Why Is The Name Richard Overton Associated With The Levellers
by Gloria Mason
Anyone who has studied the history of the English Civil War of the mid-17th century will have heard of the Levellers. These radicals, whose ideas about the world were shaped by their version of democratic Christianity, are famous in England. Richard Overton was just one of the many people who were associated with this movement.
Overton himself was famous for writing pamphlets and tracts about the issues of the day. This was a controversial and stormy period in British history, with the so-called English Civil War of the 1640s spreading to Scotland and Ireland, and King Charles I being executed by Parliament in 1649. The Levellers were at their most influential in the period between the outbreak of the Second Civil War in 1648, and the execution of the King.
By 1650, the influence of the Levellers had diminished to almost nothing, but they are far from forgotten today in England, and further afield, especially among political groups on the left of the spectrum. In many ways, the Levellers were one of the world's first political parties, wearing a sea-green ribbon to show their loyalties, and campaigning with petitions and pamphlets. Overton played a prominent role in producing many of these.
The term 'Leveller' probably dates back to the early 17th century, when rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were abused with the word. By the 1640s, it had come to be used to refer to members of a New Model Army group who were said to favor the killing of Charles I. As well as Richard Overton, prominent Levellers included John Liliburne and William Walwyn.
The Levellers' political program made a series of demands which, at the time, were seen as very radical indeed. They do not necessarily seem so, though, when examined with modern eyes. They wanted almost all adult males to be entrusted with the vote, for Parliament to be elected every two years, for the process of elections to be reformed, and for an end to the punishment of imprisonment for debt. Importantly in the 17th century, they also wanted religious freedom, which was a burning issue for much of the century.
Overton himself was of the opinion that liberty was the natural right of every person, something which is familiar today. Some Levellers also felt that the natural rights of the English people had been eroded since the Norman Conquest. Others felt that the justification for universal freedom could be found in the Bible.
The forces of the government, with Oliver Cromwell to the fore, did not tolerate the Levellers for long. A mutiny amongst some New Model Army units was brutally crushed, with some ringleaders shot, while political leaders like Walwyn and Lilburne were put in prison. Many of the Levellers' demands would later come into law, in England and across the world.
As for Richard Overton himself, his ultimate fate is largely obscure, though he he was forced to flee to Flanders at one stage due to his involvement with later plots. He also spent time in prison, and is later believed to have spied on behalf of Charles II. Despite the obscure nature of his later life, he and the Levellers would nevertheless write an important page in the history of England.
You can visit the website <a href="http://www.rickoverton.net">www.rickoverton.net</a> for more helpful information about Why Are Richard Overton And The Levellers Famous
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Title: Why Is The Name Richard Overton Associated With The Levellers
Author: Gloria Mason
Email: nathanwebster335@live.com
Keywords: movies, films, actors, entertainment
Word Count: 540
Category: Movies
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