Chapter 2 Section 1

The Colonial Period

1607 – Jamestown

First permanent settlement in North America

The Colonial Period

People came from many regions to North America in the 1600s

English established and governed 13 colonies

English colonists brought ideas about government

An English Political Heritage

Some ideas already embodied in existing governing systems in North America

English system – two principles of government

1. Limited government2. Representative government

Greatly influenced the development of the United States

Colonists accepted the idea that government was not all-powerful by the time they reached North America

Magna Carta – Great CharterKing John forced to sign in 1215

Provided basis for limited government

Limited Government

Provided protection against unjust punishment and the loss of life, liberty, and property except according to law

Certain taxes could not be levied without popular consent

Rights originally only applied to nobility

Opponents of absolute monarchy used the precedent set to gain more political liberties

Limited Government – a system in which the power of the government is limited, not absolute

1625 – Charles IDissolved Parliament

Lodged troops in private homes

Some areas under martial law

Petition of Right

1628 – called Parliament back into session

Representatives forced the king to sign the Petition of RightSeverely limited power

Repealed what he had put in place

1688 – Parliament removed James II and crowned William III and Mary IIPeaceful transfer known as the Glorious

Revolution

English Bill of Rights – document that set clear limits on what a ruler could and could not doApplied to American colonies

English Bill of Rights

1. Monarchs do not have absolute authority

2. The monarch must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army

3. The monarch cannot interfere with parliamentary elections and debates

English Bill of Rights

4. The people have a right to petition the government and to have a fair and speedy trial by jury of their peers

5. The people should not be subject to cruel and unusual punishments or to excessive fines and bail

Representative Government – a system of government in which people elect delegates to make laws and conduct government

English Parliament – representative assembly with the power to enact lawsUpper chamber and lower chamber

Representative Government

American legislatures grew out of the English practice of representation

Ideas and writings of English philosophers influenced the American colonistsJohn LockeVoltaireJean Jacque Rousseau

Believed that people should contract among themselves to form governments to protect their natural rights

New Political Ideas

Locke reasoned that in a state of nature (before governments were formed), all people were born free, equal, and independent

Believed that the laws of nature, “natural law” provided rights to life, liberty, and property

If government failed to protect these natural rights, the people could change that contract (social contract)

Such political philosophy was revolutionary in an age when monarchs still claimed they had God-given absolute powers

Government was legitimate only as long as people continued to consent to it

1607-1733 – 13 English colonies founded

Present system of American government evolved

Each colony had its own governmentGovernor, Legislature, Court System

Government in the Colonies

Women and enslaved persons could not vote

Every colony had some type of property qualification for voting

9 of the 13 colonies had an official or established church

Key practices1. A written constitution that guaranteed basic

liberties and limited the power of government

2. A legislature of elected representatives

3. The separation of powers between the governor and the legislature

Mayflower Compact – document Pilgrims signed in 1620; first example of colonial plan for self-government

1636 – Great FundamentalsFirst basic system of laws

Written Constitution

Fundamental Orders of ConnecticutAmerica’s first formal constitution or charter

Laid out a plan for government that gave the people the right to elect the governor, judges, and representatives to make laws

1619 – Virginia House of BurgessesFirst legislature in America

In England the king appointed the leaders of the Church of England; Puritans rejected this ideaBelieved that he members of each

congregation should choose their own misters and leaders

Colonial Legislature

Puritans migrated to gain religious freedom

Believed that church members should elect the colony’s government

As a result, representative government was established

Colonial legislatures were examples of the consent of the governed because a large number of qualified men voted

Colonial charters divided the power of government

Separation of Powers – the division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government

Separation of Powers

Idea popularized by Charles-Louis Montesquieu

Colonial legislatures became the political training grounds for the leaders who would later write the Constitution