Roots of American Democracy

Our English Heritage

The English ColoniesNew England

Colonies:• Massachusetts (by the

Pilgrims in 1620)• Rhode Island (1636)• Connecticut (1636)• New Hampshire (1638)• All 4 were founded as

royal colonies• manufacturing and

shipping center of the colonies

• “colonial workshop”

The English ColoniesThe Middle

Colonies:• New York

(1626)• New Jersey

(1664)• Pennsylvania

(1682)• Delaware

(1638)• “Breadbasket

” colonies

The English ColoniesSouthern Colonies: • North Carolina (1653)• South Carolina (1663)• Maryland (1633)• Virginia (1607)• Georgia = debtors

prison (1732)• 1st Permanent English

colony= Jamestown. Virginia (1607)

• “Colonial Greenhouse” : Plantations & cash crops

Why did colonists immigrate?Religious Freedom:• The Puritans came to

Massachusetts due to religious persecution in Europe

• Quakers led by William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a place to practice their religion

• Maryland was a home for Catholics founded by George Calvert

• Connecticut was founded by followers of Thomas Hooker to avoid the harsh treatment by the Puritans of Massachusetts

• Roger Williams founded Rhode Island as heaven for all faiths

Why did colonists immigrate? cont’d

Economic opportunity:• Only 1st born sons in England inherited

the family farm, younger siblings were on their own

• Jobs were hard to find in England• The system of indentured servants

helped to pay for the trip to America.• An indentured servant had their

passage paid for by a Colonist. In return the servant had to work for the master for a period of time (usually 7 years)

• There was excellent farmland in America

Beginnings of Slavery• Due to the nature of the land,

large plantations that grew tobacco, rice, and indigo sprung up all throughout the South

• These plantations needed a large and cheap workforce

• The system of indentured servants could not produce enough workers

• Plantation owners now turned to the enslavement of Africans to fill the need

Triangular Trade• To supply the slave, a

system of trade developed between the Americas, Africa, and Europe

• America traded rum in Africa for slaves

• Slaves were sold to plantations to grow sugar

• The sugar was shipped to New England where it was turned into Rum

Middle Passage• The segment of triangular

trade where slaves were shipped from Africa to the Americas was called the middle passage

• Hundreds of Africans were crammed chained together in hulls of ships for several weeks

• There was no fresh air, no sanitation, disease spread quickly and many died on the journey

British influence on colonial government

• Colonial government was heavily influenced by our English heritage

• Colonists brought with them from England ideas about how a government should work

• Instead of creating new ideas, they copied from the British

The Magna Carta• England was ruled by a King• In 1215 the Nobles rebelled against

a harsh ruler named King John• Forced the king to sign the Magna

Carta in exchange for them paying taxes

• This guaranteed all citizen’s equal right’s under the law

• 1st time a ruler’s power was limited in a written document

Parliament• British lawmaking body• 2 Parts:

• House of Lords (hereditary upper class house)

• House of Commons (elected members from the working class)

• 1688 the Glorious Revolution• Parliament and the King began a

Civil War against each other• The King lost and was removed

from power

English Bill of Rights

• Guaranteed freedom of speech, a fair trial, and it banned cruel and unusual punishment

Common Law• Early on there were no written laws

in England• Followed rules that were based on

custom• Judges used precedents (rulings in

similar cases) to make decisions• These precedents became

unofficial laws• Led to a system of common law-

rules based on court decisions not on the laws of a legislature

• This is used in our civil courts today

Ideas of the Enlightenment

• This was an intellectual movement based on scientific discoveries of the 1600s

• Believed that God created an orderly universe and that these ideas could be discovered through reason

• These laws were then applied to all aspects of life, including government

• These ideas were a strong influence on the creation of governments in America

Thinkers of the EnlightenmentJohn Locke• English philosopher who wrote The

Second Treatise of Government

• natural rights• social contract• If the government does not protect

those rights, it can be replaced

Thinkers of the Enlightenment cont’d

Jean-Jacques Rousseau• A French philosopher who

wrote The Social Contract• Said that man was born free

but is kept in “chains” by oppressive governments

• popular sovereignty (government is created by the people and is subject to their will)

Thinkers of the Enlightenment cont’d

Baron de Montesquieu• French philosopher• separation of powers• Divide the government into 3 parts,

each with a different role

-legislative branch to make laws

-executive branch to enforce/ carry out laws

-judicial branch to interpret laws

Early Colonial Governments

Virginia House of Burgesses• 1619• Representatives from all the colony

gathered to discuss common problems

• Had little real power but marked the beginning of self-government in the colonies

Early Colonial Governments cont’d

Mayflower Compact• Pilgrims• signed on the Mayflower• It was a written form of government

that established a direct democracy

• It created the tradition of the town meeting, where citizens could discuss and vote on issues.

• Town meetings are still used in New England today

Early Colonial Governments cont’d

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

• 1st written constitution in America

• Created a representative democracy for the colony

• Also called for popular election of a governor and judges

Early Colonial Governments cont’d

• By the early 1700s, all colonies had several things in common…• a governor (either elected by the people

or appointed by the King or state legislatures)

• an elected legislature• representatives were white males• Bicameral (2 branches)

The Colonial EconomyNew England• Small farms, rocky

soil, short growing season

• Merchants, milling, shopkeepers, or blacksmiths

• Shipbuilding was a big industry

• Fishing and whaling

The Colonial EconomyThe Middle Colonies• wheat• Had many big ports for

trade (New York City and Philadelphia)

• Had large amounts of natural resources so mines and iron works were crucial to the economy of the region

The Colonial EconomyThe Southern Colonies• Due to the warm climate

and long growing season, the economy depended on large plantations

• rice, tobacco, and indigo• Many smaller farms

developed growing corn and other staple crops

• Most of the region depended on these “cash crops” for their livelihood

An “American” Identity

Religion• religious freedom • Many laws were based on religious beliefs• The era was also dominated by The

Great Awakening• A strong religious movement of the 1720s

• Led to the rise of the Baptist and Methodists movements

• Slaves also took comfort in the message of hope provided by Christianity

Education• first colleges in America

(Harvard, Princeton, William and Mary) founded to train ministers

• The first local/ public school districts were created to teach children to read the Bible

An “American” Identity cont’d

Family Life• Formed the foundation of

society• Families were large to share

workload of farms• Men were in control of the

family• Women had few rights and

could not vote

An “American” Identity cont’d

The Road to Revolution• Until 1760, colonists left alone:

Salutary Neglect• 1760, George III takes the throne of

England

• Starts policy of mercantilism towards the colonies

• 1763 marks the end of the French and Indian War

• To cover the costs of the war,

England creates the Stamp Act as a tax on the colonists (tax on newspapers and legal documents)

The Road to Revolution cont’d

• Colonists boycott British goods as a protest to the tax

• Parliament repeals the Stamp Act

• In 1766, England passes the Declaratory Act saying they will tax the colonists whenever they want to

• 1767, England passes the Townshend Acts which taxed glass, tea, paper, and lead

• Boycott again!• 1773 Tea Act passed• Colonists respond

with the Boston Tea Party

The Road to Revolution cont’d

• England responds… Coercive Acts aka Intolerable Acts

• September 1774, 1st Continental Congress • colonists demanded that their rights were

restored• King George refuses and sends more

troops to the colonies

The Road to Revolution cont’d

• April 1775, battles of Lexington and Concord

• May 1775, 2nd Continental Congress met: took control of the war effort

• January 1776, Thomas Paine writes Common Sense which urged the colonists to fight for independence

The Road to Revolution cont’d

The Declaration of Independence• Drafted by Thomas Jefferson • explained to the world why we were

fighting for our independence• argued that England was no longer

protecting our rights and as a result we had the right to govern ourselves

• included a long list of abuses of power by the King

• stated that it was up to the people to decide how they would be ruled

• approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th 1776