The Lamp of Experience

Title Page, Copyright

LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 1 5/27/11 1:09 PM The Lamp ofExperience LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 2 5/27/11 1:09 PM LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 4 5/27/11 1:09 PM LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 5 5/27/11 1:09 PM THE LAMP OF EXPERIENCE Whig History and the Intellectual Origins of the American Revolution Trevor Colbourn LIBERTY FUND Indianapolis This book is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a foundation established to encourage study ofthe ideal of a society offree and responsible individuals. The cuneiform inscription that serves as our logo and as the design motiffor our endpapers is the earliest-known written appearance of the word "freedom" (amagi), or "liberty." It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state ofLagash.© 1965, 1998 by Liberty Fund, Inc. All rights reserved First published in 1965 by the University of North Carolina Press Printed in the United States ofAmerica Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Colbourn, H. Trevor. The lamp ofexperience : Whig history and the intellectual origins ofthe American Revolution / Trevor Colbourn. p. em. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-86597-158-7 (cloth).-ISBN 0-86597-159-5 (pbk.) I. United States-History-Revolution, 1775-1783 -Causes. 2. StatesmenUnited States-Books and reading-History- 18th century. 3. Great BritainHistory -Study and teaching-United States- History-18th century. 4. Great Britain-Politics and government-Historiography. 5. United StatesIntellectual life-18th century. I. Title. E2IO.C58 1998 973·3'II -DC21 97-3351 LIBERTY FUND, INC. 8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684 03 04 05 06 07 c 6 5 4 3 2 98 03 04 05 06 P 5 4 3 2 I LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 7 5/27/11 1:09 PM For Douglass LAMP_i-xxvi.indd 8 5/27/11 1:09 PM ...