New England is a treasure house filled with many different types of spiritual, cultural, historical, and other resources. Included in this treasure trove is a rich mixture of legends, places, foods, and other features that are directly related to what many people think of as the New England culture.
When Connecticut was an English colony, King Charles II granted the colony a charter that gave it more autonomy than other colonies had. His successor, King James II, wanted to have greater control over the various colonies, including the ones in New England, and he appointed Sir Edmund Andros as governor-general of what was termed the Dominion of New England.
As part of the process, Andros visited Connecticut and demanded the charter. The charter was presented, but (as the story goes) the lights went out during the ensuing discussion, and the document disappeared from the table on which it lay. It was then hidden in an oak tree.
The Connecticut Historical Society displays a document it considers the original charter.
For more information about the Charter Oak, please visit:
Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut: The Charter Oak
Connecticut Public Broadcasting: Connecticut’s “The Legend of the Charter Oak”
UOK College of Law: Connecticut Colony Charter of 1662
Wikipedia: Charter Oak
About.com: The Legend of the Charter Oak
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