The Massachusetts Bay Colony, established by the Massachusetts Bay Company, was settled in the area surrounding (and between) present day Boston and Salem. The Company was strictly Puritan, and there was no separation of Church and Company, let alone Church and State. Most of the 20,000-or-so settlers were immigrants from England and their crossing was paid for by the company’s owners and investors. These Puritans came to America to avoid religious intolerance back home and to make money. Once settled in The New World, these religious asylum-seekers showed precious little tolerance for religious philosophies different from theirs.
The Company—indeed, The Colony—was governed by a small group of religious conservatives who enforced the code of conduct amongst the inhabitants. And, while these leaders were (technically) elected by the governed, the only people who were allowed to vote were free, adult males who had been religiously vetted, accepted into the Company’s (Puritan) Church, and unlikely to challenge the prevailing doctrine.
On this day in 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Colony outlawed the possession of dice, cards and gaming tables.
The cufflinks, shown above—like the Puritans—came from across the water. Unlike the Puritans, they bear enameled dice 24 hours a day. Perhaps you’d like to wear them on your next visit to Boston.