Which early modern figure argued that political rights should be prioritized over property rights and supported manhood suffrage?

• A. Thomas Hobbes
• B. Thomas Rainsborough
• C. John Marshall
• D. James Madison

Answer: (B)

The question tests understanding of early modern debates about who should have political power and what should determine the right to vote. In the mid-1600s, a group called the Levellers argued that political rights should come before property rights, and that manhood suffrage—extending the vote to all free-born men—was essential for legitimate government.

Thomas Rainsborough was a leading figure in that movement. In the Putney Debates of 1647, he urged that political rights be extended to all free men, not just property owners, arguing that the government derives its authority from the consent of the governed rather than from ownership of land. This stance directly embodies prioritizing political rights over property rights and supports manhood suffrage.

By contrast, Hobbes emphasized order under a strong sovereign, while Madison and Marshall are associated with later developments in representation and constitutional interpretation that do not advocate universal manhood suffrage in the same early-modern context.