the house of burgesses was first established in colonial virginia in 1619.
the house of burgesses was first established in colonial virginia in 1619.
when was the house of burgesses first established in colonial virginia?
1619
founded in 1619, the virginia general assembly is still in existence as the oldest legislature in the new world. in colonial virginia, the lower house of the legislature was called the house of burgesses. together with the governor's council, the house of burgesses made up the "general assembly". the governor's council was composed of 12 men appointed by the british monarch to advise the governor. the council also served as the "general court" of the colony, a colonial equivalent of a supreme court. members of the house of burgesses were chosen by all those who could vote in the colony. each county chose two people or burgesses to represent it, while the college of william and mary and the cities of norfolk, williamsburg and jamestown each chose one burgess. the burgesses met to make laws for the colony and set the direction for its future growth; the council would then review the laws and either approve or disapprove them. the approval of the burgesses, the council, and the governor was needed to pass a law. the idea of electing burgesses was important and new. it gave virginians a chance to control their own government for the first time. at first, the burgesses were elected by all free men in the colony. women, indentured servants, and native americans could not vote. later the rules for voting changed, making it necessary for men to own at least fifty acres (200,000 m²) of land in order to vote.
government of virginia
royle refused to print the controversial debates happening in the general assembly of the house of burgesses of the early 1760s in his "virginia gazette". royle followed closely the philosophies of francis fauquier, lieutenant governor of colonial virginia. this compliance to fauquier's philosophies did not go well with many of royle's customers or with their representatives in the house of burgesses. royle refused to publish copies of the stamp act resolves in 1765 when ordered by the house of burgesses, following fauquier's philosophies. royle's "virginia gazette" also refused to print the virginia resolves of 1765 (related to the stamp act). this decision caused some of the more liberal virginians to intervene in the situation, deciding that the colony needed a new printer and a more open newspaper. up until that time, royle's "virginia gazette", which was seen as a voice controlled by the english government, was the only newspaper. some unknown virginias recruited william rind, co-publisher of annapolis, maryland's "maryland gazette" to come to williamsburg to set up a competing newspaper, free from english control. (while this recruitment of a new printer is often credited to thomas jefferson, it was not possible for him to have taken this action.)
joseph royle