Thomas Banington Macaulay`s Speech of March 2, 1831

Thomas Banington Macaulay`s Speech of March 2 , 1831 Thomas Banington Macaulay`s Speech of March 2 , 1831 As one of Britain 's greatest orators , historians and famous Whig politicians , Lord Thomas Banington Macaulay 's speech to Parliament on March 2 , 1831 stands as one of the most important political documents of the early 19th century "It was the time of the Tory dominance and the Whigs ' identification with the middle classes[ .] Macaulay voiced the opinion of his generation and [ .] it was because of his pen the Whigs got recognition "Lord Macaulay

, 2 ) As the minority party , the Whigs had become identified with progressivism and eventually liberalism During the parliamentary session of March 1831 , the House considered a Reform Bill which would enfranchise the British middle-class "Until the Reform Bill , the House of Commons had been elected in almost completely non-democratic ways . The 1832 Bill[ .]did enfranchise the British middle class . The process of extending the franchise continued for almost a hundred years , until women were given equal access to the vote (Halsall , 1

Macaulay , in speaking on behalf for passage of the measure , established himself as a powerful personality in British politics and also as one of the most respected orators of his time . Key to Macaulay 's convictions were a faith in individual empowerment , and a deep seated belief that democracy for all nations comprised the ultimate goal of political history "Macaulay was a key proponent of [ .] the progressive party eventually to become the Liberal Party , of England . In the 19th century "liberal " meant almost the opposite of what it does today : faith in the market , limits on government , and expansion of individual , not group rights "A Historian Who Articulated " B07

For the Whig party , the political reforms which were included within the Reform Bill represented an interpretation of historical events and philosophical insights into the nature of civil society , all considerations propelled by an intense belief in individual liberty and empowerment . The Whig view (and Macaulay 's view ) of history held that "English history was a postlude to the Magna Carta , when restriction on solo authority was first legalized . Once absolute power was checked , he said , it was only a matter of time - albeit a few centuries - until the creation of constitutional monarchy and popular franchise , albeit limited "A Historian Who Articulated " B07

It is precisely this profound consideration and knowledge of history that separates the mode of both the Whig-philosophy of the era and also for Macaulay 's extraordinary ability to not only comprehend , but eloquently express , the social and political ideas and realities of his time , but to do so with a sense of historical inevitability . And it is perhaps , this sense of historical inevitability which allowed Macaulay to write and orate with such authority and conviction . For a man who is famous for "coining " popular and enduring phrases , the most famous phrase connected with Macaulay is "not by but about him . A prime minister in the early 1800s , Lord Grenville , said...