James Taylor
10/15/12
State and Local Government

Review of 101 Chambers written by Peverill Squire and Keith E. Hamm Squire and Hamm begin their writings with introducing the reader to the historical lineage of American legislatures and their evolution from colonial days to the modern government. The colonial institutions "have greatly influenced the design of the new Congress under the Constitution" (Squire and Hamm 34). The bicameral system had its originations in colonial governments and the original colonial constitutions had a large impact on the future constitutions. The bicameral legislation structure that is now common in the United States began in the colonial era. The original colonies has systems that greatly resembled that of the English system during the Tudor reign with an unicameral system made up of the governor, the councilors, and the general assembly that was made up by the colony's freemen. Massachusetts became the first colony to separate into two chambers, one made up of the council and the other made up of the general assembly. In the 1630s "the councilors and the members of the assembly developed different interests and concerns, and these differences led to conflict between them" (Squire and Hamm 34). State constitutions became more prevalent as the idea of independence from the crown grew stronger. The states wanted to have control over who would be appointed to represent them in their legislatures. Many of the structures had not been changed from the colonial legislations because the states already had experience of self-government and the bicameral system. The biggest changes came in the upper houses where the representatives became elected instead of appointed. The state constitutions included many new qualifications to serve in the legislatures including age, religion, and certain occupations were not allowed to serve. The