The Revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter is remembered in a conversation about colonial law as a decisive rupture between England and its North American colonies. The British government’s intervention in 1686—sending Governor Andros and withdrawing the charter—becomes evidence that imperial control could provoke the very estrangement it sought to prevent.

The Charter and the Crown’s Intervention

In a later discussion of colonial jurisdiction, George explains that the colonies were growing increasingly distant from England. He identifies 1686 as a sharp turning point: concerned that the colonies were becoming too independent and prosperous through their own efforts, the British government sent Governor Andros and revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter. The account links the measure to imperial anxiety about colonial autonomy and wealth.

Colonial Self-Government and Its Aftermath

Nicolaus emphasizes that the revocation came after two generations of colonial self-government and calls it a grave error. Removing Andros, he adds, did not repair the damage. The exchange therefore presents the episode not as a successful restoration of order, but as an intervention whose consequences outlasted the official’s removal.

A Pattern of Imperial Rule

Bernard responds by comparing the colonial experience under England with New France’s relationship to France. His comparison broadens the discussion beyond Massachusetts: distant governments make decisions affecting colonies while lacking local experience, and imperial policy can serve the interests of those in power rather than the people subject to it. The revocation thus functions in the novel as a historical precedent for colonial alienation, not merely a change in legal status.