2.1- Our English 2.1- Our English HeritageHeritage Mrs. ShadoinMrs. Shadoin

Civics and Civics and EconomicsEconomics

What Influenced Colonial What Influenced Colonial Government?Government?

EnlightenmentEnlightenment= cultural = cultural movement that spread movement that spread the idea that reason and the idea that reason and science could improve science could improve societysociety

The English brought The English brought with them a history of with them a history of limited and limited and representativerepresentative government and new government and new ideas about law, society, ideas about law, society, and rights people and rights people possessed possessed

The Magna Carta (1215)The Magna Carta (1215) In 1215, English In 1215, English

nobles rebelled nobles rebelled against against King JohnKing John and and forced him to sign the forced him to sign the Magna Carta Magna Carta

It protected nobles’ It protected nobles’ privileges and also privileges and also granted rights that granted rights that eventually applied to eventually applied to all English, including all English, including equal treatment under equal treatment under the law and a the law and a trialtrial by by juryjury

The Magna Carta (1215)The Magna Carta (1215) The Magna The Magna

Carta limited Carta limited the power of the the power of the monarchmonarch by by guaranteeing no guaranteeing no one was above one was above the law, not the law, not even the King or even the King or Queen Queen

King John

ParliamentParliament LegislatureLegislature= a lawmaking body, in = a lawmaking body, in

Great Britain it is known as Great Britain it is known as ParliamentParliament

ParliamentParliament In 1688 Parliament removed King In 1688 Parliament removed King

James II from the throne, this was James II from the throne, this was known as the known as the Glorious RevolutionGlorious Revolution, , from now on, no ruler would have from now on, no ruler would have more power then Parliament more power then Parliament

English Bill of Rights English Bill of Rights (1689)(1689)

The document The document further restricted further restricted the monarch’s the monarch’s power, it power, it guaranteed free guaranteed free elections to elections to Parliament, the Parliament, the right to a fair trial, right to a fair trial, and the elimination and the elimination of of cruel and cruel and unusual punishmentunusual punishment

Common LawCommon Law In it’s earliest days, In it’s earliest days,

England had no England had no writtenwritten laws, people developed laws, people developed rules, and they began rules, and they began to have the force of lawto have the force of law

A court system A court system developed and when developed and when judges decided cases judges decided cases they would look for a they would look for a precedentprecedent or a ruling in or a ruling in an earlier case that was an earlier case that was similar, to be consistentsimilar, to be consistent

Common LawCommon Law This system of law is This system of law is

known as known as common common lawlaw, it rests on court , it rests on court decisions rather than decisions rather than regulations written regulations written by lawmakersby lawmakers

Our laws about Our laws about property, property, contractscontracts, , and personal injury and personal injury are based on English are based on English common law common law

Philosophical InfluencesPhilosophical Influences John LockeJohn Locke was was

an English an English writer who writer who argued people argued people were born free, were born free, equal, and equal, and independentindependent

Philosophical InfluencesPhilosophical Influences He believed they possessed rights, He believed they possessed rights,

called called natural rightsnatural rights, to life, liberty, , to life, liberty, and property that no government and property that no government could take awaycould take away

Philosophical InfluencesPhilosophical Influences He also believed in He also believed in

the the social contractsocial contract where people in a where people in a society agree to give society agree to give up part of their up part of their freedom to a freedom to a government in government in exchange for exchange for protection of natural protection of natural rights; people agree rights; people agree to obey the to obey the government as long as government as long as it protects their rights it protects their rights

Philosophical InfluencesPhilosophical Influences Baron de Montesquieu developed the idea Baron de Montesquieu developed the idea

about dividing the about dividing the branchesbranches of of government into different parts to balance government into different parts to balance each other so that one part cannot each other so that one part cannot become too strong or threaten individual become too strong or threaten individual rightsrights

Representative Representative GovernmentGovernment

The 1st permanent The 1st permanent English settlement English settlement in North America in North America was was JamestownJamestown in in Virginia, it was Virginia, it was founded in 1607 founded in 1607 by the Virginia by the Virginia CompanyCompany

Representative Representative GovernmentGovernment

It was organized as a It was organized as a joint-stock joint-stock companycompany which provided investors which provided investors partial ownership and a share in partial ownership and a share in future profitsfuture profits

Representative Representative GovernmentGovernment

The merchants The merchants received a received a chartercharter,, from King from King James I which was James I which was a written a written document document granting land and granting land and the authority to the authority to set up colonial set up colonial governmentsgovernments

Representative Representative GovernmentGovernment

In 1619, the colonists formed the In 1619, the colonists formed the House of BurgessesHouse of Burgesses, the first , the first legislature in the English colonies, it legislature in the English colonies, it marked the beginning of self marked the beginning of self government government

The Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact (1620)(1620)

In 1620, the In 1620, the PilgrimsPilgrims arrived in arrived in America and built a settlement America and built a settlement called Plymouth in Massachusettscalled Plymouth in Massachusetts

On board their ship, the On board their ship, the MayflowerMayflower, , they drew up a written plan for they drew up a written plan for government known as the government known as the Mayflower Mayflower CompactCompact

The Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact (1620)(1620)

CompactCompact= an = an agreement, or agreement, or contract among contract among a group of a group of peoplepeople

Town MeetingsTown Meetings The Mayflower The Mayflower

Compact established a Compact established a tradition of tradition of direct direct democracydemocracy citizens citizens held town meetings to held town meetings to address local address local problems and issuesproblems and issues

Everyone in town Everyone in town could attend and could attend and express their opinions express their opinions but but votingvoting was limited was limited to men who owned to men who owned property property

Fundamental Orders of Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)Connecticut (1639)

Some Pilgrims were being Some Pilgrims were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, persecuted for their religious beliefs, they left Massachusetts and they left Massachusetts and colonized the area that is now colonized the area that is now ConnecticutConnecticut

Fundamental Orders of Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)Connecticut (1639)

There they developed America’s first There they developed America’s first written written constitutionconstitution, the , the Fundamental Orders of ConnecticutFundamental Orders of Connecticut

It called for an assembly of elected It called for an assembly of elected representatives from each town to representatives from each town to make laws, it also called for the make laws, it also called for the popular popular electionelection of a governor and of a governor and judges judges

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Fundahttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Fundamental_Ordersmental_Orders

Early LegislaturesEarly Legislatures By 1733, thirteen By 1733, thirteen

English colonies English colonies stretched from stretched from MassachusettsMassachusetts in the in the north to north to GeorgiaGeorgia in the in the southsouth

Each colony had a Each colony had a governorgovernor elected by elected by the colonists or the colonists or appointed by the king; appointed by the king; they each had a they each had a legislature with legislature with representatives elected representatives elected by free adult malesby free adult males

Salutary NeglectSalutary Neglect As the years passed colonial As the years passed colonial

governments took on more governments took on more responsibility while the King and responsibility while the King and Parliament dealt with matters in Parliament dealt with matters in Great Britain; colonists became used Great Britain; colonists became used to making their own decisions; this to making their own decisions; this policy was known as policy was known as Salutary Salutary NeglectNeglect