Why Joseph Priestley?
My initial focus for researching Joseph Priestley was my understanding of his views on truth, tolerance, and freedom. Priestley strongly advocates for tolerance and freedom in his An Essay on the First Principles of Government, and on the Nature of Political, Civil, and Religious Liberty. At first glance, it is easy to understand why Priestley might want tolerance and freedom. England in Priestley’s time was not always very tolerant towards dissenters (Priestley was a dissenter, which means he would not acccept the Anglican catachism). Dissenters did not have all the rights of those who did not dissent from the Church of England. It should make sense that dissenters would want tolerance and freedom. Often the dissenters only wanted tolerance and freedom for their religious practices. They very often would argue that while their practices should be tolerated and that they should be accorded full rights, other dissenters such as Roman Catholics should not be grated the same. This can be
