POL 101: U.S. Government
Dr. Kevin Lasher
Colonial Period (1607-1776)
Colonial Period (1607-1776)
 Virginia in 1607; Georgia in 1732
 Colonies “belonged” to British empire
 85% of free settlers from Great Britain
(England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)
Colonial Governments
 Governor appointed by
British King
 Judges appointed by
British King
 Legislatures elected by
20-40% of white, male
citizens; legislatures had
good deal of power
Colonial Governments
 Colonial governments
(legislatures) had good
deal of “freedom” from
British home rule
 Salutary neglect
British Mercantilism
 Great Britain would
control trade between
itself and colonies
 Colonial economy should
“serve” the Mother
Country
 Incomplete mercantilism
during period of salutary
neglect
American Character
 British colonists were
becoming Americans
(a long process)
 Freedom, social mobility,
small farmers, early
republicanism
 Still thirteen “minicounties” in 1775
Period of “Salutary Neglect”
 1650 (?) - 1763
 Mother country Great Britain did not have as
much as control over its colonies as it would
have preferred
 Civil war at home, war in Europe, distance,
economic benefits
 Partly intentional policy
Period of “Salutary Neglect”
 American colonies (especially governing
elites) had a good deal of freedom during this
formative period
 American colonists “liked” this arrangement
very much; did not want it to end
End of “Salutary Neglect” in 1763
 End of French-Indian War (1763) in North
America
 Rising British costs of protecting colonies
 Mother country should exercise “control”
End of “Salutary Neglect”
 Series of taxes imposed to raise money for
administration of colonies
 Enforce mercantilism
 Curtail “freedom” of colonies
Period of Growing Tension
 1763-1775
 Long, difficult process
 Revolutionary War begins in
1775