Colonial Massachusetts Laws and Liberties and the English Commonwealth: State Formation, the Rule of Law, and the People's Welfare (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789004706330)

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.

Author: Charles Edward Smith
ISBN-10: 900470633X
ISBN-13: 9789004706330
Publisher: Brill Nijhoff
Language: English
Published: 08/22/2024
Pages: 388
Format: Hardcover