Representative Government
in the Colonies
United States History 2014-2015
Reasons for Representative
Government in the Colonies.
1. The distance from England created a need for
colonists to make their own laws to keep peace
and order.
2. Colonists were accustomed to English traditions.
3. Overall: People would elect representatives of
their community to a general assembly, which
made the laws.
Mayflower Compact
• Author/s – Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower
• Date Written – 1620
• Purpose of the document – Agreement that
pilgrims wrote and signed describing how they
would govern themselves in America.
• Significance – Provided a model for later
development of representative government.
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
• Author/s – Thomas Hooker
• Date Written – 1639
• Purpose of the document – Stated that people
had the right to elect governors, judges, and
legislature.
• Significance – First written constitution in the
colonies.
Virginia House of Burgesses
• Date Established – 1619
• Purpose of the House – To enact laws and to
safeguard individual rights. They set the
precedent in the colonies for individual rights
protected by law.
• Significance – First representative assembly
in the American colonies.