American Colonial Government
There were three types or systems of government used
within Colonial Government - Royal, Charter and
Proprietary. However, they all operated using
the following basic principles:
All of
the systems of Colonial government in the
13
Colonies elected their own legislature (parliament)
All of
the Colonial Government systems were democratic
All of
the Colonial Government systems had
A
Governor
A Governor's court
A Court
System
Colonial Government in the colonies represented
an extension of the English government.
Colonial Government - English Common Law
When the first colonists landed in Jamestown,
Virginia in 1607 they brought the English Common
Law with them. The term "common law" was the
name given to the law that emerged as "common"
throughout the realm of England and was extended
to include the 13 Colonies to be used by
Colonial Government. Colonial Government
represented an extension of the English
government. The court systems and courts in the
colonies enforced the Common Law of England.
Refer to Taxes in the Colonies
Map
of the
13
Colonies
●
New
England Colonies
●
Middle Colonies
●
Southern Colonies
Colonial Government - The Council
The King of England established a council and
council member both in America and England to
provide Colonial Governance and management of
the colonies and identified all council members.
The council had the authority to benefit the
natural resources of the colonies with part of
the profits given to the king.
Colonial Government - Organization and
Structure
The organization and structure of Colonial
Government was as follows:
A
Governor held the executive power in the colony and
represented the Crown (England) in the colonial
government.
The
Governor’s Council was composed of influential and
powerful men who advised and supported the Governor.
The Governor’s Council exercised various judicial
and administrative powers
An
Assembly was elected by, and therefore represented,
the citizens of the towns and counties
The British policy of
Salutary Neglect
lasted from the 1690's to the 1760's and
reduced the level of involvement of Great
Britain colonial affairs. Trade laws were not
enforced which benefited the colonists boosting
their profits from trade.
Colonial Government - Administration
Administration at the local level varied between
the three regions:
New
England Colonies: Town Meetings
Southern
Colonies: Government at County level
Middle
Colonies: A mixture of town meetings and county
government
Colonial Government - The Role of the
Governor
The role of the Governor was extremely important
in Colonial Government, he was the
representative of the King. The 13 Colonies
were governed and ruled by England and its
monarchs. In order to rule the colonies from a
long distance a governor was appointed by the
monarch. The role of the Governor was to oversee
the colony and was the head of the colonial
administration. The governor was in charge
of laws, taxes and made decisions which affected
the colony. The role of the governor was
extremely powerful - he was in charge of
colonial government which meant he had to fulfil
various political duties. To help him in his
role he had the authority to appoint various
government officials. He had the power to
convene, or dissolve the legislature. He also
had the power to veto any of its laws. He had
command of the militia so was able to enforce
Colonial Government policies.
Colonial Government - The Role of the
Legislature
Despite the differences in the types of Colonial
Government all of the colonies had a legislature
that was elected by the people:
Colonial
Government and the Legislature: The right to vote
was limited to men who owned land, paid taxes, had
an annual income and were members of a Christian
church
Colonial
Government and the Legislature: The legislature
consisted of two branches:
The
lower house, to which the people elected delegates
The
upper house, or council, that was appointed by the
governor.
The
powers of the legislatures in Colonial
Government were limited and their acts were
subject to review:
Colonial
Government and the Legislature: They could do
nothing contrary to the laws of England
Colonial
Government and the Legislature: Their actions and
bills could be vetoed by the governors
Colonial
Government and the Legislature: All laws passed by a
colonial legislature and approved by a
governor, had to be sent to England to be examined
by the King and could be vetoed by the King at any
time within 3 years (except for Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and Maryland who were self-governed Charter
Companies)
To avoid
the Royal veto the legislatures would pass laws to
run for just 2 years, and when that time expired
would re-enact them for 2 years more
Colonial Government - Three Types of Government
There were three types or systems of government used
within Colonial Government of the 13 Colonies.
The names of these different types of government
were Royal, Charter and Proprietary. These three
types of government were implemented in the
colonies and a colony would be referred to as
either a Royal Colony, a Charter Colony or a
Proprietary Colony.
Royal Government definition: Royal Colonies
were
ruled directly by the English monarchy
Proprietary Government definition:
Proprietary Colonies were established in territories which had been
granted by the English Crown to one, or more,
proprietors who had full governing rights
Charter
Government definition:
Charter Colonies were
generally self-governed, and their charters were
granted to the colonists as opposed to proprietors
Colonial Government - Royal Colony
Royal
colonies were owned by the king.
These governments were appointed by the
Crown, and carried out the orders and
wishes of the Crown as opposed to
private or local interests
By 1775 the Royal Colony system of government was in the Carolina's,
Virginia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire
and New York. See the
Lords
Proprietors and the
Charter of
Carolina
Colonial Government - Proprietary Colony
In a
Proprietary Colony, an individual, or
small elite group, essentially owned the colony,
controlling all of the actions and
institutions of government, for which
they would receive political or financial favors.
The governors of the proprietary colonies
reported directly to the king.
By 1775 the Proprietary system of government was
in Delaware, Maryland, and
Pennsylvania
Colonial Government - Charter Colony
The
Charter Colonies were generally self-governed,
and their charters were granted to the colonists
via a joint-stock company
When created, the British King granted
these colonies a charter establishing
the rules of government, but he allowed
the colonists a great amount of freedom
within those rules
The Charter system of government was in Rhode Island
and Connecticut. The Massachusetts Bay
Colony was a royal province under a
charter
Colonial Government - Changes to Systems of
Government
The
3 systems of
government in the 13 original British Colonies could change according
to the political and economic changes in Great
Britain. Most began as Charter Companies and
were then changed to either proprietary colonies
or royal
colonies. The systems of government just before the
American Revolutionary War were as follows:
There
were 3 Propriety colonies: Delaware,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania
There were 3 Charter Colonies: Connecticut
and Rhode Island. Massachusetts was a royal
province while operating under a charter
There were 7 Royal Colonies: New Hampshire,
New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
Colonial Government - Joint Stock Company
Definition of a Joint Stock Company. A
joint-stock company issued stock to
investors to raise money. Once success had
been achieved a joint-stock company divided
the profits amongst the investors. A
joint-stock company organized and supported
the colony through charters from the British
government and while they worked with the
government they made private profits. Refer
to Charter
of Virginia and the article on
John Mason
for examples.
Colonial Government - Congress
As time passed Colonial Government evolved
into systems of American self-government.
The
House of Burgesses
was established in 1619
The New England Confederation was established in
1643 and dissolved in 1684
The Albany Congress was established in 1754 and
disbanded in 1754
The Stamp Act
Congress was established
in October 7, 1765 and disbanded October 25, 1765
Interesting Facts and information via the first Thirteen
Colonial Government history timeline
Fast Facts and info with the Colonial Government
timeline
The Colonial Government is great history
timeline resource for kids
Social Studies Homework help for kids on Colonial Government
Pictures and Videos of Colonial Government
The First Thirteen were classified in three separate
regions consisting of the New England, the
Middle and the Southern Colonies.
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Bay Colony (which
included Maine), New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut,
Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Delaware, New
York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.
We hope
that this article on the first Thirteen will assist in your studies or
homework and that you will enjoy watching
the videos featuring many pictures of the colonists.
A
great educational resource for kids on the subject of
the first Thirteen.
