How colonists began governing themselves: the Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Who could take part in Massachusetts? Four cards, all summaries in our words. Card A, a rule (1631): the Massachusetts Bay General Court ordered that only church members could become freemen, the men who voted. Card B, a petition (1646): Robert Child and six other English settlers who were not church members asked the General Court to let them take part in government; the Court rejected the petition and fined its signers. Card C, a speech (1645): John Winthrop, governor and a leader of the colony, argued that liberty means freedom to do what is just and good under lawful authority, not freedom to do whatever one wishes; he spoke after being accused of overstepping his power. Card D: the Mayflower Compact (1620) named no religious test; its 41 signers were all men.

2. 1.

   Which chain of cause and effect do cards A and B suggest, Esme asks?

   • Settlers petitioned first, and the Court then required church membership
   • Church membership was needed to vote, so outsiders petitioned for a say
   • The Court gave outsiders a vote, so they no longer needed to petition
   • Church members lacked a voice, so they petitioned the Court for one
3. 2.

   The Court rejected the 1646 petition. What does that show about self-government in Massachusetts, Jun asks?

   • Each settler's voice counted equally in practice there
   • It was limited to a group the Court defined
   • The Court acted fairly, so the petition had no merit at that time
   • The colony had no real self-government of any kind
4. 3.

   Which cards give the rule and show people objecting to it, Kira asks?

   • C gives the rule; D shows men objecting to it
   • B gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
   • A gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
   • A gives the rule; B shows men objecting to it
5. 4.

   Compare the compact (card D) with the 1631 rule (card A). Which difference is supported, Luz asks?

   • Both left out women; Massachusetts added a church test
   • Plymouth and Massachusetts both let each man vote freely
   • Plymouth added a church test, and Massachusetts did not
   • Massachusetts gave women the vote, and Plymouth did not

6. Use this

   Comparing who took part (summaries in our words from the National Park Service and the Library of Congress). Boston town meeting (1700s): usually white men who owned property could attend and vote. Body of the People (Old South Meeting House, Boston, November 29, 1773): a special meeting called over the tea crisis, not a regular town meeting; about 5,000 people packed the hall; wealthy men stood beside artisans, tradesmen and laborers, and people usually shut out stood and spoke. Virginia assembly (1700s): property-owning men elected the burgesses; the king appointed the governor, who could veto laws and dissolve the assembly. Colonial population (1770): about one in five people in the colonies was of African descent, most of them enslaved.

7. 5.

   Which body shown had the widest participation, and what shows it, Milo asks?

   • The Virginia assembly, where burgesses were elected
   • The Body of the People; laborers and others spoke up
   • The town meeting, where property owners could vote
   • The colonial population, where one in five was of African descent
8. 6.

   Why is the Body of the People weak evidence for ordinary participation, Noah asks?

   • It was smaller than a usual town meeting in Boston
   • It was not a real meeting, since it had no property rules
   • It was a special crisis meeting, not everyday practice
   • It was run by the king's governor, so it shows royal control
9. 7.

   Which statement about Virginia's assembly is best supported, Pia asks?

   • The assembly could not meet unless the governor allowed it
   • Elected burgesses made laws, but the king's governor could block them
   • Voters chose the governor, who had no power to veto laws
   • The governor made the colony's laws without the assembly
10. 8.

    About one in five colonists was of African descent, most enslaved. What does that mean for claims that these bodies represented the people, Ren asks?

    • A large share of the population had no voice in any of them
    • The share was too small to matter for claims about voting
    • Enslaved people voted at the town meetings in Boston
    • Enslaved people held many seats in the colonial assemblies
11. 9.

    A classmate says colonists were free from outside control. Which card detail best counters that, Tala asks?

    • One in five colonists was of African descent, mostly enslaved
    • About 5,000 people crowded into Old South Meeting House in 1773
    • Boston held town meetings for property owners in the 1700s
    • A royal governor could veto laws and dissolve the assembly
12. 10.

    Which limit on voting appears in both Boston's town meetings and Virginia's elections, Zee asks?

    • Owning property shaped who could vote
    • Church membership shaped who could vote
    • Age and a literacy test shaped who could vote
    • Any free adult could vote