13 Colonies

The Colonies Come of Age

The colonies develop representative government and
political rights that are influenced by the British political
system.
Britain defeats France in North America. Tensions grow
between Britain and its colonies. Colonial slavery becomes
entrenched particularly in the South
 England and its Colonies
• The main purpose of the colonial system
was to enrich Great Britain.
• English settlers export raw materials;
import manufacture goods
• Mercantilism—countries must get gold,
silver to be self-sufficient
• Favorable balance of trade means more
exports than imports!
 British Politics
• American representative government develop as a result
of the transfer of political ideas from Britain and the
circumstances of the new world.
• The ideas that transferred from Britain to America were
based off of the:
– Magna Carta: established that Englishmen had the right to be
consulted on taxes and the right to be tried by a jury of their
peers
– English Bill of Rights: restated that people had the right to be
consulted on taxation through their representative
• Also established that the King’s power was limited by parliament
• States that people have a right to religious freedom
 America develops representative
government
• The VA House of Burgess, the Mayflower Compact,
and the New England town hall meetings are ALL
examples of early representative government.
– VA House of Burgess: property owners could vote;
maintained order
– Mayflower Compact: principle that government gets its
power from the people
– Town hall meeting: town representatives would vote on
issues
• All 13 colonies established a representative
assembly which had the right to levy (impose and
collect) taxes.
 The Navigation Acts
• Parliament—
England’s legislative
body
• England sees colonial
sales to other
countries as
economic threat
• 1651 Parliament
passes Navigation
Acts: laws which
restrict colonial trade
 The Glorious Revolution
• King James unpopular in England: is Catholic,
disrespects Parliament
• Glorious Revolution—Parliament asserts its power
over monarch, 1689
• Parliament crowns Mary (James’s daughter) and
William of Orange
1. William and Mary agree to follow the English Bill of Rights
2. They are forced to recognize the supremacy of
parliament.
[These two acts will influence the colonists]
England Loosens the Reins
 Salutary Neglect
• Parliament’s control of
England was limited by
distance and desire.
• The English government
followed a policy of salutary
neglect- left the colonists to
govern themselves.
• England’s salutary neglect—
does not enforce laws if
economic loyal to the throne.
• The colonial assemblies had
the right to tax the colonists.
 The Seeds of Self Government

• Even though the colonies were self-governed

through the policy of salutary neglect, they
still had a royal governor.
• Colonial assembly influenced the governor
because they paid his salary= power of the
purse.
• Colonist still consider themselves British, but
want self-government!!
• It was when Britain ended its policy of
salutary neglect that the colonists rebelled.
New Ideas Influence
the Colonists
 The Enlightenment

• For centuries philosophers used reason, science to explain

world
• Enlightenment—movement in 1700s emphasizing reason,
observation
• Enlightenment ideas spread quickly through books,
pamphlets
• Benjamin Franklin embraces Enlightenment; other colonial
leaders adopt Enlightenment views such as Thomas
Jefferson who used reason to conclude that people had
natural rights.
 The Great Awakening
• Puritans lose grip on Massachusetts society, membership
declined
• Jonathan Edwards preaches people are sinful, must seek
God’s mercy
• Great Awakening—religious revival of 1730s and 1740s
• Native Americans, African Americans, colonist joined new
organized churches
• Interest in learning increases; Protestants found colleges
• Both movements question authority, stress individuals
importance and emphasized emotionalism
The lasting effects of the Great Awakening
and Enlightenment
• Both caused people to question authority.

• Both stressed the importance of the

individual: Enlightenment by human reason
and the Awakening by deemphasizing the
church authority.

• These led to the British colonists

questioning the monarchy.
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR

British victory over French in North America enlarges the British

empire but leads to new conflicts with the colonist
 Britain and France compete

• In 1750s, Britain, France build empires;

both want Ohio River Valley
 France’s North American Empire

• France claims St. Lawrence River region,

Mississippi Valley
• By 1754, French colony of New France
has small population
• French colonist mostly fur traders,
missionary priests
• French have good relations and military
alliances with natives
 The War
Begins
• France and Britain had fought two
inconclusive wars in early 1700s
• French had built a fort in Ohio Valley, land
claimed by Virginia--British
• In 1754, George Washington was sent to
evict French. He was defeated!
 During the French and
Indian War
• During the war, the British abandoned the
policy of salutary neglect and began
enforcing mercantilism by cracking down
on smuggling.
• The British win the war!
 1st Political Cartoon
• Drawn in 1754
by Benjamin
Franklin to
show colonial
disunity and
to persuade
the colonies
to join
together to
fight the
French.
 Treaty of Paris 1763
• French and Indian war officially ended with
the Treaty of Paris signed in 1763.
• Conditions of the Treaty:
– Britain claims all land
East of the Mississippi R.
– Britain gets FL from
the Spanish
– Spain gets all land west
of the Mississippi R
including New Orleans
 British and Indian Relations
• The Native Americans soon realized that they
had fared better with the French than with the
British.
• The British retaliated against an attack from the
Indians by giving them smallpox infested
blankets.
• This weakened the Indians,
thus forcing them to sign a
treaty with the British.
• Proclamation of 1763:
– Banned all English settlement
west of the Appalachians
 British Policies Anger Colonists
• The halt to western expansion upset the
colonists
• Tensions in Massachusetts colony
increased over British crackdown on
smuggling.
• Writs of assistance passed by the British
allowed searches of ships, businesses,
and homes!
• This outraged the colonists!
 Problems Continue after the War
• Colonists felt threatened by British troops
stationed in colonies.
• The cost of the French and Indian war
caused Britain to change her policies
towards the colonies to achieve greater
control and to impose taxes to help pay the
war debt!!
• Parliament passed the Sugar Act:
– Duty on foreign molasses halved
– New duties placed on other imports
– Smuggling cases go to vice-admiralty court, not a
colonial court which would’ve been more sympathetic.