This episode of Historical Context examines the brutal 1686 arrival of Sir Edmund Andros and the creation of the Dominion of New England, revealing how King James II installed a tyrannical royal government that systematically destroyed Puritan democracy, extorted colonists for the land they had secured, and silenced local town meetings under the threat of martial law. Click here for an 18-minute presentation posted on July 30, 2026 by Historical Context.

This episode of Historical Context focuses on the arrival of Sir Edmund Andros and the creation of the Dominion of New England. 

Commissioned by King James II, Andros was given sweeping, unprecedented powers over a massive new “super colony”, wielding the authority to make laws, levy taxes, and command all militias without a single elected assembly to check his power. 

For decades, the free men of New England had elected their own representatives to levy taxes and pass local laws. That democratic tradition was entirely wiped out by the King’s pen.