Charles Inglis Quotes
THIS Duty implies that we should affectionately interest ourselves in whatever concerns the Honour, the Fame and Security of our Sovereign and his Government.
Inglis, Charles. The Duty of Honouring the King, Explained and Recommended: In a Sermon, Preached in St. George's and St. Paul's Chapels, New York, on Sunday, January 30, 1780. Hugh Gaine, 1780, p. 15.
The motto was worn on their uniforms which unlike the blue of the rest of the American army was white as can be seen in the famous paining by muralist David R. Wagner. Rhode Island offered freedom to all slaves who would enlist. It not only included Negroes but Indian slaves as well. See {613949} and {614120} for details. The motto itself is interesting in that there was little concept of a country then as most Americans identified themselves as Virginians, New Yorkers or Rhode Islanders. There was no Constitution—only a confederation of States. But the former slaves joining the regiment had never voluntarily associated themselves with Rhode Island, and the first free decision they made was to join the regiment and have a new country.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the pledge became a matter of controversy. The Queen was the Queen of England, and many Australians were secular and objected to the reference to God. Only the flag remained uncontroversial.
When Jefferson Davis accepted the presidency of the Confederacy, Johnson observed:
Charles Inglis was an Irish clergyman who was consecrated the first Anglican bishop in North America, although technically of the Diocese of Nova Scotia.
