The History of American Politics is one of the least discussed topics compared to the country’s cultural and economic History.
Colonial Politics (1607-1776)
During this time, the Anglo-Saxons owned the local self-government and modified the system after the Normans in 1066. People got used to this colonial system, and they gained access to the following:
- Manga Charta
- Petition of right
- Bill of rights
The British Colonists also occupied the coasts from Florida to Nova Scotia, when the government slowly started becoming a people’s representative. The English also established three forms of government – charter, proprietary, and the royals. As a result, the people had a say in the management of the government and the land they lived in. This led to educating the people about local politics and raised awareness among the masses.
Although the colonial governments were similar in structure, they differed in their organizations. They comprised the following:
- A governor
- A general assembly
- The upper house
- The lower house, elected by the people
Charter government
The charter was a part of the government that allowed representation of people in the government, giving them the authority to enjoy all the rights of the Englishmen. The demand for this representation was so popular that every colony had legislation governed and modeled by a parent country. It generally dealt with religious matters, denying citizenship, and the right of suffrage.
Royal Government
In this form of provincial or royal government, the government was appointed by the King and the members of the upper house of the legislature. The governor was a representative of the King and handled various matters of the state. Although in this form of governmental structure, the people had less say in matters, they were still subjected to the liberty of the citizens.
Names of parties during colonial times
The earliest of the colonial parties were on American soil. Parties were generally divided into the court party and the popular rights party.
The court party was given to those parties adhering to the royalty and favored all the decisions taken by the crown. In some colonies, it was also called the royalist party.
The popular rights party, on the other hand, were people contented with the colonial interests and aided in suppressing peoples’ will. In colonial times, the number of such party members was less due to the need for leaders to govern the state. In some regions, they were recognized as democrats; in others, they were called republicans, as they opposed royal decisions. The people who opposed this authority directly allied with Great Britain.
Key Takeaway
The colonial parties marked the rich political History of America, followed by the rule of many governments like revolutionary politics, Washington’s administration, Madison’s administration, Jackson’s administration, Lincon’s administration, Arthur’s administration, and so on.