Land proprietors profoundly shaped the New England town from

Land “proprietors” profoundly shaped the New England town from the very beginning of settlement, and this fact calls into question long-held assumptions about life in colonial New England. Seventeenth-century municipalities functioned as land corporations; they were modeled after joint-stock companies and had an exclusive membership based on ownership of shares--notions that directly challenge our past understanding that the New England town operated as a “community” with broader aims and objectives. Local powers were vested in the town’s proprietors. Towns may have attracted other settlers or church congregations, but neither of those groups had the power to divide land, finance town affairs, vote on local matters, or become proprietors in their own right. The New England town was not a single community but several. Some individuals were mere “residents,” others were resident or absentee “inhabitants” (a term which applied only to proprietors), and many of each may have been church members. Although such exclusive control of affairs by “inhabitants” often led to con tention, their monopoly over power and land was repeatedly sustained by higher levels of colonial authority.

Exhaustive studies of town records show that the proprietors played an essential and pervasive role in town building and founding. These men (and occasionally a few women) effectively controlled and ran the affairs of towns, regardless of size, location, or stage of development.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that "inhabitants" (Highlighted)

A. were resident in colonial settlements year-round
B. included both voting and non-voting members of the community
C. consisted solely of those residents of a town who were members of a church congregation
D. exercised control of political power in an arbitrary and capricious manner
E. were those members of a community who owned land and controlled political power



2. With which of the following statements about New England towns would the author of the passage most likely agree?

A. The fact that power was distributed based on land ownership was a fundamentally democratic method of organizing early local governments.
B. Individual interests in the towns were often subverted by communal goals and decisions.
C. Political control was equated with land ownership no matter what the population or geographic locations of those towns.
D. The control of colonial affairs by land proprietors was an issue of debate and contention within the church hierarchy.
E. The concentration of political power in the hands of town proprietors was necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of early settlements.



3. Which of the following questions can be answered conclusively by the information in the passage?

A. Were town proprietors individuals of great wealth and aristocratic backgrounds?
B. Was there extensive disagreement over matters of property and political power between proprietors and local clergymen?
C. Did the town proprietors have the support of colonial officials for the manner in which they administered the affairs of early settlements?
D. As share-holders in land corporations, did seventeenth-century proprietors have the right to vote for their board of directors?
E. Could town proprietors legally pass their titles, rights and responsibilities to their heirs?


4. Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken the author's contention in lines 12-13 that “Local powers were vested in the town's proprietors"? (Text in Red)

A. The degree of power exercised by any proprietor was in direct proportion to the number of shares owned by that individual.
B. New records are discovered that indicate there were far fewer women share-holders among the seventeenth-century land corporations than was previously believed.
C. Court records of the period list several land foreclosures and bankruptcy proceedings against town proprietors.
D. A search of seventeenth-century New England voting rolls shows some voters described as tenant farmers and indentured servants.
E. Correspondence addressed to colonial authorities from the residents of a seventeenth-century New England town contains several complaints against the proprietors of the town.


5. lt can be inferred that each of the following could be a long-held assumption about the political structure of colonial New England EXCEPT

A. Seventeenth-century towns were founded with the narrow self-interest and financial gain of a small group of investors as their primary objective.
B. The ownership of shares in a land corporation was just one of the criteria for community involvement in colonial settlements.
C. Early New England community goals and aspirations were broadly defined and inclusive in scope.
D. Social mobility in seventeenth-century New England allowed diverse groups to acquire property, voting rights, and status equal to that of the founding proprietors.
E. The influence of the land proprietors gradually dissipated as more settlers arrived and new avenues for community involvement developed.


6. Which of the following questions can be answered conclusively by the information in the passage?

A. Were town proprietors individuals of great wealth and aristocratic backgrounds?
B. Was there extensive disagreement over matters of property and political power between proprietors and local clergymen?
C. Did the town proprietors have the support of colonial officials for the manner in which they administered the affairs of early settlements?
D. As share-holders in land corporations did seventeenth-century proprietors have the right to vote for their board of directors?
E. Could town proprietors legally pass their titles, rights, and responsibilities to their heirs?


7. It can be inferred from the passage that the church in early New England

A. rarely became involved in disputes between land proprietors and townspeople
B. established congregations in settlements only after the power of the proprietors had dissipated
C. attracted congregational members from both the proprietor and the non-proprietor groups
D. often acted to uphold the rights of the town proprietors to exercise control over issues of politics and real estate
E. provided an avenue for individuals to gain the land) money and suffrage necessary to ascend to the proprietor class


8. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

A. A traditional analysis is offered, examined in the light of new evidence, and dismissed as misguided.
B. an assertion is made, supporting evidence is presented, and a conclusion offered.
C. A generally accepted historical viewpoint is presented in order to discuss its merits and limitations.
D. A historical dispute is introduced, and the case for one side Is presented in detail.
E. An unorthodox theory is put forth, and its ramifications are discussed