A NATj
[No. 122
AN ORATIO N,
Pronr>unred July 4t'i, 1793, at the reqneft of
tae Inhabitants of the Town of Roston,
ill coouncinoratiiM) of re A n-n verfjgry
of American Independence.
By JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
O NOMEN DULCE IIBERTATIs! Cic.
YEJhaiu oj ancient,hcroc 1' Yt vko toil'd,
7~hrpttgh longr fiiciejfivt aget to buildup
ji labouring plan qJ JUu ; behold at rtnrtf
The wonder done ! Thomson
At a .meeting of the Freeholders and other
Inhabitants of the Town of Js>fton, duly
qua ified and legally warned, in ptibli©
Town-Meeting, aflembled St
on Thttrfday the 4th of futv, A. D. 1 /05 :
•VOTE I), ' "
THAT the S?leftmen be and hereby *ne
appointed a Committee to wsit.an w JoHN
Syixcx Adams, E r q. aijd in the ilxnf* of tins
Town to tharfk him for the eff
gant <)*ATron, tliii Tiav deliWieil tiy Mm, at
tnc ut tie I s up->ti Annivcjaty
*f the biic[tndcn'.t vf At O*xit4 Swei tf Amtrka,
}n which, according "to the Inftitiititrn of the
Town, he considered the Jeelmgs, niaruiecs;-
*ndprinciples which led to that great National
Event—and to request of him a Copy thereof
for the Press.
Atufi,
WILLIAM COOPER, Tewn-CUrk
GENTLEMEN,
IN compliance with the polite Requefl cf
my Fellow Citizen-, the Oration ytfleiday
•delivered, again folieits the Indulgence of the
public. I am, Gentlemen,
With sincere Refpeft,
Your very humble Servant,
JOHN Q. ADAMS.
$oJlm, J%ly $th, 1793.
AN ORATION.
IT has been a custom, fan&ioned by the uni
versal pa ft ice of civilized Nations, to ce
lebrate with anniversary solemnities, the re-
by events the mod important to the happiness
e cheerful gratitude.of her favored people
to innocent gaiety and i.fcful re
laxation from the toils of virtuous industry,
the periodical revolution of those days which
fcave been rendered iiiuftrious by the triumphs
of freedom.
AMERICANS ! Such is the nature of the in
stitution which again caJIV yoijr attention to
celebrate the establishment of your national
Independence. And fin ely fihee the creation
of the heavenly or§ which fepa rated the (lay
from the night, amid the unnumbered events
which have diverfified the hiltory of the hu
man race, none has ever occurred mure high
ly defer ving of celebration by every species of
ceremonial, t'lat can teftify a lerife of grati
tude to the Pmty, and of happiness, derived
from his rranfeendent favours.
It is a wife and f'aiutary institution, which
forcibly recalls to the memory of freeflwn,
the principles uppn wheh they originally
founded their labouring plan of state. It is a
facrifice at the a tar of Liberty berfe'f*
renewal of homage to the Sovereign, who
alone is worthy of our veneration a pro
fcfUon of political fidelity, expreflive of our
adherence to those maxims of liberal submis
sion and obedient freedom, which in these fa
voirecl clime*, have harmonized the long
eontending claims of liberty and law. By a
frequent recurrence to those fentisrieMts and
$&ions upon which the glory and felicity of
the nation reft Purported, \ve are enabled to
renew the moments of biifs which we are not
permitted to retain ; we secure a permanen
cy to the exaltation which the Constitution cf
has rendered fleeting, and a perennial
fxiftente to enjoyment? which the lot of hu
manity has made tranlitory,
The 44 feelings, marr.Cis avd principles"
which led to the Ind pendente of our Coun
try ; such, m> friends and fellow citizens, is
the theme of » nr present commemoration
The fir Id i« extensive ; it it fruitful t but the
eppiom treasures of its fragrance have alrea
dy gathered by the hands of genius; and
now reinav:s for the gleaning of mental
Indigence, nought but the tbinly Scattered
sweets wh eh have e leaped the vigilance of
thfi induftrv.
T'icv weie the fame feeiing", manners »rd
principle*, which ciiiuluficd «nr venerable
£or<£sj troui tUc flimtj of up
'BMSHKD WEDNESDAYS ANI) SATORDA
01. IV.]
p"C.TSo;? ; • .J |bem with the ftib •
lims purpose of c-.; >verting the forefts #»fj? a
wildernef injured freedom, the
manners of social equal ty, and the principles
of fteriMl justice.
Had the Sovereigns of England purfiiec? the
policy prefenbed by their interest, had tr-ey
not p ovoked fire hostilities of their Colonics
against the foebie fort re fs of their authority,
they might perhaps, have- retained to tivs Ha>
an Snip}ie which would have been but th<
more rlurab'e, for reiting only upon the.ioun
d ition of immemorial custom, and nation#
affection.
Incumbered however with the
glorv of a fuceef.ful war, which ha:i enriched
the pride of Britain, with the fpoiis oi 1e v owp
opulence, and replenished the arrogance in
proportion 39 it had eKhaufted rf e resources
of the nation; an adventurous miuiftry, catch
ing at every desperate expedient to fnpport
the ponderous burden of flic national dignify,
a*',d n.ijnu'a*6d by the perfidious mitigations
of thi\r dependent" ; ; ' s.
the profitable commercial policy of their pre
d?ceflors, and fu/)erate tlian mortal freedom.
Other millions have arisen to receive from
t'leir pa-etits and the :neftrma
bie ■r<- , compen'e of their archil vements. A
ne-volence is at this moment Kfteinng to the
speaker of the day, like him were at that 1 pe
riod too little advanced beyond the threshold
of life to partake of the divine enthusiasm
which inspired the American bosom ; which
prompted her voi-ce to proclaim defiance !
to the thunders of Britain ; which confccra
ted the banners of the armies ; and finally
ereftfd the holy temple «»f American Liberty.,
over the tomb of departed tyrapuy. Jt is
f 'om thoG? who have already pasTed the meri
dian of life ; it is from yon, ve vene able af
ferters of the rights of mankind, that we
are to be informed, what were the feelings
which swayed within your breads and impel
led you to action, when, like the {tripling of
IfneaJ, with scarce a weapon to attack, and
without a shield for your defence, you met,
and undismayed, engaged with the gigantic
greatness of the Britifli power. Untutored
in the difgraceful science of human butchery ,;
deftituteof the fatal materials which tfoe in
genuity of man has combined, to sharpen the
fcyth? of death ; unfnpported bv the arm of
-TV,*--'. J } ► ~ L V
nf ten on reletting ebe~
mfj you did not hesitate at that moment,
when your coasts vc/c infefi.ed by,a formida
ble fleet, when your territories were invaded
by a numerous ?nd veteran army, to pro
nounce the sentence of eternal feparatinn
from Britain, and to throw the gauntlet at a
power the terror of who'e recent triumphs
was almofi: co extenGve with the earth—The
Interested and felfifli propensities which in
times of prosperous tranquility have such
powerful.dominion over the heart, were all
expelled, and in their {lead, the public vir»
tnes, the spirit of perfwnal devotion to the
common cause. a contempt of every danger
in comparison with the subserviency of the
country, had aflumed an unlimited controul.
The paliion for the public, had -absorbed all
the reft ; as the .glorious Iwminary of heaven
extingu'fbes in a flood of refulgence the twink
ling fpJendo'r of every inferior planet. Thole
of you my countrymen who weie altars ill
those interesting scenes, will bed know, how
feeble, and impotent is the language of this
description to exorefs the impaflioned emo
tions of the foul, with which you wert then
agitated: yet it were injuilice to conclude
from thence, or from the greater prevalence
of private and motives in these days
of calm serenity, that your sons have dege
nerated from the virtues of their fathers.
Let It rather be a fubje6t of pleasing reflexion
to you, that the generous a»d, disinterested
energies, which you were summoned to dis
play, are permitted by the bountiful indul
gence of Heaven to remain latent in the bo
soms of your children. Fro;fl the prefect
prosperous appearance of our public affairs,
Wf may admit a rational hope that our coun
try will have no oecafion to require of us
those exraordinary and heroic exertions which
it was your fortune to exhibit. Eut from
the common versatility of all human destiny,
fliould the profpeft hereafter dofken, and the
clouds of public misfortune thicken to 2 lem
peft ; ibould the voice of our country's ca
lamityever call us to her relief, w swear
by Ihe precious memory of the (ages who
toiled, and of the heroes who bled in her de
fence, that we will prove onrfelves not un
jrbkt&y of the prize, which they so
crifjeed to no purpose, at length taught tie
dreadful lesson of v ifdom to tie 13ritifh Go
vernment, and compelled them to relinquish
a which they had long since l>een unab e
to maintain. The pride of Britain, tvlu*_h
fhc.nld have been humbled, was only mortified.
Willi fallen impotence, she yielded to tie
pressure «,f accumulated calamity, &».d closed
with reluctance an inglorious war. in whici)
?, No. 34, NOPTH FIFTH-STREET, PHILADELPHIA.
>
;} 4S,
I l tTie political body, which 'iic
ceeded the violent potion* it barf made du
ring the- war : the total metfic.uv of fke're
commcndatorvfedera! system, which had Ue.i
formed -a the hofbm of coiit? ntitfn } the
peaceable and deliberate adoption of a mors
effectual national Cefrfl-.tiitign by the people of
the union, and the proFperfHj', administration
of that government, which has lepaired the
(hattered fabric of public confidence, which
has ftren;;thened the salutary bands of nation
al union, and restored the bloom and vigour
of lHijMrtial jultice,to the public countenance,
afford a fohj-ft of pleasing contemplation to
tie patriotic mind. "The repeated unanimi
tv of/he nation l,ae wprjc!, and its operation upon
fh" h 'Vrr r»<;-r ffll "Vi l |4 It has already teen
volution beai's a different from that
of any civtl C-
greflj had a tendency to introduce a:iux: £ the
civilized nations of Europe, the difcu£an of
a topic the firft in magnitude, which c<:ti at
tract the attention of mankind, but which for
many ctnturie-, the gloorhy (hade-; of defpot
i'm had overspread with impenetrable d.vik*
ness. The French nation cheerfully Uipport
ed an alliance with the Uni ed Stares aid a
war with during the courle of yi.icb
a large body of troops ai d confidtrablc fleets
xveiefer.t hy the French government, to a£t in
conjunction with their new allies. The un on
which had at firft been formed by the coa:ef
cence of a common enmity, was soon si en tb
ened by the bond* of a friendly intercourse,
and the inhjefts of an arbitrary prince, in
fighting the battles of freedom, soon learnt
to cherilh the catife of Liberty itfelf. By a
natural and eafv application to tbetiifelves of
the principles upon which the Americans »f
---ferted thejuftice of their warfare, they were
led to inqui-e intothe nature of the obligation
which prescribed their fiibnvflTon to their own
sovereign ; and when they discovered that
the consent of the people is the only legiti
mate sou ce of ?utho iry, they neceifaril/
drew tlie conclusion that their own obedience
was no more than the compujfive acqu'ef
cenre of fervitnde, and they waited only for
a favorable opportunity to recover the pbf
Jeflion of rhofe enjoyments, to which they had
neve? forfeited t;ie right. Sentiments of a
si lilar nature, by a gradual and impercep*
tible progre.s, fecretiv undermined all .the
foundatio- ft of their government ; and when
the neceffit-ies of the sovereign reduced li m
to the inevitable expedient of appealing to
the bene vol. nee of the peop'e, the magic taliP
man of despotism was broken, Hhe fpeli of
prefcrjptive tyranny was diflolved, and the
pompous pageant of their monarchy;, instan
taneously c turn bled to aronis.
The fub'equent European events winch
have let flip the dogS of war, to prey upon the
vitals cf humanity ; which have poured the
torment of over thefaireft harveflj
of European fertility.; which have unbound
the pinions of desolation* ai d Pent her forth to
feat tec peftiiente and death among the na
tions : the I caffold, smoking with the Wood of
a fallen monarch; the corpse-covered freid,
sphere agonizing nature flruggles with the
pangs fct' dilloTtftion; pe nric me my lappy
countrymen, to throw a pall over ohje&sl ke
fhete, which could only spread a gloom upon
the face of our Let us rather in r
V
y-. 'v -f