COLONIAL GOVERNMENT

WARM-UP How do you think being 3000 miles away from England might have influenced how government developed in the American colonies?

AMERICA- A BLEND OF OLD & NEW When Britain began establishing colonies in America, the colonists set up local governments based on what they were used to back in the U.K. Since America was a distant and different land, however, the colonists also saw fit to adapt British government to suit their own environment and needs.

One example is the Mayflower Compact The Pilgrims were supposed to have landed in Virginia, but ended up getting off course and landing in Massachusetts instead (oops) They had to change their game plan and set up a new colony instead of just joining an existing one. That’s what the Mayflower Compact was for. It established a group of people to make laws and select officers for the new colony. It is considered one of America’s most important early documents.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLONIES Plymouth & Massachusetts Bay were charter colonies, meaning they had received a charter from the king granting them the land in America as well as permission to govern it more or less as they saw fit.

Other colonies, like Pennsylvania and Maryland, were proprietary colonies, where the king granted land to a specific individual or group. Lord proprietors essentially owned the colony and could run it themselves or choose a governor to do it for them.

Over time, many colonies (like the Carolinas) became royal colonies, where the governor was directly selected by the king and represented the king’s interests (instead of, say, local interests)

All of the colonial government systems were democratic Regardless of which type of colony you lived in, they all had certain things in common All of the systems of colonial government elected their own legislatures (groups that make laws) The first was the House of Burgesses in Jamestown, Virginia (1619) All of the colonial government systems were democratic All of the colonial government systems had a governor and a court system

THOUGHT QUESTION What were some similarities between the government in Britain and the colonial governments in America?

A WHOLE NEW WORLD Despite many similarities to Britain, American society developed differently than society back in England: Lots of cheap land available= More landowners More job opportunities and chances to prosper No nobility or feudal system like back in Britain A less rigid class system/More social equality in day to day life More religious diversity

THOUGHT QUESTION Based on the info you just read, explain in your own words why a British citizen might prefer living in America

WRITTEN LAW As colonists moved to America and created local governments, they were heavily influenced by the Enlightenment movement back in Europe. John Locke was an Englishman who wrote about the concept of “Natural Rights”. Locke believed that the whole reason for government was to protect these three God-given rights: Life Liberty Property LIFE LIBERTY PROPERTY

Another influential philosopher was Baron Montesquieu of France. Montesquieu discussed the importance of having separation of powers (branches of government) in order to protect liberty and keep any one person or group from becoming too powerful Our colonial governments soon put these ideas into practice

Americans also thought it would be good to have a written plan/framework for the governments they were setting up in the colonies. A document that lays out how a government works is called a constitution. The first written constitution in America was The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) Other colonies wrote their own constitutions soon after It’s important to remember, however, that royal laws always took precedence over colonial/local laws After all, they were still British colonies ROYAL LAW COLONIAL LAW

BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT IN THE COLONIES

The governor couldn’t tax without the permission of the legislature. Each branch had its own powers and responsibilities, but also had the ability to check the power of the other branches. Examples include: The governor couldn’t tax without the permission of the legislature. The governor could veto a law passed by the legislature if he didn’t like it, and he appointed judges The courts could make sure that colonial laws passed by the legislature were in line with English laws

Colonial legislatures were a bit different from Parliament back in England There was more choice of candidates Elections were held more frequently A very important difference was that colonial legislators were elected by people in a specific district (these people are called their constituents). Thus Americans had to work harder to keep their constituents happy in order to be reelected. Members of Parliament, on the other hand, supposedly represented all British citizens, whether they lived in England or across the sea in America. But think about it, how well would some lord in London understand the needs of a backwoods farmer living on the American frontier? That’s why American colonists often felt that they should have their own representatives in Parliament

VOTING In the colonies, you had to be a “F.A.M.C.L.” to vote That stands for Free Adult Male Church-member Landowner Not all colonies required church membership, but Puritan-influenced northern colonies sure did Land ownership was a requirement because many felt one of the main duties of the government was to protect property, so you had to have some property in order to be eligible. Becoming a land owner wasn’t hard for a white male in colonial America, since land was plentiful and cheap. Thus up to 75 percent of the adult males in most colonies qualified as voters.

But this voting group was just a fraction of all the adults living in the English colonies. Who was left out? Everyone under the age of 21; all slaves, Indians, and women; most Jews and Catholics; plus those men too poor to own land. This meant that the colonial electorate consisted of perhaps only 10-20 % of the total population!

THOUGHT QUESTIONS How did the colonial experience prepare Americans to be an independent country later on? In what ways can you see the influence of Magna Carta and The English Bill of Rights in the colonial governments?