Question

What powers did colonial governments have in the 18th century?

Answer 1

Colonial governments had their own governors who operated with a great degree of independence from the home country's government.  They also elected their own legislative assemblies and made their own laws.  They could assess and collect their own taxes for purposes they decided upon within the colony itself.

If we take the American colonies as a primary example, the British home government for many years practiced a policy that Edmund Burke later would call "salutary neglect."  "Salutary neglect" meant that the British government "neglected" or took a mostly hands-off approach to the colonies, because that was "salutary" or beneficial to the success and profitability of the colonies.  Eventually, however, in the mid-18th century, the British government began trying to assert greater governmental control over the colonies, including matters of taxation.  This especially happened after the French and Indian War, in an effort to deal with war debt that the British government had incurred. The attempts by the British imperial government to exercise stronger control over the colonies eventually led to the Revolutionary War.

Answer 2

There were several powers that the colonial government have during the 18th century. They had the power to pass laws for their own benefit as they deemed fit. They also had the power to levy any type of taxes they wanted. They not only created taxes, but also decided the manner in which the money collected would be spent. The assemblies were also elected by them. The colonised people did not have any power regarding election of assemblies. Interstate commerce was also controlled by the colonial government.