Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New England.

The article discusses the use of oaths in British colonies in New England. The author notes an oath of supremacy established during the reign of English king Henry VIII and an oath of allegiance established by English king James I, both of which were utilized in the colony in Virginia, while the Massachusetts-Bay Company created its own citizenship oaths. The use of both oaths, as well as residential and freeman oaths, in the colony at Plymouth, Massachusetts is discussed. Freeman, servant and resident oaths were also established in the Massachusetts Bay colony and the freeman oath was the first document printed in the U.S. The author discusses his attempts to examine the broadside featuring the oath in the British Museum.