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.

   How do cards B and C show different views of liberty, Ari asks?

   • B wants a voice in the rules; C stresses obeying lawful authority
   • Both agree that church members alone should have the vote
   • Both treat liberty as freedom to do whatever one wishes
   • B stresses obeying lawful authority; C asks for a voice in the rules
3. 2.

   Winthrop spoke after being accused of overstepping his power. How should Bo use card C, as evidence of how the colony was governed?

   • As a neutral report, since governors record events accurately
   • As a leader defending authority, not a neutral report
   • As worthless, since the speech was a defense
   • As proof that the colony had no self-government
4. 3.

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

   • The colony had no real self-government of any kind
   • The Court acted fairly, so the petition had no merit at that time
   • It was limited to a group the Court defined
   • Each settler's voice counted equally in practice there
5. 4.

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

   • A gives the rule; B shows men objecting to it
   • B gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
   • C gives the rule; D shows men objecting to it
   • A gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
6. 5.

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

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

7. 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.

8. 6.

   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
9. 7.

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

   • It was not a real meeting, since it had no property rules
   • It was a special crisis meeting, not everyday practice
   • It was smaller than a usual town meeting in Boston
   • It was run by the king's governor, so it shows royal control
10. 8.

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

    • Voters chose the governor, who had no power to veto laws
    • The assembly could not meet unless the governor allowed it
    • The governor made the colony's laws without the assembly
    • Elected burgesses made laws, but the king's governor could block them
11. 9.

    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
    • Enslaved people voted at the town meetings in Boston
    • The share was too small to matter for claims about voting
    • Enslaved people held many seats in the colonial assemblies
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
    • Any free adult could vote
    • Church membership shaped who could vote
    • Age and a literacy test shaped who could vote