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Paper Abstract: Between Puritan colony of MA & England from 1630 to 1691. Start of a colonial separation from England. Paper Introduction: In the spiritual, commercial, and political life of the Puritan Colony of Massachusetts from 1630 to 1691 a recurring problem was that of defining the proper relationship of the colony to England and authority there. This period was one of the most turbulent, domestically, in the more modern history of the government of England. Gone was the relatively firm autocracy of the Tudors, who brought revolution out of earlier chaos. Gone, too, was the skillful hand of a Virgin Queen who held the state together with the guile of her father and grandfather. Not really being born to the throne, they were more concerned with holding its position than perhaps the more rightful owners. The pattern for the new rulers, the Stuarts, was set by James I, (1603-1625), who had waited for the crown while Elizabeth took her time in dying. The early Stuarts Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. His quarrels with France and Holland kept him from vigorouspursuit of his Acts of Trade and the colonists hardened in their refusal todiminish their theory of virtual independence. The charter of 1691 was to remain the basis ofMassachusetts government until the critical years just before therevolution of 1775. Thepersecutions had served to keep the colonials in a state of constant fearbecause of their wish to maintain the monopoly of the New England church,the Congregational Church. [vii] The job overtook Andros in physical size and variety of regionalpopulation. As time went on the problem of whether and how such control was to be exercised became overshadowed in importance by the increasing difficulty of containing the merchants at all within the structure of Puritan society.[ii] From 164 to 166 , civil war and revolution paralysed England but theMassachusetts merchants continued to be deeply involved in the politics ofthe conflict between Cromwell-Stuart. . though guided by considerations of expedience as by any well-conceived plan of imperial control, had conceded no part of its claim to ultimate authority that might deny it a right to some more vigorous assertion of the claim that might come about at a later time. . Here, in its ultimate judgment, fault must be placed at the feet of theunfortunate James II. The English government finally decided that in orderto bring Massachusetts to heel this charter must be revoked. Since they had to rely upon the supportof the royal governor for political influence, this situation now becamethe object of their very deep concern. William Byrd, Sr., of Virginia, saw fit to comment: When the body is disturbed, the members need be effected. A royal charter confirmed the original grant in 1629 but it didnot determine a headquarters of government and the new organization wascalled the Massachusetts Bay Company. 142.Bailyn, p. The early Stuarts were rabidsupporters of the church hierarchy, because the church supported theirclaims to rule by divine right. The attempt to yoketogether the colonial and royal systems set the stage for the struggle forcontrol that was to come. It particularly affected those concerned with overseas commerce. This was not ofitself a highly unbiased action for the General Court in Boston struggled,against facts, to maintain what it considered an equal position with theBritish parliament. What had been won was the practical right of the colonists to determine very largely for themselves questions of public policy fundamentally affecting their domestic life. All nations having free liberty to come into their ports and vend their commodities without any restraint . The American Guide Series. New York: Time-Life Library, 1967.Ward, Harry M. . In essence, this was their policyfollowed down to the Revolution of 1776. Establishing parallel event in the history of Massachusetts BayCompany (Colony), this company was organized in 1628 as the New EnglandCompany. However, few of thegains made in England by William and Mary after their arrival in 1688 werepassed on to the Colonies. This was donein 1684, and Massachusetts became a royal colony. In the spiritual, commercial, and political life of the PuritanColony of Massachusetts from 163 to 1691 a recurring problem was that ofdefining the proper relationship of the colony to England and authoritythere. Above all, William created an imperialadministration so vigorous that the Stuarts by contrast seemed genial bycomparison. Also, in 166 , at the time of Charles II restoration, the King rarelyexercised any real function in the government of Massachusetts. . Intended to reconstruct New Englandsociety radically and to the King's purpose, it failed, on two principalscores - trade and religion. At this point, the Lords of Tradeinformed the Massachusetts Bay authorities they must enforce the Acts ofTrade, but the Bay Company stubbornly held to its theory of independence: We humbly conceive that the lawes of England are bounded within the four seas and does not reach America. . Andros was completely in step with the wishes of KingJames. The death of Charles IIin 1685 delayed a plan long dormant in his mind, that of a Dominion of NewEngland which would bind all of New England into one geographical, social,and economic unit, making administration much easier. From 1649 to 1658, the Massachusetts Colony equally suffered from thefailure of Oliver Cromwell to set up a Commonwealth of England whilekeeping sovereign power in his own hands. Insecurity versus desire for securitysharpened the issues. This was to prevail until the Americanrevolution. Randolph met withlittle success in local New England courts in trying to enforce the King'spower. Provoked by his tyrannical acts,Massachusetts wanted the return of its original charter. Therefore, we here can expect no settled times till England is at peace.[ix] William's coming to power was eased and aided by the weakness ofJames II. Involving them with the affairs of Europe,the American colonies received short shrift from this aging and sicklyking. Their first success was in theappointment of Sir William Phips and his council of second and thirdgeneration New England merchants. The ways of the Founders were now supreme intheir approaches to government. This newsinspired the malcontents in Boston to revolt against Andros, welcoming aProtestant King and a resumption of personal liberties. Therefore, in1691 William and Mary created a royal colony, its governor appointed by thecrown but a yearly elected assembly was guaranteed. This, in turn, forced a newunderstanding of the relationship with the mother country. Morison, The Oxford History of the American People(New York: Oxford University, 1965), p. Massachusetts. The pattern for the new rulers, theStuarts, was set by James I, (16 3-1625), who had waited for the crownwhile Elizabeth took her time in dying. The charter was a compromiseand once again Massachusetts had to live on shifting sand. He stirred up England by appointment of Catholicseverywhere in high positions. Hall, Lawrence H. This Revolution did bring considerable reforms in freedom of speech,thought, and religion. The necessity for trade seems to have carried dangers to thepurity of the soul the basic Puritans longed for, but by 164 a form ofcommerce was established and was the single working economic force in NewEngland: The New England magistrates found themselves dealing with men whose vitally necessary enterprises seemed at times to threaten the integrity of the established order but which could not be controlled without being made less useful. The Fathers of New England. W. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1925.-----------------------Wesley Frank Craven, The Colonies in Transition 166 -1713 (NewYork: Harper and Row, 1968), p. The Dominion, set up by James II,lasted slightly over two years. Colonial administration was secondary in importance to localaffairs. New York: Oxford University, 1965.Time-Life Books, ed. 114.Bailyn, p. James II, ruling from 1685 to 1689, the last of the Stuart "divineright" kings, did establish the Dominion of New England, but in his fiveshort years as King his Catholic preferences and autocratic methodsalienated the people. Against the declining authority over a period of almost a century ofthe English rulers, the seeds of freedom grew from the early plantings ofthe Puritans. . It was impossible for the Puritans, undersuch conditions, to make New England an independent and isolated Americancommonwealth. without any regard to those rules prescribed by his Majesty.[v] By 1678, none of the governors who succeeded John Winthrop had becomefavorable to the merchants. Before two decades had passed it imposed itself forcefully on the daily lives of the New England merchants, affecting all their activities, political, social, and economic.[iii] Charles II in 166 demanded strict acknowledgement of hissovereignty. The Restoration and its religious settlement greatlychanged the social orientation of England but was of limited immediatevalue overseas in soothing the troubled waters of the emerging colony: These alterations in English public life at first seemed remote to most Americans. The subjects of his Majesty here being not represented in Parliament, so we have not looked at ourselves to be impeded in our trade by them.[vi] Charles II refused to accept this challenge. 26.Hall, et al., p. It is likely that James' unrelenting drive forCatholicism kept alive the coals of this conflict which might otherwisehave died out. Ruling against themerchants in a number of cases, he drove them into the patient arms of thePuritans. Accordingly, Writs of Intrusion began every where to be served on people . His personality quicklyalienated the very people he needed most for support. By the end of the day, Androsand his government was in the hands of the colonists. While itseemed expedient at the time, the root of future evil grew in thecircumstances that led to the charter of a trading company becoming theinstrument of government for a colony. He prepared in 1683 a list of seventeen reasons for revocation ofthe colony's charter. Adventurers in the Wilderness. From the arguments over authority came the appointmentof Andros, and this only further hastened the climax, the on-rush of whatwas now two violently diametric forces. Charles died before he couldmake any permanent settlement of the government of the Massachusettscolony. InMassachusetts the charter was considered too little and in England it wasconsidered too great a concession to the Puritans. Near the end, the merchants realized they could not fully controltheir destinies until they solved the problem of Andros. . Norton,1964), p. The impending oflurking rumors of King James' removal and Andros' siding with him in anidea to turn New England over to Catholic Canada, the Indian troubles andAndros' leniency toward them in the sale of arms and ammunition, all thesesparked the revolt and once more Boston rested in the hands of thePuritans. Norton, 1964.Hawke, David. Nor, did the colonists, for their part, bother to challenge directly the principle that ultimate authority belonged to Whitehall. He couldnot win the fight or point of there being no royal governor nor could heobtain the right of coinage for the colony. The United Colonies of New England, 1643-169 . The break withRome became a final as that between Pope and Tudor. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1966.Morison, Samuel E. When the StuartArchbishop Laud tried to enforce the use of the Book of Common Prayer in1933, many Puritans became strong enough so as, in alliance with OliverCromwell, to behead Charles I in 1649. Out of original Puritan grants, the MassachusettsBay Company was carved and chartered in 1628 but no seat of government wasestablished and power came into the hands of John Winthrop and his group.Disbelievers themselves in religious toleration, they ruled that onlychurch members could sit in the general courts of government.Dissatisfaction arose in England at the failure of the Puritans to becomeimmediately a profitable fishing venture at the expense of religion. All the deep-lying issues between the province and the metropolis came down to this. Externally, the Colony in its broadest aspect was the victim ofthe dynastic struggles of the House of Stuart which was unable to keep upwith the expanding on-rush of secure colonial government: The government of England . During his time of power, eventhe founding of new English colonies in America came to an end, Englishmenwere too busy at home to seek new enterprises in America. The fears of the people were stated in this part of the BostonDeclaration of Grievances, April 18, 1689: . New York: MacMillan, 1939.Hall, Michael G., Lawrence H. yet were every day told that no Man was owner of a foot of land in all the colony. This period was one of the most turbulent, domestically, in the moremodern history of the government of England. the Governor caused the lands pertaining to these and those particular men, to be measured out for his creatures to take possession of.[viii] The Massachusetts rebellion spread to New York, Maryland, andVirginia. In argumentswith the Crown, in England, Mather did win the right for the colony tochoose its council rather than its being appointed in England. 44.David Hawke, The Colonial Experience (New York: Bobbs-Merrill,1966), p. New York:Columbia University Press, 1966.Craven, Wesley Frank. It happenedat this time that the rising power of the merchant class began to makeitself felt. Without bloodshed William was asked to be King. The New England merchants found themselves caught between two fires,one lit by Andros and his council who ruled against the fiscal policydesired by the merchants, and the other desire or necessity of themerchants to remain in the good graces of their English partners.Regulation would cut down the freedom of their trade but revolt againstregulation would cut them off from British financial operations. Sir Edmund Andros, former governor of NewYork, always known for his high-handed methods, came to the Dominiongovernor's post with able recommendations. New Haven, CT:Yale University Press, 1919.Bailyn, Bernard. Within a single generation, however, the new meaning of empire altered the development of colonial society. His Council, in the hands of royal appointees and friends ofthe Governor, ruled against the mercantile policies forwarded by the NewEngland merchants. . Security theoretically came to the New Englandmerchants in the form of the Navigation Acts of 166 , 1662, and 1663,protecting as they did or were meant to the merchant's activity within thepower of the Stuarts. Kammen, ed. 265.Hall, et al., p. New England Merchants in the 17th Century.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1938.Bearse, Ray. Though in opposition to broad democracy, Winthrop became a strongholding force in the early days of the colony and served as governor twelvetimes. Most of the Assembly deputies representedrural or Puritan interests. A large company of the conflictbetween Massachusetts and England began right at this point. Restoration ofthe House of Stuart placed colonial affairs in the hands of royal officerswho meant to regulate New England's commerce for their and the mothercountry's benefit. 9.----------------------- 16 The Pageant of America Series. On the morning ofApril 18, 1689, rebellion came to Boston. In this large measure of self-government the colonists were to find with time good cause for remembering the Revolution as a glorious one, and, by remembering it, fresh and potent defenses for their rights of self- government.[i] In their eager search for religious freedom, the Puritan leaders ofthe Massachusetts settlement did not provide a firm basis on which to buildtheir western heaven. He refused to give important appointments to acknowledgedleaders of the colony. The restorationof Charles II, 166 , despite his Stuart policy to govern without aparliament, did mark the rise of Parliament's power and political partiesand an advance of colonization in the Western World. With obvious ease, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 succeeded andpaved the way for the entrance of William of Orange and his wife, Mary,daughter of James. The merchants werewilling to make concessions to the home government but not so the majorityof citizens: The revolution in Boston in 1689 had its origins in a contest over who should rule, the King of England or the Puritans in New England. . The result - a battle in the General Court as towhether Parliament in London or the General Court in Boston had theauthority to legislate for the colony. However, Charlesrestored the Established Church which produced strong reactions inMassachusetts. The Younger John Winthrop. Leder and Michael G. 57.Samuel E. Until 1686 even religious issues - and in 17th century Boston every subject was discussed with a mental attitude colored by Protestantism - were of little direct importance compared to the constitutional question of authority.[x] The real issues of the Navigations Acts were not over their substancebut over their power to regulate and legislate commerce as resting in theParliament in London or in the General Court in Boston. A Shorter History of England, 3rd ed. Gone was the relatively firmautocracy of the Tudors, who brought revolution out of earlier chaos.Gone, too, was the skillful hand of a Virgin Queen who held the statetogether with the guile of her father and grandfather. Edward Randolph speed up the process. Andros imposed sentences for resistance to taxation,resistance in local town meetings, chaos emerged in real estate titling -all were poor administration rather than battle over deep and basic issues. Leder and Michael G. 285.Bernard Bailyn, New England Merchants in the 17th Century(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1938), p. Internally, there were two predominant forces challengingeach other, the "pure" religious motives of the original colonization andthe growth of the mercantile class which in the main allied itself withEngland. It was Charles II who stiffened the backbone ofcolonial resistance by demanding absolute acknowledgement of hissovereignty. 36.Bailyn, p. Church membership wasnow removed as a requirement for voting, and the Colony became a civilrather than a Bible commonwealth. The Oxford History of the American People. In each colony, local grievances, internal disorder, threat ofimperial Catholicism, attacks by French and Indians, caused the Americansto throw their support to William of Orange, who himself declared hismovement was a "glorious revolution." But the glory in America was short-lived, and the main benefit appears to have been in its ultimate use as anexcuse to stage revolts of natural American origin. Endnotes BibliographyAndrews, Charles M. Charles I, (1625-1649), King ofEngland, was beset by problems that lead to the English Civil War, thestruggle with Parliament, the deadly struggle between Cavalier andRoundhead. In effect, theissue of religious toleration had been watered down since 1686 and the Actof Toleration of 1689 put an end to persecution as such. . Relationships were diffused fromthe beginning, unlike, for example, the direct charter from the Crown tothe Calvert family for the creation of Maryland. Objectively, it was like asituation where a viewer sw the inevitable crash but could not speak out tothe drivers. . Company and colony werecoexistent and synonymous until 1684 when the Stuart restoration of JamesII brought about a total withdrawal of the colony's and company's charter.After 166 the English had tightened imperial control to bring the coloniescloser to the Mother country for economic and military plans. To top all else, he brought war to the colonists in his fight(King William's War) against France that let loose the Indians upon all ofNew England. Themerchants operated under four fundamental ideas: to maintain the best ofconnections with important offices in England, to dominate the colonialcouncils, to control the English members of the colonial service, to createnew methods of financing their operations against the navigation laws andthe unfavorable balance of trade. Membership in the Church was no longer compulsory.Bishops were appointed and paid by the government. The granting of the new charter under William and Mary was in greatdegree the work of Increase Mather. provided that all such lawes, statutes and ordinances of what nature or duration soever, be within three months or sooner, after the making of the same, transmitted unto Us, under our Seal of New England, for our allowance or disapprobation of them . Also, the need for astrong and centrally controlled defense system against France became animportant reason for such a Dominion. Also, the violentpersecutions in the name of the Anglican church against English and Scotpuritans never came to America, not even after James II came to power. It did not settle the conflicts between England andMassachusetts, but merely delayed their inevitable clash. Furthermore, the administration of government came into thehands of king's men who sought allegiance not only for the king's sake butfor their own sake also. In Randolph the merchants had found aninstrument to balance their economic power with their social and economicconditions and power. Throughout their reign, there was growingopposition from the Separatists and the Puritans. He was responsible for the appointmentof Sir William Phips. At the same time, his policies resulted in stirring up muchbitterness among the freedmen and merchants of the new colony. It cannot be denied, however, that by thischarter of 1691 the Puritan colonies continued to remain outside the moreactive realm of British control and the colonists did follow their religionand Puritan ideals with a greater freedom than achieved in earlier times. Internalaffairs in England saw to this, plus the fact that Massachusetts, live thevictim of a modern cold war, was always troubled by fears arising from thelack of a real charter for self-government, a psychosis dating back to thecharter arrangements of 1628. New York: W. New England was ready to fight when Andros, mostprobably following the tacit orders of the Popish James II, established anAnglican Church in Boston. Kammen, ed.,The Glorious Revolution in America (New York: W. He had been ordered to proceed with haste: . The Colonies in Transition, 166 -1713.New York: Harper and Row, 1968.Cross, Arthur Lyon. TheNew England Confederation lost any effectiveness after 1664 and was neverrecognized by England and served only as a meeting place for debate andadvice. 116.Michael G. New York: Vantage Press, 1961.Wissler, Clark, Constance Lindsay Skinner, and William Wood. Soon, the presumed independence of the colonialgovernment lost all prestige. The Colonial Experience. New England. Not really beingborn to the throne, they were more concerned with holding its position thanperhaps the more rightful owners. W. As a result,the Dominion of New England had been created, a single governmental unitunder Governor Edmund Andros. Boston:Houghton-Mifflin, 1971.Black, Robert C., III. . The Glorious Revolution in America. The merchants worked in every way possible with their equalsin the home country and blocked reform measures that would provoke royalwrath: The desire to succeed in trade and live the full life of English merchant-gentlemen was stronger than any counterforce the clergy could exert.[iv] So strong was the mercantile force that it invoked the support of thecrown agent, Edward Randolph, to complain about the civil government: There is no notice taken of the Act of navigation, plantation, or any other lawes made in England for the regulation of trade. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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