AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
 Each colony controlled separately by the Privy
Council and the Board of Trade in London.
 Colonists became used to self-government
because England was 3,000 miles away across
the Atlantic Ocean (a 2-month sail)
 Colonial legislatures found the power of the
purse very effective
 Governors were controlled because the
legislature wouldn’t pay them if they didn’t
follow legislative plans
 By mid-1700s, the relationship between
colonies and England was similar to a federal
system
 1760—George III becomes king.
 Restrictive trade acts expanded and new
taxes were imposed.
 Colonist expressed strong opposition
 “taxation without representation”
 Colonists would need to learn to work
together if they were to break from Great
Britain
 EARLY ATTEMPTS
 1643—New England Confederation
 Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven,
Connecticut
 CONFEDERATION—joining of several groups
for a common purpose
 League of friendship against Native
Americans
 Eventually the danger from Native Americans
passed and friction among the settlements
grew.
 Confederation dissolved in 1684
 1696—William Penn offered an elaborate
plan for intercolonial cooperation but it
received little attention and was forgotten
 THE ALBANY PLAN
 1754—British Board of Trade called a meeting
of seven of the northern colonies at Albany,
NY
 CT, MD, MA, NH, NY, PA, RI
 Main purpose: discuss problems of colonial
trade and the danger of attacks by French
and Native Americans
 Ben Franklin proposes the Albany Plan of
Union
 --formation of an annual congress of
DELEGATES (representatives) from the 13
colonies.
 --congress could raise military, navy, make
war and peace with Native Americans,
regulate trade, tax, and collect customs
duties
 Franklin’s plan was ahead of its time
 Delegates at the meeting agreed but it was
rejected by the colonies and the Crown
 THE STAMP ACT CONGRESS
 Parliament had passed the Stamp Act of 1765
 Law required use of tax stamps on all legal
documents, certain business agreements,
and on newspapers
 October 1765—Nine colonies (all but GA, NH,
NC, VA) sent delegates to NY
 Delegates prepared a strong protest called
The Declaration of Rights and Grievances
 First time a significant number of the colonies
had joined to oppose the British Government
 Parliament repealed the Stamp Act but
passed other laws that the colonists opposed
 Mob violence erupted at many ports and a
BOYCOTT was supported on British goods
 March 5, 1770—British troops fired on a
hostile crowd killing 5—The Boston Massacre
 Organized resistance was carried out by
COMMITTEES OF CORESPONDENCE
 Provided a network of cooperation and an
exchange of ideas
 Protests multiplied
 December 16, 1773—Boston Tea Party
 Men, disguised as Native Americans, boarded
3 cargo ships in Boston harbor then dumped
the cargo into the sea
 Spring 1774—Parliament passed another set of
laws to punish colonists for trouble in Boston—
The Intolerable Acts
 Sept. 5, 1774—Representatives from all colonies
except GA met in Philadelphia
 Samuel Adams, John Adams, Roger Sherman,
John Jay, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, etc.
 For nearly 2 months—discussions about the
worsening situation
 They also debated plans for action.
 Declaration of Rights (protesting colonial
policies) sent to King George III
 Delegates urged colonies to refuse all trade
with England until the taxes and trade
regulations were REPEALED
 Meeting adjourned October 26, 1774 with a
call for another meeting in May 1775
 All colonies, including GA, gave support to
the actions of the First Continental Congress
 Winter 1774-75—British refused to compromise
 Reaction to the Declaration of Rights was with
even stricter and more repressive measures
 May 10, 1775—Delegates again meet in
Philadelphia
 Revolution had begun
 “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”—April 19, 1775 @
Lexington & Concord, NH
 REPRESENTATIVES
 All colonies sent delegates (many from before)
 Newcomers—Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock
 Hancock was chosen President of the Congress
 First action was to create a continental army
 George Washington chosen as commander-in-
chief
 Thomas Jefferson replaced Washington in the VA
delegation
 The Second Continental Congress served as the
government of the United States for 5 years—
July 4, 1776 to March 1, 1781
 During this time the Congress did several things:
 --fought a war
 --raised armies and a navy
 --borrowed funds
 --bought supplies
 --created a monetary system
 --made treaties with foreign powers
 The unicameral congress exercised both
legislative and executive powers
 Legislative—each colony had 1 vote
 Executive—handled by committees of
delegates
 Richard Henry Lee (VA) proposed
independence on June 7, 1776 (p. 38)
 Committee of 5 named to prepare a
proclamation of independence
 Franklin, J. Adams, Sherman, Livingston,
Jefferson
 Many delegates has serious doubts about a
complete break from England
 July 2, 1776—delegates agree to Lee’s
resolution
 July 4, 1776—delegates adopt the Declaration
of Independence proclaiming a new nation
 Independence was announced in the first
paragraph
 The rest of the document speaks to “the
repeated injuries and usurpations” that led
colonies to revolt
 (text from the Declaration p. 38)
 Jan. 1776—NH adopted a constitution to replace
its royal charter
 3 months later SC followed
 May 10, 1776—Congress urged each colony to
adopt “governments…that would best give their
constituents happiness and safety”
 DRAFTING STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 MA set a lasting example of constitution-writing
 1780—MA passed a constitution and
submitted it to the voters for ratification
 The oldest of the present-day State
constitutions and the oldest written
constitution in the world today
 COMMON FEATURES
 --POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY (government can
exist only with the consent of the governed)
 --limited government
 --civil rights and liberties
 --separation of powers
 --checks and balances
 (table p. 39)
 Documents were usually brief
 New State governors weren’t given much real
power
 Most authority was granted to the legislature
 Elective terms were short-one or two years
 Right to vote limited to adult white males
who met rigid qualifications including
property ownership
 THE END