Politics and Government

   New York has a governor and an elected assembly. The Charter of Liberties gives free rights to all Dutch and English settlers. New York also has religious freedom. The colony was run by a governor appointed by the king of England. He made all the laws, and there was little self-government. Sometimes the colonist were able to gain more freedom, (the right to elect the mayor of New York City, the chance to set up an assembly), but these freedoms did not last long.New York adopted its first state constitution in 1777. It has been rewritten several times. The capital was variously located at Kingston, White Plains, Poughkeepsie, and New York City before Albany was selected as the permanent site in 1797.