October 31, 1687 (LPAC)-- Under Sir Edmund Andros’ regime (The new royal governor for New York), the council for the Dominion of New England was empowered to impose any taxes they wished, and the old English Puritan cry of “no taxation without representation” was raised, leading to the imprisonment of a number of Massachusetts Puritans. To establish Episcopalian supremacy in the colony, the Andros regime proposed to tax Congregational churches to support this Anglican suppression, and warned of dire consequences for any man who gave the value of two pence to maintain a Puritan minister. The new government ended any political restrictions for failure to meet a religious test, but denied the right to vote to all Congregational church members, the political core of the Massachusetts commonwealth. The basic institution of its local government, the town meeting, was eliminated, except for one ceremonial meeting a year, with no power to govern local affairs. Massachusetts’ republican system of law was overturned, by ending the printing of statutes and leaving the colony under the arbitrary will of the crown.
During earlier this year, Andros also moved to enforce the quo warranto against Connecticut, sending the legislature four demands that it submit. The legislature temporized, but on October 18, Andros received orders from London to annex Connecticut, and went to Hartford and seized the government. He demanded the surrender of John Winthrop, Jr.’s Connecticut Charter, and on today, October 31—Halloween Night—it was placed before him at a meeting with Hartford’s leaders. But physical possession of the document eluded him. The candles in the room mysteriously blew out, and by the time light was restored, the document had been spirited away.
Stay tuned to find out what happened to the Charter.
