Colonial America: Governance, Rights, and Conflict

Colonial Governance and Early American Rights

Colonial Governments

• Each colony had its own style of government.

• Virginia (1619):

  • Established the House of Burgesses, the first legislative body in America.

  • The House of Representatives is based on the model of the House of Burgesses.

• Massachusetts:

  • Utilized a town hall system where people met on the Common Square.

  • This system is still in use in many states today.

• Voting Rights:

  • Initially limited to white males who owned property, paid taxes, or made a certain amount of money.

  • Wealth was a key factor in determining who could vote or hold office.

  • This system began to change in the 1820s and 1830s during Andrew Jackson's presidency.

Magna Carta

• A foundational document for American rights, signed by King John of England in December.

• Limited the Power of the King:

  • Challenged the divine right of kings, the belief that monarchs were chosen by God to rule.

  • The king's authority was no longer absolute.

• King John recognized a duty to protect the rights of his nobles, which later extended to all people.

• Established the Great Council, which evolved into Parliament.

• Impacts:

  • Taxes could not be raised without Parliament's approval.

  • An independent judiciary, or court system, was created, separate from the king's control.

• Rule of Law:

  • The Magna Carta established the principle that no one is above the law.

  • Everyone, regardless of power, is subject to the law.

English Bill of Rights and Constitution

• Glorious Revolution (1688):

  • King Charles II was overthrown, and William and Mary were brought from Holland to the English throne.

  • Parliament became the supreme power in England.

• English Bill of Rights:

  • Listed the rights of Parliament and the English people, further limiting the power of the king.

  • The royalty became more of a figurehead.

  • The royalty generates significant revenue for England through tourism.

• English Constitution:

  • Composed of several documents that serve as frameworks for government.

• The English Bill of Rights and the British Constitution influenced the creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights and Constitution.

• The American government is most closely aligned with the British constitutional parliament.

Political Changes and Colonial Conflict

• King James II, a Catholic, attempted to restore Catholicism in England and gain greater control over the American colonies.

• Dominion of New England:

  • King James II consolidated the New England colonies under the control of a royal governor, Sir Edmund Andros.

  • The goal was to enforce the Navigation Acts and stop smuggling.

• Writs of Assistance:

  • Crown agents were given broad warrants to search for illegal goods in any boat, house, shop, or storage area.

  • Colonists viewed these as a violation of their rights, leading to anger against the mother country.

• Glorious Revolution's Impact on Colonies:

  • King James II was overthrown, and Andros was removed from power in the colonies.

  • Colonial charters were nullified, creating uncertainty about the power structure in the colonies.

• In Massachusetts, the Puritan church feared losing its control, creating a vacuum of power.

• The colonies supported the Glorious Revolution, seeing it as a justification for rebellion against a hated government.

Salem Witch Trials

• Occurred in 1692 in Salem Village and Salem Town.

• Background:

  • There was tension between the wealthier Salem Town and the poorer Salem Village.

  • The Puritan church was trying to maintain power in Massachusetts.

• Events:

  • 20 people were executed for witchcraft (19 by hanging, 1 by being pressed to death).

  • Giles Corey was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea.

  • Samuel Parris, a reverend from the Caribbean, became the new minister in Salem Village.

  • Parris's daughter and niece exhibited strange behaviors, leading to accusations of possession by the devil.

  • Young women in Salem began accusing others of witchcraft.

• Salem Witch Trials:

  • Jails filled with accused witches.

  • Judges were brought in to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused.

• Demographics of the Accused:

  • Mostly older, outspoken, or homeless women.

  • Many accusers and accused had petty grievances or outright fights with each other.

• Teenage girls were given the power to accuse people, and spectral evidence (visions, dreams) was used as evidence.

• Sarah Good was executed based on the testimony of her four-year-old daughter, who later died in prison.

• The trials were a travesty of justice.

• The crisis was not limited to Salem; it occurred throughout parts of America and England.

• Witch Finders:

  • People were paid to root out witches.

• Accused women were often stripped, searched for irregular markings, and tortured to confess.

• Confessing often spared one from execution, while maintaining innocence could lead to death.

• The trials ended when the governor's wife was accused, leading him to realize the injustice.

Salutary Neglect and Colonial Identity

• Salutary Neglect:

  • England had left the colonies alone for years, leading the colonies to believe they were self-governing.

  • When England tried to reassert control, the colonies protested.

• Colonists believed that England had lost the right to directly govern them due to this neglect.

• Colonists assumed they were equal to all Englishmen, but England did not see them that way.

• The colonists believed their own legislatures made laws for them, not the English Parliament.

• Virtual vs. Actual Representation:

  • Parliament claimed virtual representation, asserting that they ruled for the good of the entire English empire.

  • Colonists argued for actual representation, stating they had no representatives in Parliament and therefore should not be taxed.

The Enlightenment and Early American Thought

• Renaissance (Rebirth):

  • Revival of Greek and Roman thought and ideas.

  • Ideas of the Scientific Revolution helped people understand natural laws.

• Early American political leaders, like Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison, were influenced by the Renaissance and humanist ideas.

• Enlightenment:

  • Humanists believed that human reason could lead to knowledge, freedom, and happiness.

  • Understanding the world could improve society.

  • Ideas from the Greeks and Romans were revived through the Enlightenment and Renaissance.

• Christianity:

  • Thomas Aquinas's ideas on faith and reason influenced early American leaders.

  • Aquinas believed in the importance of both faith and reason in understanding the world.

• Scientific Revolution:

  • Thinkers like Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus contributed to understanding the laws of nature.

• The Renaissance promoted the idea that studying and understanding the world could make it better, influencing political thought.

• John Locke:

  • Developed the social contract theory.

  • Argued that rulers have a duty to protect the rights of their citizens.

  • If a ruler fails to protect these rights, the people have the right to change the government.

  • Locke believed that all power comes from the people, not from a divine right of kings.

  • This idea forms the basis of American democracy.

  • Democracy: Rule of the people. We the people.

The Great Awakening

• Religious revival that swept through the colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.

• Context:

  • After the Salem witch trials, the power of the Puritan church declined, and people stopped attending church.

  • There was a religious crisis in the colonies.

• Halfway Covenants:

  • The church allowed people to attend without a conversion of faith, aiming to attract children and eventually their parents.

• Revival:

  • Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield were major figures in the Great Awakening.

  • Revival sessions were held, drawing people from different areas and religions.

• Political Undertones:

  • Ministers preached that every human being is equal in the eyes of God.

  • Colonists questioned why they had spiritual equality but not political equality.

  • This led to the beginning of the American Revolution in thought.

  • Started to see themselves as being treated differently from the people in England and wanted total equality.

King George's War and Colonial Expansion

• King George's War was part of a series of wars between England and France.

• Treaty of Lancaster:

  • Gave the English the right to move into the Ohio Valley.

  • This expansion caused conflict with the French and Native Americans.

• Governor Dinwiddie sent George Washington to survey the area and assert British claims.

• Jumonville Incident:

  • Washington's forces attacked a French detachment, and Jumonville, an agent of the French king, was killed by the Native Americans allied to Washington.

  • This act was considered an act of war.

• Fort Necessity:

  • Washington built Fort Necessity, which was captured by the French.

  • Washington signed a document acknowledging his role in the attack on the French.
    Washington's actions sparked a worldwide conflict.
    War (1754-1763)

• Also known as the Seven Years' War.

• War between the French and their Indian allies against the British and their Indian allies.

• The first phase of war, the French was in the lead:
  *French fought with guerilla warfare.

• Second phase of war, the British was in the lead:
  *The new leader Marquis de Montcalm changed the war style from guerilla war to european style.
  *Iroquois alliance shift over the British

• The video of the Last of the Mohicans is a video showcasing the brutality of this time.

Treaty of Paris

• French completely thrown throw out in North America.

• The British gain the East Side of the Mississippi River(Except for modern day Haiti)

• Spain gain the West Side of the Mississippi River.