Governing the Colonies

Peter Zenger’s Trial

The English Parliamentary Tradition

• In England 1215, English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta

• The Magna Carta was significant because it was the first document to put restrictions on an English ruler’s power

• It said the king could not raise taxes, people had the right to own property, and right to trial by jury

King John Signs the Magna Carta

The British Parliament

• The British Parliament was a two-house legislature made up of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons

• This will be the law making body for England up to modern times

The British Parliament ca. 1600s

English Bill of Rights

• In 1689, King William and Queen Mary signed the English Bill of Rights

• The Bill of Rights:– Restated many rights

(trial by jury)– Upheld habeas corpus– King could not levy taxes

without the Parliament– Influenced American Bill

of Rights 100 years later

King William III

Colonial Self-Government

• The colonists expected to have a voice in their government, just like their English counterparts

• Many colonies establish their own governments (House of Burgesses, General Court)

• Not everybody had a voice though (women, Natives, Africans)

Freedom of the Press

• In 1735, John Peter Zenger, a publisher, printed articles criticizing the New York governor

• He was charged with libel• His lawyer, Andrew Hamilton,

argued the articles were based on fact

• Zenger was found innocent and his court case helped establish freedom of the press

The Trial of Peter Zenger

Regulating Trade – Navigation Acts• England still used the theory of mercantilism with it’s

colonies• To support mercantilism, they passed a set of laws

called the Navigation Acts:– Shipments to the colonies had to go to England first– Colonists had to use British ships– Colonies could only sell products to England

• Positives: colonial traders had a large market, supported the shipbuilding industry

• Negatives: laws favored English merchants, they could make more money on their own

• To get around the laws, colonists started smuggling