An Analysis of British Parliamentary Opinion on American Affairs at the Close of the War of Independence

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~T9HEl relationship of the eighteenth| century house of commons to or.Lganized opinion is less obvious than the connection which, in theory at least, exists between the present-day house and the electorate. Neither elections nor party reverses bear their modern significance. The absence of party programs and even of political parties with an exclusive membership at once renders useless our twentieth-century touchstone for judging the relationship of the votes and acts of the later eighteenth-century house of commons to a wider organization. It is, nevertheless, worth while to investigate this relationship; but, though surveys from differeni viewpoints each yield a certain amouni of information, members of parliameni were bound by such varied and even conflicting interests and connections-nom of which usually so far predominated as party allegiance does at present-that political activities cannot usually be explained by any single factor. Three ways in which the political acts of members can be related to a wider organization ol opinion might be examined: (a) in relation to opinion in the constituencies, (b) in relation to nonpolitical and extraparliamentary group interests, and (c) in relation to the views adopted by political groups or parties. Such an analysis will be most useful if applied to a single period and to the attitude of the house on a particular subject-preferably one of interest to all the members. The votes ol the house of commons on issues arising out of the American War of Independence nrovide siich a tonic. THE ME:MBER OF PARLIAMENT AND