EUR  â¬205.20EUR  â¬171.00 excl. VAT
Colonial Massachusetts Laws and Liberties and the English Commonwealth
State Formation, the Rule of Law, and the Peopleâs Welfare
Series: - Legal History Library, Volume: 68
Author:
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 Cromwellâs 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 colonyâs posterity.
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 colonyâs posterity.
Charles Edward Smith, Ph.D. (1998), University of Chicago, has recently retired from the US Dept. of Defense, where he served as the Director of Legislative Operations in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs.
"Smith offers a novel contribution to an emerging historiography of Puritan politics in New England, a subject that has largely escaped scholarly attention."â Yisroel Benporat, in: Journal of the American Revolution, October 20th, 2025
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part 1
The English Commonwealth and the Protestant Reformation
1âMassachusetts Capital Laws of 1642
2âEducation and Radical Religiosity
Part 2
Creating a Legal Authority in the âNew Worldâ
3âNo Taxation without Representation
4âThe Negative Voice
5âThe Standing Council
Part 3
Publishing Massachusetts Laws and Liberties
6âThe Body of Liberties of 1641
7âDivine Magistracy vs. a Rule of Law
8âThe Laws and Liberties of 1648
Part 4
Transatlantic Legal Reform and Popular Sovereignty
9âPenal Laws, Debt, and Early Modern Markets
10âShip Money, Rex v. Hampden, and Matters of State
11âPopular Sovereignty: Salus Populi Suprema Lex
Part 5
Imperial Ambitions
12âAn Arbitrary, Absolute, and Unlimited Power
13âSovereignty of the Law
ââConclusion
Works Cited
Index
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part 1
The English Commonwealth and the Protestant Reformation
1âMassachusetts Capital Laws of 1642
2âEducation and Radical Religiosity
Part 2
Creating a Legal Authority in the âNew Worldâ
3âNo Taxation without Representation
4âThe Negative Voice
5âThe Standing Council
Part 3
Publishing Massachusetts Laws and Liberties
6âThe Body of Liberties of 1641
7âDivine Magistracy vs. a Rule of Law
8âThe Laws and Liberties of 1648
Part 4
Transatlantic Legal Reform and Popular Sovereignty
9âPenal Laws, Debt, and Early Modern Markets
10âShip Money, Rex v. Hampden, and Matters of State
11âPopular Sovereignty: Salus Populi Suprema Lex
Part 5
Imperial Ambitions
12âAn Arbitrary, Absolute, and Unlimited Power
13âSovereignty of the Law
ââConclusion
Works Cited
Index
This book is especially relevant for early modern English, early American, and legal historians, as well as civic education practitioners and public society specialists.