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The 13 North American colonies formed separately over 125 years
1 st – Virginia in 1607
Last – Georgia in 1733
Each colony was unique, and formed out of different sets of circumstances
Each had a charter – written grant of authority
(permission to govern) from the king

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3.
Royal Colonies
Proprietary Colonies
Charter Colonies

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Controlled by the British crown (King)
King appointed a governor to run the colony
A council appointed by the king served as advisors to the governor
Had a bicameral legislature = 2 houses
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Upper house = the governor’s advisors.
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Lower house = elected by property owners who could vote

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Organized by a proprietor (business owner) who had been given a grant by the king
Proprietor appointed the governor to run the colony
Most colonies were either Royal or Proprietary, or both at some point in time.

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charter: a written document given to a colony granting it the right to govern.
The charter colonies had more freedom to govern than others
Governor elected by male landowners
3 colonies: Rhode Island, Connecticut, and
Massachusetts Bay

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The pilgrims landed with no charter with rules or instructions on how to govern
So they drew up a social contract
Mayflower Compact (1620)
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Pilgrims agreed to follow the rules in order to survive
Laid out rules of the colony
Signed by 41 of the original 101 passengers

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First representative assembly
(legislature) in the North American colonies
Met at a church in Jamestown, 1x per year
Governor was appointed by officials in
London
Governor appointed his own 6-man council
Other 15 members of the legislature were elected by landowners

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Britain = 3,000 mi (2 month boat ride) away
Before 1760, Britain did not concern itself much with the colonies
Colonies got used to self-government
Very few taxes collected from the colonies by the king
They could even control the royal governors –
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Colonial legislatures had the “ power of the purse”

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1760: King George
III takes the throne
England is at war over foreign territories ( French and Indian War )
Many colonists fought for Britain in this war

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French-Indian War (aka 7 Years War) cost
Britain lots of money
To pay its debts, Britain turned to the colonies
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Enforced existing policies
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Imposed new taxes
Colonists objected:
“no taxation without representation”

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Required that all legal documents and public documents (ex.
Contracts, newspapers) have a stamp on it.
The stamp cost money, which went directly to the British government

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9 colonies sent delegates (representatives) to the Stamp
Act Congress in New York
Wrote a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” to
King George
*1 st time colonies joined forces and opposed the
British government**
Result: Stamp Act was repealed, but…
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Parliament continued to impose new laws and taxes on the colonies
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Colonists began to boycott British products

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Samuel Adams formed the
Committees of
Correspondence in
1772
Provided information network among anti-
British groups
Organized protests, militias, boycotts

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Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774 to punish the colonists
Sept. 5, 1774: 56 delegates met in Philadelphia
All colonies represented except GA
Met for nearly 2 months
Sent a Declaration of Rights protesting Britain’s colonial policies to King George III
Called for all colonies to stop trade with Britain until the taxes were repealed

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British government responded to 1 st CC with stricter measures and refusal to compromise
Second Continental Congress met in
Philadelphia on May 10, 1775
All colonies sent representatives
Revolutionary War had already begun
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No more kings!

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1 year into the Revolution, Congress nominated a committee of 5 to draft their declaration of independence –
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Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman,
Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson, the youngest, did most of the writing
He was greatly influenced by John Locke’s social contract philosophy

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Major Concepts
Popular sovereignty
Limited government
Individual rights
Equality of men
People only consent to government to protect life, liberty, and property
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Justification for the
American Revolution
King George violated the social contract by violating life, liberty, property of colonists
When the contract is violated, the people have the obligation to revolt

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“ Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence , and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this
Confederation expressly delegated to the United
States, in Congress assembled.”
In other words…
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Our 1 st try at a Constitution
Set up a confederacy
Weak central government

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Only one branch of government: Legislative
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Legislature = Congress
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Congress was unicameral (one house)
No executive or judicial branch
Each state had 1 vote, regardless of size or population
1 member was chosen to be the presiding officer (chairman) each year
Congress appointed civil officers (ex.
Postmaster)

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The states! Congress could only…
Borrow Money
Organize a Post Office
Make/Sign Treaties
Declare War
Establish army/navy
Control of Western Territories

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No separation of powers
No chief executive
Congress did not have power to tax
Congress did not have power to regulate trade
No national currency
No national court system
Unanimous approval required for amendments
9/13 majority state approval required to pass laws

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Weak central government led to unrest
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Congress had no way to pay war debts
States ignored their promises to the national government
 Printed their own $$
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Formed their own armies
Taxed goods from other states
Some states banned trade with others
The whole country was in an economic depression
Shays’ Rebellion

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Daniel Shays
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Poor farm hand
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Fought in the Revolution, but was never paid
There was widespread resentment toward
Massachusetts government
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Refused to issue paper money
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Foreclosing on citizens for repayment of debts
All men in government were wealthy property owners

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Shays organized 700 armed farmers and marched on the Supreme Judicial Court of
Massachusetts
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The rebellions multiplied in Massachusetts and spread to nearby states
To counter the insurgency, the government drew up a Riot Act
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Several rebels were put on trial and sentenced to death

**The country’s continued lack of
$$ and increased violence and unrest led to a call for a stronger national government**