What is the Virginia House of Burgesses in simple terms?
The House of Burgesses was an assembly of elected representatives from Virginia that met from 1643 to 1776. This democratically elected legislative body was the first of its kind in English North America.
What does the House of Burgesses do?
Like the British House of Commons, the House of Burgesses granted supplies and originated laws, and the governor and council enjoyed the right of revision and veto as did the king and the House of Lords in England. The council also sat as a supreme court to review the county courts.
Why was Virginia House of Burgesses?
In April, 1619, Governor George Yeardley arrived in Virginia from England and announced that the Virginia Company had voted to abolish martial law and create a legislative assembly, known as the General Assembly — the first legislative assembly in the American colonies.
What was the Virginia House of Burgesses quizlet?
A bicameral legislature, the House of Burgesses became a model for Congress and the FIRST representative body in America. Originated in Puritan New England,as a form of self government over issues such as religious freedom and tax laws.
Where was Virginia House of Burgesses?
In 1619, the General Assembly first met in the church in Jamestown. Subsequent meetings continued to take place in Jamestown. In 1700, the seat of the House of Burgesses was moved from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, near what was soon renamed Williamsburg.
When was the House of Burgesses formed?
July 30, 1619House of Burgesses / Founded
With its origin in the first meeting of the Virginia General Assembly at Jamestown in July 1619, the House of Burgesses was the first democratically-elected legislative body in the British American colonies.
Who did the Burgesses represent?
With its origin in the first meeting of the Virginia General Assembly at Jamestown in July 1619, the House of Burgesses was the first democratically-elected legislative body in the British American colonies. About 140 years later, when Washington was elected, the electorate was made up of male landholders.
Why is it called House of Burgesses?
Title. Burgess originally referred to a freeman of a borough, a self-governing town or settlement in England.
What was a burgess in Virginia?
Burgess originally meant a member of parliament in a town or borough; however, in the colonies, it came to mean an elected representative in the colonies of Maryland and Virginia.