When the Great Plague Struck One English Community, It Acted Decisively

BBC Global: "The bubonic plague has been identified in the US for the first time in nearly a decade. But, thanks to modern medicine, it is much less deadly than it was in the past. When The Great Plague struck 17th century England, one rural community took decisive action that still fascinates historians centuries later." …

Who were the Diggers, Levellers and Ranters? | English Civil War in 5+ Minutes

History Hub: In this video, the late Professor Justin Champion (1960-1920) introduces the diggers, levellers, and ranters of the English Civil War. The Ranters were one of a number of dissenting groups that emerged around the time of the English Commonwealth (1649–1660).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KYoXKjr4qM&t=23s

What Were the Putney Debates of 1647 During the English Civil War?

History Hub: "In this video, Professor Justin Champion discusses the Putney Debates, a crucial moment in the history of ideas to come out of the English Civil War." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHPZWY9Oa9I&t=109s

A Puritan Jihadi: Oliver Cromwell of England Chopped Off Heads Just Like ISIS

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) was an English politician and military officer, "a member of the landed gentry from Huntingdonshire and who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history." Wikipedia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoxUS9ttmCo More videos on Cromwell. "A strong critic of King Charles I for his anti-Calvinist policies, his attempt to rule without Parliament for …

How Elizabeth Key Grinstead Won Her Freedom: Crash Course Black History #3

Elizabeth Key Grinstead (1630 – January 20, 1665) was one of the first black people of the Thirteen Colonies to sue for freedom from slavery and actually win in court, for herself and her infant son, in Virginia in 1656. Under British law, a child's status was based on their father's status (he was white), and Christians could …

Story of the Irish in America. Before That, Victims of English Oppression

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybntHGbrPAs This PBS documentary from 1988 starts with the million-and-a-half people who fled Ireland in the decade beginning in 1845, the first year of the Irish potato famine. The population of the country dropped by about 25 percent due to starvation, disease and immigration. While the famine was attributed to a fungus that destroyed the …

Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villian?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER6xGlAZjVs This 1970 British historical drama, "Cromwell," starring Richard Harris, won several awards. It was based on the life of Oliver Cromwell, who rose to lead the Parliamentary forces during the later parts of the English Civil War and, as Lord Protector, ruled Great Britain and Ireland in the 1650s. It features an ensemble cast, led by Richard Harris as Cromwell and Alec Guinness as King Charles I, …

Backstory Behind Founding of the Carolina Colony in 1663, Up Until 1776

The date of the founding of North Carolina by the English is in some dispute. Some argue the birthday is July 13, 1584, when Croatan Indians first encountered English ships commissioned by Sir Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island. Raleigh himself did not make a voyage to Carolina, despite providing the namesake for the eventual colony's …

After Much Bloodshed, England Introduced Constitutional Monarchy, Restrained By Parliament and Rule of Law

The English Civil War  (1642–1651) was essentially the beginning of the end of the Age of Absolutism, or absolute rule by divine right of kings. After the head of Louis XVI of France was chopped off during the French Revolution in 1793, European monarchs generally were persuaded that limitations on their power was a good thing. …