Transcript The Coming of Independence

The Coming of Independence
Chapter 2
Section 2
Britain’s Colonial Policies
• Administrative Power – King
• Colonial Legislature – Power of the Purse
– Power
• Britain’s Responsibilities
– Defense, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Common Currency
• Colonial Responsibilities
– Basically Self Rule
• King George III (1760)
– New taxes
• Support Colonial Troops
– Restricted Trade
Colonial Attempts to Unite
• League of Friendship (1643)
– Mass Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, Conn
• Defense against Native Americans
– Dissolves 1684
» Natives no longer a threat
» Disagreements between settlements
• Penn Plan (1696)
– Trade, Defense, Criminal issues
• Quickly dissolves
• The Albany Plan (1754)
– Called by British Board of Trade
• 7 Northern Colonies
– Wanted to stop Native attacks on trade items
– Benjamin Franklin
• Annual Congress with reps from 13 colonies
–
–
–
–
Raise military and Navy
Wage war and make peace with Natives
Regulate Trade with Natives
Tax and collect duties
– Those attendees agreed but King and colonies refute
• The Stamp Act Congress
– 9 colonies send delegates to meet at NY
• Drafted Declaration of Rights and Grievances
– Marks 1st time colonies oppose King
• Parliament repeals Stamp Act
– Passes other policies that anger colonists
– Colonists boycott English goods
– Boston Massacre
» March 5, 1770 – kills 5
• Boston Tea Party – Dec. 16, 1773
First Continental Congress
• 1774 Parliament passes policies to punish
colonists for Boston
• Colonists called Intolerable Acts
– 12 Colonies meet in Philadelphia Sept 5, 1774
• All but Georgia
• Sends Declaration of Rights to King
– Protest Britain’s colonial policies
• Colonies urged to refuse trade with England
– All 13 colonies would respect
– Meeting adjourns on Oct 26, 1774
• Second Congress to meet in May
Second Continental Congress
– May 10, 1775 – Revolution had begun
• The Delegates
– All 13 colonies represented
• John Hancock named president of Congress
• Continental Army created – George Washington
• Became first National Government
– Opposed by Britain – “Den of Traitors”
– Last for 5 years
• War, taxes, borrowed, made treaties, currency
– Each state had one vote on legislative issues
The Declaration of Independence
• Richard Henry Lee (Virginia)
– Proposes Colonies should be free and sovereign
• Committee named to write a proclamation of independence
– Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert
Livingston, Thomas Jefferson
• Delegates agree on July 2, 1776
– “The Second Day of July . . . Will be celebrated, by succeeding
Generations, as the great anniversary Festival . . . With Pomp and
Parade, . . . Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and illuminations . . .”
John Adams
• Adopt the Declaration of Independence
– July 4, 1776
First State Constitutions
• New Hampshire adopts state constitution
– Jan 1776
• Replaces royal charter
• Congress urges all other to do same
– May 10, 1776
• Massachusetts
– Convention of delegates (elected by people)
• Draft constitution then send to voters for ratification
– Still oldest, modern-day constitution in world today
Common Features of State
Constitutions
• Popular Sovereignty
– Government only exists at consent of governed
• Limited Government
– Power granted by people.
• Could not get more power than given
• Civil Rights and Liberties
– People are given certain rights and government MUST respect their
rights
• 7 would include a Bill of Rights
• Separation of Powers
– Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches formed
• Each branch given specific powers
• Checks and Balances
– Powers given keep branches from getting too powerful