Historical and Political Reflections on the Rise and Progress of the American Rebellion

8vo of VIII, 135 pp., [1] p. ads ; 20th century pebbled leatherette.

200 x 120 mm.

Galloway, Joseph. Historical and Political Reflections on the Rise and Progress of the American Rebellion. In which The Causes of that Rebellion are pointed out and the Policy and Necessity of offering to the Americans a System of Government founded in the Principles of the British Constitution are clearly demonstrated. London, G. Wilkie, 1780.

Sabin, No. 26431. “His zeal for a solid reunion of the two countries is as laudable as it is warm, and seems to be really founded in his sincere wishes for the permanent welfare and happiness of all parties.”

Joseph Galloway (1731-1803), a former speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly and close friend of Benjamin Franklin, opposed the Revolution and fled to England in 1778.

He proposed "A plan of a proposed Union between Great Britain and the Colonies" to the Continental Congress in 1774 ; it narrowly failed to pass. In 1778, he fled to England, where he remained. This pamphlet suggests, as stated on the sub-title, "the policy & necessity of offering to the Americans a system of government founded in the principles of the British Constitution," proposing in effect something like the Commonwealth system.
Adams 80-32 ; ESTC T2256 ; Howes G39 ; Reese Revolutionary 100, 60.

First edition, an appeal for the reunion of Britain and the American colonies, encouraging a redoubling of the war effort to bring the struggle to its conclusion, while recognizing their claims and promoting reform.
The book was inspired by John Wesley's Reflections on the Rise and Progress of the American Rebellion the same year. Galloway was a substantial landowner in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He served in Pennsylvania's provincial assembly from 1756.

"Galloway had long been convinced of the need to establish a system of colonial government that provided American subjects with sufficient representation while preserving British sovereignty. It was a message he took to the first continental congress in 1774, which rejected his proposal for an American assembly separate from but
subordinate to the British parliament.
In May 1775 Galloway resigned from the provincial assembly and in December 1776 he joined the British army, then under General William Howe's command. In the winter of 1777-8 he served as superintendent-general for the maintenance of peace in Philadelphia, before being evacuated to New York with his family and other city loyalists in June 1778.

On September 28, 1774, Pennsylvania delegate Joseph Galloway submitted a resolution to the First Continental Congress called “A Plan of a Proposed Union Between Great Britain and the Colonies.”
The goal of the plan — which is known as “Galloway’s Plan of Union” — was to : Establish a political union between the American Colonies and Great Britain, based on the principles of “safety and freedom.”

It looked to establish a new political and economic structure between Great Britain and the American Colonies.

Very rare.

One of the unaltered copies of a work which is usually found with passages on pp. 38--39 & 107 crossed out with pen-&-ink.