Salutary Neglect and the American Revolution by Matthew Elton copyright 2007 Matthew Elton Throughout seventeenth century, the English Colonies in the New World were on their own. It took so long to cross the Atlantic Ocean that any news that reached Europe from the colonies was usually outdated, and thus, it was almost impossible for England to rule over the colonies when they were so far away. However, by the late eighteenth century, the colonies were well established, ships crossed the Atlantic far more frequently, and, perhaps most importantly, the French and Indian War forced England to defend the colonies. As a result, England finally began to rule over the colonies, passing laws and levying taxes. The colonists had tasted freedom in the early days of the colonies, and they fought in the Revolutionary War to regain that freedom. In 1607, Jamestown, Virginia was established. It was the first permanent English colony in the New World. Adventurers such as John Smith had founded the colony in order to attain profitable resources in the New World. In 1620, more English settlers founded Plymouth, Massachusetts. These settlers came to the New World for a different reason: to escape religious oppression in England. For the next century, many people would cross the Atlantic and come to the New World, establishing many settlements across what would eventually become the thirteen English Colonies. These settlers came for many different reasons. For some, it was to establish a religious community free from the Church of England. For others, it was to conduct commerce in the slave trade and triangular trade without having to worry about taxes and regulations. Either way, there was freedom in the New World that could not be found in England. Over a long period of time, the colonies eventually developed their own systems

of government. In 1619, the House of Burgesses was established in Virginia. It was the first elected legislative assembly in the English Colonies. Modeled after Parliament, the House of Burgesses consisted of a group of elected officials who ruled the colony, along with the governor. A similar system of government was established in 1620, when the Mayflower Compact was written and signed by the colonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Compact established a basic government in the colony, in which the people would, as a community, enact and enforce laws for the good of the colony. Over time, each of the thirteen English Colonies established assemblies of elected officials. These assemblies established laws which supported the concept of democracy. For instance, in 1649 the colonial assembly of Maryland passed the Maryland Toleration Act, also known as the Act Concerning Religion. The Maryland Toleration Act granted everyone in Maryland the freedom of religious toleration. Religious freedom was also established in the colony of Pennsylvania. Freedom of religion brought many settlers to the colonies, especially oppressed religious groups such as the Quakers and Puritans. In 1769, the British government dissolved the House of Burgesses. By then, the British monarchy and parliament has taken almost complete control of the colonies. After an expensive seven year war against France, the King of England raised taxes in the colonies, stripped them of their self-governing assemblies, and began micromanaging every detail of colonial government. Originally, settlers came to the English Colonies for the freedom to practice a religion, the freedom to own and trade slaves, the freedom to elect self-governing assemblies, and other freedoms. When those freedoms were taken away, the colonists fought to gain them back.