Chapter 2: Roots of American Democracy
Why It Matters The American colonies were settled by individuals from many nations. Nonetheless, the majority of American settlers came from England. Many of the rights that American citizens enjoy can be traced to the political and legal traditions of England. When English people began settling in the Americas, they brought with them a tradition of limited and representative government.
30 Panoramic Images / Getty Images To preview Chapter 2, visit glencoe.com.
Section 1: Our English Heritage Political and economic institutions evolve to help individuals and groups accomplish their goals. The English colonists brought with them ideas about government that had been developing in England for centuries. Section 2: The English Colonies Political, social, religious, and economic changes influence the way Americans think and act. The English established thirteen colonies along the East Coast of North America. Section 3: Colonial Society Political, social, religious, and economic changes influence the way Americans think and act. The English colonists created a prosperous economy and learned to govern themselves. Section 4: Birth of a Democratic Nation The Lincoln Memorial is Political principles and major events shape how an important symbol of people form governments. The Declaration of American democracy. Independence explained why the colonies were founding a new nation.
Sequencing Information Study Foldable Make the following Foldable to help you sequence information about the roots of American democracy. Step 1 Fold the Step 3 Reading and Writing paper in half from Cut the top As you read the chapter side to side. layer of the write details of the sequence paper only of events that unfolded as
along the Our English democracy developed in Heritage fold lines. America under the tabs. The English Colonies
Step 4 Label Colonial Step 2 Turn the Society each tab as shown. paper and fold it in half Birth of a Democratic and in half again. Nation
Chapter 2 31 Guide to Reading Our English Big Idea Political and economic Heritage institutions evolve to help individuals and groups accomplish their goals. Real World Civics For many of us, town Content Vocabulary meetings seem like something from another century—and • Enlightenment (p. 33) for the most part they are. The first settlers in this country, • monarch (p. 33) • legislature (p. 33) most of whom were English, brought with them their • precedent (p. 34) traditional forms of government, which relied on local • common law (p. 34) involvement. Town meetings are a form of direct democracy, • natural rights (p. 34) giving citizens a clear voice in decision making. The purpose • social contract (p. 35) • colony (p. 36) of the town meeting has not changed in over 200 years. • joint-stock company (p. 36) Town meeting in Bridgeport, Vermont • charter (p. 36) • compact (p. 36) Academic Vocabulary • document (p. 33) • authority (p. 33) • grant (p. 33) Reading Strategy Organizing As you read, complete a web dia- gram like the one below by listing six sources of American law.
American Law
32 Alden Pellett/AP Images The Granger Collection, New York What Influenced Parliament Kings who followed John met regularly Colonial Government? with nobles and church officials to get their advice. Gradually, this group grew in size Main Idea Science and the influence of reason and power, expanding to include represen- led to new innovations in political thought. tatives of the common people. By the late legislature Civics & You What helps people get along with 1300s, it had developed into a —a each other? Do they need rules, a strong leader, or to lawmaking body—known as Parliament. share the same goals? Read to learn how thinkers in For the next few centuries, English mon- Europe answered these questions. archs cooperated with Parliament. In the mid-1600s, however, serious power struggles began. In 1688, Parliament removed King James II from the throne and invited his Many of the rights that American citizens daughter Mary and her husband William to enjoy today can be traced to the political rule instead. In doing so, Parliament dem- and legal traditions of England and to the onstrated that it was now stronger than the ideas of a cultural movement called the monarch. Enlightenment. When English people began This peaceful transfer of power, known as settling here in the 1600s, they brought with the Glorious Revolution, changed govern- them a history of limited and representative ment in England. From that time on, no ruler government. They also brought with them would have more power than Parliament. new ideas about law, society, and the rights people possessed. For centuries, England had been ruled by a Authority From the end of the seventeenth century on, English monarchs, such as George III, shared the monarch—a king or queen. However, noble powers of government with Parliament. Describing families also had considerable power. The How did the authority of English monarchs change? monarch gave them ownership and control of vast lands in exchange for their loyalty, tax payments, and promises of military support.
The Magna Carta In 1215, nobles rebelled against King John, who had treated them harshly. They forced the king to sign an agreement called the Magna Carta (Latin for “Great Charter”). This document, or deed, protected the nobles’ privileges and authority, or control. It also granted, or allowed, certain rights to all landholders—rights that eventually came to apply to all English people. These rights included equal treatment under the law and trial by one’s peers. The Magna Carta limited the power of the monarch by guaranteeing that no one would be above the law, not even the king or queen. (See the Appendix to read this document.)
33 English Bill of Rights To clarify this rela- Sources of American Law tionship, Parliament drew up the English Bill of Rights in 1689. This document further restricted the monarch’s power. It also guar- anteed free elections to Parliament, the right to a fair trial, and the elimination of cruel and unusual punishments.
Common Law
Greek Law In its earliest days, England had no writ- ten laws. People developed rules to live by, Each city-state had its own government and laws. Citizens were expected to take however, and these customs came to have part in government. the force of law. In addition, as a court sys- tem developed, the courts’ decisions became Roman Law the basis of a body of law. When judges were Roman law was standardized. Legal asked to decide a case, they would look for a procedures were the same in all parts of precedent, or a ruling in an earlier case that the Roman Empire. was similar. The judge would then make a Common Law consistent ruling. This system of law is known as common Made by judges in the process of resolving cases, this law is sometimes called case law. It rests on court decisions rather than law. It was brought to America from regulations written by lawmakers. Although English courts. England’s system of common law came about without being planned, it worked well and Equity Law has remained in place to this day. Our own This law is a system of rules that resolves disputes on the basis of fairness. It was laws about property, contracts, and personal developed in the king s courts in England injury are based on English common law. and merged with common law in America. Constitutional Law Philosophical Influences America s fundamental and most important source of law was written in 1787 and has John Locke (1632–1704) was an English been changed by 27 amendments. writer who supported the Glorious Revolution. Locke argued that people were Statutory Law born free, equal, and independent. They This law is made by legislatures at the also possessed rights, called natural rights, national, state, and local levels. It is based to life, liberty, and property that no govern- on the Roman practice of writing down the laws of their senate. ment could take away. In The Second Treatise of Government, Locke wrote:
Analyzing Charts “All mankind . . . being all equal and independent, no 1. Explaining Why is statutory law sometimes one ought to harm another called Roman law? in his life, health, liberty, or 2. Identifying What is our nation’s most possessions. important source of law? ” —John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government
34 Chapter 2 Bettmann/CORBIS What Is a Social Contract? Locke also each other so that no one part can become believed that if a government tried to take too strong or threaten individual rights. His away people’s natural rights, it was break- ideas on the separation of powers, along ing the social contract. A social contract is with Locke’s ideas on the social contract and an agreement among the people in a society. natural rights, became cornerstones of the They agree to give up part of their freedom Declaration of Independence and the U.S. to a government in exchange for protection Constitution. of natural rights. The people agree to obey the government as long as it protects their Ideas of Enlightenment Locke and rights. Montesquieu are considered Enlightenment French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau thinkers. Building on the scientific discov- (1712–1778) wrote in The Social Contract, pub- eries of the 1600s, these thinkers believed lished in 1762, that “man is born free, yet that God had created an orderly universe. everywhere he is found in chains.” Rousseau The laws of this universe could be discov- was referring to the large number of people ered through the use of human reason. in Europe living under oppressive govern- Enlightenment thinkers argued that the laws ments. He argued that the people alone had that governed nature also applied to human the right to determine how they should be life and society. As you will read, the ideas of governed. the Enlightenment had a profound effect on Americans. Separation of Powers A French writer, Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755), devel- oped the idea about dividing the branches Evaluating Why was the English of government into different parts to balance Bill of Rights important to English citizens?
Social Contract The Mayflower Compact, signed by the Pilgrims in 1620, stands as the first example of many colonial plans for self-government. Explaining Why is the Mayflower Compact considered a social contract?
35 The early colonists remained loyal subjects Colonial Traditions of of England, with a strong sense of English political traditions. They accepted common Self-Government law and believed that the ruler was not above the law. They also expected to have a voice in Gibson Stock Photography Main Idea The American colonists accepted the government and other basic rights. idea of representative government. Civics & You What do you do when you face a difficult problem? Do you try to solve it yourself? Do Representative Government you ask other people for help? Read to learn about the development of representative government in The first permanent English settlement the colonies. in North America was Jamestown, in what is now Virginia. It was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company, a group of London merchants. Jamestown was organized as a n the 1600s and 1700s, England established I joint-stock company, which provided inves- colonies in America. A colony is a group of tors partial ownership and a share in future people in one place who are ruled by a par- profits. The merchants also received a char- ent country elsewhere. ter from King James I. A charter is a written document granting land and the authority to The Capitol at Williamsburg Williamsburg was the set up colonial governments. capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780. Those who met At first Jamestown was managed by a gov- here included Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason. Explaining ernor and council appointed by the Virginia How were the members of the House of Burgesses Company. In 1619, however, the colonists chosen? formed the House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly, or legislature, in the English colonies. The House of Burgesses had little power, but it marked the beginning of self-government in colonial America.
The Mayflower Compact In 1620, shortly after the House of Burgesses was formed, another group of colonists from England, known as the Pilgrims, arrived in America. They built a settlement called Plymouth hundreds of miles north of Virginia. Today Plymouth is in Massachusetts, a part of New England. Even before their ship, the Mayflower, reached America, the Plymouth colonists realized they needed rules to govern them- selves if they were to survive in a new land. They drew up a written plan for govern- ment. Forty-one of the men aboard signed the Mayflower Compact. (See the Appendix to read this document.) A compact is an agreement, or contract, among a group of people.
36 Town Meetings The Mayflower Compact Early Legislatures The success of the established a tradition of direct democracy. Jamestown and Plymouth colonies led to Throughout the colonial period—and in New other settlements in America. By 1733, thir- England today—citizens held town meetings teen English colonies stretched from Massa- to address local problems and issues. These chusetts (which included what is now Maine) town meetings developed into the local town in the north to Georgia in the south. Each government. Although anyone in the town new colony set up its own government. could attend and express an opinion, voting Each colony had a governor, who was was limited to men who had been granted elected by the colonists or appointed by the land by the town. English king. Each colony also had a legisla- ture, with representatives elected by the free Fundamental Orders of Connecticut adult males. By 1639 a number of Pilgrims were being per- As years passed, the colonial governments secuted for their religious beliefs. They left took on more responsibility while the king Massachusetts and colonized the area that and Parliament dealt with matters in Great is now Connecticut. There, they developed Britain (the country was renamed the United America’s first written constitution—the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 when Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This England unified with Scotland). The colo- document called for an assembly of elected nists in America soon grew used to making representatives from each town to make their own decisions. laws. It also called for the popular election of a governor and judges. Concluding How did Great Britain’s tending to matters in that country affect the colonists?
Vocabulary Critical Thinking 5. Drawing Conclusions Explain the significance of the Glorious 1. Write complete sentences 4. Explain the Revolution. using each of these key terms: reasons for and the effects of 6. Comparing Read the Mayflower Enlightenment, monarch, legislature, the English Bill of Rights by Compact in the Appendix. precedent, common law, natural completing a graphic organizer What ideas do you see in the rights, social contract, colony, joint- like the one that follows. compact that also exist in the stock company, charter, compact. government of the United States? Main Ideas Reasons for: 2. Explaining Describe two influ- Activity ences that changed colonial thought. English Bill of Rights 7. Persuasive Writing Imagine you are an English noble in favor of 3. Hypothesizing Why were the Magna Carta. Write a letter colonists so eager to put self- Effects to the king explaining why he government into practice? on English Government: should sign the document.
Study CentralTM To review this section, go to glencoe.com.
Chapter 2 37 Guide to Reading The English Big Idea Political, social, religious, and Colonies economic changes influence the way Americans think and act. Content Vocabulary Real World Civics During the American • proprietary colony (p. 39) Revolution, the drum and fife called the soldiers to action! • royal colony (p. 39) Julie Phelps keeps the tradition alive. She practices the fife, • religious dissenters (p. 41) • Puritans (p. 41) whose shrill notes strengthened soldiers’ orders to march, • Pilgrims (p. 41) turn, change formation, or halt. The fife, and its companion • toleration (p. 41) the drum, have marched to war with soldiers since the • indentured servant twelfth century. During the Revolutionary War, the fife and (p. 42) • plantation (p. 43) drum were well known to colonist-soldiers. The rat-a-tat • triangular trade (p. 43) tat-a-pan of the drums provided a beat for marching and for Academic Vocabulary signaling battle. So, even though colonists worked to escape • acquire (p. 39) from English rule, they brought an English military custom • decade (p. 39) into battle. Reading Strategy Identifying On a web Julie Phelps, playing the fife, keeps tradition alive diagram like the one below, identify reasons that people immigrated to the English colonies.
Reasons for Immigrating Religious ideals
38 Chuck Liddy/AP Images North Wind / Picture Archives The newly acquired, or obtained, colony Settling the Colonies of New York became a proprietary colony, in which the owner, or proprietor, owned Main Idea The English established thirteen the land and controlled the government. The colonies along the East Coast of North America. Duke of York gave the southern part of his Civics & You How far would you travel to live in a colony to two men, who named it New Jersey. new place? What would it be like if you did not know For several decades, or ten-year spans, New what to expect? Read to learn about the early settle- Jersey was a proprietary colony. In 1702, it ments in North America. became a royal colony, one owned and ruled directly by the king. Another proprietary colony was started in Although several European nations had 1680. William Penn received a large parcel of claims in North America, it was the English land west of the Delaware River from King who eventually dominated the continent. Charles. Penn saw his colony, Pennsylvania, By 1733, there were thirteen colonies along as a place to put his Quaker ideals of peace, the eastern seaboard under English control. equality, and justice to work. By offering These colonies had been founded in a variety freedom of religion, Penn drew many settlers of ways and for a variety of reasons. Despite to his new city of Philadelphia. In 1704, the these differences, the colonies had one thing southernmost three counties of the colony in common—their English heritage. separated and became known as Delaware. New England Colonies Southern Colonies Nine years after the Pilgrims arrived A third set of colonies formed in the South at Plymouth, another group of investors after Jamestown, Virginia, was founded as a received a royal charter to start a colony north joint-stock colony in 1607 (it became a royal of Plymouth. In 1630, about 900 men, women, colony in 1624). North of Virginia, Maryland and children landed at Massachusetts Bay was founded in 1734. To Virginia’s south, and built a town they called Boston. During another group of proprietors started Carolina. the 1630s, more than 15,000 people jour- The two parts of Carolina developed differ- neyed to the new colony of Massachusetts. ently, and they officially became two royal By the mid-1600s, the New England colo- colonies, North and South Carolina, in 1729. nies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire had been founded. Boston By the 1660s, Boston was one of the largest cities in the English colonies. Specifying In what The Middle Colonies year did the first English settlers come to Boston? A second group of colonies grew up south of New England. Known as the Middle Colonies, they included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The first of these, New York, was origi- nally the Dutch colony of New Netherland. An English fleet seized the important har- bor town of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in 1664. The English King Charles II gave the colony to his brother, the Duke of York.
Chapter 2 39 The English Colonies See StudentWorksTM Plus or glencoe.com.
0 200 400 miles
Key Events 0 200 400 kilometers Albers Equal-Area projection Jamestown In August 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses, the rst elected lawmaking body in the Mass. English colonies, meet for the rst time. Plymouth On November 11, 1620, N.H. Plymouth Pilgrims sign the Mass. May ower Compact, which N.Y. outlines a form of government Conn. R.I. based on a social compact. e Hartford n Hartford In January 1639, i L Pa. settlers in Connecticut draw N.J. n Philadelphia up the Fundamental Orders o
i Md. Del.
of Connecticut, America s rst t
written constitution. a
m
Halifax On April 12, 1776, a Va. l North Carolina Provincial c o Jamestown Congress issues the Halifax r P Resolves. North Carolina is Halifax the rst colony to call for N.C. independence. Philadelphia At Independence Hall, the Declaration of S.C. Atlantic Independence was adopted, Ocean and the Constitution of the Ga. United States was debated, drafted, and signed. Proclamation line New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies Analyzing Maps
1. Identifying What states made up the Middle Colonies? 2. Describing What colony had the first written creating Georgia. This colony could pro- constitution, and what was it called? tect the other British colonies from Spanish attack. Great Britain had been at war in the early 1700s, and new conflicts over territory Georgia The last English colony founded in in North America were always breaking out. America was Georgia. A group led by James Located between Spanish Florida and South Oglethorpe received a charter to create a col- Carolina, Georgia could serve as a military ony where English debtors and poor people barrier. could make a fresh start. In Great Britain, debtors were often thrown into prison. The Comparing How did proprietary British government had another reason for and royal colonies differ?
40 Chapter 2 (inset)Comstock/SuperStock, (inset)Ingram Publishing/Alamy Africans, did not come willingly. Colonists’ People of the Colonies reasons for immigration helped shape the types of colonies they created. Main Idea Throughout the colonies, people adapted their traditions to the new conditions of life in America. Why Did Colonists Immigrate? Many colonists in New England and the Civics & You Would you be willing to move across Middle Colonies were religious dissenters, the ocean to unexplored, possibly dangerous terri- those who followed a faith other than the offi- tory to gain certain freedoms or perhaps just to get a cial religion of England, the Anglican religion. new start on life? Read to find out why English settlers For example, the founders of Massachusetts came to North America. were called Puritans, because they wanted to reform, or purify, the Anglican Church. English colonists settled in America for dif- Religious Havens These Puritans also con- ferent reasons. Some immigrated to escape sidered themselves Pilgrims, or people on a religious persecution in England. Others religious journey. The rulers of Massachusetts came in search of economic gain. Still others, did not believe in toleration, or acceptance, such as criminals, prisoners, and enslaved of other religions.
New York City Colonists settled where economic opportunities were available. New York became a leading center for commerce and trade. Explaining What natural feature made New York an economic center?
Chapter 2 41 The Art Archive / Culver Pictures Other groups sought religious freedom. Dominant Immigrant Groups in the Colonies The Quakers founded Pennsylvania as a safe place to practice their religion. A proprietor named George Calvert founded Maryland in English 1634 as a safe home for Catholics. In 1636, Scotch-Irish a minister named Thomas Hooker led his German church congregation to Connecticut, south Dutch African of Massachusetts, in search of religious free- Colony boundaries Mass. dom. Another minister, Roger Williams, was forced to leave Massachusetts for his reli- gious views and his belief that it was wrong N.H. Lake to take land from Native Americans. In 1644, Huron Portsmouth Boston Williams received a charter to found the col- Lake Ontario Mass. Providence ony of Rhode Island. Rhode Island became N.Y. Conn. R.I. Newport the first place in America to welcome people Hartford ie Er ke of all faiths. La New Haven Pa. New York
N.J. Philadelphia Economic Opportunity Especially in the Del. Baltimore South, many settlers came to the colonies for
Va. Md. economic reasons. Early Virginians struggled Norfolk until they began successfully to raise and sell their tobacco crop. Carolina was strongly influenced by immigrants from the English New Bern N.C. colony of Barbados in the West Indies. There,
Wilmington many settlers became involved in growing S.C. rice and indigo, a valuable blue dye. The system of indentured servants made Ga. Charles Town it possible for poor people to come to the col- Savannah Atlantic onies. Colonists in America agreed to pay the Ocean cost of transporting the servants to the colo- nies and promised to provide food, clothing, 0 200 400 miles and shelter to them until their indentures, or Gulf of 0 200 400 kilometers Mexico Albers Equal-Area projection labor contracts, expired.
Analyzing Maps Conflict Over Land Throughout the colo- nies, the spread of settlements led to conflicts 1. Locating What immigrant group was with Native Americans over land. In some predominant along the Atlantic Coast? colonies, such as Pennsylvania, relations 2. Describing In what regions did German were fairly peaceful. In Virginia, they were immigrants settle? not. In the 1640s, Virginia Governor William Berkeley agreed to keep settlers from tak- In the late 1600s, devout Puritans in Salem ing Native American land. A planter named and other Massachusetts towns held trials of Nathaniel Bacon disagreed strongly with this people accused of witchcraft. In the town of policy and led attacks on the colonial govern- Salem alone, 19 residents were convicted and ment. Bacon’s Rebellion showed that many hanged, and five died in prison before the settlers were not willing to be restricted by trials were discontinued in 1693. government policy.
42 Chapter 2 The Beginnings of Slavery gold. The enslaved were shipped to the West Indies and traded for sugar and molasses, In the Southern Colonies, a form of large- which was used to make rum in America. scale agriculture developed, based on the The Africans’ horrendous journey across the plantation, or large estate. This system for Atlantic was known as the Middle Passage. A growing tobacco, rice, and indigo demanded young African, Olaudah Equiano, described more workers than immigration and the sys- the voyage: tem of indentured servants could provide. Southern farmers began using enslaved “I was soon put down under Africans. Enslaved workers, unlike inden- the decks . . . . The closeness of tured servants, did not have to be freed and the place, and the heat of the therefore would never need their own land. climate, added to the number At first it was not clear that enslaved in the ship, which was so Africans were to be treated differently from crowded that each had scarcely white indentured servants. Gradually, legal room to turn himself, almost distinctions were adopted. Indentured ser- suffocated us . . . . The shrieks vants retained the rights of English people of the women, and the groans and the protection of the law. Africans were of the dying, rendered [made] protected by no law or tradition. the whole a scene of horror. ” The trade in enslaved Africans was at the —Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the heart of what came to be called the triangular Life of Olaudah Equiano trade—the pattern of trade that developed among the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Evaluating How did the system The colonists shipped rum to Africa, where of indentured servants help both business owners traders exchanged it for enslaved people and and workers?
Vocabulary Critical Thinking 6. Explaining What was the main reason immigrants settled in the 1. Write a paragraph in which you 4. Use a graphic or- Southern Colonies? use the following terms: propri- ganizer similar to the one below etary colony, royal colony, religious to identify who founded the Activity dissenters, Puritans, Pilgrims, and colony, and discuss the reasons toleration. Then write a second the colony was founded. 7. Descriptive Writing Pretend paragraph using these terms: Colony Why was it you have decided to move indentured servant, plantation, founded? from England to America in and triangular trade. New York the 1700s. Write a letter to your family and friends explaining Pennsylvania Main Ideas why you have chosen to settle Georgia in a particular colony. 2. Identify the Southern Colonies 5. Analyzing Why did slavery and their location. become more prevalent in the 3. Describe three main reasons Southern Colonies than in New why colonists came to America. England? Study CentralTM To review this Which do you think was most section, go to glencoe.com. important? Why?
Chapter 2 43 Guide to Reading Big Idea Colonial Society Political, social, religious, and economic changes influence the way Americans think and act. Content Vocabulary Real World Civics Six U.S. presidents • Tidewater (p. 46) graduated from Harvard University, a remarkable record • egalitarianism (p. 48) for a school founded before the Revolutionary War and Academic Vocabulary designed to train ministers. Most early schools in America • adapt (p. 45) were established on the ideals of freedom of religion and • assist (p. 48) freedom of education. In 1940, John F. Kennedy, one of Reading Strategy those Harvard graduates, prepared to leave college to Organizing Use a graphic organizer like the one visit Britain, where his father was the U.S. Ambassador. below to describe Kennedy later returned to the United States during the early the differences in the rumblings of World War II and went on to be, in just over economies of the New two decades, the 35th president of the United States. England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. A youthful John F. Kennedy
Economic Differences
New Southern England Colonies Middle Colonies
44 AP Images growth of busy ports, such as New York and The Economy Philadelphia. Industries such as sawmills, mines, and ironworks were developed to Main Idea The people in the colonies devel- take advantage of the region’s abundant oped different ways of living. natural resources. Industry and agriculture Civics & You Is your community or region known also improved through the ideas and energy for any special product, either agricultural or manu- of immigrants from Germany, Holland, factured? Read to find out how the economies of the Sweden, and other European countries. New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies differed. American Economy, c. 1750
From the beginning, geography played a key General role in how colonies developed. Colonists in farming the different regions had to adapt, or adjust, Tobacco to the climate, soil, terrain, availability of riv- Rice and indigo ers and harbors, natural resources, and other Cattle factors. Mass. Fish Fur trapping New England Grain N.H. Most people in New England, including Ironworks Mass. R.I. farmers, lived in towns. Farms were small and Lumber N.Y. New located on the towns’ outskirts. Long winters Rum England Colonies and rocky, infertile soil made large-scale farm- Shipbuilding Pa. Conn. ing difficult. Other New Englanders worked Naval stores N.J. in small businesses, milling grain, sewing Whaling Middle Md. Del. clothes, or making furniture. Some worked Colony Colonies as blacksmiths, shoemakers, or shopkeepers. boundaries Shipbuilding was an important industry. Va. The region’s forests provided wood for boats, and fishing and whaling also employed many New Englanders. The Puritan religion of N.C. early New England emphasized hard work, Southern modest living, and personal virtues such as S.C. Colonies honesty, thriftiness, and obedience. These Ga. personal characteristics became known as Atlantic the Puritan ethic. Ocean The Middle Colonies 0 200 400 miles In contrast to New England, the soil and Gulf of 0 200 400 kilometers climate in New York, Pennsylvania, New Mexico Albers Equal-Area projection Jersey, and Delaware were more suited to Analyzing Maps agriculture. Farmers in the Middle Colonies grew large amounts of wheat and other 1. Describing On what crops did the economy cash crops, which they sold in markets and of the Southern Colonies depend? overseas. This foreign trade spurred the 2. Locating What colonies produced rice and indigo?
Chapter 2 45 The Southern Colonies large estates of the Southern Colonies, came to depend on enslaved African workers. A warm climate, long growing season, Smaller-scale agriculture also existed, mainly and rich soil spurred the growth of large- in inland areas. Independent small farmers scale agriculture in the Southern Colonies. grew tobacco, corn, and other crops and were In Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, less dependent on enslaved workers. tobacco was the leading crop. Rice dominated Small farmers outnumbered the large plan- North Wind / Picture Archives in South Carolina and Georgia. Both crops tation owners. The plantation owners, how- were grown in the Tidewater, areas of flat, ever, had greater wealth and more influence. low plains, near the seacoast of Virginia and They controlled the economic and political North Carolina. The region’s rivers made it life of the region. Because large-scale agricul- easy to transport the harvested tobacco and ture was dominant in the South, the region rice, along with other products such as indigo did not develop much industry or commerce. and grain, to the coast for shipment to over- It traded its many agricultural products for seas markets. Charleston, South Carolina, the manufactured goods it needed. became a leader in trade, thanks to its excel- lent harbor. Explaining Why did the Tidewater crops required very large plantation system develop in the South but not in amounts of labor. Owners of plantations, the the New England or the Middle Colonies?
The Southern Economy Large-scale farming grew in South Carolina and in many parts of the South. Explaining Why did slavery become the labor system for large plantations?
46 An American Identity
Main Idea The colonies continued to grow and developed their own culture and beliefs. Civics & You What are some things you consider truly American? Read to find out how the colonists began to form a culture that was different from other cultures.
In 1760, an English traveler in America, Andrew Burnaby, wrote that the colonies were as different from one another as “fire Religion Revival Massachusetts minister Jonathan and water.” He felt their differences in char- Edwards preached throughout the colonies urging acter, manners, religion, and interests would renewed faith. Explaining What was the Great Awakening? prevent them from ever uniting. Burnaby noted: such as Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, “In short, such is the difference toleration of other religions drew settlers of of character, manners, religion, many different faiths. Religious tolerance and interest of the different gradually spread to other colonies during colonies that if they were left the 1700s. to themselves, there would soon be a civil war from The Great Awakening While some one end of the continent to Americans turned away from religion in another. ” the 1700s, others renewed their faith. In the —Andrew Burnaby, Burnaby’s Travels Through North America 1720s, a powerful religious revival known as the Great Awakening swept through But in spite of the opinion of Burnaby the colonies. Fiery preachers stressed the and others, by the mid-1700s, colonists were importance of a personal religious experi- already developing an American identity. ence and questioned the commitment and authority of some established religious Religion leaders. Congregations were torn apart, The desire for religious freedom was the and new religious groups, such as Baptists reason many settlers first came to America, and Methodists, grew strong. In the South, and religion remained a key element of the enslaved workers found hope in Christian- emerging American identity. In several colo- ity, which strongly influenced the develop- nies, such as Massachusetts, religious leaders ment of a new African American culture. were often also the leaders of the govern- ment. Puritans passed laws that supported their beliefs about religion and society, and Education they had the power to expel those who did Religious feeling also led to the found- not share these beliefs. ing of America’s first colleges and schools. In other colonies, however, religion be- Colleges such as Harvard in Massachusetts, came separate from government, and tol- Princeton in New Jersey, and William eration became the official policy. In colonies and Mary in Virginia were created for the
Chapter 2 47 Yale University Art Gallery, Bequest of Eugene Phelps Edwards purpose of training ministers. Religious groups also set up schools for children to Bita Emrani make sure that people could read the Bible ita Emrani, 17, who lives in for themselves. In some colonies, taxes were BGreensboro, North levied to pay for public education. Not all Carolina, knows the power of colonial Americans enjoyed the benefits of words. To help immigrants and education, however. Slave codes—strict disadvantaged kids in her area, laws governing the treatment of enslaved she started a program called people—made it illegal to teach enslaved English Learning with Love (ELL). workers to read or write. QUESTION: Why did you create a language- Family Life tutoring program? The family formed the foundation of colo- ANSWER: I started ELL in 2005 after a visit to nial society. Men were the formal heads of Iran. I was haunted by the poverty there and their families, which were often large. Wives decided to help the disadvantaged in my own looked after children and worked on house- city. I think education is an important way to bat- hold chores. On farms, men and women tle poverty. Plus, I have a real passion for lan- often worked together, assisted, or helped, guages (I’m bilingual in Persian and English and by older children. able to get by in Spanish). In towns, women sometimes held jobs Q: What does ELL do? outside the home. They worked as maids, A: ELL is an English for Speakers of Other cooks, nurses, teachers, shopkeepers, or Languages (ESOL) program and it’s held after seamstresses. Families often arranged for school in three local elementary schools. We help their sons to work as apprentices, or learning newcomers to the area become members of the assistants, to craft workers who taught them community by working to improve their English. a trade. Married women had few rights, ELL works with about 30 to 35 students. while widows and unmarried women could Q: Who are the tutors? run businesses and own property. Women, A: I recruit high school kids who volunteer their however, could not vote, and men managed time to help. These teens discover that they can all community and church affairs. have a huge impact on their community. Q: What difference do you see in the participants after they take the program? Ideas About Government A: ELL has not only improved kids’ English, but In spite of the inequalities that existed in it’s also improved their attitude toward learning. colonial America between whites and African Q: What does the future hold for you? Americans and between men and women, a A: I want to pursue a degree in public policy. I’d new spirit was growing. The Enlightenment also like to volunteer for a nonprofit international reinforced the idea of natural rights and indi- medical organization, such as Doctors Without vidualism. The Great Awakening encouraged Borders. Christians to question traditional author- ACTION FACT: Emrani loves learning dances ity and to rely on their own insights about from other countries. God. Together these two powerful influences helped create a spirit of egalitarianism, or equality. One element of this spirit of egali- tarianism was the belief of many colonists Why did Bita start the ELL program? that they possessed all the traditional rights of native English people.
48 Chapter 2 BETA EMRANI Americans viewed the growth of the power was passed. This document, along with the of Parliament in the 1700s with approval. 1701 Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges, They considered the British legislature the established part of the basis for the U.S. protector of the people’s rights against royal Constitution and the Bill of Rights. By the power. At the same time, America’s colonies time the colonies gained independence in were governed by officials appointed by the 1776, each colony had its own representative British crown, a decision in which Americans government, one that had been operating for had no say. British trade and tax policies more than 100 years. protected British interests at the expense of Growing Discontent American businesses. Yet, by the mid- 1700s, many Americans felt they did not possess the rights of English citizens. They Government in the Colonies The Eng- read Enlightenment writings in which the lish government had permitted new patterns rights of the individual were proclaimed. Yet of land ownership, new types of worship, many British policies toward the colonies did and new kinds of government in its colonies. not follow these ideals. In particular, colonists Once established, these practices became accepted John Locke’s idea that government fixed principles. The colonists became used derives its power from the consent of the to self-government and gradually came to people. As the century wore on, Americans think of it as their right. looked for answers to the problem of a dis- By 1733, all thirteen English colonies had tant and unresponsive British government. been established, each with its own constitu- To a growing number, one answer seemed to tion. The Massachusetts Body of Liberties, make the most sense: independence. adopted in 1641, protected individual rights and became part of colonial law. In 1683 Concluding How did religious the Pennsylvania Frame of Government beliefs influence American ideas about government?
Vocabulary Critical Thinking 6. Analyzing Visuals Study the map on page 45 that shows 1. Write a paragraph about life 4. Determining Cause and Effect the economic activity of the in the Southern Colonies How did the geography of the colonies. On what crops did using these terms: Tidewater, New England and the Middle the economy of the Middle egalitarianism. Colonies contribute to their Colonies depend? economic development? Main Ideas 5. Use a graphic Activity organizer similar to the one 2. Identifying What were the main below to show the effects of 7. Expository Writing Describe the crops grown in the Southern the Great Awakening on the founding of at least two colo- Colonies? American colonies. nies in a short essay. 3. Describing What was the pur- pose of the first colleges? Great Awakening Study CentralTM To review this section, go to glencoe.com.
Chapter 2 49 Birth of a Guide to Reading Political principles and Democratic major events shape how people form governments. Nation Content Vocabulary • mercantilism (p. 51) Real World Civics The air was hot and • boycott (p. 52) • repeal (p. 52) muggy, the sun beating down at midday, and the windows • delegate (p. 54) were tightly shut. As July, 1776 began, dozens of men sat • independence (p. 54) around these tables in Independence Hall in Philadelphia Academic Vocabulary debating Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. • challenge (p. 54) They were British subjects living in a British colony, so each • restore (p. 54) man agreeing to this document was committing treason Reading Strategy against his country. Treason was punishable by death. Yet Determining Cause and 56 men signed the Declaration, which outlines the reason Effect As you read, com- plete a chart like the why America should declare itself a new and independent one below by explain- nation. On the Fourth of July, these men announced to the ing how the colonists world : “We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our responded to British actions. fortunes and our sacred honor,” in the hope that they one day would be free.
Colonial Room where Declaration of Independence was signed Response
50 Comstock/Imagestate New York Harbor New York served as an economic center of activity for the Northern Colonies, receiving ships from all over the world. Analyzing How did the British policy of salutary neglect affect the colonies?
ism. Mercantilism is the theory that a coun- Colonial Resistance try’s power depends on its wealth. A nation should sell more goods to other countries Main Idea The American colonists began to than it buys. A favorable balance of trade— fight against British control. more exports and fewer imports—brings Civics & You Have you ever stopped buying a money into the country. For mercantilism to product, perhaps because the manufacturer changed be successful, Great Britain needed the colo- the product or raised its price? Read to find out why nies to be a source of cheap, raw materials. American colonists refused to buy British products. The Navigation Acts were a series of laws, passed in the early 1660s, that put the theory of mercantilism into practice. Separated from Great Britain by more than 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of vast ocean and left Growing Tensions largely to their own devices, the American Since the late 1600s, the British and the colonists gained valuable experience in self- French had battled for supremacy in Europe government. They learned how to manage and other parts of the world. After several their own affairs. This policy of loose con- wars in Europe, the fighting spilled over into trol by the British was known as salutary, or North America. At a conference in Albany, healthy, neglect. Under this policy, the British New York, in 1754, the colonies debated a did not insist on strict enforcement of laws. plan for a federal union. The plan, proposed by a committee led by Benjamin Franklin, Mercantilism Around 1760, when George was rejected. However, the Albany Plan III took the throne, Britain’s policy toward showed that many colonists were already the American colonies began to change. The thinking about joining together for their British adopted a program called mercantil- common defense.
Chapter 2 51 The Art Archive / MusÈe des Arts Africains et OcÈaniens / Dagli Orti This cartoon was created in Great Britain in 1779. 1. What does the horse represent? 2. Whom does the rider stand for? 3. What action is taking place in this image, and what does it symbolize? 4. What historical event do you think inspired this image?
—Library of Congress
From 1754 to 1763, Great Britain fought a were formed throughout the colonies in long, costly war against France—the French opposition to the Stamp Act. and Indian War—winning French territory in North America. In order to prevent conflict Stamp Act Congress In October of 1765, with Native Americans over land, colonial nine of the thirteen colonies sent representa- settlers were forbidden to settle west of the tives to the Stamp Act Congress held in New Appalachian Mountains without permis- York City. The representatives prepared a sion from the British government. This declaration against the new British actions, Proclamation of 1763 enraged many farm- which was sent to King George III. This ers and others who wanted the land. To pay action marked the first time that a majority off its heavy war debts, Britain placed steep of the colonies joined together to oppose taxes and new restrictions on the American British rule. As a result, the British Parliament colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765 required repealed, or cancelled, the Stamp Act. colonists to attach expensive tax stamps to The same day it repealed the Stamp Act, all newspapers and legal documents. The Parliament passed the Declaratory Act of Quartering Act required the colonies to pro- 1766, which stated that Parliament had vide barracks and supplies to British troops. the right to tax and make decisions for the American colonies “in all cases.” Then, in 1767, Parliament passed a set of laws that Worsening Relations came to be known as the Townshend Acts. In protest, many colonists decided to One of the Townshend Acts legalized the use boycott, or refuse to buy, British goods. of writs of assistance to assist customs offi- Organizations known as the Sons of Liberty cers in arresting smugglers.
52 Chapter 2 Library of Congress Bettmann/CORBIS The writs were general search warrants In 1773 Parliament passed another mea- that enabled customs officers to enter any sure. The Tea Act gave the British East India location to look for evidence of smuggling. Company the right to ship tea to the colo- Angered by these laws, colonists caused trou- nies without paying most of the taxes usu- ble for British officials. The worst incident of ally placed on tea. This made the East India violence took place in Boston. On March 5, Company tea cheaper than any other tea 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd, kill- in the colonies, giving the British company ing five. The shootings became known as the an advantage over colonial merchants. In Boston Massacre. December 1773, a group of angry colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped 342 New Taxes and a Tea Party chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. In reaction to this protest, known as the Boston The colonists resented the new taxes. Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Because they had no representatives in Acts, which Americans called the Intolerable Parliament, as people living in Great Britain Acts. These laws restricted the colonists’ civil did, the colonists believed that Parliament rights, including the right to trial by jury. had no right to tax them. They summed up their feelings with the slogan “No taxation Explaining Why were the without representation!” colonists angry about the new taxes?
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) homas Jefferson disliked public life. “I had rather British pulled Jefferson from his beloved home at Tbe shut up in a very modest cottage, with my Monticello, Virginia, and launched him into a lifelong books, my family and a few old friends,” he once wrote. political career. Jefferson acquired his lifelong love of books Jefferson held a variety of offices. They included on science, philosophy, and literature from his governor of Virginia, secretary of state, vice childhood teachers and president, and president of the United States. Yet, as a student at William when writing the words for his gravestone, Jefferson and Mary College. mentioned none of these offices. Instead he wrote: His enormous library Here was Buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the later became the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia basis of the Library for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Congress. of Virginia. Jefferson had the wealth and social status to live as he wished. However, Speculating Jefferson is considered one of the abuses of greatest writers of early America. Why do you think power by the Jefferson wrote what he did for his gravestone?
Chapter 2 53 Years after the first battle, Ralph Waldo Moving Toward Emerson wrote this poem to immortalize the Independence colonists who fought at Concord: Main Idea The colonists began to take steps “By the rude bridge that arched toward independence from Great Britain. the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the Civics & You How might you protest a new com- embattled farmers stood; And munity or school rule that you believed was unfair? fired the shot heard round the Read to find out how Americans protested British world. measures. ” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Concord Hymn”
The colonial governments banded together The Second Continental Congress to fight the Intolerable Acts. In September In May 1775, colonial leaders met at the 1774, twelve of the colonies sent delegates, Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. or representatives, to Philadelphia to discuss Not every member of the Congress favored their concerns. These representatives—from independence. Some believed the colonists every colony except Georgia—wanted could never win a war against Great Britain. to establish a political body to represent Others were still loyal to their home country. American interests and challenge, or ques- The Congress spent many months debating tion, British control. the best course of action. Meanwhile, support for independence The First Continental Congress grew. In January of 1776, an American colo- nist named Thomas Paine inspired many The meeting in Philadelphia, known as other colonists by publishing a pamphlet the First Continental Congress, lasted seven titled Common Sense. In it Paine called for weeks. During that time, the delegates sent complete independence from Britain. He a document to King George III demanding argued that it was simply “common sense” that the rights of the colonists be restored, to stop following the “royal brute,” King or given back. They also made plans to George III. Paine called the colonists’ actions extend the boycott of British goods. When a struggle for freedom. By 1776 more than half the Congress ended, the delegates vowed to of the delegates of the Second Continental hold another meeting if their demands were Congress agreed with Paine that the colonies not met by the following year. must break away from Britain. King George responded with force. In The Congress, acting now as a govern- April 1775, two battles between British and ment for the colonies, appointed a commit- colonial soldiers took place in Massachusetts tee to write a document that would officially at Lexington and Concord. These became announce the independence of the United the first battles of the Revolutionary War. States. Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from Until this time, most colonists still thought Virginia, did most of the work. His draft of of themselves as loyal subjects of Great the Declaration explained why the United Britain. Now, with British soldiers shooting States of America should be a free nation. at Americans, many colonists began to ques- tion their attachment to Britain. More people began talking about independence, or self- Explaining Why did colonists reliance and freedom from outside control. gather at the Second Continental Congress?
54 Chapter 2 Citizen Warriors Many women, including Molly Pitcher, fought side by side with other colonial soldiers during the American Revolution. Comparing How does the colonial fighting force compare with the makeup of modern army groups? The Declaration of Democratic Ideals The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence Independence set forth the colonists’ beliefs about the rights of individuals. It said: Main Idea The Declaration of Independence used traditional English political rights to call for “We hold these truths to be independence for the colonies. self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are Civics & You Why do you think governments endowed by their Creator with are formed? Read to find out how the writer of the certain unalienable Rights, Declaration of Independence addressed this question. that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration argued that the British gov- —The Declaration of Independence ernment did not look after the interests of the colonists. The authors included a long list of abuses by King George III and called him a “Tyrant . . . unfit to be the Ruler of a free Student Web Activity Visit glencoe.com and complete People.” However, the document was much the Chapter 2 Web Activity. more than a list of complaints.
Chapter 2 55 Kean Collection/Getty Images The paragraph quoted from the Declara- These ideas were not new. Remember as tion went on to say: you read earlier, the ideas about democracy and freedom originated with the ancient “. . . to secure these rights, Greeks. Jefferson was influenced by John Governments are instituted Locke and other writers. As you learned among Men, deriving their just earlier, Locke wrote that good government powers from the consent of the is based on a social contract between the governed, That whenever any people and the rulers. Locke also wrote that Form of Government becomes all people should equally enjoy the rights to destructive of these ends, it is life, liberty, and property. the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute An Uncertain Future new Government. . . .” The Second Continental Congress ap- —The Declaration of Independence proved the Declaration of Independence, with a few changes, on July 4, 1776. The In other words, the purpose of a govern- American colonies were now independent ment is to protect the rights of the people. states—at least in theory. True freedom, Moreover, government is based on the con- though, would not come until the war ended sent, or agreement, of the people. It only has and Great Britain officially recognized the the powers that the governed give it. The United States as an independent nation. people are also entitled to change a govern- ment if it disregards their rights or their com- Summarizing According to the bined wishes. Declaration, what is the purpose of government?
Vocabulary Critical Thinking Activity 1. Write complete sentences that 4. Persuasive Writing Assume the 6. Expository Writing include these groups of terms: role of a British government Read merchant, boycott, repeal; delegates, official in 1774, and write a the Declaration of Natural and independence. press release explaining why Rights in the Declaration of the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Independence (second, third, Main Ideas Acts) were necessary. and fourth paragraphs). Select what you think is the single 2. Explaining 5. Why did Great In a web diagram most important idea and Britain show control by raising like the one below, list the ideas explain in a paragraph how that taxes on the American colonists of government found in the idea affects your life today. after 1763? What effect did this Declaration of Independence. have on the colonists? 3. Identifying What British legisla- Ideas tion prompted colonists to hold Study CentralTM To review this the First Continental Congress section, go to glencoe.com. in a show of independence?
56 Chapter 2 1607 Jamestown is 1754 French and Indian founded War begins; Ben Franklin proposes Albany Plan of 1619 House of Burgesses Union meets for first time
1620 Pilgrims found 1676 Bacon’s Rebellion Plymouth 1729 Carolina is divided into separate 1763 Proclamation of 1681 Wil liam colonies Penn founds 1763 established Pennsylvania 1765 Stamp Act protests 1630 Puritans settle Massachusetts Bay Colony 1733 Georgia settled last of thirteen English 1649 Maryland passes colonies 1770 Boston Massacre Toleration Act 1689 English Bill of Rights signed 1773 Boston Tea Party
1775 Battles fought at Lexington and Concord 1740 Great Awakening peaks 1776 Declaration of Independence signed
1781 British surrender at Yorktown
1783 With Treaty of Paris, the United States officially wins independence
Study anywhere, anytime! Download quizzes and fl ash cards to your PDA from glencoe.com.
57 (tcl)The Granger Collection, New York, (tcr)The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, (tr)File Photo, (cl)The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, (c)Military & Historical Image Bank, (c)The Colonial Williamsburg Founda- tion, (c)The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, (cr)Military & Historical Image Bank, (bl)Lee Snider/Photo Images/CORBIS STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
TEST-TAKING TIP Get eight or more hours of sleep the night before a test.
Reviewing Vocabulary Section 2 (pp. 38–43) Directions: Choose the word(s) that best completes the sentence. 7. Which English colony became the fi rst to welcome people of all faiths? 1. If a government tried to take away a people’s A Massachusetts C Pennsylvania , it was breaking the social contract. B Rhode Island D Maryland A legislature C charter B natural rights D compact 8. Why did Southern farmers begin using enslaved Africans? 2. The Duke of York owned and governed the A Africans were more willing workers than of New York. Europeans. A Tidewater C proprietary colony B Long indentures placed huge financial burdens on planters. B royal colony D joint-stock company C Plantations demanded more workers than 3. The founders of Massachusetts were . immigration provided. A enslaved people C indentured servants D The triangular trade was more humane than indentured servitude. B plantation owners D religious dissenters Section 3 (pp. 44–49) 4. The Navigation Acts put into practice. 9. What about the Middle Colonies spurred the A toleration C egalitarianism growth of ports such as New York and B mercantilism D triangular trade Philadelphia? A soil and climate suited to cash crops B rivers for easy transport to the coast Reviewing Main Ideas C abundant wood for use in shipbuilding Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. D an ideal location for fishing and whaling
Section 1 (pp. 32–37) 10. How would you characterize the Great 5. Which innovation allowed rights to land Awakening of the 1700s? holders in England? A a religious revival A Magna Carta B a political upheaval B common law C an economic revolution C English Bill of Rights D an educational movement D Locke’s social contract Section 4 (pp. 50–56) 6. Which institution or document established a 11. Which legislation passed by Parliament tradition of direct democracy in New England? restricted colonists’ right to trial by jury? A Virginia Company A Stamp Act B House of Burgesses B Townsend Acts C Mayflower Compact C Declaratory Act of 1766 D Fundamental Orders of Connecticut D Coercive Acts GO ON
58 Chapter 2 12. Who published Common Sense, a pamphlet Document-Based Questions calling for complete independence from Britain? Directions: Analyze the document and answer the short-answer questions that follow. A Benjamin Franklin B Thomas Paine This passage from the Declaration of Independence C Thomas Jefferson includes some of the colonists’ complaints about King George III. D John Locke He has combined with others to subject us to a Critical Thinking jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and Directions: Base your answers to questions 13 and 14 on the cartoon unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to below and your knowledge of Chapter 2. their Acts of pretended Legislation: For quartering large bodies of troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefi ts of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended off ences: —the Declaration of Independence
15. The Declaration refers to King George 13. What does the cartoonist imply by using combining with “others” and “giving darker print for the word men? his assent to their Acts of pretended A Women are excluded. Legislation.” Who are these others? B All people are included. 16. Choose two of the complaints. What legislation or event from the chapter is related to each C All slaves are excluded. complaint? D Male slaves are included. Extended Response 14. Why does the cartoonist include a 17. The colonists tried other means of resolving washerwoman? their differences with the British before A to contrast rulers and workers in the declaring their independence. Write a brief colonies essay describing their efforts. B to suggest gender inequality in colonial times STOP C to show the industriousness of colonial women D to imply the protection of even poor people’s rights Fo r additional test practice, use Self-Check Quizzes— Chapter 2 on glencoe.com.
Need Extra Help? If you missed questions. . . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Go to page. . . 35 39 41 51 33 37 39 43 45 47 53 54 48 48 55 51 51
Chapter 2 59 In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
Words spelled as originally written. [Preamble] When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary The Preamble The Declaration of Inde- for one people to dissolve the political bands which have pendence has four parts. The Preamble connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers explains why the Continental Congress of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws drew up the Declaration. of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the impel: force causes which impel them to the separation.
Natural Rights The second part, the [Declaration of Natural Rights] Declaration of Natural Rights, lists the We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created rights of the citizens. It goes on to explain equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain that, in a republic, people form a govern- unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the ment to protect their rights. pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among endowed: provided Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, usurpations: unjust uses of power pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce despotism: unlimited power them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. List of Grievances The third part of the [List of Grievances] Declaration lists the colonists’ complaints Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and against the British government. Notice such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their that King George III is singled out for former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of blame. Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny
60 over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the relinquish: give up right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to inestimable: priceless them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their annihilation: destruction exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. convulsions: violent disturbances He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Naturalization of Foreigners: process Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations by which foreign-born persons become hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. citizens He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers. tenure: term He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of 61 pretended legislation:
Chapter 2 The Declaration of Independence 61
CORBIS quartering: lodging For quartering large bodies of troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary render: make government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. abdicated: given up He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and perfidy: violation of trust tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. insurrections: rebellions He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. petitioned for redress: In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned asked formally for a correction of for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions wrongs have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People. Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their unwarrantable jurisdiction: legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. unjustified authority We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They
62 Chapter 2 The Declaration of Independence too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. consanguinity: originating We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces from the same ancestor our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. Resolution of Independence The [Resolution of Independence fi nal section declares that the colonies are by the United States] “Free and Independent States” with the We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of full power to make war, to form alliances, America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the and to trade with other countries. Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these rectitude: rightness Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
John Hancock Virginia New Jersey Signers of the Declaration The sign- President from George Wythe Richard Stockton ers, as representatives of the American Massachusetts Richard Henry Lee John Witherspoon people, declared the colonies indepen- Georgia Thomas Jefferson Francis Hopkinson dent from Great Britain. Most members Button Gwinnett Benjamin Harrison John Hart signed the document on August 2, 1776. Lyman Hall Thomas Nelson, Jr. Abraham Clark George Walton Francis Lightfoot Lee New Hampshire Carter Braxton North Carolina Josiah Bartlett William Hooper Pennsylvania William Whipple Joseph Hewes Robert Morris Matthew Thornton John Penn Benjamin Rush Massachusetts Benjamin Franklin South Carolina Samuel Adams John Morton John Adams Edward Rutledge George Clymer Thomas Heyward, Jr. Robert Treat Paine James Smith Elbridge Gerry Thomas Lynch, Jr. George Taylor Arthur Middleton James Wilson Rhode Island Maryland George Ross Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Samuel Chase Delaware William Paca Caesar Rodney Connecticut Thomas Stone George Read Samuel Huntington Charles Carroll Thomas McKean William Williams of Carrollton Oliver Wolcott New York Roger Sherman William Floyd Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris
Chapter 2 The Declaration of Independence 63
(cr)CORBIS, (br)Bettmann/CORBIS