The Resistance Petitions of 1664-1665

Adrian Chastain Weimer

The new absolutist-leaning king Charles II seemed relatively distant until the summer of 1664 when he sent four royal commissioners on warships across the ocean. Would Massachusetts Bay colonists be able to keep their liberties, including the ability to elect their own leaders and write their own laws? In 1664 and 1665 an extraordinary number of colonists – from many walks of life – signed petitions to protest royal demands and to commit their lives and livelihoods to the defense of local institutions.