Colonial North America Show
The second, larger Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay was conceived as a "city upon a hill." But it also struggled with internal turmoil—like the Salem Witch Trials—and external conflict, like King Philip's (Metacom's) War. Colonial North America11/24/2015
These Separatists (later referred to as Pilgrims) had obtained permission from the King of England to settle on land further south in America. When they decided to remain where they landed in Massachusetts, they had to request permission (known as a patent) to settle there. With the need to maintain order while they waited for this new patent, the male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact on November 11, 1620. The Pilgrims pledged themselves into a “civil body politick for our better ordering and preservation … and by virtue hereof, do enact, constitute and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and officers from time to time as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony into which we promise all due submission and obedience.” Thus, the Mayflower Compact was an agreement that bound the signers to obey the government and legal system established in Plymouth Colony. The Mayflower Compact remained in effect until Plymouth Colony became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Although the original Mayflower Compact no longer exists, there are three early copies with slightly different wording. The first version was printed in a booklet written by Edward Winslow in 1622 entitled “Mourt’s Relations.” The second version was published in William Bradford’s journal “Of Plimoth Plantation” in 1646. The third version by Nathaniel Morton in 1669 contained the names of 41 men who may have signed the Mayflower Compact.  Written By: Louise Hoagland
Table of ContentsMayflower Compact: Agreement Between the Settlers at New Plymouth, 1620. An agreement drawn up by the Plymouth colonists in which the signers agreed to pledge allegiance to the King of England, govern the
settlement by majority rule, allow every freeman the equal right of participation in the colony's government, and elect a governor annually. Charter of New England, 1620. Charter of the Colony of New Plymouth Granted to William Bradford and His Associates, 1629. Charter of Massachusetts Bay, 1629. Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1630-1692. Act of Surrender of the Great Charter of New England to His Majesty, 1635. Surrender of the Patent of Plymouth Colony to the Freeman, 1640. Massachusetts Body of Liberties, 1641. "The Body of Liberties, a document originally published in 1641, is the first legal code established by European colonists in New England and was composed of a list of liberties, rather than restrictions, and intended for use as guidance for the General Court of the time. This document is considered by many as the precursor to the General Laws of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Constitution. It incorporates rights that were later judged to be ahead of their time, with some of these rights eventually appearing in the Bill of Rights. Scholars do not agree as to whether these liberties were ever adopted, adopted provisionally or approved of by the General Court. On October 27, 1648, the General Court of Massachusetts would take what began as the Body of Liberties and create the first printed laws in The Book of the General Lawes and Libertyes Concerning the Inhabitants of Massachusetts which would serve as the model for statutory law in Massachusetts and other New England colonies." The Book of the General Lawes and Libertyes Concerning the Inhabitants of the Massachusets (Selections), 1648. This is not the whole book, but does contain most topics of general interest, such as capital crimes, laws concerning strangers, Anabaptists and Jesuits and more. Penalty for Keeping Christmas, 1659. Law that banned the celebration of Christmas. Commission of Sir Edmund Andros for the Dominion of New England, 1688. Charter of Massachusetts Bay, 1691. This charter expanded the original colony of Massachusetts Bay and provided for the Governor's appointment by the Crown rather than election, and at the same time broadened the Governor's powers. Explanatory Charter of Massachusetts Bay, 1725. Historical Codes 1836-1932
What type of government did the Massachusetts colony have?Answer and Explanation: The Massachusetts colony operated originally under a theocratic form of government where land ownership was limited to professing the Puritan faith. It started in 1628 when a group of Puritans settled in the New World to practice their religion.
What was the government like in Massachusetts in the 1600s?Next, in 1630, the Puritans used the royal charter establishing the Massachusetts Bay Company to create a government in which “freemen”—white males who owned property and paid taxes and thus could take on the responsibility of governing—elected a governor and a single legislative body called the Great and General Court ...
Was Massachusetts a democracy in the 1600s?IN THE 1630S, ENGLISH PURITANS IN MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY CRE- ATED A SELF-GOVERNMENT THAT WENT FAR BEYOND WHAT EXISTED IN ENGLAND. SOME HISTORIANS ARGUE THAT IT WAS A RELIGIOUS GOVERNMENT, OR THEOCRACY. OTHERS CLAIM IT WAS A DEMOCRACY.
What kind of government did the Puritans of Massachusetts set up?The Puritans established a theocratic government with the franchise limited to church members.
|
