Colonial Self Government

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Today America is known as “The Land Of The Free,” mostly due to the democratic principles of its government. However, it hasn’t always been this way. Prior to the Eighteenth-Century, Monarchy was mostly the only government the nation was familiar with. Although many colonies shared a form of self-government, the idea of a total democracy was not present until the movements of The Enlightenment and The Zenger Case. The Enlightenment opened up people’s minds and enhanced the idea that freedom comes from the people while The Zenger case followed this when it opened a window to freedom of the press. Together, with the help of several other events including the Virginia House Of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact, as well as The Fundamental Orders …show more content…
One of the first was the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1619. The House of Burgesses was the first representative assembly in America, an obvious step towards a democratic government. This representative assembly was followed by The Mayflower Compact in 1620, a document written by the pilgrims. This deed instituted that that all decisions were to be made by a majority rule. It was a very early form of colonial self government with a huge element of democracy, people have the power. The first written constitution in American history was written 19 years after the Mayflower Compact, in 1639. It was titled The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut and was a prominent step towards a democratic society. It established a representative government consisting of a legislature that was elected by popular vote and then a governor elected by that legislature. One of the latest acts that encouraged democracy was The Act of Toleration, in 1649. It was the first colonial statute granting religious freedom to all Christians. Although today this is an example of limited democracy, it was the first step towards religious freedom for all. Together these small events added up to encourage change in the colonial …show more content…
Peter Zenger challenged this idea as a New York editor and publisher when he printed criticism aimed at New York’s royal governor. Although the criticism was true, it still injured the governor’s reputation which was against the law. As Zenger was brought to trial, the nation was about to undergo a major step forward into a democratic government. The lawyer assigned to this case was Andrew Hamilton, who argued that since Zenger was printing the truth he should not be jailed. The jury ruled to acquit Zenger and although freedom of the press wasn’t guaranteed with the ruling, it encouraged writers to challenge the rules and take greater risks. This was the first step towards a fundamental freedom America grants today — freedom of the
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