Name: ____________________
Period : ___________________
9/19/11
Homework # 4
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Name: ____________________
Period : ___________________
9/19/11
Homework # 4
The Mayflower Compact
In the name of God, Amen:
We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our
feared Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of Great
Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the
Christian Faith, and the Honor of our King and Country, a voyage
to plant the first colony in the northern Parts of Virginia:
Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of
God and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves
together into a civil Body Politic, for our better Ordering and
Preservation, and Furtherance of the aforesaid Ends;
And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just
and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices,
from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and
convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we
promise all due Submission and Obedience.
In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at
Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign
Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth,
and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620.
Name: ____________________
Period : ___________________
9/19/11
Homework # 4
THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
at Jamestown, Virginia
Many of our ideas about representative government developed from the English model of
Parliament, beginning in Jamestown. The experience there would later influence the political
development of other English colonies.
The first charter of the Virginia Company, signed by King James I on April 10, 1606, planted
the first seed for the future evolution of our constitutional values:
all and every person being our subjects which shall dwell and inhabit these Colonies and
plantations and every or any of their children . . . shall have and enjoy all liberties and
immunities as if they had been abiding and borne within this our realm of England.
Between the years of 1606 and 1619, two significant trends determined the political character of
the colony. First was the growing recognition that a colonial settlement should be more than a
money making endeavor. Jamestown showed promise to develop into a permanent settlement.
The second trend was the power to make laws in the colony was becoming more spread out.
In 1609 James I surrendered his control over the colony. By 1618, martial law was abolished,
legislative assembly created, and power of government was in the hands of the settlers.
Thus in April 1619 Governor George Yeardley arrived, announcing that the Company, in an
effort to improve the social conditions of the colony, voted for the abolition of martial law and
the creation of a legislative assembly.
*First, the assembly petitioned for minor changes. Then, the assembly approved the "Great
Charter" of 1618, which had allowed for its creation. Next, the assembly adopted measures
against drunkenness, and gambling. Here lies the power of the individual burgess to initiate
legislation, and not simply to pass those laws proposed from above. The assembly even passed
a law requiring compulsory church attendance. Finally, on August 4, the assembly approved its
first tax. The poll tax required every man pay "one pound of Tobacco" for summer services.
Thus concluded the first legislative assembly ever to take place in English-speaking America. It
was a modest beginning, and the capacity of the First Assembly to serve as a precedent for later
constitutional developments in America was restricted in two ways: first, the assembly was not
modeled after Parliament, but rather after the assembly of Virginia Company stockholders in
London and second, any legislation passed by the assembly was subject to Company veto.
Name: ____________________
Period : ___________________
9/19/11
Homework # 4
Main
Idea- What is the purpose of the text? What is it trying to tell you? 1) What does
the Mayflower Compact say about government? 2) What is a representative
government and how is that like today's democracy?
Conclusion- Opportunity to think about what wasn’t said in the readings. After
reading use this question: What did each reading tell you about colonial
government?
Evidence- Supporting Details: Highlight or circle the details that support your
main idea. Underline the details that support your conclusion.
Main Idea 1: ________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Conclusion 1: _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Evidence: See above.
Main Idea 2: ________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Conclusion 2: _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Evidence: See above.