Identity Crisis
Seeing ourselves as something new
Colonial Government
Most of the colonies were governed by a charter established under the authority of the English monarch. These charters set the rules for the colonies. Some of the colonies had colonial assemblies with representatives elected to help make decisions. One such assembly, the House of Burgesses, was the first colonial legislature in North America.
In New England, where people were close enough to the town center that they could meet, local decisions were made in town meetings. In the more rural southern colonies people lived too far from one another to meet, so most decisions were made at the county level instead. The middle colonies used a mixture of both local and county meetings to make such decisions.
After Parliament replaced King James they passed the English Bill of Rights. This act weakened the power of the monarchy and increased the power of the Parliament.
The colonists began to grow accustomed to making decisions for themselves. They used colonial courts to govern local affairs and to protect individual freedoms. It was during this period that a tradition of self-governance was being established in the colonies.
Movers and shakers who were Puritans and Quakers.
William Penn
Penn established an elected assembly and freedom of religion in his colony. He named its capital city Philadelphia, or "city of brotherly love."
Thomas Hooker
Roger Williams
The Antinomian Controversy
She would go on to found Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Pilgrims, Puritans, and Quakers
The Pilgrims
Use the links below to learn more.
The Puritans
Like the Pilgrims, the Puritans were a Protestant group who were not happy with the Roman Catholic practices of the Church of England. They hoped, however, to "purify" the church. They became known as the Puritans for this reason.
Click on the links below to learn more.The Quakers
The Quakers were another religious group who came to the New World seeking religious freedom. This "Society of Friends" as they were known were a pacifists group who settled in present-day Pennsylvania. They received their name due to a comment made by George Fox to a magistrate whom he told to, "quake at the name of God."
Click on the links below to learn more.The Roots of Freedom
Which rights and freedoms that we enjoy today can be traced to colonial times?
The Magna Carta (1215)
House of Burgesses (1619)
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
Religious Freedom
Questions:
Should people be free to practice their religion any way they want?
Does having religious freedom give followers the right to practice religious acts that might bring harm to themselves or others?
Does religious freedom give individuals the right to disregard or break laws in the practice of their religion?
Writing reflection:
Mercantilism, the Triangle Trade, and slavery in the Americas
The Triangular Trade
Columbian Exchange
Mercantilism
Triangle Trade
The Slave Codes
Why were the Slave Codes written?
Do you think that they were effective in accomplishing this goal? Why?
Slavery and Climate
How is slavery linked with the growth of colonial trade?
Breaking it down...
What did Great Britain do when it received imports from the 13 Colonies?
Where did Great Britain send its exports (manufactured goods)?
Who benefited most from mercantilism? Why?
What did the Colonies receive from Africa?
Why did the Colonies depend on this trade?
The First Great Awakening
The Road to Revolution
How do you think the Great Awakening will influence the American Revolution?
Who in the world is this guy to the right?
Who was credited with starting the First Great Awakening in the colonies?
Johnathan Edwards
George Whitefield
Revivals
Dig In
Video #1