BETWEEN ROYAL GOVERNORS AND THEIR ASSEMBLIES IN THE NORTHERN AMERICAN COLONIES A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Philosophy of the Catholic University of REV. JOHN F. BURNS, O. S. A. OF THE PROVINCE OF ST. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA VILLANOVA, PA. 1923 This venture into the "forgotten half century" of our history has been undertaken in the hope of bringing into more distinct relief the origins of the gradually increasing political divergence between England and British North America, through investigation of the relations between colonial royal Governors and representative Assemblies. Adequate treatment in the space of one volume is impossible. This study therefore confines its investigations to the northern royal colonies; that is, to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The fact of disturbed relations with the King's representatives is already well known. The present writer's purpose has therefore been to show in some detail the content, progress, and solution of the more important disputes, in order to determine therefrom the extent of their influence on the final conflict for complete independence of English political control. The period covered may be described in general as that between the English Revolution of 1688 and the American Revolution of 1775-1783. In particular the treatment of each colony commences with the earliest provisions for a representative Assembly and royal Governor. The chief sources have been the Assembly Journals, the correspondence between Governors and the home authorities, local histories, and biographies. In the case of New Jersey, where earlier investigators have written admirable and detailed histories based wholly upon primary sources, and covering in large measure the scope of this work, reliance has been placed on these accepted secondary authorities. To Professors Charles H. McCarthy, Ph.D., and Richard J. Purcell, Ph.D., of the Catholic University of America, to Mr. John H. Edmonds, State Archivist of Massachusetts, to Mr. Albert Matthews, A.B., editor of the Colonial Society, as well as to courteous officials in the libraries of the Massachusetts Historical Society, of Harvard College, and of Congress, the author wishes to express his sincere appreciation for scholarly direction and kindly encouragement. Nor can he close without an expression of gratitude for the training in method, acquired in the classes of the Reverend Doctors Patrick McCormick, Peter Guilday, and Patrick Healy, in the history of education and in church history. JOHN F. BURNS, O. S. A. VILLANOVA, PENNA., June, 1923. |