Before Thomas Jefferson made the achievements that he did, like the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia, and passing a statute in Virginia for Religious Freedom, society was not the same. In the beginning, British settlers did not come to the American colonies with the intentions of creating a democratic system. The colonies offered a broader franchise than England or any other country. For example, white men with enough property could vote for members of the lower house of legislature, in Connecticut and Rhode Island they could vote for governor. Men who did not own land could not vote.