How the Colonies Were Governed
The colonies of British America were not created in the same mold, but rather were governed under three different systems: royal, self-governing and proprietary. The different systems of colonial government created diverse attitudes towards English rule and our independence.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how these different systems of governance impacted colonists’ views on independence, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of Library of Congress, Encyclopedia Virginia, Project Gutenberg, The New York Public Library, Library Company of Philadelphia, Wikipedia.
The Colony of Virginia was established at Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607 as a for-profit venture by its investors. To bring order to the province, Governor George Yeardley created a one-house or unicameral General Assembly on July 30, 1619.