Lesson 5.2: Roots of Representative Government

Essential Question What led to the trace the expansion of the rights of English subjects and the foundation of early self-government in the colonies.

VOCABULARY compact : a legal agreement; a contract. bicameral : a legislative body with two houses or branches. indigo : a plant with red or purple flowers from which this dye comes. salutary neglect : to relax the enforcement of strict laws and regulations imposed on the American colonies.

What We Already Know Since the voyages of Columbus, Europeans had begun establishing colonies in North America.

What We Already Know In 1620, the Mayflower was blown off course and rather than arriving at their intended destination of Virginia, they landed on the coast of Massachusetts where they established an English colony called Plymouth.

What We Already Know The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment began to change how Englishmen felt about their government.

The Magna Carta (1251) English colonists expected certain rights. These “rights of Englishmen” had developed over centuries. The first step came in 1215 when King John agreed to the Magna Carta (Great Charter).

The Magna Carta (1215) Kings power limited. Property rights of free men were protected. Taxation only with the consent of a council of prominent men. Trial by jury. No trial without witnesses. Over time, these rights were extended to all Englishmen.

The Mayflower Compact For the sake of order, the men aboard the Mayflower signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact in 1620. In it, they vowed to obey laws agreed upon for the good of the colony. The Mayflower Compact helped establish the idea of self-government and majority rule.

British Parliament Parliament was England’s chief lawmaking body and was made up of two houses. Members of the House of Commons were elected by the people. Members of the House of Lords nobles; judges, and church officials inherited their seats.

Colonial Representative Assemblies The king and Parliament were too far away to manage every detail of the colonies, and English colonists wanted to have a say in making the laws that governed them.

Colonial Representative Assemblies Colonists were allowed to elect men to colonial assemblies, which could make laws to govern the colonies.

Colonial Representative Assemblies Virginia’s House of Burgesses was the first colonial assembly, but the assemblies’ power was limited .

Colonial Representative Assemblies Their laws only had power within their colonies, and these laws had to be approved by the governor, who usually was appointed by the king.

Get your sticks ready.

What were four rights granted by the Magna Carta? A. Protection against being taxed without the consent of a council of leading men. B. Right to own firearms. C. Protection against their property being seized by the king or his officials. D. Freedom of the press. E. Trial by a jury of their peers. F. Trial based on witnesses, not merely accusations of officials.

Parliament, England's law-making body, is bicameral, meaning it is divided into TWO houses. These houses are the _?_ and the _?_ A. House of Commons and House of Magistrates. B. House of Burgesses and House of Magistrates C. The Parliament and the Legislature D. House of Lords and the House of Commons.

In what two ways could the royal governor stop the colonial assembly from making laws he disliked? A. He had final approval on all laws passed by the colonial assembly. B. He appointed all the members of the colonial assembly. C. He could dismiss the colonial assembly. D. He conducted all the trials in the colony and could influence the jury's verdict.

How was representative government limited in the colonies? A. The English king and Parliament still had power over colonial assemblies. B. Colonial assemblies had to submit all their laws to the king for approval. C. Only members of Parliament could serve in the colonial assemblies. D. Only landowners could serve in the colonial assemblies. (Choose all that apply.)

The Navigation Acts The Navigation Acts, first passed in 1651, prohibited the colonies from trading directly with the Netherlands, Spain, France, and their colonies. They were meant to keep all money to be made within the British empire.

The Navigation Acts In addition, the Navigation Acts said that all merchandise was to be sent only on British ships and that all sugar, tobacco,  cotton and indigo were to be supplied only to England.

The Navigation Acts The colonists continued trade with other countries, but the merchandise had to be smuggled in and out of the colonies. This also gave the colonists of independence from England.

King James II Reacts The Navigation Acts were not strictly enforced - a practice known as salutary neglect. When James II became king in 1865 he vowed to get the colonies back in line.

King James II Reacts As part of his plan, James II created the Dominion of New England by combining Massachusetts with other New England colonies. He appointed Edmund Andros as the new governor of the Dominion.

Edmund Andros Andros angered colonists by shutting down colonial assemblies and by suspending jury trials. When colonists protested the loss of their rights by refusing to pay their taxes, Andros had them jailed.

A tell B What was meant by salutary neglect? Be sure to re-state the question in your response!

The English Bill Of Rights In the Glorious Revolution of 1688, James II was removed from the English throne. James’s daughter Mary and her husband William ascended to the throne.

The English Bill Of Rights William and Mary agreed to the English Bill of Rights, which built upon the Magna Carta and strengthened the rights of the people.

The English Bill Of Rights In Boston, after hearing that James had fallen, American colonists arrested Andros. The following year Parliament restored the colonial assemblies.

The English Bill Of Rights The most important piece of the English Bill of Rights was that it ensured that laws would be made by Parliament and not by the whim of a monarch.

The English Bill Of Rights In the colonies, Royal governors could still veto laws passed by the assemblies but they were now paid by the assemblies who simply would not pay the governors if too many bills were blocked.

The Zenger Trial In 1735, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was on trial for printing criticism of New York’s governor. Zenger’s lawyer argued that people had the right to speak the truth. The jury agreed, and he was released. The Zenger trial helped establish the freedom of the press.

Get your sticks ready.

What do The Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower Compact have in common? A. All were laws created to expand the power of the king of England. B. All were laws created by the English Parliament. C. They served as guidelines for the Colonial Assemblies. D. All served as models for our own Bill of Rights.

How did England’s policies toward the colonies change after the Glorious Revolution? A. England gave the colonies much more self-government. B. England made Catholicism the official religion of the colonies. C. The new monarchs strengthened the rights of all citizens, both at home and in the colonies. D. England began allowing the colonies to send representatives to Parliament.

What was the significance of the John Peter Zenger trial? A. Set the foundation for Religious freedom. B. Reestablished trial by jury in the colonies. C. Helped to establish freedom of the press. D. Set boundaries on illegal search and seizure.

A and B discuss. Describe what historical events gave Englishmen more rights? Be sure to re-state the question in your response!