Governing
the
Colonies
How did English ideas about
government and trade affect the
Early
Colonial
Government
During the period known as “salutary neglect” the
English inattention to the colonies allowed for the
Magna
Carta
• The first document to place restrictions on an English
ruler’s power.
– Limited the monarch’s right
to levy taxes without
consulting the nobles
– Protected the right to own
private property
– Guaranteed the right to trial
by jury
31. Neither we nor our [officials] shall take,
for our castles or for any other work of ours,
wood which is not ours, against the will of
the owner of that wood…
39. No free man shall be taken or
Influence on Colonial Government
• establishes limited
government
• governments are
accountable to the “law
of the land”
Parliament
• England’s two‐house
legislature
– House of Lords: nobles
– House of Commons:
elected people
• Power to make laws
Influence on Colonial Government
• Influenced Virginia
House of Burgesses and
later the United States
Congress: Senate and
House of
English
Bill
of
Rights
• Issued under William and
Mary in 1689
• Guaranteed the powers of
Parliament (England’s two‐
house legislature)
• Guaranteed basic rights of
Influence on Colonial Government
• Becomes the basis for
the Bill of Rights we
have as part of our
Constitution today
Natural Rights
• John Locke
– Theory of NATURAL RIGHTS
• Right to life
• Right to liberty
Influence on Colonial Government
• Becomes part of the
Declaration of
Independence
Natural
Rights
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with
Separation
of
Powers
• Baron Montesquieu
– Separation of Powers
• Executive, Legislative,
Judicial
• Each would check and
balance the other to protect the liberty of the people
– Becomes the basis for
Expansion of Rights: Freedom of the Press
• John Peter Zenger was arrested for publishing
articles that criticized the governor. • Zenger was charged
with libel (publishing
of statements that
damage a person’s
The
Zenger
Trial
of
1735
• Zenger was found not guilty.
• The case helped establish the principle that
the press can seek and report the truth
because a democracy depends on well‐
informed citizens.
“By your verdict, you will have laid a noble foundation for securing to ourselves our descendants, and our
neighbors, the liberty both of exposing and opposing tyrannical power by speaking and writing truth.”
Early
Forms
of
Self
‐
Government
• Mayflower Compact (November 11, 1620)
In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread [revered and feared] sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc., having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the
northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents [this document] solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and of one another, covenant [promise] and combine ourselves together into a civil
body politic [group organized for government] for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by
virtue [authority] hereof, to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances [regulations], acts, constitutions, and offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet [fitting] and
Early
Forms
of
Self
‐
Government
• Virginia House of Burgesses
Becomes the symbol of representative government we see in our House of
Representatives today
Mercantilism
• The economic theory that the colonies exist
for the good of the mother country. • The colonies become a source of raw
materials.
Mercantilism
•
Theory states that as a nation’s trade
grows, its gold reserves increase, and
the nation becomes more powerful
•
Settle colonies
get money =
colonies
Mercantilism
• Benefits to the Colonists
– Reliable market for some of their raw materials
Mercantilism
• Benefits to England
– Exported (SELL) more to the colonies that they
imported
– Colonies were a source of (CHEAP) raw materials
– BUY LOW AND SELL HIGH = MAKE LOTS OF MONEY OFF THE COLONIES!
Mercantilism
• England wants to make sure they are the ONLY
ones to buy from and to sell to the Colonies
• England DOES NOT WANT the Colonies to
shop around for the better deal
Navigation
Acts
Navigation
Acts
1. Shipments from Europe to English colonies
had to go through England first.
2. Any imports to England from the colonies
had to come in ships built and owned by
British subjects.
3. The colonies could sell key products, such as
Navigation
Acts
• Benefits to England
– Steady supply of raw materials (CHEAP)
Navigation
Acts
• Disadvantage to Colonists
– Prevented from selling to highest bidder
– Prevented from buying at a lower price
Colonial
Society
What were the characteristics of
Slavery
in
the
Colonies
How did slavery develop in the
Atlantic
Slave
Trade
• Triangular Trade – trade route that exchanged
goods and slaves between Africa, American
Colonies, and Europe
• Middle Passage – slaves brought from Africa
Slavery
in
the
Colonies
• More than 10 million Africans were
transported to the Americas in the Atlantic
Slave Trade.
• The plantation economy of the South became dependent on the labor of enslaved African
Americans.
• Slave codes were passed to restrict the rights
and activities of the slaves but did not always
Slave
Codes
"All servants imported and brought into the
Country...who were not Christians in their native
Country...shall be accounted and be slaves. All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion...shall be held to be real estate. If any slave resist his
master...correcting such slave, and shall happen to be killed in such correction...the master shall be free of all punishment...as if such accident never happened."
Slave
Codes
• Varied from colony to colony
• Imposed harsh physical punishments, since enslaved
persons who did not own property could not be
required to pay fines.
• Stated that slaves needed written permission to
leave their plantation, that slaves found guilty of
murder or rape would be hanged, that for robbing or
any other major offence, the slave would receive
sixty lashes and be placed in stocks, where his or her
ears would be cut off, and that for minor offences,
such as associating with whites, slaves would be
