English Civil War (aug 22, 1642 – sep 3, 1651)

Description:

A conflict between English Royalists and Parliamentarians over the structure of the English government. Specifically, they were at odds over the amount of power allotted to Parliament and the Crown, as well as how much the Church of England should follow or distance itself from the doctrines of Catholicism. The House of Commons (the popularly elected house of Parliament, similar to the US House of Representatives) believed King Charles I to be tyrannical, with acts such as passing taxes without Parliament's consent, imprisoning political rivals, and the gradual religious 'decline' back to Catholicism. This led to the monarchist Royalists and their opposition, the Parliamentarians, to fight a civil war.

New Englanders were mostly Parliamentarians, especially those of Saybrook, while many Royalists could be found in Virginia. Some even came back to England to help fight for their side. In 1649, Parliament captured King Charles I and executed him. The monarchy was declared abolished, to be replaced by
a Commonwealth and Free State" governed by the people, led by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. The monarchy was restored in 1660 with the coronation of Charles II, but with noticeably less power.

The English were struck with a desire for freedoms. It gave rise to the Levellers, the first ever democratic political movement. They proposed a written constitution, entitled the Agreement of the People. It would have abolished the monarchy. the House of Lords (the royally appointed house of Parliament, somewhat similar to the pre-17th Amendment US Senate), and expanded suffrage, overall supporting class equality. An even more radical group, the Diggers, desired essentially a Marxist society, in which there was no government, education was open to all, and land was shared equally among the people.

Groups like these gave rise to the popular notion that Englishmen were born entitled to certain rights and privileges. Writer Henry Care in 1680 described the English government as a "qualified monarchy," in which everyone and their property was protected by law, while the nobility enjoyed further liberty, making it, in Care's opinion, the best form of government at the time. This helped England see itself as an empire of liberty, much like the US later. These ideas would be taken to the New World by English emigrants.

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