Governing the Colonies4.1

The English Parliamentary Tradition

• Magna Carta– Signed by King John in 1215• Means “Great Charter” in Latin

• First document that placed a restriction on an English ruler’s power

Magna Carta

• The King could not levy (create/raise) taxes without consulting the nobles

• The King could not take one’s private property away

• Guaranteed the right to trial by jury

Magna Carta (cont.)

• Parliament was created (similar to our Congress)– Created to advise the king

• Created to have a two-house legislature– A group of people who have the power to make

laws• House of Lords – inherited• House of Commons - elected

Parliament’s Power

• Could approve/deny new taxes

English Bill of Rights

• Parliament removed King John and placed his daughter, Mary, and her husband, John, to the throne

• They signed the English Bill of Rights– A bill of rights is a written list of

freedoms that a Government promises to protect

English Bill of Rights

• Restated many rights that were granted in the Magna Carta– Trial by jury– Habeas Corpus – person can not be held

in prison without being charged with a specific crime

• No monarch (King/Queen) could levy new taxes or raise an army without Parliament’s approval

Colonial Self-Government

• Colonists believed that the King had limited power and representative government existed.

• House of Burgesses was the first form of representative government

• By 1760, all 13 colonies had a legislature of some kind.

The Right to Vote

• Colonists had more political rights than their peers in England

• 50-75% of white adult males (21 and over) could vote in the colonies.– Had to own property

• Who could NOT vote?– English women– Native Americans– Africans– Hispanics

Freedom of the Press• The right of journalists to publish

the truth without restriction or penalty

• John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, was arrested for printing a series of articles that criticized the governor

• Charged with libel, publishing of statements that damage a person’s reputation

Freedom of the Press (cont.)

• Under American Law, statements must be untrue in order for it to be libel

• In England, published statements that criticized the government were punished by law (even if the statements were true)

• Zenger was found innocent– The press has a right and responsibility

to keep the public informed of the truth

Regulating Trade

• Mercantilism – colonies existed in order to serve the economic needs of their parent country.

• Colonies were a source of raw materials and a place to sell the home country’s goods.

Navigation Acts

• 1651 – Parliament passed the first of many Navigation Acts.1. Shipments from Europe to English Colonies had

to go through England first.2. Any imports to England from the colonies had to

come in ships built and owned by British subjects3. The colonies could sell key products, such as

tobacco and sugar, only to England.This helped create jobs for English

workers

Navigation Acts (cont.)• Colonists began to dislike the Navigation Acts• The Navigation Acts favored English

merchants• Colonists could make more money if they sold

to foreign markets (Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc.)• Colonists began to smuggle – began to import and export goods

illegally