The colonies in North America were an ocean away from the country that ruled them. As a result, it was hard for the king to govern the colonies. Consequently, the settlers were left to make many of their own decisions about government. The governmental decisions made by the colonists would forever change the course of the colonial regions.
New England
The New England colonists wanted to govern in a way that promoted peace and prosperity. They began to plan their government while still aboard the Mayflower. When the passengers realized that they would not arrive in Virginia as planned, they knew a plan was necessary. The adult males on the ship drafted a contract known as the Mayflower Compact. The plan established a government that was under the rule of the English king. However, it allowed the colonists the make rules for the community. In most New England communities, town meetings were held and government officials were elected. Anyone was allowed at the meetings, but only white men who owned property were allowed to vote.
Leaders of Connecticut drafted the Fundamental Orders, which some consider to be the first constitution written in America. The Fundamental Orders provided the framework for the government of Connecticut colony. New England’s democratic practices laid the
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As a result, they created policies that were very different from the New England colonies. The idea of democracy was born in the Middle Colonies by the Quaker leader William Penn. Democracy is a government system in which the people have the power to make political decisions. Penn created a colonial assembly called the Provincial Council to make laws for the colony. He allowed colonists to elect council members, however he alone chose the colonial governors. Many of the other Middle Colonies were structured the same way. This structure eventually led to the idea of self-government in the American