Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, England, Law, Transcription
“Produce the Body” Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 With Charles II increasingly concentrating power in the hands of the monarchy, and English liberties seemingly at risk at every turn, Parliament takes the step to enshrine the right to the writ of habeas corpus...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, Correspondence, North America, Transcription
Bacon’s Rebellion Sir Thomas Grantham Letter to a Leader of Bacon’s Rebellion In 1676, the colony of Virginia was rocked by a large scale rebellion. Many issues were at play during this time, not the least of which being the authority of the governor over...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, England, Legal Case, Transcription
reMaking Slavery in the courts Butts v. Penny(1677) A foundational English Common Law case that defined slavery in England and its empire in the Americas, and to create mechanisms to enforce ownership and recover debts related to slave sales. It literally redefined...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, North America
Virginia Enquiries to the Governor of Virginia (1671) Back in England, those appointed to supervise the colonies often wrote to governors to learn about the various colonies’ structure, affairs, etc. In 1670, these supervisors wrote to Virginia’s governor...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, Barbados, Slave Code, Transcription
BARBADOS Barbados Slave Code(1661 – 1667) In 1661, Barbados became the first English colony to pass a comprehensive slave code. Below is the best version of it we have. The problem is that the only versions of it that survive date to 1667, when it had already...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, Book, England, Transcription
ROBERT FILMER Sir Robert Filmer – Patriarcha (1680) While some wrote to defend the execution of King Charles I, others wrote to justify the power of kings and queens. Filmer’s work became one of the most important books on the legitimacy of monarchial...
