Chapter 4 Lesson 2
Colonial Government
Day 1
DO NOW:
• What are some modern ideas about
government in America?
• Example : People should vote for their leaders
Human Graph
• England had a King. That means that the
English government was not very modern/
progressive for the time.
Human Graph
• FALSE
• England was a “Parliamentary Democracy”
– That is, they had a King, but a Parliament which
had “checks” on the King’s power.
Human Graph
• Because of their King, English people had very
few rights.
Human Graph
• FALSE
• English citizens benefitted from a progressive
rights based system. They enjoyed:
– Trial by Jury
– Property Rights
– Representative Government (elected
parliamentary officials)
Questions we will focus on:
• What are American ideas about government?
• Where did these ideas come from?
It Matters Because
• Using ideas from England and their own
experiences, American colonists began
developing their beliefs about the proper form
and role of government.
English Principles of Government
• Ideas about government had developed over
hundreds of years
– TWO MAJOR IDEAS
–1. PROTECTED RIGHTS
–2. REPRESENTATIVE LEGISALATURES
–*These two ideas influenced the
development of American ideas about
government
Protected Rights
• Colonists believed that government must
respect civil liberties/rights
– This was a British Idea that began with the signing
of the Magna Carta, a British document reforming
the King and his relationship to people’s rights
– Signed in 1215
– Gave people protection against unjust treatment
or punishment
Magna Carta Video
Representative Government
• Representative (Person
who represents)
• English had tradition of
electing leaders to
represent them to
“Parliament”
– Parliament is like our
Congress, a legislature
– A legislature is a body of
government that writes
laws.
Parliament
• Two houses of Parliament
– House of Lords
• Eldest sons of England’s aristocracy (the upper, ruling
class)
– House of Commons
• Commoners, mostly merchants and property owners
elected by other property owners
• *This body that wrote laws influenced the US Congress
Representative Government
• In mid 1600s- power struggle
between King James II and
Parliament
– This power struggle was a dispute
about the power of parliament vs
the king.
– It was also about religion.
Parliament feared King James
would bring bath Catholicism as
England’s religion.
• 1688- Parliament removed King
James II from power and crowned
William of Orange and Mary to
rule.
– William and Mary
Video (begin at 0:56)
Representative Government
• William and Mary
promised to govern
England according to
the laws passed by
Parliament.
• Called this transfer of
power “The Glorious
Revolution”
• From this time on, no
ruler would have more
power than the
Parliament.
Glorious Revolution Video
The English Bill of Rights
• 1689- English Bill of Rights
passed
– Stated that the ruler could not
suspend Parliament’s laws, impose
taxes, or raise an army without
Parliament’s consent.
– Members of Parliament had to be
freely elected.
– Citizens of England had the right to
a fair trial by jury
– Also banned cruel and unusual
punishment
Government in America
• 13 Colonies began as
either charter or
proprietary colonies
– Charter colonies were
based on a charter (a
grant of rights by the King
to a company)
• Example: Massachusetts,
Virginia
– Proprietary colonies were
the property of an owner
or group of owners.
• Example: Pennsylvania
Royal Colonies
• Many colonies later became
a Royal colony (under
control of Britain)
– VA became royal in 1624
• In a royal colony:
– Parliament appoints a governor
and council
» King/ Parliament controlled
their actions
– Colonists selected an assembly
» Often argued with governor
and council
» Only white men with
property could vote for
members of assembly
Local Government in the Colonies
• Over time townspeople began discussing local
issues at town meetings.
• These developed into local governments with
landowners holding the right to vote and pass
laws
• Developed strong belief in their right to self
govern.
• Helped set the stage for American revolution
Closure Day 1
• How did the Magna Carta influence
government in the colonies?
• Give an example of representative
government in Britain and in America.
• What is a legislature?
• What is the British legislature called?
– American legislature called____________.
4.2 Colonial Government Day 2
Day 2 Opener
• Have you ever had something taken away?
– Video games
– Participation on a team
– Hanging out with a friend?
– Write a summary of what it was and how you felt
when it was taken away.
I see I think I wonder
Discussion• What is the purpose of a colony?
• What do you think Britain wanted to get out
of having the colonies in the Americas?
What Britain wanted from Colonies
English Economic Policies
• Mercantilism
-A country builds wealth and power by building its
supplies of gold and silver.
-To achieve this goal, a country must export, or sell
to other countries, more than it imports, or buys
from other countries.
-A country gets rich by building colonies to supply
raw materials to sell
Mercantilism Video
Mercantilist Policy
• England views the colonies and colonists as
making money for England
– England did not have a lot of respect for colonists
– They thought of them as wild/ frontiersman, not
really culturally English
• Yet, Colonists thought of themselves as part of
English society and as entitled to the same
rights and representation as others living in
England
Question to focus on:
• How did the colonists react to England’s
economic policies?
How the Colonists thought of
themselves
• The Colonists were proud to be
English. As Englishmen, they
viewed themselves as supporters
of liberal English government:
– Rights based
– Representative government
– VERY INDEPENDENT
– BELIEVED IN INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
English Economic Policies
• England looked to
America for raw
materials such as
tobacco, rice, indigo,
wheat, lumber, fur,
leather, fish, and
whale products.
• They also wanted
colonists to buy
English manufactured
goods such as tools,
clothing, and
furniture.
English Economic Policies
• England began passing a
series of laws called the
Navigation Acts in the
1650s.
– The laws forced colonists
to sell their raw materials
to England even if they
could get a better price
elsewhere.
Navigation Acts
• All trade goods had to be
carried on ships built in
England or the Colonies.
• The crews of these ships
had to be English as well.
• Goods bought by the colonies
from other countries in Europe
had to go to England first and
be taxed.
• Video
Colonial Resistance
• At first, they accepted the Navigation Acts
• Later, came to resent the acts
• Colonists wanted to manufacture their own
goods rather than buy English goods.
• Also wanted to sell to nations other than England
• Colonists smuggled goods to avoid taxes
• Controls on trade would later harm their
relationship.
Closure: Discussion
• Look back to your “opener” where you wrote
about something you had being taken away.
• How do you think this relates to Colonists and
the Navigation Acts?
• How did the Navigation Acts restrict the
freedom of the colonists?
• How did that make them feel?
• Create a tweet and complete left sides.