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In the colonial period, representative government was created when people who wanted to move for certain reasons came to America and established their own colony. In the 1620’s the Pilgrims, wanting religious freedom from the Church of England, came to America and established Plymouth with the Mayflower Compact, which was a document establishing the rules and guidelines of the Plymouth colony. In 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses was established, which was a group of 22 representatives for 11 settlements that made and executed laws and taxes. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, like the Mayflower Compact, was a document establishing the colony and setting the rules and guidelines. This reminds me of the US Government today. We have 3 branches of government that each deal with certain important matters. The legislative branch makes laws and is “made up of 435 members and is divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population,” with the congress, senate, and house of representatives. The executive branch executes laws and includes the president, vice president, and cabinet. The judicial branch interprets laws, or enforces the law, and consists of the supreme court and other federal courts.