Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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of a Now En i-land on these shores. Uo er Conant had already found- ed a colony at Cape Ann in 1624. A short time latei lie had moved to Naumkea , now Salem. John Endi- cott arrived at Salem in 1628 and was appointed governor. The set- tlement of Salem by the “Old Plant- ers” with Conant as leader and the coming of Endicott a few years lat- er made way for the historic migra- tion of John Winthrop in 1680. The organization of the company of the Massachusetts Bay was ac- complished by experienced states- men. John Winthrop was the mas- ter spirit of the company and en- joys the great honor of being the first governor chosen by the free- men of the colony. Associated with Winthrop were Thomas Dudley the deputy governor, Simon Bradstreet. and Sir Richard Saltonstall, men of honor, influence, and ability. The embarkation of Governor Winthrop and his company in 1680 started a great Puritan movement towards these shores. About one thousand people arrived in the Bay and at T lymouth in 1680. A few settle- ments had already been established within the limits of the Massachu- setts Bay, Salem being the largest. The fact that one in five died the first winter bears the mute testimo- nial of the hardships and suffering incident to settlement. Less than three years from the time the “Arbella” dropped anchor in Salem harbor John Winthrop, Jr. son of the governor, began the set- tlement of Ipswich. Under his lea- dership we trace from the begin- ning the importance of Ipswich in the affairs of the colony. Rev. Na- thaniel Ward was one of the early settlers of Ipswich, a graduate of Cambridge University, a lawyer in his early years, a friend of Sir Fran- cis Bacon, and by extensive travel and varied experiences fitted above all others for that great exposition of Puritan polity which he compiled at the request of the colony, a Mag- na Charta ' in the New England wilderness known as the “Body of Liberties.’’ Governor Francis Dud- ley removed to Ipswich in 1685. He was soon followed by Simon Brad- street, later a governor, and his wife Anne who was the first to write po- etry worthy of the name in the col- onies. There were others of dis- tinguished parts attracted to Ips- wich. Mention may be made of the Rev. John Norton, Deputy-Governor Simonds, Richard Saltonstall, and Samuel Appleton whose farm has passed down through successive generations for more than three hundred years. The influence of Ipswich in the affairs of the colony was second only to that of Boston. The ship “John” arrived at Bos- ton in 1688 bringing the Rev. Eze- kiel Rogers, one time rector of St. Peter’s Church at Rowley in old England. Rogers was graduated from Cambridge soon after the not- ed Ward of Ipswich, and was sus- pended from the ministry for non- confomity. With fifty-nine heads of families he settled the town of Rowley in the spring of 1689. The original grant of Rogers and his company extended from the ocean to the Merrimac river, where the city of Haverhill now stands. The first printing press in America came in the same vessel with Rogers and its first work was the printing of the Freemans’ Oath. The ancient records of Ipswich and Rowley dis- close the very lively concern of the early settlers over the establish- ment of Common Schools. The most celebrated teacher of the seven- teenth century, Ezekiel Cheever, 26

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handed down to us to-day. We see his rule of life and his splendid con- ception of the true happiness of life in the Latin inscription over his fire- place : “Sobrie, Juste, Pie” — Sobri- ety, Justice, and Piety. THE PURITAN AND THE PROGRESS OF LIBERTY Melvin Haley The source of English Puritanism is directly traced to John Wyclif and his followers of the fourteenth century. Wyclif was a professor at Oxford and the greatest scholar of his age. His translation of the Bible and tracts of religious doctrine commenced a revolt against reli- gious and political tyranny. A cen- tury later we find the work of Wy- clif ably carried on by the martyr, Hugh Latimer. The accession of Elizabeth found the Puritan movement growing into the very foundations of the national life. The transfer of the Naval su- premacy of the world was accom- plished through the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588. As- sisting in that memorable victory were the great Puritan sea rovers, Drake, Hawkins, Gilbert, and Cav- endish. The voyage of the May- flower and her successors without this victory might have received the same fate as that of the Hugenots in Florida a short time before. James I ascended the English throne in 1603, the first of the House of Stuart. He asserted the doctrine of divine right and constantly told Parliament it existed subject to his will. The privileges of Parliament are the very keystone in the long controversy of the English people with the House of Stuart. Charles I succeeded to the throne of his father. He had inherited his fath- er’s theories and attempted to rule without Parliament and to compel all to conform to the established church. The Puritans’ ideas re- specting the government resem- bled those respecting the govern- ment of the church. Puritan di- vines, for example, courted resis- tance to tyrants, both temporal and ecclesiastical. Under the direction of William Laud, arch-bishop of Canterbury, every group of non-con- formists was hunted and tracked down. A man’s house, supposed to be his castle, was not immune from this oppression. Charles I ruled without Parliament from 1629 - 1640, the period of the great Puri- tan migration to Massachusetts. The over throw of the English crown marked the ending of a long struggle against religious and poli- tical persecution. The people in this great movement found their champion in Oliver Cromwell. The moral and political issues involved were of world-wide importance. Of especial significance is the fate of those who espoused the cause of lib- erty on the continent of Europe. The victories of Cromwell at Mars- ton Moor and Naseby are prophetic landmarks. The study of English institutions in the following century gave rise to the works of Rousseau and Voltaire, and with it the French Revolution. The same year that Charles I be- gan to govern without a Parliament, he granted a charter to the Com- pany of Massachusetts Bay. Migra- tion to the New Woidd was the only escape from a condition that had i)ecome desperate for those early founders of oui Commonwealth. While some pi’efei’red to remain in England and i-esist to tlie last, others were willing to hazaixl their lives and fortunes in the establishment 25

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taught the grammar school in Ips- wich for more than ten years. Har- vard College was created by the General Court in 1636, “that the commonwealth may be furnished with knowing and understanding men, and the churches with an able ministry.” For nearly fifty years over half the graduates of Harvard entered the ministry. The confederacy of 1643 is an im- portant event in the history of New England. Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven united in a league to defend themselves against the Indians, the French, and the Dutch. For forty years this union lasted and its results may be seen in the North American Confed- eracy a century later and in the constitutional development of our country. With the restoration of the House of Stuart another cloud darkened the New England sky, the inevitable conflict with the Indians. In King Philip’s war twelve out of ninety towns were laid in ashes, six-hun- dred buildings destroyed, and one hundred thousand pounds of colo- nia] money expended. The histori- an of the Indian wars, the Rev. Wil- liam Hubbard of Ipswich, has left us the story of General Dennison, the commander-in-chief of the colo- nial forces, of Major Samuel Apple- ton who was especially active, and of Captain Brocklebank of Rowley who with his entire command was drawn into ambush at Sudbury and killed in the last real fight of the war. The appointment of Sir Edmund Andros as governor of all the colon- ies and his arrival at Boston were the scenes of great consternation. He suspended charters, assumed legislative powers, and levied taxes. His actions brought open insurrec- itons and ended only with the Rev- olution in England and the acces- sion of William and Mary to the throne. William Phipps, a native of New England, was inaugurated first governor under the new char- ter. In later years his nephew, Spencer Phipps, who was born in Rowley became governor. Someone has said, “The progress of liberty is like the advance of a tide. When its highest wave is reached it breaks and falls away, and appears to have spent itself, but the never changing ocean keeps what it gains, renews it strength, and advances once more.” The great day of the Puritans who settled America was followed by the rule of Charles H, a pension- er of France, and James 11. But the principles of Cromwell came to the front with William and Mary. This reign gave way to the corrup- tion of the House of Hanover, but liberty triumphed through the voice of Pitt and the victory of Wolfe at Quebec. Pitt in turn gave way to North and the despots of the Stamp Act Hiid the loss of the colonies. But liberty v as not dead nor sleeping in the suhsenuent triumph of the Re- form Bill, the rights of juries, and Ca th ol ic Email ci pati on . It has been the same in our coun- try. The period following the Rev- olution brought the season of brok- en trusts, divided counsels, and na- tional weakness. But in all history mankind has not been free from er- rors and any nation however intelli- gent has not been exempt. There is as little in the annals of our his- tory that needs an apology as there is in those of any people of recorded times. IJbertv from the outset was sacred Iv cherished as the greatest of all blessings, popular rights were 27