Episode 284: Democracy & Voting in British America

by Liz CovartOctober 6, 2020

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The British North American colonies formed some of the most democratic governments in the world. But that doesn't mean that all early Americans were treated equally or allowed to participate in representative government.

Who could vote in Early America? And who could participate in representative government?

Historians James Kloppenberg, the Charles Warren Professor of History at Harvard University, and Amy Watson, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, join us to explore who democracy was meant for and how those who lived in colonial British America understood and practiced representative government.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

James Kloppenberg, the Charles Warren Professor of History at Harvard University, and Amy Watson, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Alabama, Birmingham take us through the origins of representative government, the practice of voting, and elections in colonial British America.

What You’ll Discover

The origins of the terms “democracy” and “republic”
The origins of the practice of popular sovereignty in English governance
Why British North Americans deviated from the English standard of governance
Differences in the number of men who could vote in 17th- & 18th-century England & British North America
Why some might consider 17th-century New England town meetings as fledgling democracies
The origins of the first election for a town official in New England
Difference between colonial New England & colonial Virginia’s practices of democracy
The significance of land ownership as a qualifier to vote
How far the colonies had deviated from English practices of democracy by the American Revolution
Who was qualified to vote and who was excluded from voting in colonial British North America
What Election Day was like in colonial British North America
Variations in election day experiences and practices across colonial America
The practice of treating in elections
How women and people of color participated in election day
Inherited English political traditions and partisanship
Westchester, New York Election Day 1733 and its connections with English political events
Philadelphia Election Day Riots of 1744
Potential for violence during election day
How colonial election practices influenced the founders