Did any British politicians or intellectuals speak out in favor of peacefully letting the 13 colonies become independent nation during the American revolutionary war? Did they face any repercussions for their stance?

by Anathoth1994
Bodark43

There were two notable British politicians who were quite vocal in their support of the Colonists: John Wilkes and Isaac Barré. Both were members of parliament, though in the period just leading up to the Revolutionary War Wilkes had been refused his seat. Barré was Irish, had been an officer in the British Army and had actually served in the French and Indian War. Like Wilkes , he was a radical, but unlike Wilkes had real experience in the Colonies and with the Colonists. He warned the government that the Colonists would fight, and not back down, and was proved correct.

As proponents of liberty and democratic reforms, neither Barré or Wilkes faced what you would call repercussions. Barré became a strong supporter of William Pitt and ended up rewarded for it, being granted a couple of profitable sinecures- but that was after the more conciliatory Pitt succeeded Lord North, who as Prime Minister had pushed the dispute into becoming a Revolutionary War. Wilkes, an older man, would later become a Lord Mayor of London and, after 1780, became more conservative and less popular.

A few US towns carry their names, like Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania , and Barre, Vermont. And even though the accent mark is gone, Vermonters still pronounce it "Barry".

Sidney Miner: Isaac Barré