Democracy in the 13 Colonies, Early American History (1619-1781)

Democracy in the 13 Colonies, Early American History (1619-1781)

Hi P2G,
I hope all is well. This week we have many students going to take the ORT and hopefully after receiving good results will be taking the TASC exam. Last week, March 28, 2016 we examined key American documents such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (1st Ten Amendments). Our objectives included:

• Explain the key functions of the Constitution as a model of government
• Interpret the Bill of Rights and its purpose in modern society

Democracy is defined as "government by the people.” Supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. The original 13 American colonies practiced democracy in various ways before becoming a unified nation. 

Virginia House of Burgesses was created in 1619. It gave the colonists of Virginia the right to elect representatives to a one house legislature. This was the first elected legislature in the New World. As more Europeans arrived different ideas about democracy were formulated. For instance, Pilgrims had made written plans, known as the Mayflower Compact (1620) for self-government in their new home at Plymouth. They pledged to enact and obey just and equal laws. The Mayflower Compact was an example of a Direct Democracy, where the citizens themselves were lawmakers. It also acknowledged acceptance of majority rule and the principle that laws should treat all persons fairly. 

The Pilgrims began a practice, which became typical of Colonial New England. They built towns with farms and town life concentrated around the church. The men conducted town affairs and enacted local ordinances (orders) in town meetings. The New England Town Meetings, as they became called elected town officials and representatives to serve in the colonial assembly.

England (north east coast of America) continued to innovate when it came to democratic practices.The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) was the first successful written constitution in the colonies. It permitted all loyal citizens to elect a legislative assembly, which would choose a governor. The Fundamental Orders implied that government rests upon the consent of the governed and that it should express the will of the majority.  

What does the establishment of different democratic ideas for governing suggest about the colonists? 

Maryland was established to attract Catholics that were not welcomed in England. It was considered a safe haven for Catholics, but soon after it was settled, Protestants began to flood into the colony. In order to accommodate all Christian faiths, the Maryland Toleration Act (1649) was established granting religious freedom to Christians in the colony. In Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Charter was set up by Roger Williams. It permitted religious freedom for all people and provided for the separation of church and state.

In 1735, John Peter Zenger, a New York newspaper publisher, was tried for libel in NYC. Libel is a false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures that damages a person's reputation. Zenger had written articles criticizing the royal governor of New York. Zenger was acquitted by the jury on the ground that he had published the truth. From this day forward, writers were free to criticize the government. 

The first amendment states that:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (1791)

Which statement below about the Peter Zenger Case and Maryland Toleration Act are most true in regards to the 1st amendment.

 

A. They did not contribute to the first amendment since they were separated by many years

B. The Zenger case contributed to the idea of freedom of speech but the Maryland toleration act only included protection for Christians

C. The Zenger case established the need for freedom of the press while the Maryland toleration act expanded on the idea of religious tolerance in the colonies

D. Zenger, and all other reporters can only publish items that are true, while the Maryland toleration act expanded religious protection 

Before the Federal Constitution:

Before the 13 colonies were in open rebellion against Great Britain, Thomas Paine, wrote the pamphlet called Common Sense (January, 1776), stating that it is not rational for a small British Island to rule the large American Colonies. Paine's pamphlet also called for the colonies to break away from the monarch ruled mother country, Great Britain. He advocated for the creation of a new nation with a Republican (meaning democratic) form of government   

Shortly after Paine's Common Sense Pamphlet, the colonist approved the drafting of a Declaration of Independence (July 1776), by Thomas Jefferson. This document was a list of complaints and reasons as to why the colonists were breaking away from Great Britain. There disapproval of English rule focused on taxation without representation, abuse of power by the military, and unlawful transport of prisoners, to name a few. The document also affirmed the enlightenment idea that if a government does not respond to the will of the people, the people have the right to overthrow such a government. By the issuing of the Declaration of Independence, the war for independence or the American Revolution was officially started. 

Link Below to the Declaration of Independence by the Avalon Project:

Transcript version of the Declaration of Independence

The first written form of government of the United States was the Articles of Confederation (1781-1787). After considerable debate and alteration, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by Congress on November 15, 1777. In this "first constitution of the United States" each state retained "every Power...which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States," and each state had one vote in Congress. Instead of forming a strong national government, the states entered into "...a firm league of friendship with each other..." Ratification (confirmation) by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation into motion. Because of disputes over representation, voting, and the western lands claimed by some states, ratification was delayed until Maryland ratified on March 1, 1781, and the Congress of the Confederation came into being.

• Contained a one-house lawmaking body, Could declare war, Make peace and conduct Foreign affairs
• Assumed State superiority to the Confederation government
• A major failure was that the federal government under the Articles of Confederation did not have the power to raise taxes or collect money without State approval. 

Place the events below in the correct order from earliest to latest:

1. Articles of Confederation

2. Common Sense Pamphlet

3. Declaration of Independence

4. Bill of Rights

A. 1, 3, 4,2

B. 1, 2, 3, 4

C. 2, 3, 1, 4

D. 2, 3, 4, 1

School House Rock Video: Declaration Of Independence

School House Rock Video: On The Colonial Uprising Against Great Britain