Governing the Colonies

English Parliamentary Tradition

• Magna Carta– 1215 English nobles forced King John to sign the

Magna Carta– First document to place restrictions on an English

ruler’s power– Limited monarch’s right to levy taxes without

consulting the nobles– Protected right to own private property– Guaranteed right to trial by jury

English Parliamentary Tradition

• Parliament– Under Magna Carta nobles formed a Great Council

to advise the king• Developed into the English Parliament

– Two house legislature: a group of people who have the power to make laws• House of Lords- made up of nobles• House of Commons- elected

English Parliamentary Traditions

• Parliament– Greatest power was to approve new taxes• “Power of the purse” gave Parliament a degree of

control over the monarch

– Even after power struggles with the monarchs, Parliament retain: to keep, it’s traditional rights

English Parliamentary Tradition

• English Bill of Rights– 1688 Parliament removed King James II from throne

and invited his daughter Mary and her husband to rule England • Glorious Revolution

– They signed the English Bill of Rights• Bill of Rights: a written list of freedoms that a government

promises to protect

– Stated many of the rights granted by Magna Carta– Habeas Corpus: a person can not be held in prison

without being charged with a specific crime

Colonial Self Government

• Colonial Legislatures– House of Burgesses: Virginia– General Court: Massachusetts– General Assembly: Pennsylvania

• By 1760 every British colony in North America had a legislature of some kind

• 50-75% of white males in the American colonies could vote