The American colonists were granted some freedom when it came to establishing a government and legislature or laws. The amount of freedom they had depended on the kind of colony in which they lived. In any case, those who could vote were limited to adult white males who owned property.

So how were the colonies originally ruled? Initially, the colonies would be granted one of three kinds of charters or land grants.

A proprietary colony was usually granted to a proprietor (influential individual) by England. This meant that a large grant of land would be given to the proprietor to govern under the guidelines of the British. These were usually issued to repay a debt or to bestow a favor upon someone. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware were proprietary colonies in which the proprietors had full governing rights.

A charter colony was one in which Britain would grant a charter to the colonial government with established rules about how the colony should be governed. This granted the colonists more liberties and freedoms than the other kinds of colonies, and they were allowed to elect the governor and legislature. Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, and Connecticut were charter colonies.

Under royal charter colonies, Britain would appoint a governor and council to rule an area for the king. These appointed leaders answered directly to the king and ruled on his behalf. In a royal colony, the legislature could be voted on by white, adult males who owned property. Royal colonies included New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.