Thomas Danforth
Thomas Danforth | |
---|---|
William Stoughton (as deputy president of the Dominion of New England) | |
In office 1689–1692 | |
Preceded by | Francis Nicholson (as lieutenant governor of the Dominion of New England) |
Succeeded by | William Stoughton (as lieutenant governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay) |
Personal details | |
Born | bapt. November 20, 1623 Framlingham, Suffolk, England |
Died | November 5, 1699 (aged 76) Province of Massachusetts Bay |
Profession | Magistrate |
Signature | |
Thomas Danforth (baptized November 20, 1623 – November 5, 1699) was a politician, magistrate, and landowner in the
He accumulated land in the central part of the colony that eventually became a portion of Framingham, Massachusetts. His government roles included administration of territory in present-day Maine that was purchased by the colony.
Danforth was a magistrate and leading figure in the colony at the time of the
Early life
Thomas Danforth was born in Framlingham, Suffolk, England, and baptized on November 20, 1623.[2] He was the eldest son of Nicholas Danforth (1589–1638) and Elizabeth Symmes (1596–1629).[3] Danforth immigrated with his father, brothers Samuel and Jonathan, and sisters Anna, Elizabeth, and Lydia to New England in 1634, probably aboard the Griffin.[4]
The family, along with the 200 or so other passengers aboard, left England to escape persecution for their
Public service
Soon after his arrival in the
He was appointed Treasurer of Harvard College in its charter of 1650, and served as a steward of the college from 1669 to 1682.[2] From 1659 he sat on the colony's council of assistants, and was elected deputy governor in 1679.[3] In 1665 Danforth was member of a commission that oversaw the extension of Massachusetts colonial authority over the territories of what is now southern Maine,[7] which colonial surveyors had determined to fall within its borders.[8]
Danforth's politics and religion were relatively conservative, with one historian describing him as "the Pym of Massachusetts politics".[9] In 1661 the colony was rebuked by King Charles II for its mistreatment of Quakers; the colonial government had banned Quakers from its territory under threat of death, and four of them had recently been hanged after repeatedly violating the ban. The king in his letter demanded that the colony allow Quakers and others freedom of religious expression.[10]
Danforth was one member of a committee that was established to formulate a response. The document the committee drafted was a conservative declaration that the colonial government was essentially sovereign except where its laws conflicted with English law. (By the time the king's letter arrived the colonial government had already lessened the harsh punishments for violating bans.)
When King Philip's War broke out in 1675 (pitting many Native American tribes of southern New England against English colonists), Danforth was involved in some of the events of the war. Many colonists distrusted the Praying Indians (Christianized Indians living peacefully in communities on the outskirts of English towns), some of whom were attacked by mobs of English settlers seeking revenge for attacks on their communities. Danforth, along with Daniel Gookin and the Indian missionary Reverend John Eliot, was a vocal supporter of the Praying Indians, and worked to prevent some of these excesses, at some personal risk.[13] In one notable instance Danforth was aboard a small boat with other colonial officials in Boston Harbor en route to Long Island to inspect facilities for Praying Indians who had been relocated there "for their own safety" when a nearby ship apparently intentionally rammed the smaller vessel. No one was injured in the incident, but all of the older officials were dunked in the cold waters of the harbor.[14]
In 1680 Danforth was chosen president in the District of Maine by the Massachusetts assembly. The colony had previously governed this territory (roughly the land between the
Throughout the 1670s, the Massachusetts leadership steadfastly refused to make changes to its administration that were demanded by King Charles.[17] At the instigation of agent Edward Randolph, Charles made increasingly specific demands concerning freedom of religion and adherence to colonial trade regulations known as the Navigation Acts, and prepared to issue a quo warranto writ to demand the return of the colonial charter. Danforth was one of the leading opponents to making any accommodation to the king's demands.[18]
The issue reached a peak in the 1684 election, in which Danforth stood for election as governor representing the hardline party. He was narrowly defeated by the more conciliatory Simon Bradstreet, but retained the post of deputy governor.[19][20] The colony's attempts at moderation were in vain—the charter was formally annulled on June 18, 1684.[21]
In 1686 King James II established the Dominion of New England as a new colonial entity to govern all of New England. He appointed Massachusetts native Joseph Dudley as its first governor; he was replaced later that year by Sir Edmund Andros. Both Dudley and Andros excluded Danforth from their councils, given his opposition to crown authority. The dominion reign, which did not include an elected assembly, was extremely unpopular in Massachusetts for a variety of reasons. When the Glorious Revolution deposed James, Massachusetts Puritan leaders orchestrated an uprising and arrested Andros, Dudley, and other dominion officials. In the period between the dominion's collapse and the establishment of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1692, the old colonial government was temporarily reestablished, and Danforth resumed his offices.[20]
Salem trials
In 1692, Danforth was acting governor during the early months of the witch hysteria in
After the Court of Oyer and Terminer stopped sitting, a new
In the beginning of 1693, Danforth participated in Superior Court sessions overseen by Stoughton, which heard witchcraft cases. However, these sessions no longer considered spectral evidence as valid. When Stoughton temporarily removed himself to protest Governor Phips' ban on spectral evidence and other related reforms, Danforth sometimes presided over the court.
Danforth was known to be sympathetic to the plight of individuals accused, relocating some of them to his lands west of Boston in Framingham.[26]
Family and property
Danforth married Mary Withington in 1644.[3] The couple had 12 children, but half of these died before the age of three. Danforth was survived by only three of the others.[29] Danforth died in Cambridge on November 5, 1699.[30] During his lifetime, Danforth owned an enslaved man named Philip Ffeild.[31]
In 1662 Danforth began to acquire land to the west of Boston by way of land grants by the
Danforth, Maine is named in his honor.[37] The Danforth Art Museum, founded in 1975, is located in Framingham.[38]
Legacy
Danforth Street, in Portland, Maine, is now named for him.[39]
Fictional character in The Crucible
In
In an introduction to the play, Miller wrote that he had combined several persons and made other changes to the historical characters for dramatic purposes.[43]
Miller also wrote the screenplay for the 1996 film version of the play, in which the name Danforth was retained (portrayed by actor Paul Scofield) as the principal judicial antagonist.[44] In the 1957 film adaptation of the play, whose screenplay was written by Jean-Paul Sartre, Danforth (portrayed by Raymond Rouleau, who also directed the picture) is portrayed the same way.[45]
Citations
- ^ Burr, George Lincoln Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706, p. 184, at Google Books
- ^ a b May, p. 18
- ^ a b c d e Parr and Swope, p. 30
- ^ May, p. vii
- ^ Labaree, pp. 17–19
- ^ May, pp. x–xi
- ^ Martin, p. 16
- ^ Mayo, pp. 225–226
- ^ Doyle, p. 134
- ^ Doyle, pp. 108–109, 134
- ^ Doyle, pp. 134–135
- ^ Doyle, p. 136
- ^ Pulsipher, pp. 147–149
- ^ Pulsipher, pp. 147, 154–155
- ^ York Deeds, p. 9
- ^ Martin, p. 17
- ^ Adams (2001), pp. 377–386
- ^ Adams (2001), pp. 391–394
- ^ Doyle, p. 222
- ^ a b Harris, p. 316
- ^ Adams (1886), p. 212
- ^ Woodward, Records of Salem Witchcraft, Copied from the Original Documents, 1864
- ^ "Records of Salem Witchcraft: Copied from the Original Documents ..." Priv. print. for W.E. Woodward. December 25, 1864 – via Google Books.
- ^ Burr, George Lincoln Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706 at Google Books
- ^ Burr, George Lincoln Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706, p. 184, at Google Books
- ^ Parr and Swope, p. 38
- ^ "House tied to Salem witch trials rises from near-ruin". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. 31 Oct 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Family retraces Salem connection". The Boston Globe. 13 December 1992. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ May, pp. 19–23
- ^ Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1888). "Danforth, Thomas". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ https://radcliffe-harvard-edu-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/3d37f30c-a266-4be8-bd4b-234dca08497f/AppendixI-ListofHumanBeingsEnslavedbyProminentHarvardAffiliates.pdf Archived 2022-05-09 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
- ^ p.92 In: Temple, J.H. (1887). History of Framingham, Massachusetts, Early Known as Danforth's Farms 1640-1880. Town of Framingham. 794pp. pdf
- ^ Parr and Swope, p. 39
- ^ Hurd, p. 614
- ^ Parr and Swope, p. 40
- ^ "Student Walks Away With Grand Prize". framingham.com. 1997-06-15. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ^ "History of Danforth, Maine". Town of Danforth, Maine. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ^ "About the Danforth Museum". Danforth Museum. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ^ The Origins of the Street Names of the City of Portland, Maine as of 1995 – Norm and Althea Green, Portland Public Library (1995)
- ^ Bloom, p. 72
- ^ Abbotson, p. 119
- ^ Bloom, p. 60
- ^ Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible" (PDF). Cynthia Sinsap's American Literature blog.
- ^ Abbotson, pp. 127–128
- ^ Bloom, pp. 65, 191–93
Bibliography
- Abbotson, Susa n (2007). Critical Companion to Arthur Miller. New York: Facts on File. OCLC 234190813.
- Adams, Brooks (1886). The Emancipation of Massachusetts. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin. OCLC 1015603.
- Adams, James Truslow (2001) [1921]. The Founding of New England. Safety Harbor, FL: Simon Publications. OCLC 51579404.
- ISBN 978-0-7910-9828-8.
- Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1888). "Danforth, Thomas". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- Doyle, John Andrew (1889). English Colonies in America. New York: Henry Holt. OCLC 2453886.
- Drake, Samuel Gardner (1856). The history & antiquities of Boston : from its settlement in 1630, to the year 1770. Boston : Luther Stevens.
- Harris, William Thaddeus (1853). "Notes on the Danforth Family". New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
- Hill, Frances (2000). The Salem Witch Trials Reader. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. OCLC 247412768.
- Hurd, Duane (1890). History of Middlesex County, Volume 2. Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & Co. OCLC 2155461.
- Labaree, Benjamin (1979). Colonial Massachusetts: a History. Millwood, NY: KTO Press. OCLC 248194957.
- Martin, John Frederick (1991). Profits in the Wilderness: Entrepreneurship and the Founding of New England Towns in the Seventeenth Century. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. OCLC 231347624.
- May, John Joseph (1902). Danforth Genealogy. Boston, MA: Charles Pope. OCLC 1668736.
- Mayo, Lawrence Shaw (1936). John Endecott. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. OCLC 1601746.
- Parr, James; Swope, Kevin (2009). Framingham Legends & Lore. Charleston, SC: History Press. OCLC 259754352.
- Pulsipher, Jenny Hale (2007). Subjects Unto The Same King: Indians, English, and the Contest for Authority in Colonial New England. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. OCLC 123500885.
- York Deeds, Volume 3. Portland, ME: Maine Historical Society. 1888. OCLC 17914452.
External links
- Original Harvard Charter of 1650 listing Thomas Danforth as Treasurer Archived 2011-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Framingham, Massachusetts History website
- Framlingham UK website with a large section on the Danforths and Framingham Massachusetts
- Thompson Cooper (1888). Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 14. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In