The 'Dominion of New England in America' (1686-1689) was a short-lived administrative union of
English colonies in the
New England region of
North America.
On
June 3,
1686, King
James II of England decreed the creation of the Dominion as a measure to enforce the
Navigation Acts and to coordinate the mutual defense of colonies against the
French and hostile
Native Americans. The Dominion initially comprised the
Colony of Massachusetts Bay, the
Colony of New Plymouth, the
Province of New Hampshire, the
Province of Maine, and the
Narraganset Country or King's Province. The
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the
Colony of Connecticut were added to the Dominion on
September 9,
1686. On
May 7,
1688, the
Province of New York, the
Province of East Jersey, and the
Province of West Jersey were added to the Dominion.
Although the New England colonists had previously sought a loose voluntary association in the
New England Confederation, the imposition of a centralized authority from England was highly unpopular. The actions of Dominion Governor in Chief
Edmund Andros in promoting the
Church of England, as well as the behaviors of English soldiers garrisoned at
Boston, greatly angered many Puritans and other colonists in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony and other colonies.
When word of the overthrow of James II by
William of Orange in the
Glorious Revolution of
1688 reached Boston, the colonists rose up in rebellion and arrested Governor in Chief
Edmund Andros on
May 18,
1689. The Dominion immediately collapsed.
The word dominion would later be used to describe the
Dominion of
Canada, and other self-governing British colonies.
Governors in Chief of the Dominion of New England in America
This is a list of the Governors in Chief of the Dominion of New England in America from 1686 to 1689:
When the Dominion disintegrated in 1689,
Simon Bradstreet served as Governor of Massachusetts Bay until
William Phips arrived as Royal Governor in 1692.
References
★
Alan Taylor, ''American Colonies: the Settling of North America'', part of ''The Penguin History of the United States'' series, Eric Foner, Editor, Penguin Books, 2001.
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''Dominion of New England 1686-1689'' from U-S-History.com