Royal colonies were those under the direct and immediate authority of the British monarchy, ruled by governors appointed by the Crown. Except for Rhode Island and Connecticut, all of the original thirteen colonies began as chartered or proprietary colonies. However, most surrendered their charters and became royal colonies as they encountered various governmental problems. By the end of the colonial era, royal colonies had become the dominant form of colonial government.
Following the British political model, royal colonies had a similar three-part structure: a governor, legislature, and a judiciary. The Crown, on the recommendation of the Board of Trade and Plantations, named the governor. As the chief representative of the Crown, he was invested with wide powers to implement British laws. The governor also enjoyed the right to call and dissolve the legislature, to approve the choice of its speaker, and to initiate and veto its legislation.
The legislatures in most colonies existed as bicameral bodies. The upper house, representing the colonial elite, developed from the advisory council of the governor’s wealthy appointees. The lower house (assembly) represented local interests in the lawmaking process; it was elected by the white male property owners. Judges usually were appointed and could be dismissed by governors, while the upper house acted as the highest colonial courts of appeal. Although initially the power of royal governors vis-a-vis the legislature was even greater than the British monarchy had in its relation with Parliament, the colonial assemblies after the Glorious Revolution steadily reduced the prerogatives of the governors, particularly in legislation and finances.
The experience of the royal colonies contributed significantly to the American political tradition, enriching it with ideas and institutions from Britain. At the same time, the development and transformation of these institutions in North America stimulated political trends and processes that ultimately helped create the War for Independence.
Further reading: Jack P. Greene, The Quest for Power: The Lower Houses of Assembly in the Southern Royal Colonies, 1689-1776 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1963).
—Peter Rainow
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