This thesis focuses on the political relationship between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the English Crown between 1630 and 1691. It begins with the establishment of the colony and how the Puritans who settled in Massachusetts Bay understood their place in the British Empire based on their charter. The settlers connection to London was altered each time the executive authority changed during the turbulent seventeenth century. The colony had an antagonistic relationship with the Stuarts during most of this time. This tension reached its apex with Charles II's removal of the Massachusetts Bay's colonial charter in1684. The Puritans interpreted their place in the empire much differently than Charles II but the king's methods to control the colony only reconfirmed the misunderstanding between the two. After Charles II's death his brother James II acted more aggressive with the colony. He used imperialistic tactics to subdue the Puritans. Under his appointed governor Edmond Andros, James II combined the New England colonies to form the Dominion of New England.