Examples Of Democracy In Colonial America

Because of British traditions in government, and the distance between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain the colonies started developing democratic features in their government. Some features like equality, voting, and human rights were adopted. The colonial America’s democratic government had some undemocratic features so democracy was a work in progress. Some examples of democratic features, works in progress, and undemocratic things are representative government, unfair voting, and selective human rights.

An example of a democratic feature in the government at the time is that they held elections for the representatives in the House of Burgesses. Represented by document 6: Engraving of Virginia’s House of Burgesses. This is called government representation. In each of the colonies

The qualifications for voting in 1763 were not equal but they did have elections. But for this feature to be democratizing the voting would have to be equal, so the election was fair. On document two: Voting Qualifications, all the possible voters had to be Christian, white, male, and had to own property. Blacks and women could not vote at the time. Holding elections for government officials is a democratic feature of government, but the requirements were not equal. For the election to be completely democratic it has to be fair, all people must have a say in government. Despite their race, gender, or religion.

Although colonial America’s government was democratic it had some undemocratic features like selective rights and unfair elections so the democracy was a work in progress at the time. With the distance from Britain helping with the planning of the government, over time the colonial version of democracy was improved. And these documents prove the things that needed work and they were fixed. And to go with the fixed things, the democratic features were