the individual is not bound to obey the American constitution because it justified slavery and otherwise… more

This essay is a short pamphlet written by Soame Jenyns, published anonymously, in which he defends Parliament’s right to tax the American colonies. The work engages directly with the constitutional and political debates of the period… more

This piece argues against taxing the colonies, not on grounds of mere expediency but a prudential recognition that tensions always exist between lived experience and higher ideals. Not a denial of higher law, Burke critiques those… more

Observations on the Power of Climate over the Policy, Strength, and Manners, of Nations is an eighteenth-century text exploring how climate shapes the political governance, military strength, and social customs of different peoples.… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Observations on the Proposed American Tax (1765) is an anonymously authored pamphlet that argues against a proposed tax on Britain’s American continental colonies, examining the potential consequences for British trade and… more

Observations on the Review of the Controversy between Great-Britain and Her Colonies is a political pamphlet written by Arthur Lee, an American colonist and diplomat who was an important voice in the pre-Revolutionary debate over… more

A defence of the American Revolution by one of its key supporters in Britain, along with a letter by Turgot and a short essay by Mathon de la Cour (also known as Fortuné Ricard).

This essay proposed to retain America within the imperial structure by granting them the representation they lacked in Parliament through a general American Senate established to govern the “common concerns of the united states, and… more

This pamphlet is an 18th-century text that critically examines the Board of Trade’s report opposing the laws of Grenada, a Caribbean island colony under British rule at the time. The work falls within the intersecting domains of law,… more

Occasional Thoughts of a Free Briton is an anonymous pamphlet from the British debate over the American colonies that examines the constitutional relationship between Great Britain and its colonies during the Stamp Act crisis.… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Oppression: A Poem. By an American. With Notes by a North Briton (1765) is an anonymous political poem written in response to the Stamp Act and other British policies that many colonists viewed as unjust infringements on their… more

Gentz was a conservative German who supported the American Revolution but strongly opposed the French. This work was originally published in a journal Gentz edited in May and June 1800 and was translated by John Quincy Adams. Liberty… more

The Pacificus–Helvidius Debates of 1793–1794 matched Hamilton and Madison in the first chapter of an enduring discussion about the proper roles of the executive and legislative branches in the conduct of American foreign policy. The… more

As with other respondents to Johnson’s Taxation No Tyranny, the author of this pamphlet takes on Johnson’s towering literary reputation head on, asserting in his second sentence, “The very title of your pamphlet is delusion.” The… more

Published in 1766, this 34-page pamphlet draws a political comparison between the final four years of Queen Anne’s reign and the first four years of George III’s, inviting readers to reflect on patterns of British governance across… more

The Patriot (1774) is a political pamphlet by Samuel Johnson, written to influence an upcoming election and addressed directly to British voters. It serves as a critique of what Johnson viewed as false patriotism — arguing that many… more

This 1774 pamphlet by William Bollan — agent for the Council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay — presents a formal petition to King George III on the eve of the American Revolution, accompanied by supporting commentary intended to… more

This work collects the formal petitions that William Bollan — colonial agent for the Massachusetts Council — that were presented to both houses of the British Parliament on behalf of the province, accompanied by a theoretical… more

A Plain and Seasonable Address to the Freeholders of Great-Britain on the Present Posture of Affairs in America is a political pamphlet published at a pivotal moment in British-American relations, the same year Parliament repealed… more

This text is among the most entertaining responses to Samuel Johnson and reveals a powerful link between a sense of natural justice on the one hand and pragmatic common sense on the other. Siding with the Americans in their right to… more

A double page broadside pamphlet in which Spooner appeals to the non-slave owning population of the South to support the abolition of slavery.

Published in 1774, this short political pamphlet was written on the eve of the American Revolution, during a period of intensifying tensions between Britain and its North American colonies. The work argues for a framework that would… more

Some scholars propose Hugh Williamson as a possible author for this pamphlet that argues that the British government has pushed the Americans “ into the very bowels of a civil war.” The author further suggests that peace requires a… more

The Political Balance: In Which the Principles and Conduct of the Two Parties Are Weighed is an anonymous 68-page pamphlet published in London in 1765 by T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt. The work presents a comparative examination of the… more

Political Debates is a pamphlet attributed to William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. The work falls under subjects spanning law, history, social sciences, and general interest periodicals from the United Kingdom, reflecting the wide-ranging… more

The Political Detection; or, the Treachery and Tyranny of Administration, Both at Home and Abroad is a work by Arthur Lee, published under the pseudonym “Junius Americanus,” in which he presents a series of political letters… more

Political Essays Concerning the Present State of the British Empire is an 18th-century work by Arthur Young, an influential English writer on agriculture and economics. The book offers a sweeping survey of Britain’s strengths and… more

One copy of this text contains a note naming a certain “Dr. Sutcliffe” as the author. This text rebuts the idea that legislation is inseparable from taxation, asserting that practices affirmed by general understanding can sustain all… more

This political pamphlet was published in 1769 and attributed to Joseph Priestley — the English theologian, scientist, and political thinker — writing under the pseudonym “An Englishman.” Written at a time of growing tension between… more

This essay presents a formidable array of financial figures to assert that imperial defense necessitates the involvement of all parts of the empire for support. Because Britain’s defeated rivals had failed to raise sufficient funds,… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Conceding the fact of virtual representation in England, this pamphlet takes the view that it actually undermines Parliament’s authority to tax the colonies because none of the representatives in Parliament could ever feel the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This essay makes the case for Parliament’s authority as a body comprising the “representatives and guardians of all British commoners, wheresoever dispersed.” While conceding that a “better mode of election” might be hoped for, until… more

This text argues along lines similar to Burke’s speech on Reconciliation, noting the differences among colonial regions. Americans prize personal liberty from different but reinforcing ways of life. Aristocratic Virginians are bred… more

This pamphlet, part of the broader 18th-century British debate over parliamentary reform and American colonial grievances, argues for two linked reforms: restructuring representation within Great Britain to make it more equitable,… more

Published anonymously, this pamphlet is attributed to the Scottish theologian John Erskine. The author summarized his pamphlet thus: “He wishes to convince his fellow Freeholders…that, if the success of the British arms, shall put it… more

This essay is among the most articulate defenses of Parliament’s supremacy over the colonies on matters of trade and taxation. It defended the Stamp Act on both policy and constitutional grounds, advocating a late mercantilist… more

Remarks on American Affairs is a short pamphlet written by John Day during the period of rising tensions between Britain and the American colonies. The work suggest it was part of the lively British pamphlet literature debating… more

Bancroft’s pamphlet is directed against Grenville, Minister of the Treasury. In it, Bancroft takes issue with the suggestion that the American colonists simultaneously claim the privileges of British subjects and reject the authority… more

In this essay, the author attacks the two leading writers of the imperial administration, John Wesley and Samuel Johnson. The former he charges with plagiarism of the latter, but then dives into the substantive arguments against… more

One of the many pamphlets in response to Johnson’s Taxation no Tyranny, Resistance no Rebellion praises the good sense and dignity of the Americans while noting the ways in which they have been insulted by the British. The author is… more

After her trip to American in 1834-36, Martineau wrote a perceptive analysis of social and economic conditions in the U.S.

This volume contains the principal shorter writings in which Adams addresses the prospect of revolution and the form of government proper to the new United States. There are pieces on the nature of the British Constitution and the… more

This is a comprehensive collection of Hamilton’s early writings, from the period before and during the Revolutionary War, and includes The Continentalist, lettters by Publius, and Remarks on the Quebec Bill.

This essay makes the case for the unitary nature of the authority of the King-in-Parliament as representative of all domains under British authority, disputing the American claim, with specific reference to Benjamin Franklin, that… more

This essay is an anonymous 1774 pamphlet addressed to the British Prime Minister, Lord North, that engages with one of the most heated political controversies of the era: whether Parliament had the legitimate authority to tax the… more

The Right, Interest, and Duty, of the State, as Concerned in the Affairs of the East Indies is a political pamphlet written by Thomas Pownall. Pownall, a British statesman and former colonial governor, argues that the British state… more

This essay countered the July 6, 1775, statement by the Congress in Philadelphia declaring “The Causes and Necessity of Their Taking up Arms.” Like other ministerial writings of that year, it based its case on the “universally… more

The Rights of Parliament Vindicated, on Occasion of the Late Stamp-Act was addressed to the people of Great Britain. It takes a pro-Parliament stance in the heated debate over the Stamp Act, arguing against the American colonists'… more

Otis wrote a couple of pamphlets in the early phase of the American Revolution which galvanized and radicalized the colonists’ opposition to the British Empire. In The Rights of the British Colonies Otis goes from an objection to a… more

The Rights of the British Colonies Considered is an 18th-century political pamphlet written as a direct reply to James Otis’s influential tract The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved. The work takes a critical stance… more

This essay is a political pamphlet from the eve of the American Revolution that examines the constitutional tension between the rights claimed by the British colonies and the legislative power asserted by the British Parliament.… more

This pamphlet argues on behalf of the English colonial settlements in America — defending their legal and natural rights as subjects of the British Crown while simultaneously making an economic and strategic case to Great Britain… more

Select Letters on the Trade and Government of America is a 1774 pamphlet by Francis Bernard, who served as royal governor of Massachusetts during the turbulent years leading up to the American Revolution. The work compiles letters… more

This essay denies any claim to unlimited supremacy. Such a view asserts an infallibility that belongs only to God, “not Parliaments.” The writer then extends the point to insist that colonies may go so far as to separate, when they… more

Preaching before the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in February of 1773, Jonathan Shipley, Bishop of St. Asaph, sought to ease tensions between Britain and her colonies by reminding both sides of their common Christianity,… more

Shall I Go to War with My American Brethren? is a 1769 pamphlet by John Erskine. Drawing on the biblical book of Judges, it addresses the pressing question of whether Britain should go to war against the American colonies, and was… more

This essay is an anonymous pamphlet from 1766. The pamphlet is one of many period works addressing the growing tensions between Britain and its American colonies in the years leading up to the Revolution.

A Short History of the Conduct of the Present Ministry, with Regard to the American Stamp Act (1766) is a brief political pamphlet examining the British government’s handling of the controversial Stamp Act. Sometimes attributed to… more

This essay is a 1769 pamphlet by Israel Mauduit, published anonymously, that examines the legal and constitutional foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Written on the eve of the American Revolution, it engages with questions… more

This essay is an anonymous 1766 pamphlet which reviews the political career of an unnamed prominent commoner and appends a rebuttal to a rival pamphlet — attributed to a “very popular nobleman” — entitled An Enquiry into the Conduct… more

Observations by a French economist of his trip to the United States. Like Tocqueville, Chevalier was sent by the French government in 1834 to inspect American institutions - Tocqueville was sent to inspect American prisons, Chevalier… more

Some Observations on a Pamphlet is a 1776 work by Hugh Baillie, written as a rejoinder to a pro-Parliament tract defending Britain’s authority over the American colonies. In it, Baillie pushes back against loyalist arguments —… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Some Occasional Thoughts and Considerations on Our American Affairs is an 1774 pamphlet by Joshua Gee belongs to a broader set of British pamphlets engaging with the political and colonial tensions surrounding the American Revolution… more

“Some Strictures on the Late Occurrences in North America” is a 1766 London pamphlet defending Parliament’s authority over the American colonies in the wake of colonial resistance to taxation. The anonymous author argues that… more

This 1765 pamphlet is a British political tract examining how Britain could better manage and profit from its North American colonial possessions. Published in the tense years following the Seven Years' War, it reflects the broader… more

This 1774 pamphlet, penned by an anonymous author, is a satirical rejoinder framed as a “speech never intended to be spoken,” responding to another speech that was itself never delivered on the parliamentary bill to alter the charter… more

In this speech, Burke argued that Americans were Englishmen who had carried with them the most ardent sentiments in favor of liberty, and, however contradictory, even those who held slaves, were among the most ardent of all. He made… more

The speech “On American Taxation” given by Edmund Burke in the House of Commons on April 19, 1774, argues for the repeal of the Townshend Acts which had created the taxes that spurred the Boston Tea Party. To do otherwise would cause… more

Here’s a summary based on the content of that speech:

In this 1774 address to the House of Lords, William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham, denounced the amended Quebec Bill as a tyrannical and despotic measure that would subject a vast new… more

This text shows a strong familiarity with religious and legal thought, referencing England’s constitutional development, including the relationship of Parliament to Ireland as well as the evils arising from the management of India by… more

This essay is an 18th-century pamphlet attributed to Thomas Pownall, published during the growing tensions between Britain and its American colonies.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Dr. Hans Eicholz’s edited version of the text can be found here.

This 1766 pamphlet, attributed to William Bollan, traces the legal and constitutional origins of Britain’s American colonies, arguing that their civil governments were established under Queen Elizabeth and subsequently upheld by… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This response to Johnson’s Taxation no Tyranny emphasizes the concord which had existed between Great Britain and the colonies in previous times. Now, though, “The Tories have forced us into a situation which threatens shipwreck.”… more

Written in 1775 in response to the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress, Samuel Johnson’s Taxation no Tyranny is a defense of Parliamentary Sovereignty, particularly the right to tax. One of the greatest English… more

This 1775 pamphlet was published as an anonymous response to Samuel Johnson’s Taxation No Tyranny. Johnson’s towering reputation as a man of letters appears to enrage rather than intimidate this anonymous author, who takes Johnson to… more

This essay presents one of the strongest responses to the claim of Parliamentary supremacy over the colonies. It is indicative of a robust revival of Old Whig ideas in England on the question of limited government, a revival that… more

This 1772 pamphlet was written by Francis Maseres and addresses matters the author believed needed resolution in the newly acquired British province of Quebec—whether through royal proclamation, an Order in Council, or an act of… more

This pamphlet was written under the pseudonym “Viator” by Sir William Draper, an English military officer and writer, addressing the escalating political tensions between Britain and its American colonies on the eve of the… more

This pamphlet, published under the pseudonym “Cato” — takes up the pressing question of Britain’s future in the wake of the Treaty of Paris. It asks whether the vast new territories Britain gained at the end of the Seven Years' War,… more

This pamphlet is a 42-page work responding to the recently passed Quebec Act.

This is an anonymously published 1769 pamphlet by Scottish writer Allan Ramsay, written in 1766 and prompted by the escalating disputes between Great Britain and her American colonies. It engages with foundational political theory—… more

This essay is an 18th-century pamphlet by William Knox, was addressed to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. The work argues for extending Christian religious instruction to free Indigenous peoples and… more

This essay is an anonymous 1766 pamphlet, published by a writer identified only as “a Gentleman at the Bar,” addressing the constitutional and legal basis for the American colonies' rights under British law. Written in the immediate… more

Morris served as Deputy Superintendent of Finance during the American Revolution and devised the system of decimal coinage. As a member of the Committee on Style and Arrangement, he put the Constitution in its present form and… more

This 1769 London pamphlet argues that colonial resistance to taxation stems from a mistaken fear of oppression rather than any real infringement of rights. The anonymous author proposes that the colonies be taxed through a land tax… more

A True History of a Late Short Administration is an anonymous political pamphlet attributed to Charles Lloyd. It appears to be a satirical or polemical commentary on a recent British government administration, likely tied to the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

Written in response to Samuel Johnson’s Taxation no Tyranny, this pamphlet dismisses Johnson’s arguments as unworthy of response, except for the fact that they are “irritating to Englishmen.” The author makes much of Johnson’s… more

The first of a two part series on Spooner’s theory that the institution of slavery was not supported by the ideas behind the constitution and was thus “unconstitutional.”

The second of a two part series on Spooner’s theory that the institution of slavery was not supported by the ideas behind the constitution and was thus “unconstitutional.”

These writings address such issues as states’ rights and nullification, slavery, the growth of the Federal judicial power, and Calhoun’s doctrine of the “concurrent majority.” This selection presents twelve notable speeches, letters,… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This text is notable for its reading of the Declaratory Act and the specific phrase, “in all cases whatsoever.” contending that such could only refer to constitutional means. It made the point that not every act of government… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

The debates between Daniel Webster and Robert Hayne gave utterance to the differing understandings of the nature of the American Union that had come to predominate in the North and the South by 1830. To Webster the Union was the… more

This pamphlet is a part of The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776: A Digital Collection, edited by Jack P. Greene.

A collection of sermons by the English Puritan minister John Robinson who was the pastor to the Pilgrim Fathers.

A 12 volume collection of the works of Alexander Hamilton.

Fisher Ames was a leading New England Federalist and sublime critic of Jacobin Democracy and the French Revolution. During the presidency of George Washington, he was the leader of his party in the House of Representatives. Ames was… more

A 10 volume collection of Adams’ most important writings, letters, and state papers, edited by his grandson.

This is the “Federal Edition” of Thomas Jefferson’s complete works, carefully collected and edited by Paul Leicester Ford between 1904 and 1905. Originally published in New York and London by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, this 12-volume set… more

Vols. 1 and 2 contain Gallatin’s letters to people such as Jefferson, J.Q. Adams, and Henry Clay and Vol. 3 contains longer works such as speeches and reports on elections, the finances of the US, public lands, currency and banking,… more

A 14 volume collection of Washington’s writings.

A 9 volume collection edited by Gaillard Hunt in 1900-10.