What is Salutary Neglect?

BackgroundJamestown, 1607Who were they?

Englishmen, not “colonists”Rights, privileges, great king, amazing

flag, chips, naught, queue, etc., etc.

Fun Fact TimeThey ate each other.

Jamestown, 1619• Stopped eating each other• Imported the first slaves• Created the Virginia House of Burgesses

First “representative”

body in the future U.S.A.

Why does the VAHOB matter?

• Why would they create a governing organization?

• Because they needed governing.• Why wasn’t Britain doing it?– Distance?– Didn’t care?– Busy with other things?

Salutary Neglect, Pilgrim Style

• Called “Separatist” Puritans• Separatists….• Separate• Didn’t like Anglican Church• Anglican….• Englican• England• Didn’t like England

Pilgrim/Puritan/Massachusetts

• 1620 – Mayflower Compact – agreed to create a government based on majority rule

• Established town meetings• 1636 – Created Harvard

Shows they didn’t need England for governing

or for education.

Other Salutary Neglect Stuff• Colonists fought 2 wars against New France

(Canada, aye), with little British help• Britain passed a lot of laws that we ignored and

they didn’t enforce (most involved trade)• Colonial legislatures set their

own tax rates• We developed our own view

of what it meant to be “British”

• It wasn’t very realistic.

1754-1763: French and Indian War

• Not between the French and Indians• Also called the “Seven Years War”• Actually nine years• British and colonists vs. French and Indians• French and Indians….• French = lose, Indians = die

• French and Indians =

The end of Salutary Neglect

• We win the war, but don’t get to go to Disneyland

• British begin to pay more attention to us• A lot more attention• Taxes• New trade laws• And, this time, they enforce

them