StoryCubes

playful cubes for storytelling, brainstorming ideas or playing games in three dimensions

Community & Events

Diffusion engaging with the community, online and out in the world.

Residencies

an ongoing programme enabling residents at Proboscis studio to create eBooks and StoryCubes for their own projects.

Learning, Schools & Education

eBooks & StoryCubes created for learning and educational purposes

Library

Browse the collection of Diffusion Shareables: eBooks & StoryCubes

Articles tagged with: revolution

Home » eBooks, Short Work
Charter of Liberties, People’s Charter & Charter 88
Submitted by on February 6, 2009 – 8:47 amNo Comment

charters_uk_cover

Download A4 | US Letter PDF 290Kb

About : This eBook contains the texts of three key charters of rights spanning almost 900 years. The first, originally published in 1100, was the Charter of Liberties confirmed by King Henry I on securing his throne despite widespread opposition. His reign was subsequently regarded as a golden age of the rule of law and justice, particularly as it was followed by a brutal civil war.

The People’s Charter of 1838 was a response to the Great Reform Act of 1832 which widened the franchise, but stopped short of universal male suffrage, secret ballot, and other elements of parliamentary reform. It was supported by working class ‘Chartists’ seeking representation through enfranchisement and participation in the parliamentary process through MP’s being paid (not having to rely on private wealth).

Charter 88 was a demand for a written constitution, electoral and constitutional reform for the UK arising out of the period of the Thatcher government. Many of its demands are still unmet and pertinent today – visit Unlock Democracy to follow their recent projects.

First Published in 1100, 1838 and 1988
Sourced from Wikipedia, www.thechartists.net and www.britannia.com

No comment so far

Home » eBooks, Short Work
1689 Bills of Rights
Submitted by on February 5, 2009 – 8:39 amNo Comment

bill_of_rights_cover

Download A4 | US Letter PDF 317Kb

About : The 1689 Bill of Rights is an Act of the English Parliament setting out the rights of citizens and the relationship between the Crown and Parliament. It was passed, after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, by the dual monarchs William III and Mary II and declared James II’s flight from the country to be an abdication of the throne. The Bill of Rights is one of the cornerstones of the ‘unwritten’ English constitution, as well as a predecessor of the US Bill of Rights and is also enshrined in the laws of many countries of the former British Empire.

First Published 1689
Sourced from The Constitution Society

No comment so far

Home » eBooks, Short Work
1628 Petition of Right
Submitted by on February 2, 2009 – 8:45 amNo Comment

petition_of_right_cover

Download A4 | US Letter PDF 266Kb

The Petition of Right was a landmark episode in the history of English, and later British, democracy. As a check to the increasingly despotic rule of King Charles I, the English Parliament sought to confirm many of the rights and privileges established through earlier Acts against violation by the king. The Petition of Right confirmed Parliament’s exclusive right to levy taxes, the writ of habeus corpus against imprisonment without trial, no martial law in time of peace or billeting of soldiers in civilian homes. Key figures such as Sir Edward Coke and John Pym were the driving forces behind its drafting.

First Published 1628
Sourced from The Constitution Society

No comment so far

Home » eBooks, Short Work
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Submitted by on May 1, 2008 – 2:10 pmOne Comment

DSC_0455.JPG

Download
Of the Origin and Design of Government in General A4 | US Letter PDF 300Kb
Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession A4 | US Letter PDF 350Kb
Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs (Part 1) A4 | US Letter PDF 340Kb
Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs (Part 2) A4 | US Letter PDF 330Kb
Of the Present Ability of America A4 | US Letter PDF 520Kb
Appendix A4 | US Letter PDF 450Kb

Selected and Introduced for Short Work by Alex Steffen, editor of Worldchanging

Bombarded as we are with advertising and propaganda looking to link products or candidates to the concept of freedom, we tend to lose sight of how radical a set of ideas democracy, personal liberty and human rights really are, and how recently, really, the fight to make them the universal rule began. The best antidote to that forgetfulness is Common Sense, the book that, in a very real sense, can be credited with raising the American public will to revolution. It was a radical and deep document then. It is still radical today. Would that we had more writers with Paine’s passion, skill and clarity today.

Alex Steffen
April 2008

Thomas Paine (1737-1809). Englishman by birth. American by choice. French by decree. Citizen of the World.

First Published in Philadelphia 1776
Sourced from Project Gutenberg

1 comment - Latest by:
  • Mark Wilensky
    But surprisingly, kids "get" Paine's Common Sense, and almost easily find similarities between 1776 and now. As a fifth-grade teacher…
    Comment posted on 11-16-2008 at 05:47