1. The American Colonies and England
Chapter 3 section 2

2. Traditions of English Government
English monarchs were bound by Magna Carta – document English nobles forced King John to accept in 1215
Limited king’s ability to tax them and guaranteed right to a trial
King needed nobles consent before enacting a tax
Nobles evolved into Parliament
Became a bicameral legislature

3. A Measure of Self-Rule in America
Colonists felt they were entitled to same rights as any other Englishman
Puritans established republics with elected governors
Other colonies, governors had to share power with elected representatives
Thought they were protected by English common law

4. King James II Asserts Royal Power
Tried to rule without Parliament
Catholic – alarmed Protestants
Tightened his control over New England Colonies
Combined New England colonies with New York and New Jersey = Dominion of New England
Angered colonists
Refused to pay taxes unless approved by their own elected representatives

5. The Glorious Revolution
During Glorious Revolution, King James II was overthrown
Replaced him with two Protestant monarchs, King William and Queen Mary
Promised to cooperate with Parliament and to support Anglican church
Signed an English Bill of Rights – guaranteed number of freedoms
Rights include habeas corpus – idea that no one could be held in prison without being charged with a crime

6. Glorious Revolution (continued)
Inspired rebellions among colonists in MA, NY, and MD
MA and Plymouth merged into one colony – MA
Glorious Revolution encouraged England to adopt a colonial policy that historians would later call salutary neglect
England allowed its colonies local self-rule
In return, Crown expected cooperation

7. Freedom of the Press
1734, New York, articles criticizing the governor appeared in paper printed by John Peter Zenger
Zenger sat in jail for eight months before trial
Found not guilty
Zenger’s case is considered an early victory for freedom of the press

8. Mercantilism Drives the British Economy
Mercantilism - a nation or an empire could build wealth and power by developing its industries and exporting manufactured good in exchange for gold and silver
colonies fit nicely into mercantile system – offered resources
more than 90 percent of colonists lived and worked on farms and plantations

9. The Navigation Acts Regulate Trade
colonial commerce was the key to imperial power
by controlling colonial trade they could collect more customs duties
to obtain more ships and trade in 1600s, enacted a series of trade laws
Navigation Acts – stated that only English ships with English sailors could trade with English colonies
Expensive colonial goods, could be shipped only to the mother country

10. Navigation Acts (continued)
Colonies also had to import all their European goods via an English port
Colonists could obtain better goods from British suppliers at lower costs
Because of this, they did not reject the whole system, only parts of it.

11. The Consumer Revolution
no farm or plantation could produce everything it needed
to obtain other goods, every colonial farm or plantation needed to produce a surplus of produce that they could export
became know as “consumer revolution”
British manufacturers increasingly needed the growing American market
Both the middle class and poorer class bought more than they could afford

12. Consumer Revolution (continued)
Americans suffered a chronic trade imbalance
Most had mounting debts
This will become very significant when they start rejecting British policy – (think American Revolution)

13. New Ideas Affect the American Colonies
Enlightenment – intellectual movements – all problems could be solved using human reason
Influenced by scientists from 1500s
Began to use observation and experimentation to learn about the physical world
These ideas challenged the traditional power of religious leaders to explain the physical worked
Rousseau, Voltaire, and John Locke – looked for natural laws that could be applied to government, society, and the economy

14. New Ideas (continued) Locke – challenged the idea of unlimited power
Locke believed that people had natural rights that came from God, and not from monarchs

15. Impact on the Colonies Benjamin Franklin – inspired by Enlightenment
Religion in the Colonies
most colonists were intolerant of religions other than their own
especially true in New England
churches filled a key role in social life
used as place to gather with members of their community
served as public space for reading government proclamations, for posting new laws, and for holding elections

16. The Great Awakening
a time when powerful evangelical preachers traveled from town to town giving emotion-packed sermons that deeply touched listeners
people would come from miles to be inspired
stressed that personal religious experience was important in seeking God’s salvation
rejected Enlightenment views
Jonathan Edwards was a leading preacher during the period – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
Great Awakening did a lot to inspire Americans with a sense of their own power as individuals

17. Effects of the Great Awakening
profound impact on the colonies
led to the formation of new churches
acceptance of the new churches contributed to an increase in tolerance
led to a rise in democratic belief in the colonies
many thought that if they could choose their method of worship, they could decide on their form of government