Test of the Society of United Irishmen

The Test of the Society of United Irishmen was a pledge taken by members of the Society of United Irishmen, a republican political society in the Kingdom of Ireland, that was the main organising force in the rebellion of 1798. As the Society, despairing of reform, began to arm and drill, it amended the original wording to accommodate greater militancy and the need for secrecy. Under the Insurrection Act 1796 (36 Geo. 3. c. 20 (I)), the administration of the test became a capital offence. There were local variants, and overseas societies of United Irish exiles, convicts, and sympathisers framed their own tests.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.