The first banned book in the New World was titled The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. It was published in 1650 in England and quickly caused a stir in Boston. It refuted the Puritans theology and claimed that obedience, rather than punishment and suffering, was the price for atonement (according to Wikipedia).
The reason it was sensational at all was because the author was a very prominent businessman in Boston and the founder of both Roxbury (later abandoned) and Springfield, Mass. He was born in England, came to the colonies, made a name for himself and his children, and got enough people upset with his book that they burned it in the square on Boston Common. Only four copies survive to this day (the text is available online if you look deep enough).
Beyond burning the copies, the government put this businessman and author on trial for heresy. His trial date was set for the exact same day as the first witch trials. In the days before the trial he transferred his holdings over to his sons and fled. He was on a ship bound for England when his trial got underway. He never returned to the colonies, but his family did well enough.
This colonist's name was William Pynchon, direct ancestor to one of my and Norm's favorite authors.
I couldn't make this up if I tried, and if I did, it would hardly be believable.
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