Chapter 2 Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is Representative Government?
The idea that people should have a say in their own government.
What is Limited Government?
The belief that government should be subject to strict limits on the lawful use of power.
What are Individual Rights?
The belief that government should protect individual and property rights.
How did representative government evolve in 11th century England?
The kings had a council of nobles and religious leaders that advised him in important political decisions. However, the council’s importance grew and eventually became a crucial part of the government called Parliament.
How was the early Parliament bicameral system composed?
The upper house was composed of Nobles, called the House of Lords, and the lower house, the House of Commons, was comprised of lesser officials and local representatives.
What was Parliament’s main purpose?
To limit the power of the English monarchy.
Explain the implications of the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta was a document synthesizes by English Nobles in a rebellion. They forced King John to sign the document, which conceded that the king was subject to the rule of law just as everyone else was. It prevented him from violating any individual rights of his people.
What was the Petition of Right?
A document Legislature made King Charles sign. It gave Parliament more power and checked the powers of the king, requiring Parliamentary approval before the passing of taxes. It also prevented the King from unlawfully imprisoning people, placing soldiers in citizen’s homes, and establishing military force in times of peace.
What was the English Bill of Rights?
A document that Parliament passed further restricting the power of the throne, preventing the raising of taxes, enactment of laws, and the possession of an army without Parliament’s consent.
What were the three types of English Colonies?
Proprietary - A man or group of people is granted a piece of land on which to start a colony, where he/they can act for the crown and make laws for the colonists.
Royal - A colony that is controlled directly by the king through an appointed governor. Royal colonies consisted of two house legislatures, where the lower house was elected by the colonists, while the upper house was appointed by the king.
Charter - Operated under terms agreed to by the colony as well as the king. Charter colonies experienced the most independence, and each had an elected legislature that made laws for the colony as well as an appointed governor.
What were the thirteen original colonies?
Virginia
was home to one of the first ever foreign settlers of America. Founded in 1607, it was originally named Jamestown, after King James I. It was home to the first representative government in all of America, when the House of Burgesses met for the first time in 1619.
New York
was founded in 1624. When the British claimed its territories in America, New York was part of the Province of York, along with Delaware, New Jersey and Vermont. The king reassigned these places after some time to become individual colonies, and New York was named after James, Duke of York.
New Hampshire
was founded in 1622, and it was named after Hampshire in England. When the American Revolution first broke out, New Hampshire became a divided state. There were several wealthy men who lived luxurious lives and there were also those who had the capital to start businesses, known as the merchants. New Hampshire was home to poor people; it had its share of laborers, slaves, servants and mariners. The main trades of New Hampshire back then were agriculture and manufacturing. People of New Hampshire were fishermen, shoemakers, cobblers and farmers. Even the first settlements in New Hampshire were those of fishermen, and they lived near modern-day Portsmouth.
Massachusetts
was founded in 1630. Settlers from Shawmuth and Trimoutaine changed its name to Boston, which is still named after a city in England. In 1635, the first public school in America was founded and was named Boston Latin School. It is still standing and is now the oldest school in the whole of America. The first public park was built in Boston, as did the first American newspaper. Massachusetts was home to two major causes of the American Revolution, namely the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
Maryland
was named after Queen Henrietta Maria and was founded in 1632. It became the first English colony to have dominant Catholic members, and it is home to one of the first religious laws in America.
Connecticut
was founded in 1635. The first settlers of Connecticut were originally Dutchmen who lived near modern-day Hartford. Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay were the first English settlers in the colony, and they founded several colonies within it, making Connecticut one of the most important centers of business and government.
It was home to one of the bloodiest wars in America which is known as the Pequot War. Hundreds of people died in this war, and hundreds more were taken captive and sold into slavery. Seven hundred Pequot residents died in the Mystic [River] Massacre; seven survived the massacre and were made slaves; while seven others escaped both of these unfortunate incidents.
Rhode Island
and Providence were the smallest colony of England in America, and was founded in 1636. It was the first colony of England that declared independence and separation from the English rule.
Delaware
was founded in 1638, and Dutchmen were its first settlers. It is home to the Battle of Delaware Bay during the American Revolutionary War. It was in this war when the 13-star colonial flag made its first appearance in a battle, and this kind of flag had then been used from 1777 to 1795. Delaware is America’s first state.
North Carolina
was founded in 1653 but it was the first places to be inhabited in the New World in 1587. It is home to the first English child born into the New World, but after three years, the first colonists mysteriously disappeared with no known trace up to this day.
South Carolina
was founded by the Lord Proprietors in 1663. Six years later, the Fundamental Constitution of Carolina was written by John Locke.
New Jersey
was founded in 1664 by the British crown, though Dutch
settlements were already there as early as in 1613. It was then called New Netherland, and the land area was known to include some parts of New York. New Jersey was given to Lord Berkeley of Stratton and Sir George Carteret by King Charles.
Pennsylvania
was founded in 1681, but a Swedish man named Peter Minuit had rightly claimed it in 1638. King Charles II gave William Penn the land grant for what is now known as Pennsylvania. It was named as such after William Penn’s father, Admiral Penn.
Georgia
was founded in 1733, and was named after King George II. It became subject to frequent invasions. It experienced the worst in 1716 when it became totally devoid of people.
