Colonial America
During the 17th century in colonial America, change and growth were occurring in society. New religions were being created, and new governments were being formed. The mix of religions and politics made 17th century colonial America one of the most liberal regions of the time. Yet the freedoms of their society do not equal our standards of freedoms today. They had similar yet very different political, religious, and even personal laws from the society of today.
Americans have always been known to desire self-government. Even though colonial America did have a dictatorial leader, Sir Edmund Andros, for a short while, representative self-government was born in America. The House of Burgesses was formed in 1619, which is similar to our House of Representatives today. It was like a mini- parliament in America. Another example of self-government was the Mayflower Compact written by the Pilgrims. It was a basic agreement of simple government that featured majority rule. The New England Confederation was another model of self-determination. Four colonies banded together for defense against foes. In today's society, countries band together to defend against enemies in war. These were steps along the path to the self-government we enjoy today.
Since many colonists came to America from England, England thought that they could control America. That is something we could never imagine today. England created the Dominion of New England, which was aimed at bolstering colonial defense in the event of war with the Indians. It also promoted the English-enforced Navigation Laws. These laws were designed to let America trade only with countries ruled by the English crown. Voting rights were also different, since only men who owned land could vote. No women could vote, no slaves could vote, and certainly not men who didn't own land. In our world, any citizen can vote, as long as you are registered and eighteen. There was also no...
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