The Colonial Experience

Citizens left England to come to America to establish colonies Colony was under the rule of parliament However, parliament was not in the colony to enforce Colonists were not in parliament to voice opinions Colonists determined that they could not depend on parliament to meet their needs, so they governed themselves

Jamestown- 1607 The first permanent English settlement Located in present day Virginia Struggled: crop failure, hunger, disease, Indians

The House of Burgesses- 1619 People of Jamestown created to deal with pressing problems Colonists from each town/ plantation choose 2 representatives (burgesses) to meet with colony’s governor 22 total burgesses Very little power which solved very few problems First attempt of representative government; first legislature in colonial America

The Mayflower Compact- 1620 Plymouth Rock Settlement (now Massachusetts) Plan of government to direct the settlement Written and signed by 41 before the ship reached America’s shores Called for just and equal laws for the good of the community

All signers pledged to obey the laws Set up a direct democracy- all males would vote- majority rule Held town meetings, so the people could gather , discuss, voice opinions and vote on important issues

English Colonial Governments Success of Jamestown and Plymouth led to 13 colonies by 1733 All colonies established a government Many differences and similarities Each colony had a governor (elected or appointed) and a legislature

Legislature consisted of upper and lower house Governor appointed members of upper house Colonists elected members of lower house

A New Sense of Identity A time passed, colonial governments took on more power and responsibility Officially British, lived as Americans Built towns, roads, churches, schools, hospitals, and fire departments Thriving economy Solved own problems without British help Britain saw colonies as source of wealth

By the mid-1700s, the actions of parliament made some colonists see themselves as Americans