Self Government in the Thirteen Colonies
The Declaration of Independence
The Great Compromise/ The Connecticut Plan
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
1) What are the unalienable rights?
2) From where does government get its power to govern?
3) Why are governments created?
4) What must man do when government fails to do what it was created to do?
dissent (n.) - the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held.dissent (v.) - hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed.representative government – a government where citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns in making their laws.colonial charter - a document that gives colonies the legal rights to exist. Charters can bestow certain rights on a town, city, university, or other institution. Colonial charters were approved when the king gave a grant of exclusive powers for the governance of land to proprietors or a settlement company.constitution - the basic principles and laws of a nation or state that determine the powers and duties of the government.social contract - an agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits.
In 1619, colonists in Jamestown, Virginia, created a legislature, or lawmaking body - the House of Burgesses. The burgesses, or delegates, were chosen by Virginia's landowners. Thus, the House of Burgesses represented the colony's people of property. The legislature became the first example of representative government in the colonies.
Self-Government in Massachusetts
Early Personal Freedoms
Other Rights and Freedoms
- Protection of life, freedom, and property.
- Habeas corpus. This
term refers to people's right to know about any criminal charges made against
them. By knowing these charges, people
can defend themselves. The term also
refers to people's right not to be held in jail except as the law provides.
- Protection from having one's house searched without legal
permission in the form of a written search warrant.
- Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly (the right to speak and meet in public without being bothered)
1) List the name of Jamestown’s colonial legislature?
2) Who was Jamestown named after?
3) How were colonial governors involved in making laws for
the colonies?
4) How did a person become a colonial governor?
5) What power did the colonial legislatures have over the
colonial governors?
6) List the name of the legislature for Massachusetts Bay
Colony.
7) How did the towns within Massachusetts Bay Colony govern
their local affairs?
8) What is a constitution?
9) List all the rights and freedoms present in the colonies
as listed and mentioned in this reading.
The Clash Between Parliament and the Stuart Monarchs
The Stuart Kings,
James I and Charles I, were unpopular.
They (a) claimed "divine right", (b) followed an unpopular foreign
policy, (c) discriminated against the Puritans, a powerful Christian sect, (d)
harmed the middle class by taxing it heavily while neglecting to further trade,
(e) violated English law by imprisoning opponents without a fair trial, and (f)
raised money by means not approved by Parliament. Popular resentment against Stuart policies
encouraged Parliament - with its many middle class Puritan members - reassert its authority.
In 1628,
Parliament issued the "Petition of Right". In the "Petition of Right",
Parliament protested the despotism of Charles I and reaffirmed that the
monarch, according to English law, may not (a) levy taxes without Parliament's
consent, (b) imprison persons without a specific charge and without provision
for jury trial, and (c) quarter (board) soldiers in private homes without the
owner's permission. By withholding new
tax laws, Parliament finally compelled Charles to sign the Petition of Right.
Charles
disregarded the Petition of Right and denied Parliament's authority to curb his
"divine right" rule. From 1629
- 1640, Charles did not convene Parliament.
Ruling autocratically, he (a) illegally raised money, (b) illegally
imprisoned his opponents, (c) utilized the royal Star Chamber Courts, where
accused persons were denied a jury and often were tortured to compel them to
testify against themselves, and (c) continued to persecute the Puritans.
Desperate for
funds to suppress a Scottish rebellion in 1640, Charles summoned Parliament
into session. He soon realized that the
House of Commons was controlled by his enemies, the Puritans. Charles' demand for new taxes was resisted by
the Puritans, who insisted that he first abandon his autocratic policies. In 1642 his unsuccessful attempt to arrest
the Puritan leaders of the House of Commons led directly to the outbreak of
Civil War.
The Puritan Revolution (1642 - 1660)
Parliament rallied
the middle class, the small landowners, and the Puritans - groups collectively
called the "Roundheads".
Parliament also had the support of the Scottish, who had rebelled
against Charles' interference with their Presbyterian religion. Charles had the support of the nobility, the
wealthy landowners, and high clergy from the Anglican and Catholic churches -
groups collectively called the Cavaliers.
The Parliamentary forces were led by an ardent Puritan named Oliver
Cromwell. He decisively defeated the
Cavaliers.
Charles was
captured by his enemies. His most bitter
foes in Parliament accused him of treason, murder, and tyranny. He was placed on trial, convicted, and
executed in 1649. Although this extreme
measure shocked many people, it reaffirmed that English monarch’s rule in
accordance with the law, not divine right.
England was
declared a republic, or Commonwealth, and Cromwell, the victorious Puritan
general, ruled as a military dictator from 1649 to 1658. In 1653 he took the title of "Lord
Protector". A highly capable
leader, Cromwell suppressed rebellions in Ireland and Scotland, furthered
economic growth, and maintained a successful anti-Spanish foreign policy. However, Cromwell's Puritan rule did not gain
popular support. Many English people
objected to (a) Cromwell's dictatorial government and heavy taxes; (b) the role
of Cromwell and his Puritan followers in the execution of Charles I; (c)
Puritan intolerance of the Anglican religion - whose members were far more
numerous than the Puritan minority; and (d) the severe Puritan moral code,
which prohibited dancing, athletic games, theatrical performances, and other
amusements. Shortly after Cromwell's
death in 1658, Puritan rule ended.
9) Refer back to your chart that
compares authoritarian government with a representative liberal democracy. Which
of the two types is closest to the form of government under Oliver Cromwell’s
rule? Support your answer by matching
two features of Cromwell’s government with two features of either a
representative liberal democracy or an authoritarian government.
The Stuart Monarchs Rule Again (1660 - 1688)
Upon Parliament's
invitation, Charles II (the exiled son of Charles I) returned to England and assumed
the throne. He pledged to observe the
Magna Carta and the Petition of Right, and to respect the authority of
Parliament. In 1679, Charles yielded to
Parliament's wishes and approved the Habeas Corpus Act. This act limited the monarch's powers by providing
that (a) an arrested person may secure from a judge a court order called a writ
of habeas corpus and (b) by this writ the prisoner must be brought before the
judge and given a statement of charges.
Thereafter, the prisoner may be released on bail pending a speedy
trial. Today, in both England and the
United States, habeas corpus protects the individual against arbitrary arrest
and imprisonment.
In 1685, Charles II died and his brother assumed the throne
as James II. A convert to Catholicism,
James outraged the people and Parliament by (a) his pro-Catholic acts and (b)
his efforts to dominate Parliament and revive "divine right" rule. Moreover, the birth of his son aroused fear
of continuing Catholic rule in England.
The Glorious Revolution (1688 - 1689)
Parliament secretly offered the English
crown to William, a Protestant ruler of Holland, and his wife Mary (Protestant
daughter of James II). They
accepted. When William arrived in
England, James fled the country.
Parliament declared the throne vacant and proclaimed William and Mary
the new King and Queen. By this
bloodless revolution in 1688, Parliament (a) finally ended "divine
right" in England and (b) reaffirmed its supremacy over the monarch.
As part of this
Glorious Revolution, Parliament passed the (a) The Bill of Rights (1689) which
provided that the monarch may not suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army
without the consent of Parliament; the monarch may not interfere with
parliamentary elections and debates; Parliament must meet frequently; the
monarch must be Anglican in religion; and the people are guaranteed basic civil
liberties: the right to petition the government and to an impartial, speedy
jury trial and protection against excessive bails, fines, and cruel and unusual
punishments. A hundred years later this
great document served as a model for the first ten amendments of our
Constitution - the American Bill of Rights.
Also passed was the (b) Toleration Act (1689) which granted freedom of
worship to non-Anglican Protestants.