Morton, Thomas, 1575-1646

Thomas Morton (c. 1579 – 1647) is known today for building the first Maypole in America; it was cut down after two years by the Puritans. He also was an early colonist in North America from Devon, England. He was a lawyer, writer, and social reformer known for studying American Indian culture, and he founded the colony of Merrymount, located in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is the author of New English Canaan, an anti-Puritan work which could be considered the first book banned in America, as it was banned by the Puritans in colonial times.