Development of VA vs Mass Essay examples

Representative government was used in the form of Town Hall meetings, where officials would be elected once a year. In Limitations of Government, John Cotton wrote that “It is therefore most wholesome for magistrates and officers in church and commonwealth never to affect more liberty and authority then will do them good; and the people good.”(Doc H). Cotton’s purpose in writing this was to show that in is beneficial to limit the power of the government in order to allow for the good of the people. Puritans believed that no one should become too powerful, otherwise they might try to undermine the power of god. While this system of government promoted the liberty of the commonwealth, certain Puritan ideas withheld these liberties from a majority of the people. Since religion was a focal point in New England, only churchgoers could participate in these elections. Yet due to the belief that women should be subservient to their husbands, those churchgoers had to be men. These restrictions, followed by the requirement that these men be free and white, left a tiny fraction of the population able to exercise the right to vote. This system of government was, however, revolutionary for it’s time, and made great strides from England's own Parliamentary system.

Written documents proved to be a major influence on the unification of the American colonies. Beginning as early as 1620, when the Separatist Pilgrims left the jurisdiction of the Church of England and escaped the “Dutchification” of their children in Holland to go to the New World, the establishment of self-government through the Mayflower Compact became present. It was heavily based off of the Magna Carta of 1215 which provided the foundation of the rule of law. Created and signed by the adult males onboard, the document stated that the Pilgrims would “combine [themselves] together into one civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation” (Document 1). It went on to declare that they would abide by the newly formed laws and elect officers. This led to the creation of town meetings, places of direct democracy where men could work together with each other to create laws.

Massachusetts - Bible Commonwealth- A Bible Commonwealth was a colony in which democracy was run on biblical principle. Freemen (adult men of the congregation) were

During the early colonization of the East coast of North America, many groups of people of Europe came to the New World such as the Puritans and Quakers. Both the Puritans, led by John Winthrop, and the Quakers, led by William Penn, were escaping persecution from England but each they had their own views and goals in religion, politics, and ethnic relations. Being on the native land of the local Indians, both Penn and Winthrop had to face issues and negotiations with the Indians. Penn and Winthrop had their own separate approaches to politics but they both sought a more just system than the one in England. After being persecuted, both Penn and Winthrop wanted their people to be free worship, but Penn and Winthrop each had their own

Throughout the sermon, John Winthrop makes himself very clear about what he wants the Massachusetts Bay Colony to accomplish when he establishes it. He desires it to be a strictly religious society that will act as an example for the rest of the colonies. Winthrop lays out a plan of exactly how he wants the colonists to act

• Began with a General Court, then to a colonial legislature, consisting of a governor and a two-house legislature. Property owning, adult male, church members were the only ones who could vote.

* The puritans and Pilgrims arrived there (New England Colony). They were very religious. Pilgrims wanted to separate from the church completely and the Puritans wanted to reform it because they were

The Massachusetts bay Colony was found y the puritans and religious minority group who migrated to the New World seeking to create a model religious community The Puritans believed that the anglican church needed to be purified of the influences of catholicism.

,a puritan nobleman, convinced Thomas Hooker, a minister, to lead congrats to this location. As more and more groups followed Connecticut was established in 1636. They were without a charter, thus deciding upon a policy called Fundamental orders of Connecticut. This such government resembled the one of Massachusetts, they would elect governors, only one year at a time. As for religion puritism was the only know one at the time. As the population was growing and new settlers would arrive the colony had to stretch its boundaries. This in turn deteriorated there relations with the natives. Justifying there expropriation of the natives land was considered “ Vacuum Domicilium”. Threw there eyes the natives weren’t using the land to its fullest potential, they were wasting profitable land.

Meaning it pertains to a colony specifically which is expected because at this point in time, colonies were still in their stage of self-protecting. The Mayflower Compact of 1620 was the governing set of laws for Plymouth Colony written by the Separatists/Congregationalists who wanted to separate from the Anglican church in England. The reason for these laws was very simple and straightforward because after “observing some not well affected unity and concord but some appearance of faction” the officials thought it best for all to come together and for a central governing body to be enacted that would maintain order and enact the laws in the name of God as religion at this time played a heavy role in governmental policies to a certain extent (Document 1). This is similar to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut enacted in 1639. According to their religious beliefs, God required that peace, order, and union be established and maintained which is what they did. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut states that the “Word of God requires that, to maintain the peace and union of such a people, there should be an orderly and decent government established according to God, to order and dispose of the affairs of the people” (Document 2). Both these approaches share many similarities in the fact that unity was created via a centralized internal government with a single ruling body. In addition, religious beliefs heavily dictated the form of

Upon reaching the new land, serious issues regarding community formation arose. The Puritans main concern was how they were going to create a community in the wilderness without each member separating off into different directions. A societal shift was necessary to preserve the unity of the colony. Magistrates and ministers had to convince the colonist that their personal salvation depended on the measure on their collective behavior. John Winthrop called his community, “A city upon a hill,” because he wanted to urge the colonist to re-conceptualize their differences, and sacrifice individuality in order to foster the greater good of the society. John Winthrop’s, “A Model of Christianity”

ach colony had created their own laws and their own constitution. These constitutions were based on British law, but each colony had adjusted their constitution to fit their needs. Each colony created an elected assembly of colonial representatives. These assemblies enforced the colony's laws, collected taxes, budgeted expenses, and carried out a few public works programs. Historians have noted that before the French and Indian War, England largely let the American colonies go their own way a policy of "salutary neglect".

The colonists also created assemblies which enabled them to reduce conflicts with the monarchy while allowing for an effective governance and representation of the polity. The assemblies varied according to the colony—which were created for diverse reasons—and allowed for the increased effectiveness in solving problems

P. 8 - Colonial governors helpless to take action without the assistance of the representative assemblies. The assemblies held the power of the purse and generally got their way.

The Massachusetts colony, otherwise known as the ‘Massachusetts Bay colony’ was originally settled by Puritans in 1630. They were plagued by the religious persecutions of King Charles I and the Church of England. Weary from this dogged torment, they left England under the leadership of John Winthrop. These original colonists quickly established many small towns in the name of high religious ideals and strict societal rules. They also planted churches, spread Puritanism and religiously educated the masses, as these were some of their goals. A utopian society that other colonies looked upon with high regards was the ultimate goal.