Spencean Philanthropists

Origins

The Spencean Philanthropists were a group of English political radicals active in the early 19th century, who derived their name from their ideological founder, Thomas Spence. Spence was a radical English schoolmaster and writer who advocated for the abolition of private property and the establishment of a system of communal land ownership.

Thomas Spence

Thomas Spence (1750-1814) was a radical figure in the English political landscape of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Spence began his career as a schoolmaster before moving to London in 1792. There, he became involved in radical politics and began to formulate the ideas that would later form the basis of the Spencean Philanthropists' ideology.

Ideology

The Spencean Philanthropists advocated for a radical restructuring of society along egalitarian lines. Central to their ideology was the belief in the abolition of private property and the establishment of communal land ownership. They believed that all land should be owned collectively by the people who worked it, and that the profits from this work should be distributed equally among the population. This belief was rooted in Spence's conviction that the earth was a common treasury for all people, and that the private ownership of land was the root cause of poverty and inequality.

Activities

The Spencean Philanthropists were active in the early 19th century, particularly in the years following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. They were involved in a number of political activities, including the organization of protests and demonstrations, the publication of radical literature, and the establishment of political clubs and societies. Their activities were often met with hostility from the authorities, and many of their members were arrested and imprisoned on charges of sedition.

Legacy

The Spencean Philanthropists had a significant impact on the development of radical politics in England. Their ideas influenced a number of later political movements, including Chartism and the early labour movement. Despite their radicalism, the Spencean Philanthropists' belief in the importance of communal land ownership and the equitable distribution of wealth continues to resonate in contemporary discussions of economic inequality and social justice.