8th U.S. History: Colonization

Some Assembly RequiredEQ: Why would a nation or individual want to colonize?

Why did representative government develop in the colonies?Enduring UnderstandingsThe colonial experience established the foundation for representative government in the colonies.Colonization is the result of a desire for political, economic, or social power.

Learning TargetsI can explain how the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia House of Burgess contributed to the growth of representative government.I can identify how the actions of Thomas Hooker and William Penn led to the development of representative government in colonial America.I can explain the differences and distinguish between primary and secondary sources.

TEKS8.3A: Explain the reasons for the growth of representative government and institutions during the colonial period. RS8.3B: Analyze the importance of the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, & the Virginia House of Burgesses to the growth of representative government. SS8.20A: Explain the role of significant individuals including Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John Locke, William Blackstone and William Penn in the development of self-government in colonial America. SS8.29A: Differentiate between, locate & use primary & secondary sources such as computer software, databases, media & news services, biographies, interviews & artifacts to acquire information about the United States.

InstructionsRead the Skill Focus and highlight key information about analyzing sources. Analyze the Some Assembly Required sources, and then complete the Analyzing Sources chart.

Skill Focus: Analyzing SourcesTo better understand the past, historians try to gain understanding from many perspectives to

interpret the past. To gain various viewpoints historians study sources which are classified as either primary or secondary sources. A primary source is a document or physical object which was written, built or created during the time of the event. These sources were present during an event or time period and offer an inside view. Some primary sources include:

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, letters, speeches, official records, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies,

CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art

RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources and is not from the time period and is from the perspective of someone who did not witness the event. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of secondary sources include:

PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, encyclopedias, present-day newspaper articles, websites

Studying or analyzing sources, especially primary sources, provides a more authentic perspective of the past, makes it more personal and real, and helps it come to life. To effectively analyze sources it is important to learn about the author, when it was created, the audience being addressed, and purpose of the source. Analyzing these will affect the meaning and significance.

Author-who created the source, what role did this person play Context-When and where was it created Audience-Who was it created for Purpose-What was the reason it was created

Applying these questions when analyzing sources will help to understand the significance and importance of the source.

Expert Information: Growth of Self-Government

When the colonists arrived in the New World, they brought ideas from England about self-government from their experiences as well as developing new ideas due to the lives in the New World. Beginning with the colony of Jamestown, representative government allowed colonists to have a say in the government by making laws and decisions to benefit everyone.

Colonial government started as an extension of the English government. The colonists took care of the rule of the colony because of the great distance. Over time each colony developed its own government. Some retained closer ties with England, while others became more independent. However, all had a governor, appointed by the king or proprietor, a court system, and a legislature elected by the people. The colonists relied on knowledge and experiences from their past as well as the development of the world around them to build and shape government in the colonies. Ideas from England

For many years King John I, ruler of England had been heavily taxing his subjects to pay for wars, he arrested people without trials, and was persecuting those who did not follow the Church of England. In 1215, fed up with his control, English Nobles wrote a letter (Latin “carta”) to settle disputes with the king. The Nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, demanding the English have certain rights the king could not take away and insisting the even king had to obey the laws. For the first time, this document established that the king (government) could not levy (impose) taxes without the consent of his council. Although signed in 1215, it was influential to the colonists when they were forming governments.

Part I: Read the Expert Information and highlight key points showing the growth of self-government in Colonial America.

A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources and is not from the time period and is from the perspective of someone who did not witness the event. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of secondary sources include:

PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, encyclopedias, present-day newspaper articles, websites

Studying or analyzing sources, especially primary sources, provides a more authentic perspective of the past, makes it more personal and real, and helps it come to life. To effectively analyze sources it is important to learn about the author, when it was created, the audience being addressed, and purpose of the source. Analyzing these will affect the meaning and significance.

Author-who created the source, what role did this person play Context-When and where was it created Audience-Who was it created for Purpose-What was the reason it was created

Applying these questions when analyzing sources will help to understand the significance and importance of the source.

In 1688, King James II refused to follow Parliament laws and denied rights to the people; he was dethroned and replaced by a new king and queen. When William and Mary took the throne in 1689, Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights and the new king and queen accepted the English Bill of Rights as a condition of their rule. The English Bill of Rights was a British Law that declared the rights and liberties of Englishmen as well as limits on the crown such as: the king could not raise money without a grant from Parliament; election to Parliament must be free; proceedings in Parliament could not be impeached or questioned in any court; and the keeping of a standing army in time of peace without the consent of Parliament is illegal. Colonists took ideas from the English Bill of Rights to protect rights of the colonists when developing government.First Elected Representative Legislature

The leaders of the Jamestown settlement assembled to debate and solve common problems, and pass laws for the colony of Virginia. The House of Burgesses was established in 1619, as a system in which the colonists would select representatives to govern the colony (self-government). At the first meeting, each borough (section) of the colony had two representatives for a total of 22 elected representatives. The assembly of representatives split into a two-house (bicameral) legislature. They met yearly to decide on issues such as fair taxes, minimum tobacco prices and rules for land ownership as well as laws and rules. First Signed Agreement for Government

In 1620 the colonists aboard the Mayflower signed an agreement to ensure peace upon settling the colony. The Mayflower Compact (a compact is a signed written agreement) was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It created a social contract between the Pilgrims and settlers to work together for success and survival. There was no-one leader who had authority to govern instead they agreed to govern themselves. The Mayflower Compact explained basic laws and social rules for the new colony. First Written Constitution

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) was the first written constitution in America. Upset with Massachusetts colony leadership, Thomas Hooker and his followers left and founded Hartford, Connecticut. While the Mayflower Compact was a general statement for majority rule and a government interested in the common welfare (people), the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut provided a written constitution (plan of government) that gave power to the people, could not be changed by the will of one person/group. This reduced the power of the Royal Governor. Colonial Government Grows

As the colonies grew and prospered so did the governments. The popularly elected Assemblies grew more powerful and the governors (sent by the king) had less control. The reasons for this were simple the colonists believed they were British citizens, but they were also colonists far away from the authority and power of the king and Parliament. The American colonies were self-governing.

How do the various sources show the development of representative government in the colonies?

Magna Carta Sources

“John” A Chronicle of England: B.C. 55 – A.D. 1485 An engraving by James William Edmund Doyle, 1864

Passage from Magna Carta, 1215“…Let all men of our kingdom, whether clergy or laymen, observe them [laws] similarly…that the men in our kingdom have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and wholly, for themselves and their heirs, of us and our heirs…”

English Bill of Rights Sources

Passage from English Bill of Rights, 1689In 1689, present unto their majesties then called and known by the names…William and Mary…certain declaration in writing, made by the said lords and commons in the words following… in order to make such an establishment, as that their religion, laws, and liberties might not again be in danger of being subverted; upon which letters, elections have been accordingly made…

House of Burgesses Sources

Presentation of the Bill of Rights to William III (1650-1702) of Orange and Mary II (1662-94) London, British Museum

Passage from Virginia General Assembly, 1619”The Speaker…delivered in briefe to the whole assembly the occasions of their meeting. Which done he read unto them the commission for establishing the Counsell of Estate and the general Assembly, wherein their duties were described to the life…And forasmuch as our intente is to establish one equall and uniforme kinde of government over all Virginia &c.”

“An act for the regulation of the staple of Tobacco, and for preventing frauds in his Majesty's customs." By the Upper House of Assembly, October 28, 1773 Library of Congress – American Memory

List of representatives from Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1705-1706. Library of Congress – Internet Archive

Mayflower Compact Sources

Passage from Virginia General Assembly, 1619Having under-taken 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 solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine our selves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid…”

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut Sources

Mural of The Signing of the Fundamental Orders of the Constitution 1638-39, by Albert Herter,1913 Connecticut State Courthouse – CT State Library

Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1899 – Library of Congress

William Bradford's handwritten copy of the Mayflower Compact approx. 1640 – NC Mayflower Society

Passage from Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639“And…our civil affairs…governed according to the laws, rules, orders…as follows: It is ordered… that there shall be yearly two general assemblies or courts, the Court of Election and the General Court. It is ordered… that the Court of Election and the General Court make the laws. It is ordered… that in every town, village, or city…a general assembly meet…to choose members of the General Court and Court of Election…by a majority of the assembly… It is ordered… that there be four freemen chosen from each town, village, or city, to serve in the General Court and the Court of Election…”

Some Assembly Required Analyzing Sources

Mural of The Signing of the Fundamental Orders of the Constitution 1638-39, by Albert Herter,1913 Connecticut State Courthouse – CT State Library

City of Hartford Historical Marker, Erected by City of Hartford, 1971 – Historical Marker Database

Prior Knowledge: Magna Carta- English Bill of Rights-

House of Burgesses-

Mayflower Compact- Fundamental Orders of Connecticut-

English Bill of Rights:1. Identify (type, date, author, location)

Magna Carta:1. Identify (type, date, author, location)

Essential Question: How did representative government develop in the colonies?

In 1639, the Fundamental Orders were adopted, often considered the first written constitution

creating a government. Hartford served as capital of Connecticut Colony

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut:1. Identify (type, date, author, location)

2. Analysis (how the document helps answer the question)

English Bill of Rights:1. Identify (type, date, author, location)

Magna Carta:1. Identify (type, date, author, location)