Another 17th Century Term and its meaning Agreement of the People – This was a ground breaking document that was drawn up by the group known as the Levellers ( although this tag was used as a form of abuse by their opponents ). It was a fresh and new proposal that would have given England a new constitution and was first proposed in the autumn of 1647 at Putney near London. Courageous and determined men like John Lilburne and Thomas Rainsborough literally put their necks on the block to speak up for the common people. Their main proposal was a substantial extension of the franchise ( the VOTE ) which was a huge leap forward from what they currently had in the 17th century but it did however fall well short of full manhood suffrage ( in the 17th century, women were considered below men so therefore weren’t allowed to vote and groups like the Levellers did not campaign for women’s rights ). One of the most famous sentences ever spoken in support of Civil Rights was during the debates about the Agreement of the People and was by Col Thomas Rainsborough in support for FULL SUFFRAGE he stated that - “For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he” Whilst we might not think of these set of words as radical nowadays, within the context of the 17th century, this sentence rocked the nation and sadly was shouted down by another radical, Henry Ireton who being Cromwell’s son-in-law and the key instigator of the Republic held more sway with the Grandees and Army Council.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 11:06:23 +0000
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