Wanderlust World Wanderlust World British colonization in the Americas operated under three distinct legal frameworks, each shaping governance, land policy, and the path to self-government.
Control: Directly by the Crown.
Government: Governor and council appointed by the king/queen; elected lower assembly (in most cases).
Examples: Virginia (after 1624), Massachusetts (after 1691), New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.
Control: Granted to an individual or group (proprietors) by royal charter.
Government: Proprietors appointed governors, established courts, made laws (subject to English law and colonists' "rights of Englishmen").
Examples: Maryland (Calvert family), Pennsylvania (William Penn), Carolina (originally, 1663–1729), New Jersey (briefly, divided into East/West Jersey).
Control: Colonists operated under a charter granted by the Crown but with extensive autonomy.
Government: Colonists elected their own governor and legislature; laws did not require Crown approval (though could be disallowed).
Examples: Connecticut (1662 charter), Rhode Island (1663 charter). Massachusetts Bay (1629–1684) was effectively a charter colony.
Over time, most colonies became royal colonies as the Crown consolidated control. By 1776, only Connecticut and Rhode Island retained charter status; Maryland and Pennsylvania remained proprietary until the Revolution.