Download The Colonial Period

Bell Work
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Who was Crispics Attucks?
What parts of the Boston Massacre based on Paul Revere’s
painting have been proved as myth?
How does the media use propaganda to get our society to think a
certain way?
In your opinion who was at fault the colonists or the British
soldiers at the Boston Massacre?
Who was the artist of the famous painting on the Boston
Massacre?
What year did the Boston Massacre occur?
How many people died at the Boston Massacre?
The Colonial Period
Chapter 2 Section 1
Objectives
What events of the early American
colonial experience led colonists to
believe they would have representative
government?
 In what ways were the American
colonies democratic? In what ways were
they not democratic?
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English Heritage
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Limited Government
Magna Carta (Great Charter)
 1215 – King John forced to sign
 Basic idea of L.G.
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Protection against unjust punishment; protected
natural rights
 Taxes could not be levied w/out popular consent
 Opens the door for future limitations
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Representative Government
English Heritage
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Petition of Right
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Abuses of Charles I
Dissolved Parliament; quartered troops; martial
law
 Calls Parliament back in session; 1628 – forced
to sign POR
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POR
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King can’t collect taxes w/out Parliament
approval; imprison people w/out cause; quarter
troops w/out permission; declare martial law
except at war
English Heritage
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English Bill of Rights
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1688 – Glorious Revolution
James II removed from throne and William III
and Mary II proclaimed King and Queen; must
rule by laws set by Parliament
 Peaceful transition of power
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English Heritage
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Parliament passes English Bill of Rights
Applied to American colonists
 Limited powers of the monarch
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Monarchs do not have absolute authority (rule with
consent)
Parliament must consent to suspended laws, levy
taxes or maintain army
King can’t interfere with parliamentary elections and
debates
People can petition the government; right to a fair and
speedy trial
No cruel and unusual punishment; excessive fines or
bail
English Heritage
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Representative Government
 English Parliament
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Upper – House of Lords
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Lower – House of
Commons
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First sons of noble families
Elected officials made of
commoners and younger
nobles
Important Philsophers
 Voltaire; Jean Jacques
Rousseau
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People should protect
natural rights
English Heritage
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Important Philosophers
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Locke
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Wrote Two Treatises of
Government
Natural rights (life, liberty and
property) must be protected;
if gov fails to do so, people
should abolish the gov
Second Treatise of
Government
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Consent of the governed
Colonial Government
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Colonial governments varied per colony
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Each had some form of governor,
legislature and court system
Women and slaves could not vote; each
had property qualifications
 9/13 had official church
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Colonial Government
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Major practices among colonial governments
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Written constitution guaranteed basic liberties;
limited government
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Mayflower Compact – 1st example of colonial plan for self
government
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Signed by 41 men on Mayflower
Choose their leaders; make their own laws
General Fundamentals – MA; first system of laws in
colonies
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
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Plan for government
People elect governor, judges and representatives who
make laws
Colonial Government
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Legislative branch w/ elected
representatives
Virginia House of Burgesses – 1st legislature in
America
 Puritans: church members should elect
church/government leaders
 Consent of governed: Most qualified men voted
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Colonial Government
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Separation of
powers between
governor and
legislature
(Montesquieu)
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Governor –
extension of
English crown
Legislature made
laws
Courts heard cases
Objectives Revisited
What events of the early American
colonial experience led colonists to
believe they would have representative
government?
 In what ways were the American
colonies democratic? In what ways were
they not democratic?
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