The politics in the colonies during the eighteenth century made enormous progress and became very efficient. In the late 1700s, eight out of thirteen colonies had King-appointed royal governors. Usually the governors picked were capable of doing their job. Occasionally the appointed men were ineffectual, dishonest or even worn-out politicians desperate for work. All of the selected officials had a difficult time getting along with the legislatures because they represented the hovering transatlantic authority of England. Proprietors administrating Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania chose the governors there. Lastly, governors were elected democratically in Connecticut and Rhode Island because they were allowed to govern themselves. By this time, two-house legislative bodies were being used by almost every colony. The lower house was elected by voters and the upper house's council was chosen by the crown or proprietor. Unfortunately, the backcountry had little representation and resented the voting clique. Voting was not yet a right, but a privilege for a select group of men. In order to vote, a man had to meet property and religious qualifications. Actually, many colonists who qualified did not practice their ability to vote. Colonists were fortunate enough to practice representation in legislatures that chose necessary taxes for government expenses. The colonials had methods of checking the governors" authority. One technique was to refuse to pay the governor his salary unless he gave into their demands. Due to the fact that most of the governors were in need of money, bribes and withholding his salary would do the trick. Sometimes this scheme was ineffective and governors still refused to give in even after years without salary. The British government failed to help the poor governors and this colonial manipulation eventually resulted in confrontation. .
The local government was different in every colonial region.
