How the Massachusetts Bay Charter Was Unique

The 1629 Massachusetts Bay Company charter was unprecedented because it omitted a requirement for the governor and company to reside in England. This allowed the Puritan shareholders to transfer the charter and government to New England, creating a self-governing colony where freemen elected the governor (John Winthrop) and assistants. Other charters (Virginia, Plymouth) kept control in London or under royal appointees. This autonomy laid groundwork for American self-rule.