Early government of Dedham, Massachusetts facts for kids

The early government of Dedham, Massachusetts describes how the town of Dedham was run from its start in 1636 until the early 1700s. It was a unique system, sometimes called a "peculiar oligarchy" (meaning a few people had most of the power) and sometimes a "most peculiar democracy" (meaning many people could participate). Most free men could join the Town Meeting, but they also created a group called the Board of Selectmen. Power often shifted between these two groups.

How Dedham Started

The first settlers who wanted to create Dedham met on August 18, 1636, in Watertown. By September 5, 1636, 25 people were ready to move to the new community. But by November 25, not many had actually moved. So, the settlers voted that everyone had to move to Dedham permanently by November 1 of the next year, or they would lose their land. A few young men, like Nicholas Phillips and Ezekiel Holliman, spent that first winter there.

The very first town meeting held in Dedham was on March 23, 1637. Most of the landowners were there, which suggests that many had already moved to Dedham by then.

For the first 50 years, Dedham had a very stable and peaceful government. The town often elected a group of wealthy and experienced friends as Selectmen and trusted their decisions. They also had a rule in their agreement (called the Covenant) that disagreements should be solved by talking it out, which helped keep things peaceful. Instead of a system of checks and balances (where different parts of government limit each other), people mostly agreed to control themselves.

Because of its special rules, Dedham was seen as both "a peculiar oligarchy" (where only a few men were chosen for important jobs) and "a most peculiar democracy" (because the rules for who could vote changed often, sometimes allowing more people to vote, sometimes fewer).

The Dedham Covenant

Even though the first settlers had to follow the main laws of the colony, they had a lot of freedom to set up their own local government. The first public meeting for the new settlement was on August 18, 1636. Eighteen men were there, and they signed the town's special agreement, called the Covenant. These men came from different backgrounds, like farmers, wool workers, and butchers. Many of them barely knew each other. Eventually, 125 men would sign this important document.

The Covenant explained what kind of community they wanted to build and how they would do it. It said that everyone who joined the town had to sign it. By signing, they promised to follow its rules forever. They swore to "profess and practice one truth" and live with "everlasting love."

They also agreed to "keep off from us all such as are contrary minded" and only welcome people who were "of one heart with us" and lived peacefully. This meant they wanted people who shared their values. However, it was not a theocracy (a government ruled by religious leaders). Colonial law actually stopped clergy (church leaders) from holding civil jobs. So, the church and the town government were mostly separate.

Before a man could join the community, he had to go through a public interview to see if he was suitable. Every person who signed the Covenant had to share what they knew about the other men. If someone was caught lying, they would be immediately kicked out of town.

They worked hard to solve disagreements before they became big problems. The Covenant also said that any disputes would be settled by one to four other town members. They avoided going to court and instead used this system of talking things out. This system worked so well that they rarely needed courts. The same method was even used to solve problems with other towns.

Once a decision was made, everyone was expected to follow it without further argument. For the first 50 years of Dedham's history, there were no long-lasting arguments, which was common in other towns. They also agreed to pay their fair share for things that benefited everyone.

Town Meeting

The town meeting was the main way local decisions were made. The founders of Dedham met to talk about their new community even before the colony's main government had set up rules for towns. Early meetings were informal, and likely all men in town could join. Attending these meetings was seen as very important for the community.

Even when it didn't use all its powers, the town meeting had almost unlimited authority. The town meeting:

• Created rules for taxes and how land was shared.
• Bought land for the town to use.
• Decided how many trees each family could cut from the swamp.
• Even decided which families could cover their houses with wooden boards.

The men at these meetings worked out the big ideas for how they would live and also decided on the smallest details of their lives. The choices they made affected their children and grandchildren.

Just like the selectmen, the town meeting made local laws, set up special committees, and granted small favors to people. It was usually the meeting that voted to accept new residents and appointed lower officials. Votes were generally not written down, and decisions were made by everyone agreeing.

Often, even after meetings were planned, many townsmen would arrive late. Those who arrived on time "wasted much time." To stop people from being late, the town set fines in 1636. If you were more than half an hour late after the "beating of the drum," you paid one shilling. If you didn't show up at all, you paid two shillings and sixpence. In 1637, these fines increased.

The wealthier a voter was, the more likely he was to attend the meeting. However, even though only 58 men could come to the Dedham town meeting and make decisions, and even though these decisions were very important, only about 74% of those eligible actually showed up at a typical meeting between 1636 and 1644. This was true even though everyone had to live within one mile of the meeting place, and there were fines for being absent or late.

Who Could Vote?

A colony law said that all voters had to be church members until 1647, though this rule might not have always been followed. Even if it was, about 70% of the men in town would have been able to vote. The law changed in 1647, and in Dedham, it meant all men over 24 could vote.

The colony added a new rule in 1658: a man had to own taxable property worth at least 20 pounds. This amount increased to 80 pounds in 1670. The 1658 rule reduced the number of voters from 91 to 83. The 1670 increase had a grandfather clause, which meant anyone who could already vote could keep their right to vote. However, new men might have to wait until they were 40 years old to own enough property to vote.

From 1648 to 1670, between 60% and 90% of men had the right to vote. By 1686, only 25% of taxpayers owned property worth 80 pounds. So, with those who were "grandfathered in," only about 50% of men could vote. In 1691, the property requirement was lowered back to 20 pounds, which increased the percentage of eligible voters from 40% to 70%.

In elections for the colony's main government, only church members could vote. This limited the number of men who could vote to about 50% in 1662, and that number continued to drop. While Dedham and Massachusetts society were similar to England in many ways, more people could vote in the colony than in England. Also, local elected officials had more power. No matter if they could vote or not, records show that all men could attend and speak at meetings.

However, you had to be present to vote. Some landowners never moved to Dedham, so they gave up their say in how the town was run. Others simply chose not to attend. For example, Ezekiel Holliman felt he had been treated unfairly by the town, so he boycotted meetings before selling his land and leaving in 1637.

The Selectmen

The whole town used to gather regularly to handle public business. But they found that "the general meeting of so many men... has wasted much time." So, on May 3, 1639, seven selectmen were chosen "by general consent." They were given "full power to contrive, execute and perform all the business and affairs of this whole town." This first board was set up just a month after the church leaders were chosen.

Even though John Allin, the minister, couldn't be elected, the chosen selectmen were clearly very close to him. Four of them were founding members of the church. Others had strong connections to him or had served in similar roles before.

The leaders they chose were "men of proven ability" who shared the same goals as their neighbors. They were given "great authority." Other towns in the colony soon saw how useful it was to have selectmen manage town affairs. After the main colonial government approved it, almost all towns started choosing their own selectmen.

Soon, the selectmen had "almost complete control over every aspect of local administration." They met about 10 times a year for official sessions and more often in smaller groups. When the Massachusetts Body of Liberties (a set of laws) was adopted, it officially recognized boards of selectmen. This gave them even more powers, like planning roads, overseeing education, and keeping social order.

They also acted like a court, deciding who had broken local rules and giving out fines. Almost all townsmen would have to appear before them at some point to ask for land swaps, permission to cut firewood, or other requests. In 1652, they became responsible for the town's school and kept that role until 1789.

In theory, the selectmen shared the power to appoint people to jobs with the Town Meeting. But the selectmen often took the lead. As the selectmen became more active, the Town Meeting became "essentially passive." It didn't often start new ideas, and its power to reject decisions was rarely used. It was the selectmen who called for Town Meetings, and they usually called very few. The board also prepared the meeting's agenda, which gave them control over what was discussed.

The selectmen wrote most of the town's laws and collected taxes from their fellow townsmen. They could also approve spending money. The selectmen were even in charge of deciding where people sat in the meetinghouse (the main building for town and church gatherings). When difficult problems came up, the selectmen would often create a special committee to investigate and report back.

If a man served three terms and the community was happy with his work, he usually stayed on the board for many more years. In 1671, the board had a total of 100 years of combined experience among its members. In the early years, about one out of three men would serve as a selectman at some point. But by 1736, fewer than one in six would.

Who Were the Selectmen?

Selectmen were "the most powerful men in town." They were usually older, wealthy, and often church members. While you didn't have to be rich to serve, it definitely helped your chances of being elected. Even the wealthiest selectmen lived lifestyles that were quite similar to those with less money, as there wasn't a huge difference in wealth back then. Throughout the 1600s, selectmen, especially those who served for 10 or 20 years, owned much more land than the average citizen. Selectmen from 1640 to 1740 were almost always among the wealthiest 20% of the town. In any given year, most of the board members were among the richest 10%.

Men who were not church members were still allowed to hold town office. However, since many people joined the church, townsmen might have expected them to become members soon enough. Still, a large majority of those who served were church members.

The men chosen to serve were often re-elected for many one-year terms. Between 1637 and 1639, 43 different men were chosen as selectmen. On average, they served eight terms each. During that time, 10 men served an average of 20 terms each. These 10 men made up only 5% of the population but held 60% of the seats on the Board. Another 15 men served an average of 10 terms each, filling 30% of the seats. These 15 usually left office only if they died early or moved away. If a man served more than three terms, he could usually expect to return for many more.

The duties of the office could take up to a third of their time during busy seasons. They served without pay and often moved up from lower town jobs. In return, they gained "immense prestige" and were often chosen for other high positions. During the 1600s, the selectmen were like an "artificial aristocracy." This means their high status came from being leaders of a community that aimed for an ideal society, not just because they were extremely rich.

The 1669 Election

On January 4, 1669, the town met to elect selectmen. At the end of the meeting, Peter Woodward was announced as one of the winners. However, many supporters of Anthony Fisher claimed there was cheating. Woodward refused to serve until the problem was solved. The town met again on January 8 and voted by secret ballot. This time, Fisher was elected.

Town Meeting and Selectmen: Who Had the Power?

The Early Years

While the Town Meeting soon appointed selectmen to handle most of the town's business, it was the meeting that created the Board. The Meeting could also easily get rid of it. However, the Meeting's "theoretical powers were for the most part symbolic." This means their powers looked good on paper, but they didn't often use them.

After the Board of Selectmen was created, meetings were usually called only twice a year. They generally stuck to the agenda that the selectmen prepared. In fact, the Meeting would often send issues to the Selectmen to deal with or to "prepare and ripen the answer" to a difficult question. The Town Meeting typically handled only routine business, like electing officials or setting the minister's salary, and left other tasks to the selectmen.

Even though the Meeting gave "full power" to the Selectmen when they were first set up, the Meeting sometimes voted to confirm, deny, or change those powers. The Meeting would occasionally vote on the Selectmen's actions, approving or disapproving them. However, they never completely overturned a major decision made by the board. In practice, the Meeting acted like a way to stop the selectmen's power, but rarely did. In terms of making laws, appointing people, managing money, acting as a court, and running the town, the selectmen were usually more powerful than the Town Meeting.

In 1660, the Meeting voted against giving the current Selectmen the same powers as the previous board. To show their strong disapproval, they then voted the entire Board out of office. This was the only time all seven selectmen were voted out. After Edmund Andros was removed as governor of the Dominion of New England on April 18, 1689 (after news that James II of England was overthrown), the people of Dedham rejected every selectman who had served during Andros's rule. Of the eight men who served from 1687 to 1689, only one was ever elected back to the board, and he only served for one year. Five new men, who supported the 1689 Boston revolt and had only two years of combined experience on the board, replaced those who had a total of 50 years of service.

Town Meeting Takes Back Control

In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Town Meeting started to take more control. Fewer decisions were left only to the selectmen. Over 30 to 40 years, small changes brought the power back to the meeting and away from the board. This brought back a balance of power between the two groups, which was supposed to exist all along, but had been leaning towards the selectmen.

One important way they did this was by calling more meetings. In the first 50 years, town meetings were held about twice a year. But by 1700, they were held four or five times each year. The agenda also got longer and included an open item that allowed them to discuss anything they wanted, not just the topics the selectmen put on the warrant (the official notice for the meeting).

The Town Meeting also took more control over money. It started appointing a treasurer, constables (local officers), and assessors (who decide property values). It also approved every tax that was collected. The Meeting also looked much more closely at the money the board asked for and received. Starting in 1726, the Town Meeting also began appointing a committee to check the town's finances every year.

Following a practice that started sometimes in 1690, the Town Meeting also regularly began electing a moderator after 1715 to lead the meetings. Around the same time, the Town Meeting started appointing officials to handle duties that the selectmen used to do. The Town Meeting also began writing and adopting local laws, taking back a practice that had long been left to the selectmen.

By taking on small tasks, like granting favors to residents, and large ones, like deciding to make the meetinghouse bigger, the town meeting showed it had less confidence in its leaders. It also became more likely after 1658 for current selectmen to be voted out and for new men to be elected. Despite this, selectmen were still respected in the community and still came from the wealthier residents. This was partly because they needed to have enough free time to do the job.

The Board of Selectmen was originally created to take some of the work off the Town Meeting. But now, the meeting was taking on more work itself. To solve this, they started creating ad hoc committees (special committees for specific issues) to investigate and solve problems. The number of selectmen was also reduced from seven to five during this time.

Town Clerks

The first Town Clerk (the person who keeps official records) was elected on May 17, 1639.

Dedham's Representatives in the General Court

For 45 of Dedham's first 50 years, one of the 10 selectmen who served most often also served in the "General Court." The General Court was the main governing body of the Massachusetts colony. Each town sent two representatives (called deputies) to the General Court each year. Three men from Dedham—Joshua Fisher, Daniel Fisher, and Eleazer Lusher—held this position almost all the time between 1650 and 1685.

In 1671, a group of important church leaders from around the colony, including Dedham's John Allin, wrote a petition to the General Court. They complained that lawmakers were causing people to dislike church leaders. They asked the General Court to support the authority of the clergy in religious matters, which included the half-way covenant (a church rule about membership). The General Court agreed, but 15 members, including Joshua Fisher and Daniel Fisher, disagreed with this decision.