Speech on the East India Bill : Key info

Key info

Full Title: Mr. Burke’s Speech, on the 1st December 1783, upon the Question for the Speaker’s Leaving the Chair, in Order for the House to Resolve Itself into a Committee on Mr. Fox’s East India Bill

Author: Edmund Burke

Delivery Date: 1 December 1783

Point of View: First-person political and moral argument, spoken from the perspective of Edmund Burke as a Member of Parliament, representing the Whig Party.

Key Notes

House of Commons: The House of Commons is part of the UK Parliament. It started in the 13th century. It has elected members called MPs. These MPs make laws and control taxes. It is more powerful than the House of Lords. In 1783, Edmund Burke gave a famous speech here. The Commons can check the king’s power. It can also remove corrupt officers. It is the central place for British debates and decisions.

House of Lords: The House of Lords is also a part of the UK Parliament. It is the upper house. It checks and discusses laws passed by the Commons. It started in the 14th century. Its members are not elected by the people. Many are nobles, bishops, and experts. They are chosen by the king or government. In 1783, the Lords rejected the East India Bill. This made Burke very sad. The Lords have less power than the Commons. But they can delay bills.

Whig Party: The Whig Party was a British political group. It began in the late 1600s. It fought for freedom and against the king’s control. It sought to give Parliament more power. Edmund Burke was a strong Whig leader. The Whigs supported trade, rights, and reforms. They stood for justice in America and India. In 1783, they brought the East India Bill. Charles James Fox led the party at the time. The Whig Party shaped modern liberal ideas.

Mr. Fox: Mr. Charles James Fox was a British leader. He lived from 1749 to 1806. He was a strong member of the Whig Party. In 1783, he introduced the East India Bill. It wanted to remove the Company’s power. It is planned to give rules to good men. Fox worked with Edmund Burke. His bill failed in the Lords. 

East India Bill: The East India Company Act was passed in 1783. Mr. Fox brought it to Parliament. He wanted to stop the Company’s rule. The bill said seven men would rule India. They would be chosen by Parliament. They would rule for four years. These men had to be honest. Burke supported the bill entirely. He called it India’s Magna Carta. The bill passed the Commons but failed in the Lords. 

The East India Company: The East India Company began in 1600. Queen Elizabeth gave it a charter. Its first job was to trade in India. It sold spices, silk, tea, and cotton. Slowly, it gained more power. Then it started to rule lands in India. It made deals with Indian kings. Later, it broke those deals. It looted money and hurt people. Many Indians died from famine. It took taxes and gave nothing back. Burke showed its wrong deeds in his speech.

Magna Carta: The Magna Carta was made in 1215 in England. It was signed by King John at Runnymede. The king was forced by the barons to sign it. It said the king must follow the law. It gave some rights to free men. It also protected property and a fair trial. It was the first step to limit royal power. Later, it helped build British democracy. Edmund Burke called the East India Bill a “new Magna Carta.” He meant the bill would grant rights to Indians similar to those in this old charter.

Warren Hastings: Warren Hastings was a British officer. He was born in 1732. He became the first Governor-General of India in 1773. He worked for the East India Company. He ruled Bengal and other areas. Hastings took money from Indian rulers. He broke treaties and punished without trial. Many people said he was corrupt. Edmund Burke strongly criticized him. In 1787, Hastings was impeached in Parliament. Burke led the case against him. The trial lasted many years. In 1795, Hastings was found not guilty. Still, Burke showed his crimes clearly. Hastings died in 1818.