1. Our English Heritage
Chapter 2/Section 1

2. Influences from English Government
Many of the rights American citizens have today can be traced back to England
Magna Carta
Parliament-legislative body
English Bill of Rights
Common Law

3. Magna Carta
King John of England mistreated the nobles (wealthy citizens)
In 1215, they rebelled and forced him to sign the Magna Carta
Magna Carta means “Great Charter”
A charter is an agreement

5. The Magna Carta guaranteed certain rights to the nobles and eventually these rights were guaranteed to all English citizens
Rights included equal treatment under the law & trial by one’s peers

6. Parliament-Legislative Body
Henry III (came after King John) met with a group of advisers regularly
Eventually, this group became a legislature known as Parliament
Legislature: law-making body
In mid-1600s, Parliament and King struggled over how much power King should have

7. Glorious Revolution
In 1688, Parliament removed King James II and replaced him with his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William.
This proved that Parliament was stronger than King/Queen

9. English Bill of Rights
In 1689, Parliament wrote the English Bill of Rights
Stated that:
Monarch could not suspend (stop) Parliament’s laws
Monarch could not create special courts, impose taxes, or raise an army without approval from Parliament
Declared members of Parliament would be freely elected & guaranteed free speech
Guaranteed every citizen the right to fair trial & banned cruel and unusual punishment

10. English Parliament in 1600s

11. Common Law In its early days, England had no written laws
Therefore, they developed certain customs
Custom: a repeated way of handling situations
When judges were asked to decide a case, they looked at precedent
Precedent: ruling in previous similar case
Common Law: a system of law based on precedent & customs

12. Common Law example
If someone were accused of trespassing, the judge would look at previous cases to see how others accused of trespassing had been sentenced. This would help the judge determine what type of punishment was fair and consistent.

13. Bringing English Heritage to America
America had been settled by the English at Jamestown in 1607 (first permanent English settlement)
Jamestown is an example of an English colony
Colony: a group of people in one place who are ruled by a parent country elsewhere
Colonists had strong ties with England and brought many of the traditions of that country to America

14. Jamestown First permanent English settlement

15. Virginia Charter
The Virginia Company of England was granted a charter to begin colonies in the state of Virginia in America
Charter: written document granting land and authority to set up colonial governments
Charter gave colonists the same rights as English citizens, even though they lived in America

16. Virginia House of Burgesses
In 1619, colonist chose two representatives from each county in the state to meet with the governor (appointed by England’s king/queen) and his council
Representatives were known as burgesses

17. These 22 men formed the House of Burgesses
*** VA House of Burgesses was first representative assembly, or legislature, and marked the beginning of self- government in America!

18. Mayflower Compact
In 1620, Pilgrims arrived in America and establish Plymouth colony (in Massachusetts)
While aboard their ship, the Mayflower, they wrote a plan for the government they would establish in Plymouth called the Mayflower Compact
Compact: an agreement/contract among people

19. Mayflower Compact, continued
Mayflower Compact stated that the government would:
Make “just and equal laws…for the general good of the colony”
**Established a tradition of
Direct Democracy in New England (Northeast United States)

21. Early Colonial Governments
By 1773, 13 English colonies stretched from Massachusetts to Georgia
Each colony set up its own government with:
Governor
Legislature
Eventually, the colonists learn to handle things on their own and began doubting the need for help from Great Britain