The Declaration of Right Analysis in Reflections on the Revolution in France

The Declaration of Right was initially presented to William of Orange and his wife, Mary (James II’s daughter), in 1689 following the Glorious Revolution. In it, Parliament declared that James II had abdicated, and that William and Mary, as the new sovereigns, were bound to uphold particular “rights and liberties” for English citizens. It also provided specifically for a future Protestant succession to the throne.

The Declaration of Right Quotes in Reflections on the Revolution in France

The Reflections on the Revolution in France quotes below are all either spoken by The Declaration of Right or refer to The Declaration of Right. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

You will observe, that from Magna Charta to the Declaration of Right, it has been the uniform policy of our constitution to claim and assert our liberties, as an entailed inheritance derived to us from our forefathers, and to be transmitted to our posterity; as an estate specially belonging to the people of this kingdom without any reference whatever to any other more general or prior right. […] We have an inheritable crown; an inheritable peerage; and an house of commons and a people inheriting privileges, franchises, and liberties, from a long line of ancestors.

[…] A spirit of innovation is generally the result of a selfish temper and confined views. People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors. Besides, the people of England well know, that the idea of inheritance furnishes a sure principle of conservation, and a sure principle of transmission; without at all excluding a principle of improvement.

Related Characters: Edmund Burke (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 34

Explanation and Analysis:

The Declaration of Right Term Timeline in Reflections on the Revolution in France

The timeline below shows where the term The Declaration of Right appears in Reflections on the Revolution in France. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Burke says that the principles of the Glorious Revolution must be sought in the Declaration of Right —a “most wise, sober, and considerate declaration, drawn up by great lawyers and great statesmen,... (full context)

Nature, Tradition, and Wisdom Theme Icon

The Declaration of Right “is the corner-stone of our constitution,” and “its fundamental principles [are] for ever settled.” The... (full context)

A few years after the Declaration of Right , when neither King William nor the Princess, later Queen Anne, had produced any heirs,... (full context)

...that subjects “safely have recourse for their protection.” Both the Act of Settlement and the Declaration of Right contain “the unerring, unambiguous oracles” of the Glorious Revolution. By contrast, today’s so-called revolutionaries, like... (full context)

Burke goes on to argue that the Declaration of Right , too, says nothing of a so-called right for the people “to frame a government... (full context)

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The Declaration of Right Term Analysis

The Declaration of Right Quotes in Reflections on the Revolution in France

The Declaration of Right Term Timeline in Reflections on the Revolution in France

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