Roots of American democracy/revolutionary war

The first written law in britian

• By the late 1300s parliament developed into a legislature
• * Remember the king still ruled

• Americas first legislature
• 2 representitives from each town
• 22 total
• made up of white male land owners
• had power to raise taxes and make laws...though accomplished very little

• took place in the 1600s
• King james wanted an absolute monarchy and for england to become roman catholic
• his daughter and her husband took the throne and removed james from power in 1688

• IN 1689 parliament drew up the english bill of rights
• gave parliament the ability to make laws (versus the kings sole power)
• Power to raise taxes
• control of the nations armys
• set up elections

• Common Law:
• The law that all the people should know
• common law is based on precedent
• Precedent: following what has happened in the past

• Colonists landed on Plymouth rock
• Signed the mayflower compact on the trip from england-41 men agreed on just and equal laws for the good of the colony
• most had faced economic hardships and religious persecution in england
• They wanted to purify religion, make it simple...known as Puritians

• In 1607 jamestown was established
• Economic problems at home, unemployment, small farms struggling, and a class system disallowing some from owning land sent some to establish colony in Jamestown
• Hardships:
• Location!!! It was swampy and filled with malaria
• crops could not grow in conditions
• hunger
• fighting w/ native americans
• The government was far away...if a crime was committed, no one to arrest and try people

Export more than you import! Have the most physical gold.

• The english took their goods and then the colonies had to buy them back at full price.
• Molasses act:
• The british wanted to have control over the colonies, the colonies smuggled goods. Britian shows inconsistancy by not reacting to the smuggling
• Molasses was a good thing to tax because colonists love molasses

After the french and indian war the relationship between the colonists and England changed:

• For the colonists:
• the war increased there self confidence and sense of independence....they felt that they didnt need the british protection as they had been doing it on their own for 150 years
• They were disappointed in the poor strategy and the weakness of the british army

For the British:

• Felt that the colonists were ungrateful despite british protection during the war
• they felt that the colonists should help pay for the costs of the war

• The britians decided that the best way to deal with the colonists was to leave them alone.
• they left the colonists to enforce their own laws and tax themselves

• Tensions grew between the french and the indians and the colonists
• the colonists wanted the land that the french have
• *it is not the french vs. the indians its the french AND the indians vs. the colonist
• 1754-1763

• In order to perserve peace the king issues the proclamation of 1763
• it sets aside all land west of the Appalachian mountains for native americans
• The british belivied that this could control western migration which would keep them in the cities so the cities would make tons of money

• Soldiers were still in america to enforce the sugar act
• They force the colonists to quarter (house) the soldiers
• they wanted privacy and felt that the country was violating their privacy

• This was the first direct tax that all the colonists had to pay
• it was a tax on legal documents, newspapers, sermons, and playing cards
• all people were impacted by this tax
• they planned to boycott
• NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
• they didnt need this gov. to tax them too when they taxed themselves already

• The same day that the stamp act is repealed the declaratory act is passed by parliament
• it stated that parliament had the authority to make laws that applied to the colonists "in all cases whatsoever"
• They were scared because the same thing happened in Ireland

• A series of 4 laws that placed taxes on lead, paint,paper,glass, and tea
• The money was to cover the army salaries
• this act brought back the "Writs of Assistance" where customs officers could search through your home without a warrant
• It was a total invasion of privacy
• it was eventually repealed

• The tensions of the Townshend acts and other British polocies ran high...especially in boston
• on the day that the townshend acts were repealed the boston massacre occured where 5 colonists died after soldiers opened fire on a mob that was harassing them
• committees of correspondence were formed to untite colonies and inform of british justices

• designed to help a struggling british company and stop smuggling
• British east india compony had unsold tea due to colonial boycotts
• colonists were drinking smuggled Dutch tea
• under new law compony allowed to sell directly to the colonists, making the tea much cheaper than the smuggled variety
• NOT a new tax
• They are angry because they think that the british cant control them

• The tea act led to the boston tea party
• colonists reacted to the british tea act through boarding a British east india compony ship and throwing the contents off the ship
• loss of cargo infuriates the british...led to a punishment in boston called coercive/intolerable acts

• the punishment for the boston tea party
• the port of boston is closed
• a royal governer took control of the colony
• more soldiers were sent to keep order
• Set forward rules for quartering soldiers
• soldiers were allowed to search and stay in homes
• colonists rights to trial by jury was removed-and all cases were to be heard in Britian

• All colonies are involved
• reaction to the coercive/intolerable acts
• still loyal to the king but parliament was exerting to much control
• they ask with the DECLERATION OF RIGHTS for the removal of the troops, the repeal of taxes and the repeal of the coercive/intolerable acts
• Parliament could still control there trade
• planned to meet again if king refused there requests

• The first battles of the war took place in april, second meeting takes place in may
• still, only a few wanted independence
• most still felt loyalty to the king, felt that parliament ministers and polocies were bad
• everyone rejected parliaments authority to tax them
• they wrote documents: one explaining why they must participate in war, and the other known as the "Olive branch petition"
• the olive branch petition was a letter to the king claiming that they are faithful but dont like british polocies
• king declares that colonists are in rebellion and bans colonial trade outside of the british empire