He was beaten, imprisoned and banished for his efforts. Another Briton, Mary Wollstonecraft, lived a century later and pushed for legal equality and voting rights for women. Her short, tempestuous life ended in death during childbirth. Toleration was an important aspect of liberty. Desiderius Erasmus, a 16th century Dutchman, railed against religious persecution in Europe, European colonialism in Latin America, unlimited monarchies, and the wars that monarchs routinely waged.
Peace is another theme.
Mr. Powell looks at Hugo Grotius, a 17th century Dutch legal scholar who promoted international law and denounced war. Almost exactly a century later lived Francisco Jose de Goya, a Spanish painter who helped depict the horrors of war. Another hero is Richard Cobden, a 19th century British textile entrepreneur who collaborated with the equally steadfast John Bright to promote free trade and oppose imperialism. Yale University professor William Graham Sumner battled American imperialism, particularly the war against Spain and suppression of Filipino freedom-fighters. Mr. Powell includes Ronald Reagan, who rightly saw the Soviet Union as an evil empire.