Even as their first colonies were developing, Britain did not exercise as much control over them, as other nations had in their colonies. This occurred even more so as the colonies continued to develop. During this time Britain chose to pursue political and military undertaking away from the colonies, taking their attention off of the settlers in the Americas. This policy, later named salutary neglect by Edmund Burke, allowed the colonies to experience freedom from the control of England, leading them to develop the beginnings of their own representative assemblies, trade free of restraint from the mother country, and religious tolerance.
             Before England had established any colonies in the Americas, Spain and Portugal had done so. Spain and Portugal ruled their colonies in an authoritarian fashion, leaving no room for the settlers to have any control over themselves. The settlers had little to no representation in government and no say in public policy. This is what caused England's colonies to differ from the others. The settlers in England's colonies were partially self-governed, and had many freedoms that other settlers did not. One reason for this was that many of the English colonies began as private corporate enterprises and remained free from direct control by the English government for some time. Secondly many of the English settlers had participated in government at home and by virtue of the fact carried the tradition with them to America. This salutary neglect would go on to influence the development of society in America in several ways.
             Only a few years after Virginia was founded in 1607 by the English, the Virginia Company created the first representative assembly in colonial America. This assembly was named the House of Burgesses and represented many of Virginia's counties and towns. Due to the lack of control by the English government, the settlers were able to create representation...