People’s rights and representation in the American colonies

Q. # 1 WHEN did people from England start colonies in North America? WHAT is a colony? WHY did they start colonies?

Reasons for starting colonies: To make a profit – from sale of land, farming, fishing, trade  benefiting from rich natural resources To ensure or expand religious or political freedom To block other Europeans from expanding To have a place to send debtors, outlaws, dissenters, etc.

Q. # 2 WHO ELSE was creating colonies in the Americas at this time? WHO ELSE was living in the areas claimed as colonies – and contributing to their success?

Q. # 3 What is a CHARTER?

Q. # 3 What is a CHARTER? a LEGAL document issued by a king or other authority that GIVES RIGHTS to a group of people or a person  in particular, the RIGHT to settle on and profit from a specific area

Q. # 3 There were different kinds of charters: a)a JOINT-STOCK charter: issued to a GROUP of investors who pool their resources and share the liability as well as the profits Example: the Virginia Co. (1607)

Q. # 3 There were different kinds of charters: b)a ROYAL charter: issued to a GOVERNOR – chosen by the KING – to give greater control over colony to king Examples: New Hampshire (1622), Massachusetts Bay (1630)

Q. # 3 There were different kinds of charters: c)a PROPRIETARY charter: issued to one or more INDIVIDUALS giving them extensive authority and the right to pass it on to their heirs Examples: Maryland (1632) to Lord Baltimore, Pennsylvania (1682) to Wm Penn

Q. # 4 WHY would settlers want a CHARTER?

Q. # 4 WHY would settlers want a CHARTER? -It specified the LANDS they could occupy and HOW they would be GOVERNED. -It spelled out how PROFITS would be shared. -It gave them authority to create coins, etc. -It affirmed that settlers and heirs were English subjects and had “all the RIGHTS of free and natural subjects.”

Q. # 5 What is a COMPACT? (vs. a CHARTER)

Q. # 5 What is a COMPACT? a formal written agreement made by SETTLERS about how they would GOVERN THEMSELVES, by passing/enforcing laws that serve everyone How is it different from a CHARTER? who makes it, for what purpose, and what authority is behind it

Q. # 5 Why create a COMPACT? Example: passengers of the Mayflower (1620) What happened to them? Why did they decide to make a compact?

Q. # 5 Why create a COMPACT? -To strengthen their resolve to survive and thrive as a group in circumstances known to be challenging -To have a clear statement of the settlers’ commitment to living as a community (perhaps following certain rules or laws)

Q. # 6 HOW were English colonies GOVERNED? They typically had three different political institutions (groups or offices with power). What were they?

Q. # 6 They ALWAYS had some kind of ASSEMBLY: a body of leaders made up of SETTLERS elected by eligible SETTLERS who helped make the LAWS for the colony. This ASSEMBLY could have different names, but was understood to REPRESENT the SETTLERS: to give voice to their interests.

Q. # 6 English colonies generally also had: -a GOVERNOR, whose job was to carry out laws and represent the ultimate authority over the colony (usually appointed by the king, the proprietor or the investors behind the colony, but actually elected by settlers in CT and RI!) - a COUNCIL (a group of advisors appointed by this same power: king, proprietor, investors); the COUNCIL also helped to make laws

Q. # 6 Does this remind you of any other structure of GOVERNMENT? Governor Council Assembly

Q. # 6 Does this remind you of any other structure of GOVERNMENT? King  Governor House of Lords  Council House of Commons  Assembly

Q. # 6 Why did the form of government in the colonies VARY from one place to another and over time?

Q. # 6 Why did the form of government in the colonies VARY from one place to another and over time? -Colonies were created at different times, for different purposes, under different charters, by different groups of sponsors and settlers. They were NOT created as one unified entity.

Q. # 7 When and where did “representative gov’t” first exist in the American colonies?

Q. # 7 When and where did “representative gov’t” first exist in the American colonies? 1619 House of Burgesses, Virginia Similar assemblies of settlers were created in other colonies, sometimes called “the General Court” or another name.

Q. # 7 WHO was actually represented in colonial assemblies? WHY?

Q. # 7 WHO was actually represented in colonial assemblies? Adult male settlers (VA, 1619) Adult males with property (VA, 1670) Free white men with property (VA, 1723) Free white men who observed the dominant form of Christianity (MA Bay, 1631)

Q. # 7 WHY were these people deemed eligible to vote and to represent others? Notice the things that were taken as signs of trustworthiness, making one eligible to vote/serve: Age Free status (not indentured, not slave) Gender (assumed: head of household) Property (assumed: ability to think ahead) Church membership (assumed: morality)

Q. # 7 WHY did the rules about who could vote and be elected to the colonial assemblies become more restrictive over time?

Q. # 7 WHY did the rules about who could vote and be elected to the colonial assemblies become more restrictive over time? -As number of settlers grew, they could afford to be picky. Involving everyone in all decision-making was harder. -People who owned slaves or indentured workers began to grasp the advantages that this gave them. -People who created colonies for religious reasons became more protective of the desire to have a community that upheld common rules.

Q. # 8 What RIGHTS did English colonists believe they had?  It depended on…

Q. # 8 What RIGHTS did English colonists believe they had?  It depended on: - who they were - when (in time) they lived in colonies - how much they knew about England - what kind of charter they had

Q. # 8 BEFORE 1689 : -Whatever rights were detailed in charter (rights to occupy land, to receive their share of profit, right to be seen as English subjects and to pass on that status to their children) -Right to some form of representative gov’t if they met the eligibility requirements (age, gender, property, church membership) -If they were noble or high-ranking clergy in Church of England: right to freedom from unlawful detainment, rights to due process, fair trial, etc. (per Magna Carta)

Q. # 8 From 1689 on : -Whatever rights were detailed in charter (rights to occupy land, to receive their share of profit, right to be seen as English subjects and to pass on that status to their children) -Right to some form of representative gov’t if they met the eligibility requirements (age, gender, property, church membership) -Right to all civil rights listed in the English Bill of Rights, as long as they were free English subjects: rights to due process, right to testify and be tried by jury of peers, freedom from excessive bail or cruel punishment, right to petition political authorities, freedom of religion (within some bounds).

Q. # 8 Why did they think they had these rights? -Legal documents (charters, acts of Parliament, like the English Bill of Rights) -Precedent of representative government established through Parliament’s 2 houses -Laws passed by colonial assemblies with cooperation of council and governor

Q. # 9 What about people who were not free white males? What RIGHTS did they have? Women in the colonies?

Q. # 9 RIGHTS of women in the colonies? -In some colonies, unmarried women or widows could own property, sign contracts, sue people in court (economic rights), but it was very rare for any women to be able to vote or hold office (political rights). -Brief exception? -Assumption behind the exclusion of women?

Q. # 9 RIGHTS of free people of African descent? Until c. 1720s, if free and had property, then they often had full economic and political rights. By c. 1720s, in most colonies, you had to be a white man with property to vote and be elected. In some colonies, laws made it harder for blacks to own property and to be treated fairly in courts, etc.

Q. # 9 WHY did rights vary over time and from one colony to another? WHY did they become more restrictive over time?

Q. # 9 WHY did rights vary over time and from one colony to another? -Colonies were created at different times, under different conditions and different terms. They were not all of one mold, but instead operated often as separate entities.

Questions?