Throughout Massachusetts’s colonial history the interest and confusion can be targeted to the punishments done, for the crimes committed. Presentism is a major idea to remember when reflecting on the actions taken during colonial times. The below excerpt is taken from The Body of Liberties of 1641 and can add to the understanding of why and how such punishments discussed were carried out. Perhaps the magistrates in power took things too far; Possibly the law enforcers took the word of God too literally. Nevertheless Colonial Massachusetts proves to have been a place for persecution, guilty or not, and a place to affirm power and the interpretation of God’s law.

The free fruition of such liberties Immunities and priveledges as humanitie, civilitie, and christianitie call for as due to every man in his place and proportion with out impeachment and Infringement hath ever bene and ever will be the tranquillitie and Stabilitie of Churches and Commonwealths. And the deniall or deprival thereof, the disturbance if not the ruin of both.

We hold it therefore our dutie and safetie whilst we are about the further establishing of this government to collect and expresse all such freedomes a

With the rising population of Massachusetts the magistrate created several Sabbath laws, which regarded Sunday as the Lord’s Day. In Massachusetts the Sabbath laws were enforced frequently. In the town of Salem in 1668, John Smith and Mrs. John Kitchin were fined "for frequent absenting themselves from the public worship of God on the Lord's day." Magistrate also created strict laws against Quakers and persecuted them cruelly.

Alice Thomas was condemned to standing on the gallows with a rope around her neck, and to the cart's-tail whipping (Powers 179).

A great example of these strict codes and sex mores can be read in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Although the story is fiction and nowhere in history have there been any accounts such as Hester Prynne or the wearing of a letter on ones chest. In 1658 in Plymouth Colony a law was passed requiring adulterers to wear cut or letters (AD) on their sleeve or back, the Bay colony did not follow the same law. Nevertheless, The Scarlet Letter exemplifies the courage and strength of an accused woman as well as providing examples of humiliation and punishment.

Moral standards of the communities were high, and those who were seen to stray were quickly accused and dragged to court. The strict sex codes forbid sex before marriage, and attempted to curd lascivious behavior. Profane cursing, drunkenness, living away from one’s spouse, family arguments, laughing late at night, and disobeying Sabbath laws led straight to court.

Notorious thieves and burglars were very likely to feel the hot branding iron upon their foreheads. Branding was not as common a punishment, but if the crime were considered serious and threatened the peace and security if the government, it was available to the courts.

Some topics in this essay:
Sodom Gomorrah, Governor Winthrop, Susanna Martin, Churches Commonwealths, Alice Thomas, Quakers Quaker, Massachusetts Witchcraft, Island Barbados, Britton Latham, Colonial Massachusetts, colonial massachusetts, bay colony, scarlet letter, sabbath laws, women tried hanged, alice thomas, magistrate created, tongue bored, speaking ill, governor winthrop, 1641 governor, colony law passed,