Charter
Charter, a document issued by a ruler or a central government granting or guaranteeing certain rights. A deed transferring ownership of land was once called a charter. A famous document defining political rights was England's Magna Charta, or Great Charter (1215). Modern use of the word charter is generally limited to a document issued by a state or by the federal government to incorporate a municipality, private business, association, or institution for the purpose of fixing its powers and responsibilities.
In the American colonial period, the British government issued charters to trading companies and individuals (called proprietors) for the establishment of colonies in the New World. Rhode Island and Connecticut are sometimes called corporate colonies because they were chartered after being established.