Download
1 / 16
160 likes | 183 Views
Explore the journey of colonial government from the Enlightenment principles of thinkers like Locke and Rousseau to the American Revolution, examining key documents, causes, and events. Witness the rise of self-governance in colonies, the push for limited government, tension with England, and milestones like the Declaration of Independence. Discover the impact of religious life, the Great Awakening, and the development of American identity through egalitarian ideals. Delve into the complexities of colonial self-government and its profound influence on shaping America's heritage.
E N D
Self Government in the Colonies Goal 1 Our Heritage Our examples
Impact of the Enlightenment • Thomas Hobbes- all people are born with certain rights. Strong gov’t needed to maintain order. • John Locke-”natural rights”..life liberty and property. Also, the social contract theory that citizens forfeit some of their god given rights to gov’t so it can serve the common good and civic virtue. • Montesquieu – separation of powers and believed in 3 branches of government. • Voltaire-supports free speech, expression, and religion. • Rousseau- promoted equality…what the Dec. of Independence was based.
Documents for limited Government • Limited government means that the gov’t must obey laws too. • Magna Carta grants nobles legal rights and prevented the King from imposing taxes without consent of the council of nobles. • This council eventually becomes Parliament.
English Bill of Rights • Monarch could not interfere with Parliaments elections. • Monarch can not impose taxes without consent of the council. • Granted citizens the right to a speedy trial, no cruel or unusual punishments, and the right to petition the government.
Self Government • Jamestown- House of Burgesses-representative democracy • Mayflower Compact- Puritans and direct democracy ruled by those colonists, not England. • Thomas Hooker and Connecticut wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. Its message was governments power only comes from consent of the people (popular sovereignty).
1st and 2nd Continental Congresses • 1st C. C. was formed as a response to the laws passed by Parliament (England’s legislature). Colonists demanded to be represented in Parliament and since they weren’t, colonists wanted to represent themselves. • 2nd C.C. after being constantly ignored, colonists decided at this meeting it was time to get rid of British rule forever.
Review of Causes of the American Revolution • 1-Navigation Acts- to keep a “favorable balance of trade” with the rest of the world, England proposed these Acts as a part of mercantilism • 2-French and Indian War-reason Parliament placed taxes on colonists. To pay for war. This event brought cause that the colonists should have one united government. Proposed by Benjamin Franklin, it is called the Albany Plan of Union. It eventually failed but was a model for later government.
Tensions Arise • 1- To help pay for war, England started issuing writs of assistance. This allowed British soldiers to search whatever they wanted for whatever reason. They used this policy along with the Navigation Acts. • 2- CANT GO WEST- Proclamation of 1763. Banned colonists from traveling west of App. Mtns. Colonists felt they had right to explore and expand.
Laws Passed by England • Quartering Act- colonists had to house and supply British soldiers. • Stamp Act- all printed material bear a gov’t stamp. (JPZ) This resulted in the Stamp Act Congress, led by James Otis, to urge colonists to boycott and to start proclaiming “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”. This and the violent actions of the Sons of Liberty led to the cancellation or repeal of this tax.
To answer the challenges by the colonists, Parliament started the Declaratory Act. This stated that Parliament had the right to impose taxes on the colonies. • Townshend Acts but a tax on imported goods like glass and tea. This tax caused a lot of violent objections from the colonists. England sent troops in and the results were the Boston Massacre.
Just Cause of Colonists • 1- salutary neglect- years of “mother” country not ruling the colonists. • 2-Committees of Correspondence-organizing colonial resistance, Sons of Liberty, to resist the crown. (Boston Tea Party). • Coercive Acts (or Intolerable Acts)-closed Boston Harbor, kept writs of assistance in place (encouraged), and put Mass. gov’t in hands of a military governor.
3- Battles of Lexington and Concord- troops sent to seize colonial ammunitions. This resulted in “the shot heard round the world” which started the American Revolution. • 4-To try to sway public opinion against the King and to gain support for independence, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense. It expressed the ideas of John Locke. It won over public opinion. • 5-Declaration of Independence- said that a gov’t has responsibility to the people and if that gov’t fails it should be replaced.
Religious Life’s of Colonists • NE colonies- everything usually centered around Puritan Church. • Middle-religious pluralism-many different religious views. • Southern-belonged to Anglican church and later developed into Methodists and Baptists.
Great Awakening • Taught colonists to think for themselves in religious matters. • Two ideas are created thanks to the G.A. 1-separation of church and state. 2- freedom of religion.
American Identity • Egalitarianism-the idea that all men are created equal and all possess natural rights b/c they are human beings. This thought led to representative gov’t. • Nationalism- a sense of pride in one’s country. Colonists were proud to be part of the American colonies and not part of England. • Patrick Henry first said “I am no longer a Virginian, I am an American.” • Ben Franklin also said “I am no longer a British subject, I am an American.”
Of course this equality was not entirely true. • Slavery was still an issue and a very established part of the southern colonies and so was suffrage. (the right to vote) (only white men could vote.)
