ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
The English Colonies
The 13 North American colonies formed separately over 125 years
1st – Virginia in 1607 Last – Georgia in 1733 Each colony was unique, and formed out
of different sets of circumstances Each had a charter – written grant of
authority (permission to govern) from the king
3 Types of Colonies
1. Royal Colonies2. Proprietary
Colonies3. Charter Colonies
1. Royal Colonies
Controlled by the British crown (King) King appointed a governor to run the
colony A council appointed by the king served as
advisors to the governor Had a bicameral legislature = 2 houses
Upper house = the governor’s advisors. Lower house = elected by property owners
who could vote
2. Proprietary Colonies
Organized by a proprietor (business owner) who had been given a grant by the king
Proprietor appointed the governor to run the colony
Most colonies were either Royal or Proprietary, or both at some point in time.
3. Charter colonies
charter: a written document given to a colony granting it the right to govern.
The charter colonies had more freedom to govern than others
Governor elected by male landowners 3 colonies: Rhode Island, Connecticut,
and Massachusetts Bay
Colonial Self-Government
The pilgrims landed with no charter with rules or instructions on how to govern
So they drew up a social contract Mayflower Compact (1620)
Pilgrims agreed to follow the rules in order to survive
Laid out rules of the colony Signed by 41 of the original 101 passengers
Colonial Self-Govt (cont.) Virginia House of Burgesses
(1619)First representative assembly (legislature) in the North American colonies
Met at a church in Jamestown, 1x per year
Governor was appointed by officials in London
Governor appointed his own 6-man council
Other 15 members of the legislature were elected by landowners
Colonial Self-Govt (Cont.)
Britain = 3,000 mi (2 month boat ride) away
Before 1760, Britain did not concern itself much with the colonies
Colonies got used to self-government Very few taxes collected from the
colonies by the king They could even control the royal
governors – Colonial legislatures had the “power of the
purse”
Things change: 1760
1760: King George III takes the throne
England is at war over foreign territories (French and Indian War)
Many colonists fought for Britain in this war
Britain’s colonial policies
French-Indian War (aka 7 Years War) cost Britain lots of money
To pay its debts, Britain turned to the colonies Enforced existing policies Imposed new taxes
Colonists objected: “no taxation without representation”
Stamp Act of 1765
Required that all legal documents and public documents (ex. Contracts, newspapers) have a stamp on it.
The stamp cost money, which went directly to the British government
Stamp Act Congress (1765)
9 colonies sent delegates (representatives) to the Stamp Act Congress in New York
Wrote a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” to King George
*1st time colonies joined forces and opposed the British government**
Result: Stamp Act was repealed, but… Parliament continued to impose new laws and
taxes on the colonies Colonists began to boycott British products
Rising Conflict: The Boston Tea Party (1773)
Organized Resistance
Samuel Adams formed the Committees of Correspondence in 1772
Provided information network among anti-British groups
Organized protests, militias, boycotts
First Continental Congress
Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774 to punish the colonists
Sept. 5, 1774: 56 delegates met in Philadelphia
All colonies represented except GA Met for nearly 2 months Sent a Declaration of Rights protesting
Britain’s colonial policies to King George III
Called for all colonies to stop trade with Britain until the taxes were repealed
Second Continental Congress
British government responded to 1st CC with stricter measures and refusal to compromise
Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775
All colonies sent representatives Revolutionary War had already
begun **1st government of U.S.,
lasted 5 yrs**
The Declaration of Independence
1 year into the Revolution, Congress nominated a committee of 5 to draft their declaration of independence – Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger
Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson, the youngest, did most of the writing
He was greatly influenced by John Locke’s social contract philosophy
Social Contract Revisited
Major Concepts1. Popular
sovereignty2. Limited
government3. Individual rights4. Equality of men5. People only
consent to government to protect life, liberty, and property
Justification for the American
Revolution1. King George
violated the social contract by violating life, liberty, property of colonists
2. When the contract is violated, the people have the obligation to revolt
Articles of Confederation “Each state retains its
sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.”
In other words… Our 1st try at a
Constitution Set up a confederacy Weak central government
Government Structure Under The Articles of Confederation
Only one branch of government: Legislative Legislature = Congress Congress was unicameral (one house)
No executive or judicial branch Each state had 1 vote, regardless of size
or population 1 member was chosen to be the presiding
officer (chairman) each year Congress appointed civil officers (ex.
Postmaster)
Who’s got the power?
The states! Congress could only… Borrow Money Organize a Post Office Make/Sign Treaties Declare War Establish army/navy Control of Western Territories
Weaknesses of the Articles
No separation of powers No chief executive Congress did not have power to tax Congress did not have power to regulate
trade No national currency No national court system Unanimous approval required for
amendments 9/13 majority state approval required to
pass laws
It wasn’t all bad…. (Achievements of Articles)
Peace treaty with Britain
Country doubled in size
The Critical Period (1780s) Weak central government led to
unrest Congress had no way to pay war debts States ignored their promises to the
national government Printed their own $$ Formed their own armies Taxed goods from other states Some states banned trade with others
The whole country was in an economic depression
Shays’ Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion Background
Daniel Shays Poor farm hand Fought in the Revolution, but was never paid
There was widespread resentment toward Massachusetts government Refused to issue paper money Foreclosing on citizens for repayment of debts All men in government were wealthy property
owners
Shays’ Rebellion
Shays organized 700 armed farmers and marched on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts The rebellions multiplied in Massachusetts and
spread to nearby states To counter the insurgency, the
government drew up a Riot Act Several rebels were put on trial and sentenced
to death
**The country’s continued
lack of $$ and increased
violence and unrest led to a call for a stronger national
government**
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