The House of Burgesses
made up the other part of the General Assembly. Its members were
chosen by all those who could vote in the colony. Each settlement chose
two people or burgesses to represent it. The Burgesses met to make
laws for the colony and set the direction for its future growth.
The idea of electing burgesses
was important and new. It gave Virginians a chance to control their
own government for the first time.
At first the burgesses were
elected by all free men in the colony. Women, indentured servants,
and Native Americans could not vote. Later the rules for voting changed,
making it necessary for men to own at least fifty acres of land in order
to vote.