Definition of "self-government" [self•-gov•ern•ment]

• Political independence; autonomy. (noun)
• Popular or representative government; democracy. (noun)
• Self-control. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Dancers were allowed only to exhibit “self-control and self-government” in their movements."
• "The following year, in one of its many articles calling for an end to Italian immigration, the Saturday Evening Post argued that because southern Italians were part African, they were “incapable of self-government and totally devoid of initiative and creative ability.”"
• "The idea isn't just to make money -- though that will be nice -- but to repair and nurture the sense of community involvement, debate and local allegiance that is at the core of the American experiment in democratic self-government."