1. The American Colonies and Their Government
Chapter 2

2. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Objectives:
Compare influences of ancient Greece, the Roman Republic, the Judeo-Christian tradition, The Magna Carta, federalism, the Mayflower Compact, the English Bill of Rights, the House of Burgesses, and the Petition of Rights on the government of the United States.
Explain essential characteristics of the political system of the United States, including the organization and function of political parties and the process of selecting political leaders

3. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Essential Questions:
How does geography influence the development of communities?
Why do people create, structure, and change governments?

4. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Vocabulary:
democracy
direct democracy
representative democracy
republic
limited government
legislature
social contract
natural right
document
compact

5. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
As you read pp , create a graphic organizer showing how events limited government power.
Event
Effect
1. Magna Carta
2. Petition of Rights
3. English Bill of Rights
4. Social contract theory

6. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
The Foundations of Democracy:
The growth of democracy, rule by the people, can be traced to ancient times.
Ancient Democracies
Jewish religion: Judaism teaches that every person has worth and is equal before the law.

7. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Greek city-state of Athens: worlds first democracy
All free men over 18 were considered citizens.
Could take part in the Athens assembly
Any citizen had the right to speak.
Decisions were carried out by a council of 500 which governed Athens.
Council members were paid for services.
This system was a direct democracy, the people govern themselves.
Possible because Athens was a small city-state.

8. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Representative democracy: chosen leaders govern for the people. (large population)
Republic is a government based on representative democracy. The U.S is a republic.
World’s first republic was created in Ancient Rome when the Romans overthrew their king (509 B.C.) and a senate was put in control of the government.
Members of senate were chosen from Rome’s wealthy upper class, patricians.
Senators elected two consuls to lead the government.
Both consuls had to agree. Each had veto power.
Rome’s common citizens, plebeians, gained equality in 287B.C. after a long struggle.

9. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Early English Influences
Magna Carta: Document that the noble of England forced King John to sign in 1215.
Limited the king’s power
Taxing nobles without their consent.
Gave rights to free men
Equal treatment
Trial by one’s peers
Nobles could rebel if king broke agreement
Established principle of limited government, ruler or government is not all-powerful.
By the late 1300s a legislature, a group of people that make laws, was established. It became known as Parliament
Parliament had some influence but monarch, king or queen, remained strong. Power struggled developed
Parliament forced King Charles I, to sign the Petition of Right which again limited the king’s power.

10. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
The English Bill of Rights
Parliament transferred power to William and Mary who had to accept rules set by Parliament
English citizens had rights that no king could violate
Fair trial
Could not be taxed without Parliaments consent
Signing of the English Bill of Rights changed English government

11. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Influence of the Enlightenment (Cultural Movement)
Applying the laws that ruled nature to people and society
Enlightenment Thinkers:
Niccolo Machiavelli: (author of The Prince)
safer for a ruler to be feared than loved;
praised republics as the best form of govt.

12. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Thomas Hobbes: believed a social contract, an agreement among people in a society with their govt, existed.

13. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
John Locke: Two Treatises of Government (a long essay)
All men were born equal with certain God given rights, (natural rights—freedom people possess relating to life, liberty and property)

14. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: wrote The Social Contract.
“man is born free, yet everywhere he is found in chains.”

15. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Baron de Montesquieu: power of govt. should be divided into branches—separation of power.

16. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire): Believed people should have liberty, freedom of religion and freedom of trade.

17. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Video Clip: “Democracy in America” ****Insert link****

18. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Colony—a settlement in one
place controlled by a country
in another place.
The First Colonial Governments
Jamestown: first permanent
English settlement, founded
by the Virginia Company.
First ruled by a governor and
council appointed by the company.
Later allowed to make own laws
Elected leaders, burgesses, to represent them in an assembly. Assembly was named the House of Burgesses.

19. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
The Mayflower Compact: Pilgrims seeking religious freedom.
Drew up a compact, written agreement, and signed by all men aboard the Mayflower.
Agreed to choose leaders and work together to make laws
Agreed to obey the laws
Established a direct democracy

20. Lesson 1: Influences on American Colonial Government
Link:
As you read, answer the following questions:
What words in the document let you know these men were deeply religious and possibly seeking religious freedom?
Why were there no signatures of women?
Write a question of your own.

22. Lesson 2: Settlement, culture, and Government of the Colonies
Settling the English Colonies
Economic—chance to earn a living
Religious freedom—Puritans founded Massachusetts (Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony)
Dissenters—one who opposes official or commonly held view.

23. Lesson 2: Settlement, culture, and Government of the Colonies
Colonial Life
New England Colonies—farthest north (Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island)
Puritans-stressed values of thrift and hardworking
Most lived in towns
Cold climate, rocky soil made farming difficult
Shopkeepers, shipbuilding, fishing, hunting/trapping.

24. Lesson 2: Settlement, culture, and Government of the Colonies
Colonial Life cont.
Middle Colonies-New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware
Better climate and soil for agriculture
Cash crops—crops grown in large quantities to be sold rather and to feed the farmer’s family.
Port Cities—many port businesses
Many colonist from Germany and Holland(Dutch)
Rich in natural resources.

25. Lesson 2: Settlement, culture, and Government of the Colonies
Colonial Life cont.
Southern Colonies
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
Warm climate, long growing season, rich soil made large scale agriculture successful.
Tobacco and rice main cash crops

27. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Objective:
Describe the influence of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Niccolo Machiavelli, Charles de Montesquieu and Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) on the political system of the United States
Essential Question:
Why do people create, structure, and change governments?

28. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Vocabulary:
liberty
proclamation
boycott
repeal
duty
smuggling
delegate
authority
debate

29. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
As you read, (pp ) complete the graphic organizer to explain how the colonist responds to British actions.
British Action
Colonists’ Response

30. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Social and Political Changes in the Colonies
Great Awakening: a religious movement stressing the value of personal religious experience.
Question traditional religious authority, the power to make others obey.
Enlightenment leaders urged people to question political authority.
These social and political movements created a strong spirit of liberty, personal freedom.
Colonist believed Parliament should protest their rights. Parliament and the king made law for colonist.
Colonist had little voice in parliament and in choosing leaders.

31. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
The French and Indian War
Colonist expanded into French
territory.
French forces joined with
Native American groups to drive British colonist from land west of Appalachian Mts.
Led to war between Great Britain and France in Europe.
British army won and took control of French lands from west of the Appalachian Mts. to the Mississippi River.
War was long and costly leaving Britain deep in debt.

32. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
New Laws and Taxes
King George decided the colonist
should pay for the war since they cause it.
Issued a proclamation, an official
statement, that forbade the colonists from
settling in lands won from France.
Parliament passed Stamp Act. Required colonists to buy and place tax stamps on many documents—legal papers, newspapers.
Colonists boycott, refused to buy, British goods.
Colonial leaders organized a Stamp Act Congress to write a protest to Parliament and the king.
Repealed, canceled, Stamp Act
Passed Declaratory Act—Parliament had the right to tax the colonies and make decisions for them

33. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain

34. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Colonial Dissatisfaction Grows
Parliament passed Townshend Acts—placed
duties, a tax on an imported good, on a wide
range of goods that the colonies imported.
Allowed general search warrants (writs of assistance) to combat smuggling—illegally moving goods in or out of country.
Colonist boycotted and protested. All duties were repealed except for tax on tea.
Parliament passed the Tea Act—not a tax. Allowed British tea from India to import tea without paying tax. Colonist tea cost more.
Colonial protester dumped British tea into Boston Harbor—Boston Tea Party.
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Act)—harsh laws meant to punish colonist; violated the English Bill of Rights

35. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Steps Toward Independence
First Continental Congress
Delegates, representatives, from 12 colonies met to plan a united response to the Coercive Acts.
Sent a letter to king asking Britain to respect colonists’ rights.
Organized a boycott of British goods.
Banned all trade with Britain.
King George called for stronger measures against colonist.

36. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
The Second Continental Congress
“Blows,” fight, between British troops and colonial militiamen at Lexington and Concord, MA
Congress debated issue of splitting from Great Britain.
Support grew for independence.
Thomas Paine published a pamphlet Common Sense
More than half of delegates favored independence.
The Declaration of Independence
Committee chose Thomas Jefferson to write the document that explain to the world why the colonies should be free.
Influenced by John Locke, natural rights, social contract
Democracy of ancient Greeks
Jean-Jacques Rousseau-govt. should protect its people
Voltaire—people had a right to liberty.
Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

37. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain

38. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Video Follow-up:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
What did this quote mean to the colonists and to people today?

39. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain

40. Lesson 3: Disagreements with Great Britain
Lesson Review:
Write a sentence that describes the relationship between a boycott and a repeal.
Write a sentence that shows how the words duty and smuggling are related.
(Relate the sentences to the information in this section.)

41. Chapter 2 Review
Design a web to compare early governments, documents, and the enlightened thinkers to the Declaration of Independence. What ideas about government did Jefferson use when writing the Declaration of Independence?
Greek ideas of democracy
Declaration of Independence