James MacKnight (agrarian reformer) facts for kids

James MacKnight (1801–1876) was an Irish journalist and a champion for farmers' rights. He is famous for suggesting "the Three Fs": Fair Rent, Fixity of Tenure, and Free Sale. These ideas aimed to solve problems between landlords and tenants in Ireland.

MacKnight helped create the Tenant Right League with Charles Gavan Duffy. This group brought together people from different backgrounds in Ireland. In the 1852 election, the League helped 48 politicians get elected. These politicians promised to support tenant rights.

However, the League faced challenges. People in the south of Ireland often supported Irish independence. In the north, many Protestants supported staying united with Britain (unionism). Because of these differences, the League and its political party did not last past the 1857 elections. MacKnight continued to fight for tenant rights, even while supporting Ireland's union with Great Britain.

Early Life and Newspaper Work

James MacKnight was born in 1801 near Rathfriland, County Down, Ireland. His father was a small farmer who spoke Irish and was a Presbyterian. James first wanted to become a Presbyterian minister.

In 1825, he studied at the Belfast Academical Institution. This school was known for its liberal ideas. But James found that preaching was not for him. So, in 1829, he joined Belfast's main newspaper, the News-Letter. He became its editor within a year.

At the News-Letter, MacKnight often disagreed with Daniel O'Connell, a powerful Catholic leader. O'Connell wanted to end the Acts of Union, which joined Ireland and Great Britain. MacKnight worried this would lead to a Catholic-majority parliament in Dublin. He thought people's love for Ireland could be better used to bring back the Irish language.

In 1846, MacKnight moved to Derry. He became the editor of the Londonderry Standard (1846–1847, 1854–1876). This newspaper supported the interests of orthodox Presbyterians. From 1848, he also edited the Banner of Ulster. Both papers strongly criticized landlords, like the powerful Marquis of Londonderry. They said landlords failed to lower rents during the terrible Great Famine. MacKnight believed that owning land was a public trust, not just a private right.

The Tenant Claim of Right

MacKnight worked with William Sharman Crawford, a Member of Parliament (MP). They formed the Ulster Tenant Right Association. This group was supported by many radical Presbyterian ministers.

In March 1848, MacKnight wrote a pamphlet called The Ulster Tenant's Claim of Right. In it, he argued that all property rights come from human work. He said that landlords must serve the public good. He also pointed out that Ireland was the only country where most people were treated like strangers on their own land.

In Ireland, tenants spent their own money to improve the land. These improvements made the landlord's property more valuable. MacKnight called this a "barefaced, revolting robbery." He said it was unfair that landlords boasted about their land in the British Parliament. He described how tenants lost hope when their hard work only made rich landlords wealthier.

MacKnight proposed the "Three Fs" to fix these problems:

• Fair Rent: Rent should be reasonable and not too high.
• Fixity of Tenure: Tenants should have a secure right to stay on their land.
• Free Sale: Tenants should be able to sell their improvements to the next tenant if they leave.

He believed that landownership, as a public institution, should be controlled by law. Charles Gavan Duffy, a nationalist leader, published parts of MacKnight's pamphlet in his newspaper, The Nation. Duffy believed that the struggle for tenant rights could unite Protestants and Catholics across Ireland.

The League of North and South

Duffy and MacKnight worked together to call a meeting in Dublin. Many Members of Parliament and religious leaders attended. At this meeting, they formed the all-Ireland Tenant Right League. Its goal was to achieve the "Three Fs."

In the November 1852 elections, the League helped elect 48 MPs to Westminster. Duffy called this the "League of North and South." However, only one MP from Ulster, William Kirk for Newry, was elected from the north. In Ulster, the League faced strong opposition from the Orange Order. Landlords also threatened to remove existing tenant rights if their chosen candidates were not elected.

In 1852, the government introduced a bill to pay Irish tenants for improvements if they were evicted. This bill passed in the House of Commons but failed in the House of Lords. MacKnight, writing in the Banner, saw this bill as a small step forward.

Later, some Catholic tenant-right MPs broke their promise to stay independent. They accepted positions in a new government. MacKnight did not condemn them. He was worried about the growing nationalist feelings among some southern League supporters.

By 1855, Duffy felt he could no longer achieve his goals. He left Ireland and moved to Australia.

Continued Fight for Farmers' Rights

MacKnight continued to edit the Londonderry Standard from 1854. He remained dedicated to improving farmers' rights. In the 1857 election, he helped Samuel MacCurdy Greer win in Derry. Greer supported the "Three Fs" and was part of the British Liberal Party.

Greer's ideas were used again in the late 1860s to criticize government efforts on land issues. MacKnight himself met with William Ewart Gladstone, the Prime Minister, in London in 1870. He wanted to help shape the first of the Irish Land Acts.

At a meeting in Ballymoney in April 1870, MacKnight's ideas for the new bill were set aside. This was due to other politicians who wanted to show party loyalty. MacKnight remained independent. In one of his last speeches, he argued that giving tenants the right to improvements was not enough. He said that secure tenure (the right to stay on the land) was also needed.

In 1874, the Route Tenant Defence Association organized a large conference in Belfast. They called for the "Three Fs" and for loans to help tenants buy land. They also wanted to end the landlords' control over local government. However, a general election was called soon after. The old divisions over Irish independence reappeared. In the south, the tenant program was adopted by the new Home Rule League. This made it harder for tenant-righters in the north, who were seen as supporting the Catholic cause.

Three tenant-right Liberals were elected in Ulster. But they could not openly work with the tenant movement in the south. The Irish National Land League later took over the tenant struggle, but under a nationalist leadership.

Death

After being ill for several months, James MacKnight passed away on June 8, 1876, in Derry. He was 75 years old. His wife, who was the sister of the Londonderry Standard owner, survived him. They did not have any children.