John Wise (1652-1725) was a minister who protested the British in the name of colonial representation and self-government. Wise, the son of a former indentured servant in Massachusetts, rose from his humble origins to become a renowned theologian. After completing his studies, he became the pastor of the Congregationalist parish in Ipswich, Massachusetts. In 1688, the royal governor of New England announced a British plan to withdraw the Massachusetts Bay Company charter, reclaim land promised to colonists, and impose new taxes. Wise and other local leaders in Ipswich organized resistance to these measures, for which the governor had them imprisoned. Nonetheless, the protestors eventually managed to prevent the act’s passage. Wise went on to write several treatises on the principles of colonial self-government his protest had defended. When they were reprinted in 1772, the works became immensely popular, influencing political thought during the founding period.