Colonial Massachusetts Laws and Liberties and the English Commonwealth

Download or read book Colonial Massachusetts Laws and Liberties and the English Commonwealth written by Charles Edward Smith and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-09-26 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On July 4, 1653, the Nominate or Barebones Parliament convened with a minority of committed radicals (Levellers and religious extremists) and a conservative majority of Cromwell’s allies. During acrimonious debates on law reform, the radicals demanded a condensed law book similar to the one adopted in Colonial Massachusetts. These mostly overlooked events reveal a radical wing of Puritanism determined to found a self-governing state, fully cognizant of the real possibility that England would interdict such attempts by force of arms. This work investigates the motives for such a hazardous undertaking, and the possible influences these events had on the colony’s posterity.