Limited Suffrage:
- Only male church members were allowed to participate in the General Court (legislature) voting process. This meant that a significant portion of the colony's population, including women, non-church members, and individuals not belonging to the dominant Puritan faith, were excluded from the political decision-making process.
Religious Affiliations
- The colony's founding principle was based on creating a "city upon a hill", a society centered around Puritan religious beliefs. Religious homogeneity was highly valued and dissent or deviation from the established religious doctrine was not tolerated. This lack of religious freedom restricted diversity of thought and suppressed differing viewpoints.
Control by Puritan Leaders
- Power was primarily concentrated in the hands of the Puritan leadership, including ministers, magistrates, and prominent colonists. These leaders made important decisions, often without extensive consultation or consent from the general population.
Property Requirement
- To become a full citizen and exercise political rights, individuals had to meet certain property ownership criteria. This favored wealthier members of the colony, disenfranchising those who did not possess substantial property or wealth.
Limited Role of Town Meetings:
- Town meetings, which allowed broader participation in local decision-making, had limited influence on the overall governance of the colony. They primarily addressed local matters and were subordinate to the decisions made by the General Court.
In conclusion, while the Massachusetts Bay Colony experimented with some aspects of representative democracy, it fell short of being a true democracy due to its religious restrictions, exclusion of women and non-Puritans, limited suffrage based on religious affiliation and property ownership, and the concentration of power among Puritan leaders.