Final answer:
The Virginia House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact are two historical institutions that demonstrated self-government, with the former being the first elected legislative assembly in North America and the latter an agreement for governance by the male settlers at New Plymouth.
Step-by-step explanation:
Two institutions that were examples of self-government include the Virginia House of Burgesses and the government established by the Mayflower Compact.
The Virginia House of Burgesses, created in 1619, was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America.
This institution allowed property-owning males to vote for representatives who would make the laws for the colony.
The Mayflower Compact, written in 1620 by the Pilgrims, was an agreement among the male settlers at New Plymouth Colony to establish a government and abide by its laws, making it a pioneering document of self-governance.
The representatives in these early legislatures were part of the British tradition of self-government, which Americans had inherited and were accustomed to.
Such democratic tendencies were expanded upon in documents like the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution, which broadened voting rights by eliminating the property requirement, and the 1784 New Hampshire Constitution, which represented democratic ideals by allowing small towns and villages to send representatives to the state government.