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Town meetings have been practiced in the U.S. region of New England since colonial times and in some western states since at least the late 19th century. [3] Town meeting can also refer to meetings of other governmental bodies such as regional water or school districts.
The colonial meeting house was the central focus of every New England town, and was usually the largest building in the town. They were simple buildings with no statues, decorations, stained glass, or crosses on the walls. Box pews were provided for families, and single men and women (and slaves) usually sat in the balconies. Large windows were ...
The town meeting "was the original and protean vessel of local authority. The founders of Dedham had met to discuss the policies of their new community even before the General Court had defined the nature of town government." [84] [85] The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. [86]
The history of direct democracy amongst non-Native Americans in the United States dates from the 1630s in the New England Colonies. [1] The legislatures of the New England colonies were initially governed as popular assemblies, with every freeman eligible to directly vote in the election of officers and drafting of laws. Within a couple of ...
The thirteen colonies were all founded with royal authorization, and authority continued to flow from the monarch as colonial governments exercised authority in the king's name. [8] A colony's precise relationship to the Crown depended on whether it was a corporate colony , proprietary colony or royal colony as defined in its colonial charter .
1619 – First meeting of the Virginia House of Burgesses. First Africans in Virginia. 1620 – The Pilgrims found the Plymouth Colony. [1] 1622 – Indian massacre of 1622 in Virginia. 1624 – Virginia Company collapses and Virginia becomes a crown colony. Dutch West India Company founds New Netherland. 1624–26 – Dorchester Company founded.
Large portions were usually given to men of higher social standing, but every man who wasn't indentured or criminally bonded had enough land to support a family. Every male citizen had a voice in the town meeting. The town meeting levied taxes, built roads, and elected officials who managed town affairs.
The Province of Maryland became the eighth of the thirteen colonies to appoint a committee of correspondence on October 15, 1773. [6] The Maryland committee stated that there was an "absolute necessity of a general and firm union of sister colonies to preserve common liberties", and called for a meeting of this union to be held in Philadelphia. [7]