What Was The House Of Burgesses ?
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The House of Burgesses is an important topic in the history of Virginia and also in the political history of the US. The term, burgess originates from the word, borough which means a division of administration in several countries. The Virginia Company put an end to the monopoly of the ownership of land, based on their belief that colonists would show more initiative if they could have land ownership. Due to this, the English Common Law was adopted in the Virginia colony.
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Now, in the year 1619, the changes implemented in the political scene of Virginia paved way to the need for setting up a legislative body that was to be determined by the colonists. This body then came to be called the House of Burgesses, quite in the lines of the British Parliament. The members of this House of Burgesses would meet once every year in Jamestown.
The House of Burgesses held their first meeting on 30th July 1619 in Jamestown. An outbreak of malaria however, cut this first session abruptly. Later on, though, the members of the House of Burgesses in Virginia came up with various important decisions and regulations and acts for the better administration of the state. In fact, these happened more frequently following the Revolutionary War.
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The House of Burgesses is an important and much discussed chapter in the history of American politics. It is the first legislative body of its kind to have been established on the land of America, to be in the lines of the British administrative body. In fact, the term, burgess is derived from the word burgh or borough which means administrative divisions in several nations. These nations, of course include the Great Britain.