Government in the AMERICAN COLONIES

Answer these questions in your notebook!! Review questions What did the Pilgrims agree to do in the Mayflower Compact? Why did the Puritans leave England? Who set up a colony with a more democratic rule than the Massachusetts colony? What is a written plan for government called? Which colony set up the first public school system? Answer these questions in your notebook!!

Wrote his political thoughts in Two Treatises of Government JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704) English philosopher Colonial leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison used many of his ideas Wrote his political thoughts in Two Treatises of Government Believed that people had certain rights and duties (natural rights) Liberty (freedom) Life Property To protect these rights, people agreed to form governments

Colony in Massachusetts PILGRIMS Didn’t want to belong to or pay taxes to the Church of England Wrote a contract called the Mayflower Compact They would write fair laws and choose leaders but remain loyal to the king Each man had a vote

People elected the representatives Colony in jamestown First to have an assembly of representatives, called the House of Burgess People elected the representatives Plan for assembly came from England, not from colonists England also sent a governor to rule Jamestown Today we elect representatives at all levels of government: city, county, state, and national

Vocabulary checkpoint… Contract: an agreement made by two or more people Loyal: faithful; true to a country or belief National: having to do with the whole country or nation

The first constitution Some colonists in Massachusetts decided that the religious rules there were too strict They moved and settled in Connecticut Leader there was Thomas Hooker who believed in more democratic government that would give more control to the people Hooker and his followers drew up a constitution The first constitution

Vocabulary checkpoint… Religious: having to do with church practices Strict: stern; not changing Constitution: a plan for government

Colonies and constitutions A constitution lists the powers of the governments, as well as the rights of the people CONNECTICUT Agreed to create an assembly with elected representatives Agreed to elect a governor and judges MASSACHUSETTS Set up a public school system paid for with tax money

This trial was a big step toward the idea of free press Right to speech? In colonial times, a law in New York said that no one could publish anything that spoke against the English government. John Peter Zenger, a newspaper publisher, broke this law and was arrested, tried, and found innocent This trial was a big step toward the idea of free press In the U.S. today it is not against the law to criticize the government or its leaders in a newspaper or on radio or television

Right to Worship freely? Some colonists came to America to worship as they pleased, such as the Puritans The Puritans, however, would not allow this freedom to people living in their colony As a result, many people were sent away or left the Puritan colony in Massachusetts They set up colonies that allowed a few different religions The idea of religious freedom led to our system today, which gives people the right to worship the way they please

Vocabulary checkpoint… Publish: to print information, such as a newspaper, magazine, or book Press: newspapers, magazines, and the people who work for them Criticize: to put down or find fault with