Restoring the Garden of Eden in England’s Green and Pleasant Land: The Diggers and the Fruits of the Earth

Abstract

Explores the radical Digger movement in 17th-century England through an alternative historical lens and assesses its relevance to modern culture. Beginning in 1649, first a handful of people, then a score, and then many hundreds dug the earth, cleared heath, and planted crops and became known as the new Levellers, or Diggers. They undertook this communal experiment in hopes of raising the standard of living for the desperate poor - slaves, servants, and beggars. They met with violence, prison, and persecution. The article traces the movement's history and highlights modern interpretations of the influence these radical reformers have on today's society and environmental movement. English proto-environmentalism thus provided the seed stock for a disparate set of beliefs tied loosely together by ecology, as well as green narratives and actions for change today.