Question

Which of the following is true of political participation in colonial Massachusetts?

Answer 1

Answer:

It was more widespread than in Europe or other colonies.

Explanation:

Political participation in colonial Massachusetts was bolstered by the lack of property-ownership requirements common elsewhere. Instead, adult males who were church members in good standing were able to vote. This meant that about 55% of the colony’s men were able to vote in 1641, which was a stark contrast from England; there, less than 30% of men were eligible to vote.

Answer 2

The correct answer is:  

It was more limited and restricted to clergy and nobility.

In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, religion and government were profoundly tangled and only proven devoted Puritans were allowed to partake in governmental affairs, actually creating a theocracy (government administered by religious officials who impose religious beliefs). The Puritans were extremely intolerant of other religions and constantly persecuted other religious views, principally Quakers.