Birmingham, England/birmingham216
Previous | Home | NextJoseph Priestley continued in Birmingham his prolific production of theological treatises. Birmingham had an exception to the "five-mile" law which excluded Dissenting churches within five miles of a city; hence, Birmingham exercised religious tolerance. However, the period of 1780-1791 was a unsettled time -- the French Revolution across the Channel struck fear in the hearts of the British. The citizenry reacted violently to the strong liberal views of Priestley, who strongly embraced the goals of the French revolutionaries. The culmination would be the destruction of his house on the evening of July 14 1791 and his flight from Birmingham.
