Colonial Colonial Development Development
Dec 17, 2015
Colonial Colonial DevelopmentDevelopment
INFLUENCES FROM ENGLAND’S EARLY
GOVERNMENT
Limited and Representative Limited and Representative GovernmentGovernment
• England was ruled by a monarch with influence of noble families
• Land was given to nobles in exchange for – Loyalty– Taxes– Military support
1215 Nobles rebelled and forced the king tosign the Magna Carta
Magna CartaMagna Carta
• Protected nobles’ rights and gave certain rights to all landholders
• Rights included– Equal treatment under the law– Trial by one’s peers–Guaranteed that no one would be above
the law…not even the king
Birth of the legislatureBirth of the legislature
• Henry III followed King John and had a group of nobles who advised him• Group increased in size and included
representatives of the common people• By 1300s this became a legislature,
known as Parliament
Glorious RevolutionGlorious Revolution
• 1688 Parliament removed King James II from throne• Placed his daughter Mary and her
husband William on the throne• Peaceful change in power and led
to the English Bill of Rights
English Bill of RightsEnglish Bill of Rights• After the Glorious Revolution Parliament was
stronger than the monarch• 1689 Parliament creates the English Bill of
Rights– Monarch could not place taxes or create an army
without the consent of Parliament– Members of Parliament would be elected– Citizens gained the right to a fair trial by a jury– Outlawed cruel and unusual punishment
Common Law• English had no written laws• Laws were based on the decisions of the
courts and precedent set by court decisions• The system of law became known as
common law and based on court decisions• Would be foundation of laws in the US
BRINGING THE ENGLISH HERITAGE TO
AMERICA
Colonial America
• 1600s and 1700s, England was setting up colonies in America
• Early colonists in America were loyal to England
• The first permanent settlement in North America was Jamestown– Jamestown was settled with a charter from
the Virginia Company
JamestownJamestown• Governed by a governor and a council
appointed by the Virginia Company• 1619 colonists chose two representatives
from each community to meet with the governor and the council (called burgesses)–Made up House of Burgesses (lawmaking
body)• Start of self government in American colonies
PlymouthPlymouth
• 1620 Pilgrims settled Plymouth in what is now Massachusetts• Arrived in America on the Mayflower• On the way decided a written plan of
government was needed and signed the Mayflower CompactMayflower Compact
Mayflower CompactMayflower Compact
• Stated that the government would set up just laws for the good of the colony
• The people who signed promised to obey these laws
• Set up a direct democracy and allowed all men to vote
• Called for majority rule
Early Colonial Governments
• Each colony set up its own government• Each had a governor• The governor was either elected by the colonists or
appointed by the English monarch.• Each had a legislature• Free adult males elected the members of the
legislature• Most were modeled after the English Parliament
Great BritainGreat Britain
• The English monarch and Parliament were paying attention to other matters
• England became known as Great Britain in 1707, when the country united with Scotland
• The colonists soon became used to taking care of themselves and making their own decisions. This would cause problems when Great Britain began to interfere.
The Birth of The Birth of Democratic Democratic
NationNation
Increased Gov’t Control• Mid 1700s Great Britain becomes more
involved in the colonies• GB operates on the principle of
mercantilism–A country should sell more goods to other
countries than it buys– Expectation that the colonies would provide
raw materials AND purchase goods from GB (at an increased price)
1763 GB won the French and Indian War
• Gained French territory in the colonies• War was very costly• American colonies were taxed and resented it– Ex. Stamp Act (1765) tax on newspapers and legal
documents– Colonists resent not having representation in
British gov’t – Protest (No taxation w/o representation)
Protests worked
• But temporary• Stamp Act repealed but other taxes put in
place• Townshend Acts (1767)– Taxes on things the colonists imported such as
tea, paper, lead
– 1773 Tea Act- more taxes
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
• Limited the rights of colonists• Limited the right of trial by jury• Allowed British troops to search
and move into colonists homes
Means of Colonial Protest
• Propaganda pamphlets (in their writings)• Literal protesting- in the streets (mild)• Boycott (influenced repeal of some taxes)• Harass the tax collectors• Raids on products (Ex. Boston Tea Party– More aggressive
MOVEMENT TOWARD INDEPENDENCE
September 1774• 12 colonies send delegates to Philadelphia–PURPOSE- to discuss concerns
• First Continental Congress• Send documents to King George III to demand
the restoration of their individual rightsColonists also decide to continue boycott and to
meet again if GB does not meet demands
King’s Response
• Military action (April 1775)• British and Colonists fight two battles in
Massachusetts– Lexington and Concord– First battles of the Revolutionary War
May 1775
• Second Continental Congress– Some favor independence– Some fear there is no way the colonists could
defeat Britain– Some are still loyal to GB
– As they debate independence becomes a dominant goal
Common Sense
• January 1776 • Published by Thomas Paine• Called for complete independence from
Britain
• More than half of the delegates at the Second Continental Congress agree with Paine- independence will be declared.
Declaration of Independence
• Second Continental Congress acts as the government of the colonies
• Committee is established to create a document declaring America’s independence
• Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration of Independence
• Explained why the colonies wanted independence• Included colonists’ beliefs about individual rights– Government is based on the consent of the people– If government ignores the rights of the people the
people have the right to overthrow the government
• Influenced by the ideas of John Locke (an English philosopher)
July 4, 1776
• The Second Continental Congress approved The Declaration • Freedom for the colonies would
come after the end of the Revolutionary War and Great Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation
THE NATION’S FIRST
GOVERNMENTS
•State ConstitutionsState Constitutions•Articles of ConfederationArticles of Confederation•ConstitutionConstitution
Early State Constitutions• Colonies began to replace colonial
charters with new constitutions• Constitution–A written plan for government–Sets up the powers and limitations of
government
Early Constitutions
• Each state government included a legislature• Most were bicameral (2 houses)• Each had a state governor whose job was to
carry out laws• Each had judges and courts to interpret the
law• Many included a bill of rights that guaranteed
citizens certain basic freedoms
Massachusetts• Last to draw up a constitution and it was a little different• Power was divided among the legislature, governor, and
courts• Governor and courts were given the power to check the
legislature• The constitution was created through a special
convention of delegates instead of by the legislature• State citizens then approved the constitution• The Massachusetts constitution would later become The Massachusetts constitution would later become
the model for the US Constitutionthe model for the US Constitution
THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION