What were the reasons for the growth of representative government during the early colonial period?

8.3C Describe how religion and virtue contributed to the growth of representative government in the American colonies. Religious freedom was a main cause for the establishment of the American colonies. Religious groups (Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, etc.) created communities that were self-governed.

Religious freedom was a main cause for the establishment of the American colonies. Religious groups (Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, etc.) created communities that were self-governed.

Isolated, subsistence societies are always run by consensus- there is too much at stake to squabble about details. The first Virginia colony almost died because the colonists could not get extraneous issues such as class, entitlement, personal interests out of the way. The Plymouth colony, and most succeeding colonies focused on immediate needs and governed by informal consensus. It helped that during the 17th Century, Britain was engulfed by civil wars of various kinds and did not interfere with the American colonies much. Given the Anglo-Saxon tradition of general representative government (annual ‘wappentake’ events, the Magna Charta, ‘Common Law’) it was natural for the American colonies to govern themselves in the traditional way- consensus among adult, white males.

the effect of the ming leaders banning ships with more than two masts was that there was no further construction of ships masts, because there was a surplus. ming emperors disallowed foreign exploration

monopolies  came to the united states with the colonial administration. the large-scale public works needed to make the new world hospitable to old world immigrants required large companies to carry them out. these companies were granted exclusive contracts for these works by the colonial administrators. even after the american revolution, many of these colonial holdovers still functioned due to the contracts and land

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