History

Colonial New York began life as a Dutch possession, which was seized by Britain in 1664. It then became a proprietary colony, under the administration of James, Duke of York. This essentially meant that the Duke of York owned the New York colony and could do what he want with it, so long as his actions did not conflict with the laws of Britain. When James became the King in 1685, he brought the colony with him. From that time on, New York became a royal colony. However, as the ultimate head of the colony remained the same man, the change of status brought no substantial change to the way things were run in New York.

The King

The King of Great Britain had direct veto power over New York law. Due to the problem of communication and long travel times in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, laws passed in New York were assumed to be valid from the time of passage. However, they were all subject to review by the king, and could be overturned at his discretion. This power was not subject to any direct check.

The Governor

The King also appointed New York's royal governor. He was responsible to the king, not the colonists, but as a practical matter had to placate colonial concerns in order to govern effectively. In the years before there was an assembly, the governor was essentially New York's dictator, with the only check on his powers being review by the Duke of York. In later times, he exercised veto powers over laws passed by the legislature, and appointed all colonial officials that were not dispatched expressly by the king from London. These would include most judges, the sheriffs and other law enforcement officials, and some tax officials. The governor was also the commander of the New York militia, and appointed the militia's officers. None of the governor's appointments were subject to review by the legislature. Finally, the governor had the right to appoint the members of the Executive Council.

The Executive Council

The colony's Executive Council usually consisted of 12 men, but it could be larger or smaller. All were appointed by the governor, and they membership usually consisted of the most notable and important men in the colony. It had three roles. First, it was to serve as the upper house of the legislature. Therefore, they had to pass all laws before those laws went on to the governor for approval or veto. Second, they functioned as the highest court of law in the colony. Third, they served as the governor's advisory board.

The Assembly

The assembly was the lower house of the legislature. It represents the only arm of the government not either appointed by the crown, or appointed by an agent of the crown. The first one was not elected until 1683, so before that the governor ruled alone. Its members were elected by the vote of male property owners in the colony. Compared to the royal governor, its powers were few, but in accordance with English tradition it did have one role that was very powerful indeed: it controlled the colony's purse. New taxation was impossible without its acquiescence.