M
Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1800–1859)
Historian and politician
Macaulay is most widely known as a historian, in par-
ticular for his History of England.He was, however, an
important political essayist and politician who vigor-
ously defended Whig and LIBERALviews in his writings
and speeches.
Macaulay’s approach was one of moderation
between the extremes of RADICALism and despotism. In
his historical writings, he admired those figures who
exemplified the “middle ground,” in particular the
English king William III. This pursuit of moderation
was known as trimming, and is most clearly articu-
lated by George Saville. He opposed the elaborate doc-
trines of the Roman CATHOLICChurch and the policies
of the RIGHTISTTory party, as well as the LEFT-WINGrad-
icals. He opposed the practice of slavery, spoke in favor
of the reform bill in the English parliament in 1832,
and wrote the first criminal code for the colony of
India.
In numerous essays, many of which were published
in the Edinburgh Review,Macaulay argues for religious
TOLERATION, FREEDOMof expression, and a common-
sense understanding of the politics and government.
In an essay on MACHIAVELLI, for example, he attempts
to restore the reputation of Machiavelli, and at the
same time, he offers remarks and arguments on the
topic of morality, politics, and history. He wrote a
number of essays critical of UTILITARIANISM and its
account of the ends of government, and in an essay on
the poet MILTON, Macauley defends the idea of public
LIBERTYas basic to a system of JUSTICE.
One of the central features of Macaulay’s discussion
of issues in political theory is his insistence on the per-
spective of history as a way of correcting the preju-
dices of the present. One of his main criticisms of the
utilitarian James MILL, for instance, is the latter’s
attempt to theorize politics a priori. Macaulay’s politi-
cal views and philosophy are very evident in his his-
torical writings, where his dramatic and rhetorical
style of writing clearly distinguishes political and his-
torical villains and heroes.
Macaulay was born in Leicestershire, England. His
father was a leading antislavery spokesman. A preco-
cious child who read from the age of three and “spoke
in printed words,” he studied at Cambridge, was
elected to the House of Commons on several occa-
sions, where he had a reputation as an orator, and
spent three and a half years in India as a representative
of the colonial government. He was devoted to his193