The Pennsylvania Provincial Council helped govern the
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...
from 1682 to 1776. The provincial council was based on the English parliamentary system and namely the Upper House or
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
. From the
Frame of Government of Pennsylvania
The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania was a proto-constitution for the Province of Pennsylvania, a proprietary colony granted to William Penn by Charles II of England. The Frame of Government has lasting historical importance as an important step ...
of 1683, the provincial council consisted of 18 to 72 members from the province's counties. The council had the power to dismiss the General Assembly, rule in the absence of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor, create courts, and make judicial appointments.
Meeting places
Before 1753, the Council and Assembly met at various places such as Quaker meeting houses or private residences in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. In the first government meeting on October 28, 1682 took place in
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...
. After 1753 the government met at what is now
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...
.
See also
*
Colonial government in America The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the Constitution of the United Kingdom, British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the e ...
*
General Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania
References
External links
Pennsylvania State Archives
Colonial government in America
Province of Pennsylvania
1682 establishments in Pennsylvania
1776 disestablishments in the United States
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