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?