Speech on the East India Bill

Essay | Edmund Burke

How is the East India Company charter different from other charters?

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How is the East India Company charter different from other charters The East India Company got its charter from Queen Elizabeth I in It was made to trade with Asia and stop the Dutch in the spice trade Later the Company became very powerful in India But its charter was very different from other important charters in British history Edmund Burke - explained this difference in his famous speech Charter for Monopoly The East India Company used its charter to gain power and control After winning the Battle of Plassey in it started to rule India The Mughal emperor gave them trade rights Later they collected taxes and ruled many areas But the Company s rule was harsh Burke said this charter gave too much power He said The East India charter is a charter to establish monopoly and to create power Charters That Protect Rights Burke loved the old

English charters like Magna Carta These charters were made to protect freedom and stop power He said Magna Charta is a charter to restrain power and to destroy monopoly But the East India Company s charter did the opposite It hurt people s rights instead of saving them Burke called the old English charters the real chartered rights of men A New Charter for India In Burke supported Fox s India Bill to stop Company abuse He wanted a new law to protect Indians He said the bill would be like India s own Magna Carta In his words Whatever the Great Charter the Statute of Tallage the Petition of Right and the Declaration of Right are to Great Britain these bills are to the people of India In short The East India Company s charter gave power not protection It was not like Magna Carta or other English laws Burke wanted a new system to stop cruelty in India He believed in rights not just power His speech clearly showed why this charter was wrong for both Britain and India

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