In Winston Churchill’s famous 1943 speech at Harvard University on the common ties of the English-speaking peoples, he defined the bond in terms of three main things: law, language, and literature. Indeed, when he elaborated on what he meant, he spoke mainly of concepts derived from and guaranteed by English law:
Law, language, literature—these are considerable factors. Common conceptions of what is right and decent, a marked regard for fair play, especially to the weak and poor, a stern sentiment of impartial justice, and above all a love of personal freedom . . . these are the common conceptions on both sides of the ocean among the English-speaking peoples.
Moreover, these legally derived cultural values were not only appreciated by those people of direct British descent: They were transportable to other countries.
As a man with direct personal experience of imperial rule in the first half of the twentieth century, Churchill knew such values could even have a major influence on countries with radically different cultural traditions. In the days of the British Empire, the best means of establishing a successful and lasting imperial regime was to give it English law. Colonies, dependencies, and protectorates, whether established by settlers, by military conquest, or by international treaty, quickly felt the benefits. British imperial rule in many parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas was not representative or democratic, but it was nonetheless orderly, largely benign, and usually fair. Thanks to English law, most British colonial officials delivered
