Answer: In the early days of American history, the colonists practiced rudimentary forms of self-government that eventually led to their decision to revolt against British rule. One example of self-governance was seen in Plymouth Colony between 1630 and 1684. In this self-governing colony, elected rulers made most decisions without referring to the imperial power that nominally controlled the colony. The idea of self-government was encouraged by the Glorious Revolution and the 1689 Bill of Rights, which established that the British Parliament, rather than the king, had the ultimate authority in government. However, as interference from Parliament increased with laws regulating their colonies in the Americas through restrictions on trade, colonists felt more resentful about British control over the colonies.
The Mayflower Compact was an important document that reflected the habit of self-government in Plymouth Colony. It was a social contract in which settlers consented to follow its rules for survival. The compact was based on a majoritarian model and settlers’ allegiance to the king. The Mayflower Compact was written by separatists or Puritans who were fleeing religious persecution by King James of England. It was intended to establish a governing document for Plymouth Colony when they landed at Cape Cod instead of Virginia.
The colonists set up their own governments to take care of their local needs. Each colony had a bicameral legislature except Pennsylvania, which retained a unicameral legislative body. Each colony used one of three main types of self-government