1. Roots of Representative Government
Chapter 5, Section 2
Roots of Representative Government

2. Magna Carta – “Great Charter;” a document guaranteeing basic political rights in England, approved by King John in 1215
Parliament – England’s chief lawmaking body
Edmund Andros – Royal governor of the Dominion of New England who angered colonists by ending their representative assemblies and allowing town meetings only once a year
Glorious Revolution – an overthrow of English King James II in 1688 and his replacement by William and Mary
English Bill of Rights – an agreement signed by William and Mary to respect the rights of English citizens and of Parliament, including the right to free elections
Salutary neglect – a hands-off policy of England toward its American colonies during the first half of the 1700s
John Peter Zenger – publisher of the New-York Weekly Journal, who was put on trial in 1735 for printing criticism of New York’s governor
Key Terms

3. Additional Key Terms
legislature – a group of people who have the power to make laws
bill of rights – a written list of freedoms that a government promises to protect
habeas corpus – the principle that a person cannot be held in prison without being charged with a specific crime
freedom of the press – the right of journalists to publish the truth without restriction or penalty
libel – the publishing of statements that damage a person’s reputation

4. Bell Ringer! A Voice from the Past
“For all English liberties are restored to them: No Persons shall have a Penny of their Estates taken from them; nor any Laws imposed on them, without their own Consent by Representatives chosen by themselves.” – Increase Mather, quoted in The Last American Puritan
1. Read the quotation (also on page 141). Which liberties does Mather say are restored to the colonists?
2. What phrase implies that eligible colonists have the right to vote?

5. How did English ideas about government and trade affect the colonies?
All English colonies shared a common English heritage, and that heritage included the idea that citizens had political rights.
England also promoted the theory of mercantilism—that colonies existed to benefit their parent country—but some colonists began to question that theory.

6. In 1215, English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, which was the first document to place restrictions on an English ruler’s power.
The rights listed in the Magna Carta were at first limited to nobles.
Over time, the rights were extended to all English citizens.

7. The Magna Carta:
limited the monarch’s right to levy taxes without consulting the nobles.
protected the right to property.
guaranteed the right to trial by jury.

8. Parliament Great Council
Under the Magna Carta, nobles formed a Great Council to advise the king, and this body developed into the Parliament.
Two-House Legislature
Parliament was a two-house legislature.
The House of Lords was made up of nobles who inherited their titles.
Members of the House of Commons were elected, but only a few rich men and landowners had the right to vote.
Taxes
Parliament’s greatest power was that no monarch could raise taxes without its consent.

9. The Rights of Englishmen
1. What rights does the Magna Carta (1215) guarantee?
Could not have their property seized
Could not be taxed (unless council agreed)
Could not be put to trial based only on an official’s word
Could be punished only by a jury of their peers
Limited the powers of the king
Rights were granted to all English people
4. What rights from the Magna Carta remain rights in America today?
Trial by jury, protection from arbitrary taxation, and seizure of property
The Rights of Englishmen

10. Parliament and Colonial Government
2. What was the purpose of the colonial assemblies?
The king and Parliament were too far away to manage every detail of the colonies
English colonists in America wanted to have a say in the laws governing them
3. How could the king limit the power of the colonial assemblies?
Appointed royal governors
Parliament had no representatives from the colonies
5. Why did the colonists dislike laws passed by Parliament?
They had no say in making those laws
Parliament and Colonial Government

11. A Royal Governor’s Rule
King James II took power in 1685
He wanted to rule England and its colonies with total authority
He was angry that some colonies, especially Massachusetts, had been smuggling goods and ignoring the Navigation Acts (1651)
He combined Massachusetts and the other Northern colonies into one Dominion of New England
A Royal Governor’s Rule

12. While colonists maintained some important rights, they felt burdened by Britain’s economic policies.
Under the theory of mercantilism, colonies existed in order to enrich their parent country. $
In 1651, the English Parliament passed the first of several Navigation Acts, laws designed to funnel the colonies’ wealth to England.

13. All shipping had to be done in English ships or ships made in the English colonies
Products such as tobacco, wood, and sugar could be sold only to England or its colonies
European imports to the colonies had to pass through English ports
English officials were to tax any colonial goods not shipped to England
Merchants often ignored the acts
Smuggling was common
Pirates (like Blackbeard) often interfered with shipping
Navigation Acts

14. Pros and Cons of the Navigation Acts
Colonial traders had a sure market for their goods in England.
The law contributed to a booming shipbuilding industry in New England.
Cons
Many colonists began to resent the Acts because they thought the Acts favored English merchants at the colonists’ expense.
Some colonists thought they could make more money if they were free to sell to foreign markets themselves.
Some colonists smuggled goods to foreign markets to avoid the Navigation Acts.

15. A Royal Governor’s Rule
6. Who was Edmund Andros?
Royal governor of the Dominion of New England
7. Why did he anger the residents of Massachusetts?
He ended their representative assemblies
He allowed town meetings only once a year
A Royal Governor’s Rule

16. A Royal Governor’s Rule
8. What rights did Andros deny to the colonists?
Placed the militia under his direct control
Dispensed juries for those accused of breaking trade laws
Said juries could be appointed by sheriffs, who themselves appointed by royal decree
Converted Boston’s Old South Meeting House into an Anglican church
How did the colonists respond?
Some refused to pay taxes
Sent Increase Mather to plead with King James
A Royal Governor’s Rule

17. England’s Glorious Revolution
9. What happened in England during the Glorious Revolution?
English Parliament decided to overthrow King James for not respecting its rights
What was King James trying to do?
He was Catholic and was trying to fill Parliament with officials who would overturn anti-Catholic laws
Protestant leaders of Parliament were mad and offer the throne to someone else
Who became monarch after King James?
James’s Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange
England’s Glorious Revolution

18. England’s Glorious Revolution
The change in leadership is known as the Glorious Revolution
James had to flee – he had no support
William and Mary agreed to follow the English Bill of Rights
England’s Glorious Revolution

19. 10. What rights were guaranteed in the English Bill of Rights?
To respect the rights of English citizens and of Parliament
King or Queen could not cancel laws or impose taxes unless Parliament agreed
Free elections and frequent meetings of Parliament had to be held
Excessive fines and cruel punishments were forbidden
People had the right to complain to the king or queen in Parliament without being arrested

20. England’s Glorious Revolution
11. How did colonists react to the Glorious Revolution and the new English Bill of Rights?
They were quick to claim rights
Jailed Governor Andros
Asked Parliament to restore their old government
England’s Glorious Revolution

21. Shared Power in the Colonies
12. How were most colonial governments organized after the Glorious Revolution?
British crown at the top – appoints Royal Governor
Royal Governor
Appointed by the monarch
Oversaw colonial trade
Had final approval on laws
Could dismiss colonial assembly
Council
Appointed by governor
Advisory board to governor
Acted as highest court in each colony
Colonial Assembly
Elected by eligible colonists
Made laws
Had authority to tax
Paid governor’s salary
Shared Power in the Colonies

23. Shared Power in the Colonies
13. What was Parliament’s policy toward the colonies after the Glorious Revolution?
Salutary neglect; England interfered very little in colonial affairs
Parliament passed many laws regulating trade, use of money, and apprenticeships in colonies
Governors rarely enforced these laws.
Colonists got used to acting on their own.
Shared Power in the Colonies

24. Another important right for American colonists was the freedom of the press.
In England, writers who criticized the government were punished, even if what they said was true.
However, a trial in the colonies granted writers new freedom to publish the truth.

25. John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, was charged with libel for printing articles that criticized the governor.
FACTS
Jurors found Zenger not guilty because the articles he published were based on facts.

26. The Zenger case helped establish the principle that a democracy depends on well-informed citizens.
Therefore, the press has a right and a responsibility to keep the public informed of the truth.
Freedom of the Press
Today, freedom of the press is recognized as a basic American liberty.

27. The Zenger Trial Why was John Peter Zenger put on trial?
For printing criticism of New York’s governor
(The governor had removed a judge and tried to fix an election)
14. What right was at stake in the Zenger trial?
Freedom of the press
What was the outcome of the Zenger trial?
Jury found Zenger not guilty and he was released
15. Why was the Zenger trial a step toward freedom of the press?
The jury would not punish Zenger for criticizing the government
The Zenger Trial