2.6 Creating an American Identity — Quick Reference Notes

England's empire consisted of many disunited colonies; charters granted to private companies or lords proprietors; limited direct royal control.
The Magna Carta (1215): guaranteed liberties, limited taxation by consent of nobles, due process.
Parliament emerged as a bicameral body: House of Lords (nobles) and House of Commons (commoners with property). Voting was restricted to men with property.
The Magna Carta laid groundwork for rule of law; established idea that consent is needed for taxation.

English Bill of Rights (1689): protected freedoms; habeas corpus; limited standing army without Parliament; reinforced rights from Magna Carta.
Colonists used these traditions to justify self-rule; assemblies gained power to tax and govern.

Dominion of New England period: 1686-1689; James II merged New England colonies into the Dominion; crown-appointed governor-general and council; elected assemblies replaced.
Colonists resisted; demanded representative taxation.
After Glorious Revolution, Massachusetts formed as royal colony; Rhode Island and Connecticut retained charters; New York faced Liesler rebellion; Liesler executed in 1691.

Glorious Revolution of 1689; William and Mary on the throne; sign English Bill of Rights; habeas corpus reaffirmed; limited standing army without Parliament.
Salutary neglect: British policy of relaxing enforcement of trade laws to keep colonies loyal in exchange for economic cooperation.

In New England, Puritans established republics with elected governors; other regions had crown or proprietor appointed governors; power shared with propertied colonists; colonial assemblies debated taxes.
English common law protected liberties across colonies.
1734-1735 Zenger case in New York: John Peter Zenger acquitted; early victory for freedom of the press.

Enlightenment emphasized natural laws and reason; scientists like Newton advanced empirical thinking; challenged church authority.
Thinkers: John Locke argued for natural rights and limited government; Rousseau and Voltaire influenced later political ideas.
Benjamin Franklin as colonial exemplar; experiments; inventions such as the lightning rod and bifocals; literacy and publishing.
Religion: Middle Colonies allowed more tolerance; church interwoven with social life elsewhere; debates about church-state relations.

Mid-1700s religious revival; field preaching; emotional sermons; focus on personal salvation and interpretation of scripture.
Preachers: Jonathan Edwards; George Whitefield; attracted huge outdoor crowds.
Effects: challenged established churches, promoted religious tolerance, fostered democratic ideas; some preachers welcomed women and African Americans as spiritual equals; contributed to political transformation by encouraging individual rights.