Was Colonial America a Democratic Society? Essay

     Building on English foundations of political liberty, the colonists extended the concepts of liberty and self-government far beyond those envisioned in the mother country. While Englishmen had some representation in their parliament, Americans took the system further. All colonies had some form of a two-house parliament system. Some, like New York, had governors appointed by the crown. Others, like Rhode Island, elected their own. Local government also varied between the colonies. The southern states had a strong County government, while the New England colonies relied on town-meeting government. In either case, voting was reserved to land-owning white men.

people. There was a desire by many colonists to form a government based off democratic

The colonist, who thought of themselves as Americans, had cleared the land, built homes, fought Indians and made lives for themselves far away from Britain. Their everyday concerns differed from the people of Britain. The colonist did not want anyone else to tell them how to govern themselves, especially the British. However, Britain’s elite believed that the purpose of a colony is to serve the mother country, and Parliament has the power to tax and govern the colonies. Whereas the colonist had developed a different opinion as to how they would be governed. They had an elected assembly and an appointed

When the colonies were settled, they were allowed to govern themselves, and they remained loyal to England. However, when Parliament and the King tried to rein in the colonies, their ideas of representation clashed. The colonists believed in direct representation in which representatives directly from the colonies would have a say in Parliament. On the other hand, the English believed in virtual representation in which everyone in the British Empire was represented whether or not they were in Parliament. Before representation was ever a problem, these ideas were tolerable, but once these ideas happened upon each, another rift was created between the British and colonies. However, there were divisions occurring in the colonies as well as between Britain and the colonies. For example, when it came time for the colonists to choose to rebel against the stamp act, people chose to either be patriots, neutrals, or loyalists. This made life in the colonies very hectic as not many people believed in the same thing. Overall, political problems played a huge role in disrupting the relationship between England and the

The Colonists were practicing self government in the colonies because England their, mother country was 3,000 miles across the ocean and trying to control them. They were creating early democratic features, but many factors of colonial life were that they were still practicing undemocratic features of government. Individual or human rights, Equality, and free and fair regular elections were properties that colonist found looking for self government. During colonial America, democracy was a work in progress with democratic and undemocratic features.

From the earliest starting point the English pioneers appreciated a more substantial level of self-government then the other European pilgrims. As more explorers migrated to the colonies and rooted their lives in colonial America, they began to feel isolated from the world they knew. Consequently, this isolation from the English rule marked a very difficult start to a new beginning and necessitated a gradual transition from the English culture to the American culture. Moreover, with this new American culture, the newcomers throughout the colonies began to think differently than their English cousins. Having the Atlantic Ocean operate as a buffer from English influence, the primitive societies began to assimilate and vote on their ideas of freedoms, rights and tolerances, and put them into legal documents. Accordingly, this display of democratic character was the beginning deviation from England’s monarchic ways that set the New World on the path to a Democratic Society. Having the habit of self-government from the very beginning, the colonist readily accepted the New American culture with concepts such as “Majority rule”, “All Men are Created Equal”, and “Religious Tolerance”.

DBQ - Democracy in Colonial America Essay The thirteen colonies in America began early on to develop undemocratic features. The Rule of law, equality and citizenship participation in Colonial America was democratic, was undemocratic and was a work in progress of sorts. Using these three articles of; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Plan of a Slave Ship, and then Voting Qualifications.

The colonists had set up their own legislations and believed that they should have the power that Parliament had. Their lives were different than the British and believed that they should rule themselves. But the

Colonial America created representative assemblies that “served to bring about a break between the colonies and the Mother of Parliaments [England]”.

The colonial legislatures, the First Great Awakening, the term “Patriots”, and the Preamble to the U.S Constitution all relate to the historical theme of Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture. To begin with, the colonial legislatures were a legislative system that consisted of an assembly and a council that controlled the decision of taxes. The colonial legislatures were developed during the time that Great Britain was under the policy of salutary neglect, which meant that the colonial legislatures gave the colonists a sense of control over their business and affairs. This political movement helped shape the American society because it gave the American society a sense of independence over Great Britain when they gained control over their own business

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".

Colonial America was a very important time because of the events that occurred and because of everything that happened, including the use of elected representatives in the House of Burgesses, and freedom of choice for the citizens, which has an affect on the world today .These events that happened during Colonial America were both good and bad, and a lot of these events had to deal with democracy, which means that the supreme power in a government is conferred on the people and used by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually including held free elections from time to time. This leads to the idea about how Colonial America is seen as democratic because of certain elements that include how people could elect representatives

The early 1800’s was a time of democratic expansion within the States as they began to eliminate property qualifications necessary to vote. Although the idea of decreasing qualifications needed to vote seemed like a step forward towards democracy, it took two steps back because of its racist and sexist specificity denying women and minorities voting rights. A democracy is a government system intended to be ran by the whole population or by their representatives, not one that discriminates against minorities and women by denying their right to vote and be fairly represented in that government system. Cracks in the foundation of the United States’ democracy is foreseeable in the early 1800’s due to this discrimination of women and minorities, like the Civil War, the

During the colonial period the people were slowly evolving a democratic tradition. This was due to the fact that they were far from England and British influence. The British political system was only partially transferred to the colonials. Many writers of this period were advocating a bicameral government and an independent democratic state with a stronger central government. However, many aspects of daily colonial life were undemocratic, but many were also democratic.

The thirteen colonies in America began early on to develop democratic features due to British political traditions, distance from mother country, and other factors. Despite this many aspects of colonial life were strikingly undemocratic. This time period suggest that colonial democracy was a work in progress. Democracy in colonial America was a work in progress with democratic and undemocratic features.