A Little Parliament: The Virginia General Assembly in the Seventeenth Century (review)

No historian is better equipped to write an institutional history of seventeenth-century Virginia than is Warren Billings, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Orleans. This study is a welcome addition to his long list of publications on the evolution of government in early Virginia. Billings focuses on the Virginia assembly, but there is also a great deal contained here on the development of the judicial system and on the office of governor. He is intimately acquainted with the primary source material which provides the foundation for this study. With his usual graceful writing style, he has crafted a very readable account of a subject that might be tedious in less skillful hands. The author asserts early on that he made no attempt to make comparisons with other colonies because colonial governments tended to operate in isolation. However, to understand the inner workings of Virginia government is to open a window into the operation of government in general throughout British Colonial America.

The book is divided conveniently and logically into two parts—a history of early Virginia government and a biographical study of the major political players of that time period. At the heart of this study is Billings's contention that the early Virginia assembly, like other arenas in early America, evolved from a "corporate appendage" into a "little parliament," not by design, necessarily, but as a result of the efforts of the leading figures in government. This evolution occurred roughly by the 1650s, at which time members of the assembly were specifically embracing parliamentary procedures with which they were familiar. In this way the House of Burgesses built for itself a solid foundation from which to govern. A second salient point considers the way in which the assembly became bicameral—not, as conventional scholarship would say, to mimic the British Parliament, but rather, under Governor William Berkeley's leadership, for reasons of expediency. Billings argues that this change marked a crucial milepost in the evolution of government since it afforded the assembly a structure that enhanced its ability to operate as a representative assembly.

During Virginia's earliest years as a royal colony, given the turmoil in England, it is not surprising that the Crown allowed a considerable distance to grow between England and America. In this context, governors, councilors, and assembly members could follow their own paths and assert their independence. If there is a heroic figure in this account, it is William Berkeley, a man of great ability who steered the colony with enormous skill and diplomacy through challenging times. His downfall, a familiar part of the story, came in the 1670s as Bacon's Rebellion and turmoil in England intersected with his declining health. But it is not just Berkeley's story which matters. The House of Burgesses itself, having enjoyed nearly half a century of growing independence and stature, also reached a turning point amidst colonial strife and the Restoration in Britain. As the power of the governor strengthened, the power and stature of the assembly declined.

One of the great strengths of this study is its effectiveness in bringing to life a century of legislative development during a period of history for which the documentary evidence can be frustratingly scarce. Billings, however, has the knowledge and expertise to fill in the gaps with astute and intelligent explanations. Perhaps he might have revealed a bit more of the rich context of early Virginia history in which institutional development took place. By that is meant a deeper examination or analysis of the Virginia landscape in terms of society, gender, and race. To be sure, this study is about the Virginia general assembly in the seventeenth century, but no institution operates in a vacuum. Native Americans in this study appear essentially as obstacles to white advancement. Women appear as wives and daughters of prominent families. Slaves appear intermittently and largely as objects of legislation. In fairness, perhaps these omissions, if averted...