In chapter three of "Their Magistrates and Officials," by R.J Rockefeller, the reader perceives that, in order to completely understand eighteenth-century, colonial Maryland's executive government, one first should note the symbolism residing in the homes, art, and furniture of the governors and his councils during this period. Members of the social elite council and colonial government emphasized their stately position with metaphorical items. We also discover, in Rockefeller's work, that the basic legal and political processes of the day had to include routine practices and behaviors such as ceremonies, noticeable feasting, a demeanor of likability, an enjoyment of amusement, as well as properly appointed governors' homes and government buildings. Material things were used as tools to create meaning and stability in their colonial world. Their governmental methods indicated that frequent and successful ceremonial use of physical items allowed these items, when used metaphorically, to be rendered symbols of power. It is evident that ceremonies and physical items played a part in swaying public opinion regarding Maryland's colonial executive government.
             To aid in establishing the governor's image, traditions such as parades, government ceremonies, private affairs, lavish entertainments and sports (such as horse racing), were all employed. The executive government's main social audiences were limited to the capital city. In Annapolis, governors and councils displayed their wealth on tours to the family homes of those holding the country's seats of power. In colonial Maryland, a government official's importance also was communicated through the size, location, style, and look of government buildings. These buildings included the State House and the home of the governor. These structures were the most extravagant buildings in colony. They were built this way intentionally. In the eighteenth century, there was a strong ...