Ch. 2
Section 1
Our English Heritage
Influences from England’s Early
Government


The English brought with them a history of
limited and representative government.
England was ruled by a monarch, or king
or queen, but eventually nobles held much
of the power.
Influences from England’s Early
Government


Because of his ongoing war with France,
King John needed money for his armies,
but the loss of French territories made it
difficult to raise it; a huge tax would be
needed.
King John increased scutege 11 times in
his 17 years as King and the nobles had
enough.
Influences from England’s Early
Government



The nobles forced King John to sign the
Magna Carta (1215)
Document upheld rights of landowners
including equal treatment under the law
and trial by one’s peers; also retained the
writ of habeas corpus
This is important because it limited the
power of the king or queen and stated
that no one would be above the law (“rule
of law”)
Influences from England’s Early
Government



In 1688, nobles and church officials who advised
King Henry III developed into a legislature, law
making body known as Parliament.
In a power struggle, Parliament removed King
James II from the throne. His daughter Mary
and her husband were chosen to rule instead.
In doing so, Parliament demonstrated that they
were more powerful than the monarchy; from
this point on, no ruler would have more
power than the legislature
Influences from England’s Early
Government


Parliament drew up the English Bill of
Rights, it required the monarch to get
Parliament’s consent to:
- impose taxes
- raise an army
- create special courts
It guaranteed free elections, free speech,
fair juries, no cruel and unusual
punishments
Influences from England’s Early
Government

In its early days, England had no written laws;
King Henry II (1154)

People developed rules to live by which
eventually came to have the force of law.

Judges made rulings consistent with precedents,
or rulings in earlier cases that were similar

This system of law based on custom and
precedent is known as common law; U.S. laws
are based on English common law. Important
for consistent rulings
Bringing the English Heritage to
America



A colony is a group of people in one place who
are ruled by a parent country elsewhere.
English colonists in America remained loyal
subjects of England. They accepted common law
and expected the same rights they enjoyed in
England.
In the 1600’s and 1700’s England was starting to
establish colonies in the Americas for economic
purposes
Bringing the English Heritage to
America



The first permanent English settlement was in
Jamestown, VA in 1607 by the Virginia Company,
a group of merchants from London.
The merchants were granted a charter, a
document granting land and the authority to set
up colonial governments. King James I
At first the colony was managed by a governor
and council appointed by the Virginia Co.
Bringing the English Heritage to
America



In 1619, 2 representatives from each county
were chosen by the people to meet with the
governor and his council.
They were called the House of Burgesses, the
first representative assembly or legislature in the
U.S.
They had little power, but it was important
because it was the beginning of selfgovernment in colonial America
Bringing the English Heritage to
America




Before arriving in the New World, the Pilgrims set
up rules to govern themselves by signing the
Mayflower Compact in 1620.
A compact is an agreement, or contract, among
a group of people.
Mayflower Compact was a written plan that set
up the first direct democracy in the colony.
Only adult members were able to vote, all men
would vote; majority rule.
Bringing the English Heritage to
America

Because of the success of Jamestown and
Plymouth, by 1733 colonies will stretch from
Massachusetts to Georgia.

The English colonies followed the examples of the
Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses

Each colony had a governor and elected
legislature modeled after the English Parliament

More power was taken by the colonial
governments over time due to the preoccupation
of the Parliament and Monarchy with France