<P> An additional 116 settlers were admitted to the general court as freemen in 1631 , but most of the governing power , as well as the judicial power , remained with the council of assistants . They also enacted a law specifying that only those men who `` are members of some of the churches '' in the colony were eligible to become freemen and gain the vote . This restriction on the franchise was not liberalized until after the English Restoration . The process by which individuals became members of one of the colony 's churches involved a detailed questioning by the church elders of their beliefs and religious experiences ; as a result , only individuals whose religious views accorded with those of the church leadership were likely to become members and gain the ability to vote in the colony . After a protest over the imposition of taxes by a meeting of the council of assistants , the general court ordered each town to send two representatives , known as deputies , to meet with the court to discuss matters of taxation . </P>
what members of the community has the most power in the massachusetts bay colony
the council of assistants individuals whose religious views accorded with those of the church leadership