here they were elected by the lower branch of
the legislature, subject to a negative by the royal governor, and in
Rhode Island and Connecticut where they were chosen by the electorate.

The governor was elected by the voters only in Rhode Island and
Connecticut; in all the other colonies he was appointed by the
proprietaries or the Crown, and, though independent of the people,
exercised many important powers. He was commander-in-chief of the armed
forces of the colony; appointed the judges and all other civil and
military officers; appointed and could suspend the council, which was
usually the upper branch of the legislature; he could convene and
dissolve the legislature and had besides an unqualified veto on all
laws; he also had an unrestricted pardoning power.

The possession of these far-reaching powers gave to the irresponsible
executive branch of the colonial government a position of commanding
importance. This was not the case, however, in Connecticut and Rhode
Island. Although the governor in these two colonies was responsible to
the voters, inasmuch as he was elected by them, still he had no veto,
and the appointing power was in the hands of the legislature.

The tidal-wave of democracy, which swept over the colonies during the
Revolution, largely effaced the monarchical and aristocratic features of
the colonial governments. Connecticut and Rhode Island, which already
had democratic constitutions, were the only states which did not modify
their form of government during this period. All the rest adopted new
constitutions which show in a marked degree the influence of the
democratic movement. In these new constitutions we see a strong tendency
to subordinate the executive branch of the government and confer all
important powers on the legislature. In the four New England states and
in New York the governor was elected by the qualified voters; in all the
rest he was chosen by the legislature. In ten states during this period
his term of office was one year; in South Carolina it was two and in New
York and Delaware it was three years. In addition to this the six
Southern states restricted his re-election. Besides, there was in every
state an executive or privy council which the governor was required to
consult on all important matters. This was usually appointed by the
legislature and constituted an important check on the governor.

The power to veto legislation was abolished in all but two states. In
Massachu