Mary Dyer

This is the history of Mary Dyer (1611--1660) whose efforts to seek and find 'freedom to worship' led eventually to her death. Her quest began when she and her husband sailed from 'Old' to 'New' England in 1635. They were soon disillusioned by the intolerant practices and beliefs of the Puritans, who considered all truth could be found in the Old Testament -- and only there. Variations, from Puritan interpretations of the Ten Commandments, were punished by cruel torture and/or death. Banished from Boston for protesting such rigidity in belief and practice, Mary was among the group who founded Rhodes Island, where freedom in belief and practice of worship was established.

"Mary Dyer did hang as a flag..." Mary Dyer was the first woman executed in America for her religious beliefs, but her death started a revolution no one could stop. Mary Dyer, Friend of Freedom is the first children's book about this largely forgotten civil rights leader. It tells the true story of her courageous fight for religious freedom against some of the most powerful men in colonial America. Middle-grade readers are encouraged to learn how this humble Quaker inspired kings and governors on two continents and became an international civil rights hero.

Mary Dyer is widely esteemed as one of the "Boston martyrs"- four Quakers hanged by the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1659 and 1661. When she returned to Boston in 1660, after having been banished twice from Massachusetts, she committed an act of deliberate civil disobedience that cost her her life, led to the downfall of the puritan government, and advanced the fundamental principles of freedom of conscience and expression. More than three-and-a-half centuries later, the state continues to exercise its mandate to preserve the peace and social order, while also protecting the constitutional exercise of free speech and self-expression. The challenge, always, has been to identify and then enforce the balance between the rights of individuals or groups to practice their beliefs, and the rights of others to likewise enjoy their liberties. The story of the Dyers-especially Mary's story-is how that challenge played out between the New England puritans and the Quakers, and how her life and death shaped the outcome of that conflict. "An authoritative and careful biography of Mary Dyer and her husband, William, which breaks new ground, dispels common beliefs, and balances both the Quaker and puritan sides of the story." -H. Larry Ingle, author of First Among Friends: George Fox and the Creation of Quakerism "A well-researched and balanced work that makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the people and issues of the seventeenth-century Atlantic world." -Francis Bremer, author of John Winthrop: American's Forgotten Founding Father

Discover the true story of Moll Dyer and the witches of Southern Maryland... if you dare... Despite the attention that Salem receives, they were far from the only town to organize a witch hunt in colonial America. Rebecca Fowler was tried as a witch in St. Mary's in 1685, and in 1674, John Cowman became the only man ever charged with witchcraft in Maryland. In Moll Dyer's case, locals took the law into their own hands. According to legend, Moll Dyer was chased from her burning home by a mob in St. Mary's County in the year 1697, left to die in the dark and cold. Was she just an ordinary woman blamed for problems beyond her control? Or was she a witch whose curse lingers on? Author Lynn Buonviri uses period records and local lore to discover the truth behind the legend of Moll Dyer and her curse.