Exclusion Crisis
James, the Duke of York and the colonial proprietor of New York, was in exile in Brussels and Edinburgh from 1679 to 1681 during the Exclusion Crisis. Upon his return to England, he appointed Dongan to succeed Edmund Andros as governor of New York. Dongan's instructions, which were sealed by James on January 27, 1683, specifically directed Dongan to hold elections for a colonial assembly. Several factors contributed to James decision to extend representative government to his colony.