Question

Ch143. The General Presbytery

a) is the prevailing authority when the General Council is not in session.
b) is made up of six executive officers.
c) only meets every two years.
d) cannot alter decisions made by the Executive Presbytery.

Answer 1

The General Court in Puritan colonies served as the legislative branch, distinct from the executive branch, which included the governor and was elected annually. The court's structure and election process represent early democratic principles in colonial America.

Step-by-step explanation:

The General Court in Puritan colonies served as the legislative branch of government. This body was tasked with making laws and was elected by all inhabitants, which was a departure from the more restrictive suffrage of some other colonies such as Massachusetts Bay and New Haven. Unlike in a parliamentary government where the term of the executive is not set and can change with a no-confidence motion, or in a presidential government where the executive has a set term regardless of confidence, the General Court had a distinctive role more similar to contemporary legislatures, though embedded in the context of its time. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1639 established an executive branch consisting of a governor and assistants who were elected annually, with the freemen, or church members, voting for the executive. This shows an early form of democracy within the American colonies.