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Heading as we are into the 1680s on the timeline of the History of the Americans, it will be useful for all of us to know a few basic things about English politics in the 1680s, including especially the “exclusion crisis” of 1679-1681 and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Both had a big impact on our own history.
Along the way we learn more about John Locke, how the acquittal of William Penn transformed the law in England and ultimately the United States, the actual conspiracy between the English King Charles II and Louis XIV of France, the origin of the words “Tory” and “Whig” at the moment that the English invented political parties, the role of infant mortality in the politics of a monarchy, and the awful, but hilarious, “Popish Plot” conspiracy theory that shaped English politics in 1679-81.
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Primary references for this episode (Commission earned for Amazon purchases through the episode notes on our website)
Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England 1603-1689
The Popish Plot (Wikipedia entry, which goes much deeper than the podcast)
Optional prerequisite episode: #146 Oliver’s Army: What You Need to Know About the English Civil Wars
