British Studies Seminar, Jan 24, 2025, 3:00pm–5:00pm

At the Newberry – Classroom B-84

https://www.newberry.org/calendar/christopher-montague-northwestern-university

The Cedars and the Shrub: The Political Theory of Corporations and the Demise of the Massachusetts Bay Company

Boone Ayala, PhD Candidate in History and Master of Legal Studies Student, University of Chicago

This paper places the seizure of the Massachusetts charter in 1684 in the context of transimperial debates over the place of corporations in the English constitution during the reign of Charles II. It argues that both royal bureaucrats and colonial subjects understood the conflict over Massachusetts as part of this broader struggle over the extent of the royal prerogative and the liberty of the subject. In the process of advocating or opposing royal expansion at corporate expense, parties to the conflict articulated radically different theories of corporate power.

Register

This event is free, but all participants must register in advance. Space is limited, so please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend