The Legend of the Charter Oak

According to legend, Governor Andros came to Connecticut in 1687 with an army to force colonists there to hand over their charter. When he arrived in the capital of Hartford, he agreed to meet with colonists and discuss the charter.  The debate between Connecticut officials and Governor Andros went on for hours, while the charter lay on a table between the two.  Suddenly the room went black.  When the lamps were relit, the charter was gone!  Some colonists had snatched it and hidden it in the hollow of a big white oak tree to keep it out of Andros's hands.

In reality, things probably did not work out quite this way. Edmund Andros did want to get rid of the charter, and he did visit Hartford.  But he did not try to take the charter himself.  Another man named Edward Randolph did.

In 1687 Randolph came to Hartford with a disturbing legal document called a writ of quo warranto. "Quo warranto" is a Latin question which means "by what authority?"  The writ questioned whether Connecticut's elected government was legal.  It ordered colonists to hand over the charter so that authorities could examine it.  In quo warranto proceedings, the king's lawyers usually found reasons change a charter or take it away so that the king's officials could rule without interference from the people. 

Connecticut colonists knew Randolph well.  He was a proud, suspicious man who disliked the New England colonists because he believed they did not sufficiently respect and obey the King of England.  For 11 years Randolph had complained to English authorities about what he considered New Englanders' disloyal behavior.  Now he could do something about it.

Colonists knew that the writ of quo warranto gave Randolph the power to take their charter, and if they gave it up they would probably never see it again.  The colonists looked for a reason not to obey the writ.  They found it in the document itself.  It had taken Edward Randolph too long to reach Connecticut, and the writ had expired!  Colonists sent Randolph away emptyhanded.

The colonists knew that they had only gained a short delay; Randolph would be back.  They sent letters to Edmund Andros and King James II asking both for permission to continue governing by their old charter.  They hoped these letters would give them even more time.  It may also be true that some leaders hid the charter.  That way if Randolph came back with a new writ of quo warranto, they would simply tell him that the charter could not be found!

A majority Connecticut leaders finally decided that it would be best to join the Dominion of New England and hope that things would soon change. King James decided their submission was all he needed, so he stopped trying to change their charter.  By the time he heard about Connecticut's decision, he had more important things on his mind anyway, like trying to remain on his throne!

The change Connecticut leaders had been hoping for came sooner than they expected.  In the fall of 1688, the English Parliament made James II step down from the throne.  The next April, colonists in neighboring Massachusetts rose up against Edmund Andros, clapped him in jail, and sent him packing to England.

With James II and Andros out of the way, Connecticut colonists could return to government under their old charter.  Connecticut's charter continued to protect its colonists' rights until the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The Charter Oak stood in Hartford for 167 years after Edmund Andros was sent back to England.  The legend about it may not have been completely true, but the giant white oak tree still reminded Connecticut citizens of their commitment to freedom.  

In 1856, a storm blew down the Charter Oak, but many people of Connecticut continued to think of liberty when they saw a white oak tree.  In 1947, the Connecticut legislature made the white oak the state tree.  The white oak continues to remind people that freedom and rights are worth fighting for.