102 THE GREEN RISING 



manorial courts to which the tenant might come and 

 vote under certain conditions. The tenants on these 

 manors were English laborers who in most instances 

 aspired to be landowners. It was not long before 

 they felt the impulse to larger freedom and sought 

 a fair chance to own the land they cultivated. They 

 protested against the manorial system. Local popu- 

 lar meetings were held and soon they took complete 

 control of the landlords' courts. It was only a short 

 time until the large estates were divided. The tenant 

 acquired ownership of the land, and the manorial 

 system in Maryland disappeared. 



What is known as the "Revolution of 1634" in the 

 Massachusetts Bay Colony was essentially agrarian 

 in nature. "The impulse to this great movement," 

 says West, "was economic and social. It began as a 

 special protest against 'special privileges/ The 

 people felt that the magistrates were legislating in 

 the interest of their own class. A law authorizing 

 the killing of swine found in grain fields was espe- 

 cially resented, and the attempts to fix wages may 

 have contributed to a like feeling." 4 A concerted 

 effort on the part of the freemen to stop this class 

 legislation was made. In April, 1634, a call was 

 issued for all freemen to attend the General Court 

 the following month. Previous to the meeting of 

 the Court, two men from each of the eight towns 

 met in Boston and decided upon definite action. It 

 was agreed to demand of Winthrop that the charter 



* American History and Government, Chap. II, p. 92. 



