The House of Burgesses

Before 1619, laws in the thirteen colonies came directly from London and the English parliament. With the colonists having no say in how they wished to be governed, The House of Burgesses was founded, the first English legislative assembly in the New World, having their first official meeting in Jamestown, Virginia in July 30, 1619.

The House of Burgesses brought more freedoms to the colonists in the 13 colonies, as they did not have to follow British law, which many had hoped to run away from. The House of Burgesses was a group of men appointed by the Virginian residence in order to establish their own set of laws and rules in the new colonies. In order to be a part of the Burgess, you had to be male and own property. As the House of Burgesses was formed, they were to meet every year in Virginia to discuss how to make working and living conditions better in Virginia.

Among those to be a part of the House of Burgesses, George Washington, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were some of the early members to form part of the House of Burgesses.

The House of Burgesses was a vital part to the American Revolution. After having King George III implement taxes on the American colonists, the House of Burgesses encouraged many American colonists not to pay them, after disagreeing with the British parliament, though the parliament passed the taxation, mainly in part to help pay off the French and Indian war after harboring many British troops in the American colonies. The British government would later try to dissolve the House of Burgesses, though the idea of revolution had already begun.

The House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, Virginia