Who was the first person hanged in Massachusetts and why?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

Thomas Granger was the first person hanged in Massachusetts on September 8, 1642, for committing bestiality with multiple animals, including a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves, and a turkey. Granger, a servant to Love Brewster in the Plymouth Colony, was only 16 or 17 years old at the time of his execution. This case highlights the historical context of laws against bestiality, which continue to exist today as a means of protecting both animals and societal morals.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of colonial American history
  • Familiarity with legal terminology related to animal rights
  • Knowledge of the Plymouth Colony's societal norms
  • Awareness of historical punishments for moral crimes
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the historical context of bestiality laws in colonial America
  • Explore the life and background of Thomas Granger
  • Investigate the evolution of animal rights legislation
  • Learn about the societal implications of moral crimes in early American history
USEFUL FOR

Historians, legal scholars, and anyone interested in the evolution of animal rights and moral legislation in early American society.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,213
Reaction score
2,658
Here is an odd bit of history.

Can anyone name the first person hanged in Massachusetts, and why? You'll wish you still couldn't after reading this.
[Here]
 
Science news on Phys.org
Thanks for sharing...:rolleyes: Have you already started on the Nyquil and Near Beer?
 
A turkey? A Turkey? A TURKEY?
Suddenely I'm all in favor of seeing the laws put back into the books.
 
hypatia said:
A turkey? A Turkey? A TURKEY?
Suddenely I'm all in favor of seeing the laws put back into the books.

Yeah, I was trying to figure that one out too, but then I thought I might sound like I've been in WV too long if the rest of the list didn't surprise me as much as a turkey did. :redface:
 
Moonbear said:
Thanks for sharing...:rolleyes: Have you already started on the Nyquil and Near Beer?


:smile: :smile: :smile: I couldn't drink that much NyQuil! No, I happened to catch it on The History Channel.
 
Gobble gobble...
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Gobble gobble...

Dangit, there are so many jokes that come to mind, and none of them suitable for general audiences. :-p
 
Thomas Granger (1625? – September 8, 1642) was a servant to Love Brewster, of Duxbury, in the Plymouth Colony of British North America. Granger, at the age of 16 or 17, was in 1642 caught in the act of bestiality with a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves and a turkey, and was likewise indicted.
All at the same time!?
 
Ménagery à trois
 
  • #10
Math Is Hard said:
All at the same time!?

:bugeye: As twisted as my mind can be, I cannot envision any way that you could catch someone in the act with ALL those at once. Maybe some of them are just voyeurs?
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
Ménagery à trois

http://deephousepage.com/smilies/Disappointed_anim.gif
Groan![/size]​
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #12
Ivan's really outdoing himself lately!

It's crazy that there's (even today) special laws against bestiality (zoosexuality)! Why isn't the only question one of animal abuse? Oh, nevermind...don't tell me.
 
  • #13
Those laws are there to protect people from themselves.

Didn't you ever hear about the story of the guy who got (literally) screwed to death by a Horse?
 
  • #14
Dangit, there are so many jokes that come to mind, and none of them suitable for general audiences.

His last meal was stuffed turkey.
 
  • #15
While bird-fixation may seem a fairly unique obsession, Marquis de Sade seems to have been a fan of it, if we are to judge by "120 days in Sodom".
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
Replies
16
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 133 ·
5
Replies
133
Views
27K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K