Which term best describes the practice of self-governing in early colonies?

The term that best describes the practice of self-governing in early colonies is town meetings. Town meetings were a form of direct democracy practiced primarily in New England, where settlers would gather to discuss and make decisions on local issues. This allowed community members to have a voice in the governance of their towns, illustrating the early foundations of democratic principles in colonial America.

The concept of town meetings is significant because it reflects the autonomy and self-administration that early settlers sought in their new environment, often in contrast to the more centralized control exercised by European monarchies. Through these gatherings, colonists developed a sense of community and accountability to one another, fostering civic engagement that would later influence the broader democratic process in the United States.

While democratic governance is a broader term that could apply to various forms of self-rule, town meetings specifically exemplify how local governance operated in many colonies. Salutary neglect refers to the British policy of allowing the colonies to govern themselves with minimal intervention, which enabled such practices to flourish but does not define the practice of self-governing itself. Representative monarchy implies a system of governance that does not align with the self-governing practices of the colonies, as it involves a monarch retaining ultimate authority rather than allowing for local decision-making.