The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop

Winthrop and allies like Cotton believed that magistrates derived their power from God, not the people, even if they were selected by the people. He and his allies saw the value of popular input in government, yet saw those elected to lead as being the colony’s most qualified men. Therefore, their guidance and opinions should have ultimate authority. For the unruly masses to govern their governors would be to invite chaos. In this reckoning, the new representative deputies were a sounding board of public opinion rather than real government officials. 

The deputies disagreed. To restrain them, Winthrop claimed a “negative voice” or veto power for the magistrates. Through a strained reading of the quorum requirements in the charter, he argued that no law or judicial decision could pass by the General Court without the assent of the governor or deputy governor and six assistants. Winthrop’s party eventually won after the troubles with Williams and Hutchinson convinced people of the need for more authority. The negative voice was formally enshrined in law in 1644. He also convinced the freemen to institute a Council for Life, with lifetime members drawn from former magistrates (including himself) to handle matters between sessions of the General Court.