Rights of ColonistsCHAPTER 4

Rights of Colonists•Colonists in America saw themselves as English citizens.

• They expected the same rights that citizens enjoyed in England.

• The most important of these was the right to have a voice in their government.

Magna Carta•An important step occurred in 1215, when King John agreed to sign the Magna Carta.

•This agreement established the idea that the power of the king was limited.

Parliament• The next major victory was the founding of Parliament in 1265.

• Parliament was made up of representatives from across England.

•Over time, it became a lawmaking body with the power to approve laws & taxes proposed by the king.

Glorious Revolution• In 1685, King James II (the Duke of York) refused to share power with Parliament in England.

•As a result, he was forced off his throne.

• This event, which took place without bloodshed, is known as the Glorious Revolution.

English Bill of Rights• In 1689, Parliament offered the crown of England to Prince William of Orange & his wife Mary.

• In exchange, they had to agree to a law called the English Bill of Rights.

• This law said that the power to make laws & impose taxes belonged to the people’s elected representatives in Parliament.

Crime & Punishment•Each colonial assembly (elected group of lawmakers) passed its own laws defining crimes & punishments.

•Very serious crimes could be punished by death, including murder, treason & piracy.

• In Puritan New England, “denying the true God”, or cursing one’s parents was punished by death.

Other Crimes• Theft, forgery & highway robbery were punishable by jail, whipping, or branding with hot irons.

• Those caught drunk, or breaking the Sabbath (working or traveling on Sunday) would serve short jail terms, or would be locked in the town stocks for hours.

Blue Laws• The Puritans required everyone to attend church on Sundays & forbade anyone to work, or play on that day.

• They wrote their Sunday laws in books on blue paper bindings; these rules became known as Blue Laws.

• Today, it is still illegal to sell liquor on Sundays in Massachusetts.

Salem Witch Trials• In 1691, fear of witchcraft exploded in Salem, Massachusetts when several young girls were seen acting strangely in church.

•When questioned, they accused their neighbors of being witches & putting Satanic spells on them (Salem citizens later realized these were lies).

• 20 accused witches were put to death in the Salem Witch Trials.