What was government like in the British North American colonies? Essential Question: What was government like in the British North American colonies? How did the trans-Atlantic trade influence the development of the British colonies? Warm-Up Questions: Examine each of the documents provided and explain how each relates to the British colonies Lesson plan for August 20, 2009: Warm-up question (look at 2 docs: mercantilism & salutary neglect), Economic & Political Notes, Closure Activity: Around-the-room discussion

This document shows MERCANTILISM

This document (indirectly) shows SALUTARY NEGLECT & patterns of SELF GOVERNMENT

Political Characteristics of the British Colonies

Government in the British Colonies “To pay little attention to” The British colonies were governed with a policy called Salutary Neglect British Parliament & the king controlled the colonies, but did not enforce its policies as long as Britain profited from the colonies This loose control allowed the colonists to create their own colonial assemblies in America “Beneficial” or “favorable”

Technically, the Parliament & king had absolute authority over all parts of the British empire In practice, the British government rarely exercised this control over the colonies

Almost all the British colonies had royal governors who were appointed by the king who oversaw trade, approved laws, & appointed judges But, governors’ salaries were paid by colonial assemblies so governors rarely overturned local laws or taxes

Colonial assemblies were made up of colonists who made their own laws & taxes (self-government) Colonists were elected to the assembly by other colonists; Typically, the assemblies were ruled by the elite

Two Examples of Colonial Gov’t The Virginia House of Burgesses Massachusetts Town Meetings

Economic Characteristics of the British Colonies

Trans-Atlantic Trade America became an important part of the trans-Atlantic trade network The colonies produced profitable raw materials, such as tobacco, wheat, fish, indigo, & whale oil Britain sold manufactured goods back to the colonists, such as clothing, tea, guns, & tableware African slaves were brought to America via the Middle Passage

Trans-Atlantic Trade Patterns (Before 1660) Colonial raw materials helped drive British manufacturing & the colonies presented a new market for the British to sell their finished goods

What were the top 3 colonial exports? South South Middle South New England New England

Trans-Atlantic Trade Patterns (Before 1660) The increased demand for colonial raw materials, increased the demand for African slaves

This pattern of trade between Europe, the colonies, and Africa became known as the Triangular Trade

Trans-Atlantic Trade Patterns (Before 1660) When the British colonies were first founded, there were few restrictions on who the colonists could trade with

Mercantilism By the 1650s, the British gov’t began to embrace the economic policy of mercantilism: The colonies exist to generate wealth for the mother country Promoted a balance of trade (more exports than imports) Meant that colonial trade must be regulated & controlled 17

Mercantilism

The Navigation Acts However, colonists soon realized that these restrictions gave them a monopoly on British trade & led to steady profits Initially, the colonists protested the loss of Dutch, French, & Spanish trade partners Starting in 1660, the British gov’t imposed a series of Navigation Acts designed to restrict colonial trade & increase British wealth