[r9etb]

The people of the United States have had maybe three (Pardon me if I’m wrong, I’m not a historian) different national governments: The government of the Continental Congress, the government of the Articles of Confederation, and the government of the present Constitution.

There's a fourth, and probably the most important one: there was a period of near-self-government that grew up among the colonies while England was convulsed by civil wars and succession crises; which must be coupled with the formation of the various colonies founded on principles of religious dissent.

Moreover, there were numerous attempts to establish representative governments within the Colonies -- the House of Burgesses in Virginia being probably the most notable example.

[KrisKrinkle]

"There's a fourth, and probably the most important one: there was a period of near-self-government..."

I can see that giving them a taste for more.