ur political beginnings
What ideas and traditions influenced Government in the
English colonies
The Thirteen Colonies
• British colonies- “13 schools of government”• Established separately over 125 year period• Jamestown VA-1607- first English settlement• Commercial venture (Virginia Company)• Savannah Georgia last colony founded (1733)• All were shaped from English origins, and had
charters (written grant of authority from king).– Gave rights to colony and kept some power with
the Crown
Royal Colonies• Subject to direct control of Crown:8- NH, MA,
NY, NJ, VA, NC, SC, GA • VA did not succeed so the king pulled the
charter and it became first royal colony in 1624… the others followed
Pattern of Colonial government
Bicameral legislature
and spend!
acting for the King, but king also could say yea or nay to laws
Proprietary Colonies MD, PA,DE 3 by 1775
• Organized by a proprietor, person to whom the king made the land grant
• Charter lets proprietor govern as they choose• 1632 King grants MD to Lord Baltimore as a haven for
Catholics• 1681 Pa granted to William Penn, 1682 Penn acquires
DE• Govt’s similar: governor appointed by proprietor
Penn’s plan was very democratic for its time• PA unicameral; MD and DE bicameral
The Charter Colonies• Massachusetts Bay Colony was first charter colony…revoked
and made royal in 1619• RI (1633 charter) and CT (1662 charter) were religious
dissidents from MA – Essentially self governing; landowners elect governor, king
approves, but no one ever asked– Bicameral law making legislature-not subject to governors veto or
Crown approval– Judges appointed by legislatures but could appeal to the King.– charters were so liberal that they were kept much the same as
State constitutions until the mid 1800’s
If the other colonies were allowed the same freedoms and self governing would we have needed a Revolution?