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patriots
patriots. The name was appropriated by the opponents to Walpole since it implied that the interests of the nation were neglected by a supine and corrupt government. William Pitt, in particular, beat the patriotic drum when he inveighed against Britain's subservience to Hanover, a ‘despicable electorate’. Ministers, in reply, were scornful of patriotic rhetoric: ‘it is but refusing to gratify an unreasonable or insolent demand,’ declared Walpole, ‘and up starts a patriot.’ The phrase was so overworked that it became pejorative, indicating factious and self-seeking opposition—hence Johnson's famous (and much misunderstood) remark in 1775, ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.’
J. A. Cannon |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "patriots." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "patriots." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-patriots.html JOHN CANNON. "patriots." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-patriots.html |
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patriots
patriots The name was appropriated by the opponents to Walpole since it implied that the interests of the nation were neglected by a supine and corrupt government. William Pitt, in particular, beat the patriotic drum when he inveighed against Britain's subservience to Hanover, a ‘despicable electorate’. Ministers, in reply, were scornful of patriotic rhetoric: ‘it is but refusing to gratify an unreasonable or insolent demand,’ declared Walpole, ‘and up starts a patriot.’
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "patriots." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "patriots." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-patriots.html JOHN CANNON. "patriots." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-patriots.html |
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