Title: Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
Headings: Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
Massachusetts Bay Colony History:
Why Was the Charter Unique?
Why Was the Charter Revoked?
What Happened After the Charter Was Revoked?

Content: Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
Rebecca Beatrice Brooks January 4, 2020
December 19, 2020
No Comments
on Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter of 1629
The Massachusetts Bay Colony charter of 1629 was a royal document that gave the Massachusetts Bay Company permission by the English crown to establish a colony in New England. The charter was granted by King Charles I on March 4, 1629. A charter is a document that gives certain rights to a colony, town/city, university or institution. The colony’s charter defined the type of government the colony would have, spelled out the rules the colony must follow and also identified the boundaries of the colony’s territory. The charter dictated that the colony’s territory consisted of the area of New England “which lies and extends between a great river there, commonly called Monomack river, alias Merrimack river, and a certain other river there, called Charles river, being in the bottom of a certain bay there, commonly called Massachusetts, alias Massachusetts Bay…” as well as the area within three miles south of the Charles river, the area within three miles of the southern most point of Massachusetts Bay, as well as the area within three miles north of the Merrimack river. Massachusetts Bay Colony charter of 1629
The charter of 1629 established the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a charter colony rather than a royal colony or a proprietary colony. This meant that the administration of the colony would be elected by the colonists and the colony would primarily be allowed to self-govern, as long as its laws aligned with those of England. Massachusetts Bay Colony History: Report this Ad
The charter also required that the colony share a portion of some of the resources harvested from the region, such as any gold, silver or minerals, and pay customs on goods exported out of the colony. Why Was the Charter Unique?