THE GROWTH OF THE COLONIAL ASSEMBLIES

After these wars the British attempted to reform their control of the colonies in general but were unable to do that. American colonies existed in a variety of forms. Many were royal colonies, with governors appointed by the Crown; other colonics, such as Connecticut and Rhode Island, elected their own governors and other local officials. Colonies such as the Carolinas, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were proprietorships, with residents who owned property-electing assemblies and governors appointed by the proprietors themselves.

One disturbing development during this period for the British was the rise in the independence of colonial assemblies. In the 1720s the Massachusetts assembly resisted on three occasions instructions from the Crown to pay the royal governor a permanent salary; similar acts of resistance took place in other assemblies. These developments should not be seen as a move toward democracy in any way; assemblies were made up of members of the landowning elite in every colony. Nevertheless, popular opinion did begin to be expressed during New England town meetings and in political discussions throughout the colonies. Some colonial legislators perceived that the ”power of the purse” could be a powerful tool against the British in the future.