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Definition: Bright, John from Philip's Encyclopedia

British parliamentary reformer. A Quaker and mill owner, he and his fellow radical, Richard Cobden, were leaders of the Anti-Corn Law League (founded 1839). First elected to Parliament in 1843, he subsequently represented Manchester, the home of free trade. He lost his seat in 1857 after opposing the Crimean War but was re-elected for Birmingham. After the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), Bright worked tirelessly in the cause of parliamentary reform.

Bright, John

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1811–89, British statesman and orator. He was the son of a Quaker cotton manufacturer in Lancashire. A founder (1839) of the Anti-Corn Law League, he rose to prominence on the strength of his formidable oratory against the corn laws . A staunch laissez-faire capitalist, and, with Richard Cobden , a bastion of the Manchester school of economics, he resented the protection given to landholders by these laws at the expense of manufacturing interests. After the repeal (1846) of the corn laws, Bright's principal concern was parliamentary reform, which he pursued relentlessly until passage of the third Reform Bill in 1884. A member of Parliament for Manchester (1847–57), he lost his seat because of his opposition to British involvement in the Crimean War, which he considered un-Christian and against Britain's economic interests. He represented Birmingham (1858–89) and served in William Gladstone's cabinets as president of the Board of Trade (1868–70) and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster…
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Full text Article John Bright (1811–1889)

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
The angel of death has been abroad throughout the land; you may almost hear the beating of his wings. Appealing for an end to the Crimean War; speech in the House of Commons, February 1855 England is the mother of Parliaments. Speech in House of Commons 1865 Force is not a remedy. Speech in…
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Full text Article FORCE

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
Violence is the repartee of the illiterate. BRIEN, Alan Punch , 1973. Force is not a remedy. [Speech, 1880] The wish to hurt, the momentary intoxication with pain, is the loophole through which the pervert climbs into the minds of ordinary men. BRONOWSKI, Jacob The Face of Violence (1954). …
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Full text Article VIOLENCE

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
I have never been attracted to any kind of violence. I even refused to join the Girl Guides because they wore uniforms. ADIE, Kate The Sunday Times , 2001. Fighting is not the answer to frustration and hate. It is a sport, not a philosophy of life. [Interview, TV Guide magazine, 1999] Rioting is at…
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Full text Article Bright

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Biographical Names
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Full text Article POLITICIANS

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians who believe, with a conviction based on experience, that you can fool all of the people all of the time. ADAMS, Franklin P. Nods and Becks (1944). [Of Lloyd George] He couldn’t see a belt without hitting below it. ASQUITH, Margot…
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Full text Article WAR

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
[Of the Vietnam war] It is worse than immoral, it’s a mistake. [Quoted on Alistair Cooke’s radio programme Letter from America ] Friendly fire isn’t. [American officer on the town of Ben Tre, Vietnam, during the Tet offensive, 1968] To save the town, it became necessary to destroy it. [Of the Battle…
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Full text Article ENGLAND

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
The Knight in the triumph of his heart made several reflections on the greatness of the British Nation; as, that one Englishman could beat three Frenchmen; that we cou’d never be in danger of Popery so long as we took care of our fleet; that the Thames was the noblest river in Europe; that London…
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Full text Article Bright, John

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born Nov. 16, 1811, Rochdale, Lancashire, Eng.—died March 27, 1889, Rochdale) British reform politician and orator. He entered Parliament in 1843 and served three times as a member of William E. Gladstone ’s cabinet. He was active in campaigns for free trade, lower grain prices, and parliamentary…
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Full text Article 16 November 1811

From The Hutchinson Chronology of World History Full text Article 1811
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Full text Article Calhoun, John C. 1782–1850

From Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
John Caldwell Calhoun was the towering political defender of slavery and southern rights in antebellum America, his influence on national politics and conservative thought extending far beyond his death. Born in Abbeville District, South Carolina, on March 18, 1782, Calhoun was educated at Yale…
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