From the previous section, remember the three reasons for representative government: fairness, respect for rule of law, and wealth. In the early 17th century, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and Virginia all began to introduce elements of representative governments for at least one of these reasons.

Find those three colonies on the map below. Click on the colony and read a brief explanation for the introduction of at least partial representative government in the colony. After reading the scenario, answer the questions that follow.

Now that you have a better understanding of why representative government started to appear in the American colonies, we will take a closer look at what the colonists actually did to set-up the government.