from A History of Libertarianism | Libertarianism.org - David Boaz:
"English opposition to royal absolutism created a great deal of intellectual ferment, and the first stirrings of clearly proto-liberal ideas can be seen in 17th-century England. Again, liberal ideas developed out of the defense of religious toleration. The great poet John Milton published Areopagitica in 1644, a powerful argument for freedom of religion and against official licensing of the press. Dealing with the relationship between freedom and virtue, an issue that vexes American politics to this day, Milton wrote, 'Liberty is the best school of virtue.' Virtue, he said, is only virtuous if chosen freely. On freedom of speech, he wrote, 'Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?'
"During the Interregnum, ... when England was between kings and under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, ... the Levellers began enunciating the full set of ideas that would come to be known as liberalism. They placed the defense of religious liberty and the ancient rights of Englishmen in a context of self-ownership and natural rights.... Leveller leader Richard Overton argued that every individual has a 'self-propriety'; that is, everyone owns himself and thus has rights to life, liberty, and property. 'No man hath power over my rights and liberties, and I over no man’s.'
"Despite the efforts of the Levellers and other radicals, the Stuart dynasty returned to the throne in 1660, in the person of Charles II. Charles ... and his brother James II again tried to extend royal power. In the Glorious Revolution of 1688 Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary of Holland (both grandchildren of Charles I) ... [who] agreed to respect the 'true, ancient, and indubitable rights' of Englishmen, as put down in the Bill of Rights in 1689. We can date the birth of liberalism to the Glorious Revolution.
'John Locke is rightly seen as the first real liberal and as the father of modern political philosophy. If you don’t know the ideas of Locke, you really can’t understand the world we live in. Locke’s great work The Second Treatise of Government was published in 1690.... Locke asked, what is the point of government? Why do we have it? He answered, people have rights prior to the existence of government — thus we call them natural rights, because they exist in nature. People form a government to protect their rights. They could do that without government, but a government is an efficient system for protecting rights. And if government exceeds that role, people are justified in revolting. Representative government is the best way to ensure that government sticks to its proper purpose....
"Locke also articulated clearly the idea of property rights.... People have an inalienable right to life and liberty, and they acquire a right to previously unowned property that they 'mix their labor with,' such as by farming. It is the role of government to protect the 'Lives, Liberties, and Estates' of the people.
"These ideas were enthusiastically received. Europe was still in the grip of royal absolutism, but thanks to their experience with the Stuarts the English were suspicious of all forms of government. They warmly embraced this powerful philosophical defense of natural rights, the rule of law, and the right of revolution. They also, of course, began carrying the ideas of Locke and the Levellers on ships bound for the New World."
Read more: https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/history-libertarianism
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"English opposition to royal absolutism created a great deal of intellectual ferment, and the first stirrings of clearly proto-liberal ideas can be seen in 17th-century England. Again, liberal ideas developed out of the defense of religious toleration. The great poet John Milton published Areopagitica in 1644, a powerful argument for freedom of religion and against official licensing of the press. Dealing with the relationship between freedom and virtue, an issue that vexes American politics to this day, Milton wrote, 'Liberty is the best school of virtue.' Virtue, he said, is only virtuous if chosen freely. On freedom of speech, he wrote, 'Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?'
"During the Interregnum, ... when England was between kings and under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, ... the Levellers began enunciating the full set of ideas that would come to be known as liberalism. They placed the defense of religious liberty and the ancient rights of Englishmen in a context of self-ownership and natural rights.... Leveller leader Richard Overton argued that every individual has a 'self-propriety'; that is, everyone owns himself and thus has rights to life, liberty, and property. 'No man hath power over my rights and liberties, and I over no man’s.'
"Despite the efforts of the Levellers and other radicals, the Stuart dynasty returned to the throne in 1660, in the person of Charles II. Charles ... and his brother James II again tried to extend royal power. In the Glorious Revolution of 1688 Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary of Holland (both grandchildren of Charles I) ... [who] agreed to respect the 'true, ancient, and indubitable rights' of Englishmen, as put down in the Bill of Rights in 1689. We can date the birth of liberalism to the Glorious Revolution.
'John Locke is rightly seen as the first real liberal and as the father of modern political philosophy. If you don’t know the ideas of Locke, you really can’t understand the world we live in. Locke’s great work The Second Treatise of Government was published in 1690.... Locke asked, what is the point of government? Why do we have it? He answered, people have rights prior to the existence of government — thus we call them natural rights, because they exist in nature. People form a government to protect their rights. They could do that without government, but a government is an efficient system for protecting rights. And if government exceeds that role, people are justified in revolting. Representative government is the best way to ensure that government sticks to its proper purpose....
"Locke also articulated clearly the idea of property rights.... People have an inalienable right to life and liberty, and they acquire a right to previously unowned property that they 'mix their labor with,' such as by farming. It is the role of government to protect the 'Lives, Liberties, and Estates' of the people.
"These ideas were enthusiastically received. Europe was still in the grip of royal absolutism, but thanks to their experience with the Stuarts the English were suspicious of all forms of government. They warmly embraced this powerful philosophical defense of natural rights, the rule of law, and the right of revolution. They also, of course, began carrying the ideas of Locke and the Levellers on ships bound for the New World."
'via Blog this'
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