Pre-Colonial Period through the

Revolutionary War

What Influenced Colonial Government? Many of the rights

that American citizens enjoy today can be traced to the polictical and legal traditions of England and to the ideas of a cultural movement called the Enlightenment

Enlightenment-movement that spread the idea that reason and science could improve society

What Influenced Colonial Government?

For centuries, England had been ruled by a monarch—a king or queen

However, noble families had considerable power. The monarch gave them ownership and control of vast lands in exchange for their loyalty, tax payments, and promises of military support

The Magna Carta In 1215, nobles

rebelled against King John and forced him to sign the Magna Carta (Latin for “great charter”)

This document protected the nobles’ privileges and authority. Also included equal treatment under the law and trial by one’s peers.

The Magna Carta cont. “The Magna Carta was a contract

that limited the power of the monarch by guaranteeing that no one would be above the law, not even the king or queen.”

Parliament Kings who succeeded

John to the throne met regularly with nobles and church officials to get their advice

Gradually, this group grew in size and power, expanding to include representatives of the common people

By the 1300s, this group of nobles and church officials had developed into a legislature—a lawmaking body—known as Parliament

Parliament In 1688, Parliament removed

King James from his throne and invited Queen Mary and her husband William to the throne.

This peaceful transfer of power is known as the Glorious Revolution, in which Parliament now became more powerful than the monarch.

Parliament In 1689, Parliament drew up the

English Bill of Rights, which stated the monarch could NOT: Suspend Parliament’s laws Create special courts Impose taxes Raise an army without Parliament’s

consent

Common Law In early English history, there was no

written law Courts decided cases based on

precedent (a ruling in an earlier case that was similar)

This system of law, based on precedent and customs is known as common law. It rests on court decisions rather than regulations written by lawmakers.

Sources of American Law Common law Equity law-a system of rules that

resolves disputes on the basis of fairness.

Constitutional law-America’s fundamental and most important source of laws (based on the Constitution)

Statutory law-made by legislatures at the national, state, and local levels.

Philosophical Influences John Locke (1632-1704) was an

English writer who supported the Glorious Revolution

Locke argued that people were born free, equal, and independent

He believed people were born with certain rights, called natural rights to life, liberty, and property that no government could take away

Wrote The Second Treatise of Government and it said: “All mankind…being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.”

Philosophical Influences Locke also believed that if a

government tried to take away people’s natural rights, it was breaking the social contract Social contract-an agreement

among the people in a society to give up part of their freedom in exchange for protection of natural rights

Philosophical Influences

• Baron de Montesquieu, a French writer, developed the idea about dividing the branches of government into different parts to balance each other so that no one part can become too strong or threaten individual rights-Checks and balances of government

Bringing the English Heritage to America

By the 1600s and 1700s, England had began establishing colonies in America.

Colony-a group of people in one place who are ruled by a parent country elsewhere

Pre-Colonial Period Before English settlers established colonies in America, Indians

lived here. Cherokees Abenakis Seminoles Sioux

After settlers arrived the Indian population went from close to 10 million down to 1 million due to diseases brought from European settlers

Reasons for colonial settlements Exploration and exploitation-

Europeans wanted more land and raw goods in order to increase world power

Main reasons for movement to the colonies: Spices Gold Glory Religious Freedom

European Settlement Great Britain got permission from King James I

to create a colony in America with a charter from the Virginia Company in 1607

Charter-written documents granting land and the authority to set up colonial governments

Moved to Jamestown: 1st successful colony Raw materials: fish, fur, tobacco, timber, tar, sugar At first the Jamestown colony was managed by a

governor and council appointed by the Virginia Company

In 1619, the colonists chose two representatives from each county to meet with the governor and his council

These 22 men were called burgesses, and they formed the House of Burgesses—the first representative assembly, or legislature, in the English colonies

Early Settlements 1607: Jamestown

1st successful colony in America

Originally came for silver and gold, but ended up harvesting tobacco

Tobacco takes a lot of land and labor to be successful

Not enough people to work the fields

Early Settlements Jamestown was founded by the

Virginia Company, a group of London merchants and was organized as a joint-stock company Joint-stock company-European

companies invest money in the exploration and settlement of colonies in America

In return for monetary support, colonists send raw goods back to home country

Important Documents Mayflower Compact-

established direct democracy in Plymouth, Mass by the Pilgrims The Mayflower Compact

established a tradition of direct democracy

Throughout the colonial period—and in New England today—citizens held town meetings to address local problems and issues

Important Documents By 1639 a number of Pilgrims were

being persecuted for their religious beliefs in Massachusetts

They left Mass and colonized the area that is now Connecticut

There, they developed America’s first written constitution—the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut This document called for an assembly of

elected representatives from each town to make laws

European Settlement Ferdinand and

Isabella allowed Spanish explorers to come to America

Hernan Cortez was a Spanish explorer who came in search for gold

French settlers came for fish and fur

Early Settlements 1585: The Lost

Colony in the Roanoke Islands Settlers believed

to have been killed off by Indians

Settling the Colonies Although several

European nations had claims in N. American, it was the English who eventually dominated the continent

By 1733, there were 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard under English control

Immigration Video/Discussion

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/module.html?mod=1&pkg=immigration&seg=1

Settling the Colonies New England Colonies

9 years after the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, another group of investors received a royal charter to start a colony north of Plymouth

In 1630, about 900 men, women and children landed at Massachusetts Bay and built a town they called Boston

By the mid-1600s, the New England colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire had been founded

Settling the Colonies Most people in New England, including

farmers, lived in towns Farms were small and located on the towns’

outskirts Other New Englanders worked in small

businesses, milling grain, sewing clothes, or making furniture. Some worked as blacksmiths, shoemakers, or shopkeepers

Shipbuilding was an important industry The region’s forests provided wood for boats,

and fishing and whaling also employed many New Englanders

Settling the Colonies The Middle Colonies

A second group of colonies grew up south of New England

Known as the Middle Colonies, they included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware

Settling the Colonies After the English seized the harbor town of New

Amsterdam on Manhattan Island (NY) in 1644, King Charles II gave the colony to his brother, the Duke of York

New York became a proprietary colony, in which the owner, or proprietor, owned the land and controlled the government

The Duke of York gave the southern portion of his colony to 2 men, who named it New Jersey

For several decades New Jersey was a proprietary colony

In 1702, New Jersey became a royal colony (one owned and ruled directly by the king)

Settling the Colonies Farmers in the Middle Colonies grew

large amounts of wheat and other cash crops, which they sold in markets and overseas

This foreign trade spurred the growth of busy ports, such as New York and Philadelphia

Industries such as sawmills, mines, and ironworks were developed to take advantage of the region’s abundant natural resources

Settling the Colonies Southern Colonies

A third set of colonies formed in the South after Jamestown, Virginia was founded as a joint-stock company in 1607

North of Virginia, Maryland was founded in 1734

To Virginia’s south, another group of proprietors started Carolina

The two parts developed differently, and they officially became two royal colonies, North Carolina and South Carolina in 1729

Settling the Colonies Southern Colonies

The last English colony founded in America was Georgia

A group led by James Oglethorpe received a charter to create a colony where English debtors and poor people could make a fresh start. In Great Britain, debtors were often thrown in prison

Georgia not only served as a haven for those in debt but also as a military barrier between the English colonies and the Spanish

Settling the Colonies A warm climate, long growing

season, and rich soil spurred the growth of large-scale agriculture in the Southern colonies

In Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina tobacco became the leading crop

Rice dominated in South Carolina and Georgia

Both crops were grown in the Tidewater, areas of flat, low plains, near the seacoast of Virginia and North Carolina

Settling the Colonies Tidewater crops required very large amounts of

labor Owners of plantations came to depend on enslaved

African workers Smaller scale agriculture also existed, mainly in

inland areas Small farmers outnumbered the large plantation

owners, but the wealth and power of the plantation owners allowed them to control the political and economic life of the region

Because large-scale agriculture was dominant in the South, the region did not develop much industry or commerce

People of the Colonies Why did Colonists immigrate?

Many colonists in New England and the Middle Colonies were religious dissenters, those who followed a faith other than the official religion of England, the Anglican religion

For example, the founders of Massachusetts were called Puritans, because they wanted to reform, or purify, the Anglican church

These Puritans also considered themselves Pilgrims, or people on a religious journey

People of the Colonies Other groups sought religious freedom

The Quakers founded Pennsylvania as a safe place to practice their religion

Quakers were pacifists (non-violent) and did not believe in taking lands from the Native Americans

A proprietor named George Calvert founded Maryland in1634 for a safe home for Catholics

In 1644, Roger Williams received a charter to found the colony of Rhode Island

Rhode Island became the 1st place in America to welcome people of all faiths

Early Settlements In 1618, the headright system was

introduced as a means to solve the labor shortage. It provided the following: Colonists already residing in Virginia were

granted two headrights (two tracts of 50 acres each, or a total of 100 acres of land)

New settlers who paid their own passage to Virginia were granted one headright. Since every person who entered the colony received a headright, families were encouraged to migrate together.

Early Settlements Headright System cont.

Wealthy individuals could accumulate headrights by paying for the passage of poor individuals. Most of the workers who entered Virginia under this arrangement came as

indentured servants — people who paid for their transportation by pledging to perform five to seven years of labor for the landowner.

The Beginnings of Slavery In Southern colonies, a form of large-

scale agriculture developed, based on the plantation, or large estate

This system for growing tobacco, rice, and indigo demanded more workers than immigration and the system of indentured servants could provide

Southern farmers began using enslaved Africans

The Beginnings of Slavery The trade in enslaved Africans was at

the heart of what came to be called the triangular trade—the pattern of trade that developed among the Americas, Africa, and Europe

The colonists shipped rum to Africa, where traders exchanged it for enslaved people and gold

The enslaved were shipped to the West Indies and traded for sugar and molasses, which was used to make rum in America

The Africans’ journey across the Atlantic was know as the Middle Passage

Early Conflict 1676: Bacon’s

Rebellion Led by Nathaniel Bacon in

Jamestown, Va. Uprising made up of farmers

to revolt high taxes, low prices for tobacco, lack of protection from Indians, and resentment of Governor Berkely

Early Conflict Slavery became a large conflict

b/w northern and southern colonies

Settlers continued to have conflict with the Indians and continued to be attacked by Indians

Colonial regulation: “Salutary Neglect” (British government allows colonies to govern themselves) began to dwindle

Pre-Revolutionary War 1735: John Peter

Zenger argues for freedom of the press Published works openly

opposing the governor in New York’s decisions

Pre-Revolutionary War

French and Indian Wars In the 1750s, France and Britain

were fighting in Europe. The war was now spreading to North America.

British Colonists wanted to take over French land in North America. The British wanted to take over the fur trade in the French held territory

End of salutary neglect in colonies by British

Indians supported the French in the war between Great Britain and France

***VIDEO***

Result of French and Indian Wars

British win French territory

Proclamation of 1763 closed down colonial expansion westward, banned buying land or making any agreements with Indians illegal

Result of French and Indian Wars

Great Britain had heavy war debts because of the wars so they taxed the colonists to help repay their debts

1764 Sugar Act: put a $0.03 tax on foreign sugar, and a higher tax on non-British cloth, coffee, indigo, and wine

1765 Quartering Act: forced colonists to allow British soldiers to stay in their homes and provide the soldiers with all basic needs

1765 Stamp Act: required colonists to attach expensive tax stamps to all newspapers and legal documents

***VIDEO***

Colonists’ Anger Colonists felt it was

unfair the British Parliament was taxing them when they had no representatives in Parliament “No taxation

without representation.”

the colonists resented the taxes because they had no representatives in English Parliament

Colonial Response 1765: Stamp Act

Congress- 9 out of the 13 colonies met and wrote a Declaration of Rights and petitions to the king of England saying that Parliament had violated the colonists’ rights

Sons of Liberty-The goal of the Sons of Liberty was to stop enforcement of the Stamp Act by any means, including violence. Samuel Adams was a strong

supporter of the Sons of Liberty This was the first signs of

American nationalism.

British Parliament Response 1766 Parliament repealed

(cancelled) the Stamp Act because the colonists had boycotted (refused to buy) British goods

In the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the American colonies “in all cases.”

Taxation continues 1767 Townshend Acts:

laws levied new taxes on goods imported to the colonies The colonists brought back

the boycott against British goods

1773 Tea Act: gave the British East Indies Company tea the right to ship tea to the colonies without paying taxes

Boston Massacre 1770 British troops shot

and killed 5 Boston colonists

Colonists used this incident as propaganda (certain ideas that may involve misleading messages designed to manipulate people) to promote nationalism

Boston Tea Party

In 1773, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor. This became known as the Boston Tea Party

**Video***

British Reaction In reaction to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the

Coercive Acts, which the colonists renamed the Intolerable Acts.

Closed Boston Harbor Restricted colonists’ rights including the right to a trial by

jury Also allowed British soldiers to search, and even move into

colonists’ homes Established martial law (Temporary rule by military

authorities, imposed on a civilian population especially in time of war or when civil authority has broken down)

Colonial Response=UNIFICATION

In September 1774, 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates (representatives) to Philadelphia to discuss their concerns

This meeting became known as The First Continental Congress.

A 7-week meeting in which the delegates sent a document to King George III demanding the rights of the colonists to be restored

Agreed to meet again in 1775 if conditions did not improve

Colonial Response King George responded to

the requests of the delegates with military force.

The 1st two battles of the Revolutionary War took place in April, 1775 in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.

The colonists began talking about independence (self-reliance and freedom from outside control) from England.

Colonial Response Patrick Henry-”give me

liberty or give me death” He means “I’d rather die

than not be free from England.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson “By the rude bridge that

arched the flood. Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood; And fired the shot heard round the world”

Colonial Response The Second Continental

Congress took place in May, 1775 in Philadelphia to debate a war with Great Britain.

In January, 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense calling for complete independence from Great Britain.

He argued it was “simply common sense” to stop following the “royal brute, King George.”

War of Independence 1775-1783

Head of Continental Army: George Washington

1st battle for Continental Army=Breed’s Hill (the actual site where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place located in Charlestowne, Mass.)

Colonial Army had 400 soldiers vs. more than 1000 British troops

COLONIAL ARMY WINS!!!

http://earlyamerica.com/shot_heard.htm

War of Independence 1775-1783

July 8, 1775 Olive Branch Petition-It outlined the colonists issues and asked the British government to respond and deal with them. King George III of England refused to accept the petition

He believed the Americans to be in rebellion, and believed he could quickly end it with his military force

King George ignored requests for peace-battle continued

Declaration of Independence The Declaration

of Independence was a document that officially announced the independence of the United States. Mostly written by

Thomas Jefferson

Declaration of Independence

The Dec. of Independence. set up the colonists’ democratic ideals.

Argued the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people, and is based on the consent of the people

***VIDEO***

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The American colonies were now independent from England.

**VIDEO***

John Locke- Wrote that good government is based

on a social contract between the people and rulers

Wrote that all people should equally enjoy the rights to Life, Liberty, and Property

Influenced Thomas Jefferson

Tories or Loyalists

Tories-colonists living in America but LOYAL to England Made up about 1/5 of colony’s

population Many go back to England after the

war Also known as Loyalists (loyal to

England)

Long Term Reasons of the War British debt from the French & Indian

Wars-still needed to pay them back 1660 Navigation Acts-

The Navigation Acts of 1660 and 1696 restricted American trade in the following ways;

1. Only British ships could transport imported and exported goods from the colonies.

2. The only people who were allowed to trade with the colonies had to be British citizens.

3. Commodities such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton wool which were produced in the colonies could be exported only to British ports.

Long Term Reasons for the War

End of salutary neglect-colonists rule themselves English

government turned colonies into royal colonies-ruled by English kings/queens

Long Term Reasons for the War Mercantilism-the idea that a country

should sell more goods than it buys For mercantilism to be successful for Great

Britain, it needed the colonies to be a source of cheap, raw materials.

Parliament required the American colonies to sell raw materials, such as cotton and lumber, to Great Britain at low prices.

The colonists had to buy British goods at high prices. As a result, colonial businesses suffered.

Long Term Reasons for the War Colonial legislature had no voice in

the British government “no taxation without representation”

Short Term Reasons for the War Thomas Paine’s

Common Sense-calling for the colonies to break away from the British government

Rejection of the Olive Branch Petition-outlined problems in the colonies and asked King George to help

Boston Massacre-British soldiers shot and killed 5 colonists

Short Term Reasons for the War

Proclamation of 1763-British closed westward expansion to colonists in America

Various Acts passed by Parliament Navigation Acts Sugar Act Stamp Act Townshend Acts Intolerable Acts

WAR and the WAR’S BATTLES

Dec. 25, 1776: Trenton Oct. 1777: Saratoga Winter, 1778: Valley

Forge 1781: Guilford

Courthouse Nathaniel Greene led

colonial army, fought British at Guilford Courthouse-British lost several soldiers and weakened their army

WAR and the WAR’S BATTLES After defeat at the Guilford

Courthouse, British troops begin to move north

Oct. 1781: Yorktown (French cut off sea routes) Washington leads land troops

Cornwallis (leader of the British army) surrenders!!!

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris-a

peace treaty with Great Britain signed Sept. 3, 1783 officially ended the Revolutionary War

Established American boundaries of Miss. River, Florida and Canada

Revolutionary War Summary

Results of the War Northern states abolish slavery Church loses power in government Colonies $36 million in debt!

End of the Revolutionary War