Thomas Morton (colonist) facts for kids

Thomas Morton (around 1579–1647) was an early English settler in North America. He came from Devon, England. Morton was a lawyer and a writer. He was also interested in changing society for the better. He is known for studying the culture of American Indian tribes. He also started a settlement called Merrymount in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts.

Thomas Morton's Story

Starting Merrymount

Morton first visited America in 1622. He returned to England in 1623, not happy with the strict rules of the Puritan settlers. In 1624, he came back to America. He was part of a trading group on a ship called Unity. They began trading for animal furs with the Algonquian tribes.

Morton's group started their own settlement. They first called it Mount Wollaston. In 1626, Morton took charge of the settlement. He renamed it Merrymount. He traded goods with the Native Americans. This trading was against the rules of the nearby Plymouth Colony.

A celebration at Merrymount

The Maypole at Merrymount

The Puritans in Plymouth Colony did not like Morton's ways. They thought his beliefs were not proper.

Conflict with the Puritans

Thomas Morton being arrested

In 1628, Morton and his friends had a big celebration. They put up a tall Maypole, about 80 feet (24 meters) high. It had deer antlers on top. They danced and celebrated around it. The Puritans saw this as wild and improper behavior.

In June 1628, the Plymouth militia came to Merrymount. They were led by Myles Standish. They easily took over the town. They cut down the Maypole. Morton was arrested for trading goods that were against the rules. He was put on trial in Plymouth. Then, he was left alone on the Isles of Shoals until a ship could take him back to England. The Merrymount settlement continued for another year without Morton. The Puritans renamed it Mount Dagon.

His Book: "New English Canaan"

The title page of New English Canaan

In 1637, Morton published a three-part book. It was called New English Canaan. In this book, he criticized the Puritan government in the colonies. He also disagreed with their policy of building forts. These forts were meant to protect them from Native American attacks.

Morton wrote that the Native American cultures were noble. He saw them as a "new Canaan". He felt they were being attacked by the Puritans, whom he called the "New Israel".

Later Life and Death

Morton returned to New England during the English Civil War. He was arrested because he supported the King (a Royalist). He was put on trial for trying to cancel Plymouth Colony's official document. He was also charged with speaking against the government.

By September, he was in prison in Boston. His trial was delayed. His health got worse. The Puritans decided to release him. He spent his last days in Maine. Thomas Morton died in 1647 when he was about 71 years old.

Morton's Impact

His Legacy

The first copies of Morton's book, New English Canaan, were destroyed by the English government in 1637. However, a few copies survived in the Netherlands. Later, in 1883, the Prince Society reprinted the book. Charles Francis Adams Jr. wrote an introduction for it. In 1999, Jack Dempsey created a new version of Morton's book. It also included a story about Morton's life.

In 1628, the governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford, called Morton a "Lord of Misrule". This meant he saw Morton as someone who broke rules and caused trouble.

Morton's book, The New English Canaan, is seen as an important early American writing about nature. It was also the first book to be banned in America. Some people describe Morton as "America's first rascal". Others say he was a powerful person who challenged the usual ideas about how America was founded.

In Stories

Thomas Morton's life in the colonies inspired other writers. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a story called "The May-Pole of Merry Mount". It is in his book Twice-Told Tales (1837). J. L. Motley also wrote a book called Merry Mount (1849). Both of these stories are based on Morton's time in the colonies.