Once Upon A Time In Connecticut | Page 4

he returned to
him a ring which the king's father, Charles the First, had given to
Winthrop's grandfather, and that the king was so pleased with this that
he was willing to sign the charter Winthrop asked for. Whether this is
true or not, the king did sign one of the most liberal charters granted to
any colony in America. It gave the Connecticut people power to elect
their own governor and to make their own laws. This is the famous
charter which is said to have been hidden later in the Charter Oak Tree.
Two copies were made of it, and one of these Governor Winthrop sent
home, September, 1662, in an odd-shaped, leather-covered box. This
box, which is lined with sheets from an old history of King Charles the
First and has a compartment at one side that once held the royal seal of
green wax attached to the charter, can be seen to-day in the rooms of
the Connecticut Historical Society.
When the people understood what a good charter they had received
they were greatly pleased. The record of the General Assembly for
October 9, 1662, says, "The Patent or Charter was this day publickly
read to the Freemen [that is, the voters] and declared to belong to them
and to their successors"; and October 29 was appointed a
"Thanksgiving Day particularly for the great success God hath given to
the endeavors of our Honored Governor in obtaining our Charter of His
Majesty our Sovereign." Samuel Wyllys, in front of whose home stood
the oak tree which was afterward to become known as the "Charter
Oak," was appointed one of the first keepers of the charter.
For about a quarter of a century the government of Connecticut was
carried on under the charter. Then King Charles the Second died, and
his brother, the Duke of York, became king. The advisers of the new

king, James the Second, wished to unite all the little scattered New
England colonies under one strong government which should be able to
resist not only Indian attacks, but also attacks from the French on the
north. So in 1686, James sent over Sir Edmund Andros, who had once
been Governor of New York, with a commission as Governor of the
Dominion of New England. It was the duty of Andros to take over the
separate governments of the different colonies and to demand the
surrender of their charters.
But the people of New England did not like the new policy. Each
colony wished to preserve its independence; each wished to be left
entirely free to manage its own affairs, yet each expected help from
England against its enemies. England, on the other hand, felt that the
isolation of these small colonies, their jealousy of one another and their
frequent quarrels, were a source of weakness, and that a single strong
government was necessary to preserve order, to encourage trade, and to
secure defense. The plan of union, however, as has been said, was
greatly disliked by the colonies, and Connecticut sent a petition to the
king praying that she might keep her privileges and her charter, and
meanwhile she put off submission to the new governor as long as
possible.
At last, however, Sir Edmund Andros wrote from Boston to Governor
Treat of Connecticut that he would be "at Hartford about the end of the
next week." This was on October 22, 1687. He left Boston on the 26th.
A record written at that time says, "His Excellency with sundry of the
Council, Justices and other gentlemen, four Blue Coats, two trumpeters,
15 or 20 Red Coats, with small Guns and short Lances in the tops of
them, set forth in order to go to Connecticut to assume the government
of that place." He reached Hartford on the 31st, having crossed the
Connecticut River by the ferry at Wethersfield. "The troop of horse of
that county conducted him honorably from the ferry through
Wethersfield up to Hartford, where the train-bands of divers towns
united to pay their respects at his coming" and to escort him to the
tavern.
Governor Andros had come from Norwich since morning, a forty-mile

ride over rough roads and across streams without bridges or ferries, and
it was late when he arrived. The fall days were short and probably
candles were already lighted in the court chamber where the Assembly
was in session. The Connecticut magistrates knew something of Sir
Edmund Andros. Twelve years before, while he was Governor of New
York, he had appeared at Saybrook and demanded the surrender of the
fort and town by order of the Duke of York who claimed part of
Connecticut under his patent. The claim was not made good, for
Captain Bull, who commanded at Saybrook, raised the king's colors
over the fort