What was the local meetinghouse? Why was it important to colonial town life in New England?

1) A colonial meeting house was a community gathering place in colonial New England. The colonial meeting house was a focal point of the community where inhabitants could debate local concerns, perform religious worship, and conduct town business. It was built with tax money. The origins of "town meeting" government may be traced back to colonial meeting halls. The majority of the meeting houses that still exist today were constructed in the second half of the 18th century. The majority were nearly square, with a steeply pitched roof that ran east to west. Normally, there were three doors: The "Door of Honor," located in the center of the long south wall, was used by the minister and his family to honor out-of-town visitors. Women and men utilized the other entrances, which were placed in the center of the east and west walls, respectively. On the east, south, and west sides, a balcony (called a "gallery") was generally erected, and a lofty pulpit was usually placed on the north wall. Following the separation of church and state, several towns built a floor at the balcony level to divide the building's religious and political responsibilities, utilizing the first floor for town business and the second story for church. The majority of these structures that are still standing have been restored numerous times to fit the demands of their owners and the period's style. Churches with one entrance on one short end of the structure, a long aisle to a pulpit on the other short end, and slip pews instead of box seats were popular in the early nineteenth century.

2) Beginning in the early 1600s, New England Town Meetings were held in the colonies of New England. As a result, Town Meetings were created to protect local autonomy and self-government over matters like religious freedom and tax legislation.

The local meetinghouse is, as the name suggests, a building or a group of buildings that has the purpose of serving for "meetings", whether it is to discuss local issues such as weather, rainfall, crops, etc, as well as to discuss local political and even relations (such as, if located near the border, relations with Native Americans, as well as European colonials that were located in the lands), as well as national politics. It is important to be able to keep up to date with local informations, locality and global trades, information regarding taxes, tariffs, and other governmental regulations, and a chance to catch up on local information and small talk within the community.

cultural/diplomatic relations. most medieval japanese   culture has chinese origins. writing, architecture etc.