The Origins of Early Government in the Colonies

English Gov.

• Ordered Government
• Limited Government
• Representative Government

Parliament

• Common Law

Important Documents and Institutions

• Magna Carta, 1215 (E)
• Virginia House of Burgesses, 1619 (A)
• Mayflower Compact, 1620 (A)
• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639 (A)
• Petition of Right, 1628 (E)
• The English Bill of Rights, 1689 (E)

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The Signing of the Magna Carta, 1215

The Magna Carta, 1215

• King John, an English King, constantly demanded money and men for wars from his feudal barons.
• The feudal barons in 1215 forced King John to agree that he had “no right” to demand their property without their consent. Their consent was to be agreed upon in a grand council.
• King must now get consent of the people

The Magna Carta

• Two important aspects of the Magna Carta:
• there must be a set of laws governing (precedents) how the King and his subjects will deal with each other.
• the King is not the highest authority and that he is bound by a higher law that limits his authority. - Rule of Law
• The King cannot imprison someone without officially charging them and giving them a trial by their peers (jury). - Due Process
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Virginia House of Burgesses, 1619

Virginia House of Burgesses

• 1619 the first elected representative government appears in Virginia.
• House of Burgesses imposed taxes and ran the colony
• It is modeled after the English Parliament.
• English Parliament was England’s lawmaking elected government.

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Signing of the Mayflower Compact

Mayflower Compact, 1620

• 1620, Pilgrims arriving near the New England Coast agree to write a contract that allows for self-government.
• The Mayflower Compact promised that every adult male would vote for the Governor and his advisors on a yearly basis.
• It supports the idea of majority rule.

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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639

• First written constitution in North America. It was the work of a Puritan clergyman, Thomas Hooker.
• It was a outline for self-government of the colony. The well being of the community came before the individual.
• Adult males elected a governor, assistants, and a legislative assembly to make laws for the community.

Petition of Right- 1628

-Charles I (1625-1649)- went to Parliament asking for more money in taxes, parliament refused

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-Forced to sign Petition

of Right in 1628

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Petition of Right

• Limited the power of the King
• King could no longer imprison or punish any person but by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land
• Could not impose martial law in times of peace
• Could not force homeowners to quarter troops
• Could not ask any person for loan, gift, tax, or charge without consent of Parliament

James II (1685-1688)

• “Divine Rights” belief that the king was God’s choice to rule on earth
• A monarch has absolute power over his nation
• A monarch appoints government officials who answer to him not the people
• A monarch passed laws without the peoples consent or input

The Glorious Revolution

• Glorious because no one died in battle and Revolution because the English overthrow the last Catholic monarch
• Parliament takes away many powers from the monarchy
• Monarchs William of Orange and Mary agree to give Parliament more power

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English Bill of Rights, 1689

• Monarchs William of Orange and Mary agree to sign a bill of rights
• this gives Parliament and the people more power under Bills of rights than the monarchs:
• Parliament agrees on laws not the king
• Raise taxes
• Parliament okays the raising of an army
• Parliament and public have free speech against the government
• Trial by jury
• Elections and debates
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Colonial Government

• As the colonies grew, so did the colonists views on government.
• Time and distance from the mother-country necessitated some form of government to be in place.
• The Crown also had the responsibility to enforce its laws on the colonies.

Colonial Government

• Government in the colonies varies by the type of charter for that colony.
• Question: What are the three types of colonial charters?
• Charter Colonies
• Proprietary Colonies
• Royal Colonies

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American Colonies

Royal

Proprietary

Charter

Type

Connecticut, Rhode Island

Colony

Governor and Legislature Elected by Colonists

Government

Great Britain had the right to approve governor, but governor could not veto legislature.

Note

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania

Connecticut, Rhode Island

Proprietor selected the governor and upper house. Colonists Elected the Lower House

Proprietor free to rule.

GA, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, SC, VA

Directly Ruled by Britain.

King appointed Gov. and Upper House. Colonists elected the Lower House.

Colonial Government

• Colonial governments like the House of Burgesses elect their own representatives
• Representatives impose taxes, fines and managed colonial affairs
• Colonists believe they are Englishmen and should have a say in their government
• Colonists are used to running their governments on their own, the English have let the colonies get used to this

Freedom of the Press

• John Peter Zenger Trial, 1735
• Arrested for exposing governor’s corruption in his paper
• Charged with seditious libel
• Wins freedom of press and papers will begin to address political issues

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Colonial Government

• What important English Rights did the colonist gain from the following dates. 1215, 1689, 1735?
• What is a representative government?
• Who had more power in the colonial government system. The king, governor or the assemblies?
• Compare and contrast a monarchy and a representative government.
• Create an illustrated time line on representative government in colonial America.