Oklahoma Social Studies 5.C.1.9.C
The Standard
- 5.C.1
- Examine and compare the Jamestown and Plymouth settlements as the foundations of American culture and society.
- 5.C.1.9
- Explain the founding and development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including
governors elected by freemen
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · 5.C.1.9
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how eligible freemen elected governors in some English colonies, including Connecticut and Rhode Island. They compare this with colonies where the king appointed the governor.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given Connecticut and Virginia, a student can identify which governor was elected and which was appointed. They can explain that freemen were a limited group of qualified men, not everyone in the colony.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every colonial governor was elected. They may also think freemen meant everyone who was not enslaved, overlooking voting rules that excluded women and many men.
How to Assess It
- On an exit ticket, ask: Who chose Connecticut’s governor, and how was that different from Virginia? Name one group that could not vote in Connecticut.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hand out Connecticut colony role cards marked eligible freeman or not eligible, then have eligible voters cast paper ballots for governor.
Ask students to write whether an elected governor represented everyone in colonial Connecticut, using one excluded group as evidence.
Give pairs Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia cards to sort by elected or appointed governor, then have them explain their choices.
Make a T-chart comparing a Connecticut governor election with a student council vote, focusing on who gets to vote.
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Printable 5.C.1.9.C Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 5.C.3.4.D
the principle of self-rule by consent of the governed
- 5.C.2.4.B
Describe how representative government was established through various institutions (e.g., New England town hall meetings, colonial legislatures, colonial chart...
- 5.C.1.8.B
practice of self-government established by the Mayflower Compact
- 5.C.1.9.B
self-government through town meetings
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