Government, Religion, and Power Chapter 4, Lesson 2

English Colonial Rule Benjamin Franklin was noted as saying the Americans were viewing themselves differently from what England saw. Trouble was brewing both in the colonies and in during the mid 1600s. Charles II took the throne and many people were not happy with him. James II (Charles’ successor) attempted to take powers Parliament had won back during the Civil War. He also tried to tighten royal control of the English colonies.

English Colonial Rule In 1688 Parliament, removed James from power and placed his daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange, on the throne. The event came to be known as the Glorious Revolution. William and Mary signed the English Bill of Rights in 1689 guaranteeing certain basic rights to citizens. It would later serve as inspiration for our known American Bill of Rights.

English Colonial Rule England viewed the colonies as an economic resource. Colonies provided England with raw resources. England would turn those raw materials into processed goods to sell to the colonies. They were essentially practicing mercantilism. England needed to export (sell abroad) more than it imported (brought in) in order to make a profit. In order to do this England pass the Navigation Acts, between 1651 and 1673. It made certain that England benefited from trade with the colonies.

English Colonial Rule Colonial merchants could not use foreign ships to ship materials to England. Even if the ships offered it cheaper. It also prohibited the colonist with trading certain products like sugar, or tobaccos outside England’s empire. Some colonist ignored these laws and began to smuggle (trading illegally with other nations.) Continuous conflict would arise between the American colonies and England.

Colonial Government The English colonist brought with them ideas about government that had been created over centuries. By the 1600s Englishmen had such rights as trial by jury, which was not practiced anywhere else. At the heart of this were two principles of government: Limited government – through laws or constitutions. Representative government – people chosen to represent a larger group of people.

Colonial Government By the time the colonist reached North America, the idea that government was not all powerful had become an accepted part of the English system of government. First appeared in the Magna Carta signed by King John II in 1215. Established limited government where a ruler or government is not all powerful. Provided for protection of the Natural Rights (Life, Liberty, and Property)

Colonial Government As the colonies grew they relied more and more on their government to make local laws. By 1760, there were three types of colonies in America:

Charter Colonies Charter Colonies – Established by settlers who had been given a charter, or grant, of rights and privileges. Elected their own governors and legislature. Great Britain had the right to approve the governor, but could not veto the acts of the legislature Colonies: Connecticut and Rhode Island

Proprietary Colonies Ruled by proprietors. Individuals or groups to which Great Britain granted land. Free to rule as they wished. Appointed governors and members of the upper house, while colonists elected the lower house. Colonies: Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

Royal Colonies Royal Colonies – Directly rules by Great Britain. King appoints a governor and council known as the upper house. Usually did whatever the King asked which often led to conflict (especially tax and trade restrictions) with the colonist in the assembly. The colonist elected the lower house Colonies: Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Voting Rights Usually reserved for white males who owned property. Most women, indentured servants, landless poor, and African Americans could not vote. Despite this, a high proportion of people were involved in government than in any other place in Europe. Gave them a sort of training that would be needed when the colonies finally became independent.

An Emerging Culture Between the 1720s and 1740s the Great Awakening was happening in the colonies. Ministers in the New England and Middle Colonies were calling for a “new birth” or a return to strong faith of earlier days. Jonathan Edwards was one of these ministers and was known for giving powerful and convincing sermons. George Whitefield was an English preacher who helped spread the religious revival from New England to as far south as Georgia through churches and open fields. This led to the formation of many new churches.

Jonathan Edwards George Whitefield

Family Roles People were forced to adapt their traditions to the new conditions of life in America. Religion, Education, and Art contributed to the New American culture. The family was the foundation of colonial society. Colonial farms were both the home and the workplace. Mothers and father cared for their children. Women cooked, made butter and cheese, and preserved food. They also spun yarn, made clothes, and tended to the chicken and cows.

Family Roles Men worked in the fields and built barns, houses and fences. In some placed, women worked alongside the men in the fields. Men were also the formal heads of the house. Managed the farm and represented the family in community affairs. Women could attend church meetings, but could not speak, vote, or serve on the clergy. Sons were to work as indentured servants or serve as an apprentice (learning assistant) to craft workers who taught them a trade. Married women were considered under their husband’s authority and few rights.

Family Roles Women in towns and cities sometimes held jobs outside the home. Young, unmarried women might work for wealthy families as maids, cooks, and nurses. Widows might work as teachers, nurses, or seamstresses. Widows and women who had never married could run businesses and own property, even if they could not vote. Ex: running an Inn.

Education Most colonist valued education. Children were taught to read and write at home. In New England and Pennsylvania, school systems existed so that everyone could read and study the Bible. In 1647, Puritans passed a public education law. Each community with 50 or more households must support a school through taxes. Although some communities did not set up schools most did.

Education By 1750, New England had a high literacy level. 85% of men and half of women could read and write. Most colonial schools were run by widows or unmarried women. In the Middle Colonies most schools were run by Quakers and other religious groups. In towns and cities, night schools were set up to for apprentices. Early colleges were founded to train ministers. The first was Harvard College established in 1636, by the Puritans in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Anglicans founded William and Mary College in Virginia in 1693.

The Enlightenment Many colonists were influenced by the Enlightenment by the mid 1700s. Belief that knowledge, wisdom, and science could improve society. In the colonies the Enlightenment increased interest in science. People observed nature, staged experiments, and published their findings. The best known American scientist was Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin

Freedom of the Press In 1735 John Peter Zenger of the New York Weekly Journal faced charges of libel for a written article on the royal governor of New York. Andrew Hamilton argued that free speech was a basic right of the English people. Asked the jury to base its decision on whether Zenger’s article was true, and not if it was offensive. Zenger was found not guilty. It did not attract much attention back then but today it is seen a stepping stone in the development of free press in America.