Corporate Colonies.—In order to understand the nature of the corporate colony, it is necessary to explain the internal or ganization of that type of company which, like the Virginia Com pany of London, was founded for purposes of trade and coloni zation. It was composed of stockholders, who became members as the result of the purchase of shares or of migration to the Colony as planters, or of both acts combined. In the Virginia company they were known as the "generality," in the Massachu setts and other companies as the "freemen." In them, when met as a democratically organized body under the name of "quarter court" or "general court," was vested the governing power of the company. It elected the officers, chief among whom were a treasurer or governor, and a council or board of assistants. These, as well as the subordinate officers, held annual terms only. Membership in such companies might be indefinitely increased through the issue and sale of shares. They were, in other words, open companies, whereas the New England council was a closed body, its membership being limited to 4o.
Massachusetts.—In 1629 the prospects of Protestantism at large, and of Puritanism in England, were so dark that the founders of the Massachusetts company, who were decidedly Puritan in spirit and inclined to nonconformity in practice, re solved to remove with their charter and the governing body of their company into New England. Preparatory to this, John Winthrop was elected governor and a settlement was made of their business relations in England. After the removal had been made, the assistants and general court met in New England and business was carried on there exclusively by planters. An order was soon passed that none should vote or hold office who were not members of some one of the churches within the Colony. As all these churches were Independent or Congregationalist in form and doctrine, this order gave a wholly new definition to the term "freemen." It made of this colony something approximat ing to a biblical commonwealth, and subordinated trade, land holding and settlement to the interests of the Puritan faith. As local settlements about Massachusetts Bay were founded, the general court, which before had been a primary assembly— simply the freemen of the company—came to consist partly of representatives elected by the freemen of the towns. In this way a second chamber—that of the deputies—was added to the assistants to form the general court of the Colony. Taxes were levied by this body, and laws and orders proceeded from it which related to all functions of government. It elected or appointed the governor and other chief officials.
Of primary importance in the affairs of the Colony was every thing which concerned religious belief and church government. The churches and their relation to the civil power presented the great questions upon which hinged its policy. This was true not only in its internal affairs, but in its relations with other Colonies and with the mother country. An ecclesiastical system was de veloped in which Independent and Presbyterian elements were combined. By a rigid system of tests this was upheld against Antinomians, Baptists, Quakers and dissenters of all sorts.
Connecticut and Rhode Island.—As a consequence of the Puritan migration from England and of the expulsion of dis senters from Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connecticut, the New Haven Colony, and the towns about Narragansett Bay which became the Colony of Rhode Island were settled. These all were corporate Colonies, organized upon fundamentally the same plan as Massachusetts. Their settlers at the outset had no charters, but by means of plantation or town covenants assumed powers of government, which ultimately were vested in general courts similar to that of Massachusetts. Rhode Island was formed by a union of towns, but elsewhere the Colony was coeval with or antedated the town. Connecticut and Rhode Island, in 1662 and in 1663 respectively, secured royal charters by which they were incorporated within New England itself and the governments which they had established there were legalized. New Haven was absorbed by Connecticut in 1664 under the charter of 1662 and Plymouth remained without a charter from the King until, toward the close of the 17th century, it became a part of the enlarged province of Massachusetts.
The most prominent feature of the New England land system was the "town grant," which in every case became the territorial basis of a group settlement. Throughout New England, and in the outlying districts which were colonized by New Englanders, settlement was effected by groups. The process began in Ply mouth and was extended through the entire section. The Puri tan migration from Europe was of the same general character. Groups of people, animated by a common religious or political ideal, broke away from their original or temporary abiding-places and pushed farther into the wilderness, where tracts of land were granted to them by the general court.
Over the founding of towns the general courts, as a rule, ex ercised a watchful supervision. Not only did the courts fix and maintain their bounds, but they issued regulations for the grant ing of lands, for common fields, fences, herds, the punishment of trespass, the admission of inhabitants and freeholders, and the like. But subject to these general regulations, the allotment and management of its land was left to each town. The Colonies had no land system apart from the town. It was partly in order to manage their lands that the towns were made centres of local government and town meetings or boards of town proprietors were established. By means of town action, taken in town meet ings and by local officials, the land of each settlement was laid off as house lots, common and common fields, meadow and pasture. Detailed regulations were made for the management of common fields and for their ultimate division and allotment among their proprietors. The same was true of fences and herds. The result was an organization similar to the English manor, but with the lord of the manor left out. To this peculiarity in the form of New England settlement is due the prominence of the town, as compared with the county. The town was the unit for purposes of taxation and militia service as well as of elec tions. It was also an important ecclesiastical centre.