The Need for Self-Government
Due to the distance between the colonies and their mother country, Great Britain, the colonies began to establish their own forms of self-government. The colonists, at this point, were still very loyal to the Crown, but knew that in order to have an organized colony, some form of self government needed to be established.
The House of Burgesses
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The House of Burgesses, established in July of 1619, was the first attempt in self government by the colonies. The colony of Jamestown was growing and the need for an organized government grew. The House of Burgesses was the first legislative assembly in the colonies. Officials in the colonies were elected by any freemen in the colonies.
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The Mayflower Compact
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Before leaving the Mayflower ship, the Pilgrims knew they needed some sort of agreement between the colonists on how the colony should be run. This is the first document of the colonies which established a self-government.
The Mayflower Compact was a "civil body politik" - an agreement between the settlers to establish and agree to follow the laws that were created. |
New England Town Meetings
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After the establishment of Plymouth and other New England colonies, the establishment of a new way to self-govern began - a place where ordinary citizens could be involved in decisions of the town. These were called Town Meetings and consisted of citizens voting on issues regarding the town. The meeting was usually held in a church and in the center of the town.
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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
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In 1639, three towns joined together and formed a governing document called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. It is recognized as the first state constitution of the colonies. This document was written by Connecticut founder Thomas Hooker and is based on the rights of individual citizens. In the document, it stated people would elect representatives to represent them.
Because they developed the first state constitution, Connecticut calls themselves the "Constitution State." |