HENRY IRETON

This was a classic debate over universal male suffrage. Rainborough had made a forceful argument for equality as a spokesperson for the Levellers in this famous debate. Ireton (See {619711}) eloquently gave the classic counter-argument that property owners had much more at stake and therefore should have much more of a say on governmental affairs. Early America actually sided with Ireton but modern America holds with Rainborough.

Ireton was one of the leaders of the Parliament faction in the English Civil War. He was such an important figure that when King Charles II regained power after Ireton’s death, Charles II was so rabid that he had Ireton’s body dug up, along with that of Cromwell and John Bradshaw, and mutilated as the would have been had they been executed.

This was a classic debate over universal male suffrage. Rainborough had made a forceful argument for equality as a spokesperson for the Levellers in this famous debate. See {619710}. Ireton eloquently gave the classic counter-argument that property owners had much more at stake and therefore should have much more of a say on governmental affairs. Early America actually sided with Ireton, but modern America holds with Rainborough.

Ireton was one of the leaders of the Parliament faction in the English Civil War. He was such an important figure that when King Charles II regained power after Ireton’s death, Charles II was so rabid that he had Ireton’s body dug up, along with that of Cromwell and John Bradshaw, and mutilated as the would have been had they been executed.

This was a classic debate over universal male suffrage. Rainborough had made a forceful argument for equality as a spokesperson for the Levellers in this famous debate. See {619710}. Ireton eloquently gave the classic counter-argument that property owners had much more at stake and therefore should have much more of a say on governmental affairs. Early America actually sided with Ireton, but modern America holds with Rainborough.