Ep. 93: Freeborn John, with Michael Braddick
By trolling the English Court, John Lilburne helped reestablish all sorts of fundamental rights to the English legal tradition.
Michael Braddick joins us to discuss John Lilburne’s legacy of political activism. Lilburne did not want to be considered a martyr. He fought for what we now understand as the English legal tradition, which is really the backbone of American democracy. He defended political freedom when very few mechanisms existed to mobilize support.
Who is John Lilburne? What influence did Lilburne have on the English legal tradition? What is Christian Egalitarianism? How did mobilization work during the English Civil Wars? Is John Lilburne a martyr? Were the Levellers the first modern political party?
Further Reading:
The Common Freedom of the People, written by Michael Braddick
John Lilburne- Leveller Leader, by the UK National Archives
Related Content:
Radical Weirdness in the English Civil Wars, Anthony Comegna and Caleb Brown
Agenda for Liberty: A Biography of John Lilburne, written by Jim Powell
Profiles in Locodom: William Cullen Bryant, Liberty Chronicles Podcast