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The Colonial Period. Chapter 2 Section 1. The Colonial Period. 1607 – Jamestown First permanent settlement in North America. An English Political Heritage. People came from many regions to North America in the 1600s English established and governed 13 colonies - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Chapter 2 Section 1
The Colonial Period
1607 – Jamestown
First permanent settlement in North America
The Colonial Period
People came from many regions to North America in the 1600s
English established and governed 13 colonies
English colonists brought ideas about government
An English Political Heritage
Some ideas already embodied in existing governing systems in North America
English system – two principles of government
1. Limited government2. Representative government
Greatly influenced the development of the United States
Colonists accepted the idea that government was not all-powerful by the time they reached North America
Magna Carta – Great CharterKing John forced to sign in 1215
Provided basis for limited government
Limited Government
Provided protection against unjust punishment and the loss of life, liberty, and property except according to law
Certain taxes could not be levied without popular consent
Rights originally only applied to nobility
Opponents of absolute monarchy used the precedent set to gain more political liberties
Limited Government – a system in which the power of the government is limited, not absolute
1625 – Charles IDissolved Parliament
Lodged troops in private homes
Some areas under martial law
Petition of Right
1628 – called Parliament back into session
Representatives forced the king to sign the Petition of RightSeverely limited power
Repealed what he had put in place
1688 – Parliament removed James II and crowned William III and Mary IIPeaceful transfer known as the Glorious
Revolution
English Bill of Rights – document that set clear limits on what a ruler could and could not doApplied to American colonies
English Bill of Rights
1. Monarchs do not have absolute authority
2. The monarch must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army
3. The monarch cannot interfere with parliamentary elections and debates
English Bill of Rights
4. The people have a right to petition the government and to have a fair and speedy trial by jury of their peers
5. The people should not be subject to cruel and unusual punishments or to excessive fines and bail
Representative Government – a system of government in which people elect delegates to make laws and conduct government
English Parliament – representative assembly with the power to enact lawsUpper chamber and lower chamber
Representative Government
American legislatures grew out of the English practice of representation
Ideas and writings of English philosophers influenced the American colonistsJohn LockeVoltaireJean Jacque Rousseau
Believed that people should contract among themselves to form governments to protect their natural rights
New Political Ideas
Locke reasoned that in a state of nature (before governments were formed), all people were born free, equal, and independent
Believed that the laws of nature, “natural law” provided rights to life, liberty, and property
If government failed to protect these natural rights, the people could change that contract (social contract)
Such political philosophy was revolutionary in an age when monarchs still claimed they had God-given absolute powers
Government was legitimate only as long as people continued to consent to it
1607-1733 – 13 English colonies founded
Present system of American government evolved
Each colony had its own governmentGovernor, Legislature, Court System
Government in the Colonies
Women and enslaved persons could not vote
Every colony had some type of property qualification for voting
9 of the 13 colonies had an official or established church
Key practices1. A written constitution that guaranteed basic
liberties and limited the power of government
2. A legislature of elected representatives
3. The separation of powers between the governor and the legislature
Mayflower Compact – document Pilgrims signed in 1620; first example of colonial plan for self-government
1636 – Great FundamentalsFirst basic system of laws
Written Constitution
Fundamental Orders of ConnecticutAmerica’s first formal constitution or charter
Laid out a plan for government that gave the people the right to elect the governor, judges, and representatives to make laws
1619 – Virginia House of BurgessesFirst legislature in America
In England the king appointed the leaders of the Church of England; Puritans rejected this ideaBelieved that he members of each
congregation should choose their own misters and leaders
Colonial Legislature
Puritans migrated to gain religious freedom
Believed that church members should elect the colony’s government
As a result, representative government was established
Colonial legislatures were examples of the consent of the governed because a large number of qualified men voted
Colonial charters divided the power of government
Separation of Powers – the division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government
Separation of Powers
Idea popularized by Charles-Louis Montesquieu
Colonial legislatures became the political training grounds for the leaders who would later write the Constitution