The agreements of the people, the Levellers, and the constitutional crisis of the English Revolution

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"The Agreements of the People were a series of constitutional schemes written, variously, by Levellers, soldiers of the New Model Army and other citizens for the settlement of 'common right and fre...

"The Agreements of the People were a series of constitutional schemes written, variously, by Levellers, soldiers of the New Model Army and other citizens for the settlement of 'common right and freedom' in the crisis years of the English Revolution. At the heart of these documents was the idea that a mass subscription campaign--a literal agreement of the entire population--would provide the means to rebuild the post-Civil War English state upon constitutional 'foundations of freedom' that could never be interfered with by future governments. These freedoms included legal equality before the law, freedom of religious conscience and freedom from impressment. This collection of essays, written by prominent scholars in the field, is the first book to explore the various Agreements in their constitutional, political and religious contexts, and examines how contemporaries and historians have interpreted these fascinating proposals for a system of government founded on a written constitution"--Provided by publisher.

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