1. House of Burgesses

2. Only those that owned land could vote or serve as members of the House of Burgesses. This lead to an elected body that focused more on the well being of the wealthy land owners than that of the poorer class of former indentured servants.

3. Bacon’s Rebellion Nathaniel Bacon raised an army of poor frontier settlers to fight Native Americans win Governor Berkley refused to help. Berkley declared this army illegal and Bacon marched on Jamestown. Bacon and his army took over the House of Burgesses from Berkley but died shortly thereafter.

4. Bacon’s Rebellion Bacon’s Rebellion did draw King Charles’ attention to the corruption of Berkley’s government. More importantly it showed the growing power of Virginia’s poor indentured servants and the need of colonial governments to take into account their growing power.

5. Mayflower Compact

6. Declared that the purpose of the Pilgrims government in America would be to create “just and equal laws…for the general good of the colony.” Laws were binding for all in the colony. Established a tradition of democratic government in the English colonies. Evidenced in the establishment of town hall meetings and direct democracy in New England.

7. Dominion of New England King Royal Governor Colonial Assembly Upper House Lower House Appointed by Royal GovernorElected by Colonists

8. Dominion of New England Sent by King James to rule New England after colonists began violating the Navigation Acts at will. Held a hard-line on enforcement of the Navigation Acts and viewed the colonists as less than English citizens. Angered many northern colonists and they began to unite to seek his removal as Royal Governor.

9. Dominion of New England The Glorious Revolution leads to a change in leadership in England and a softening of the crown’s stance towards the colonies. The Glorious Revolution led to a bloodless revolution in New England and Andros was removed from power and the original charter was restored. There would still be a Royal Governor but the colonists would enjoy much more freedom.

10. Salutary Neglect A period of time in which the English relaxed their enforcement of the Navigation Acts as long as key raw materials flowed from the colonies to Great Britain and the colonies continued to import British goods. This allowed colonial merchants to sell many items on the open market and make much more profit than under the strict constructs of traditional mercantilism.

11. Albany Plan of Union Proposed by Ben Franklin as way to unite the colonies in defense during the French and Indian War. The first attempt to organize the English Colonies under one government body here in America. The plan was rejected due to distrust between the colonies and a fear that this new system would be given the power to tax. Parliament did not like the idea because they already distrusted some of the more “strong-willed” colonial assemblies.

12. French and Indian War

13. The Proclamation of 1763 forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains created a great deal of anger towards Parliament after the war. The debt incurred by Great Britain during the war and the taxes that would be levied on the colonies to pay that debt would be a MAJOR source of contention during the 1760’s and early 1770’s.