How colonial political culture diverged from Britain

Many settlers left Britain because its political and religious arrangements did not match their expectations. Differences persisted over how the British constitution should operate, while an uncodified constitution allowed institutions at home to continue evolving. In this interpretation, disputes over colonial rights increasingly diverged from Britain's understanding of parliamentary sovereignty. Movement between the colonies and Britain was insufficient to keep influential groups closely informed about those changes. Officials returning to Britain usually carried an administrator's view of the colonies. Locally rooted descendants of settlers increasingly treated the colonies as home, making that administrative view less able to explain their outlook.