The close of the French war made way for the Revolution. But, before we consider the events which led to the separation of the colonies from England, it will be best to ask. How were the colonies governed at the close of the French wars? There were three forms of government in America—"royal," "charter," and "proprietary."
The oldest colony, Virginia, was under what was called a royal government, because the king appointed the governor, and approved or disapproved of the laws that were passed. "Royal" means belonging to the king. New York had been granted to the Duke of York as a proprietary government, but when that duke became king, as James II, it became a royal, or king's province. New Jersey became a royal colony after the king bought the right of the proprietors. The two Carolinas were proprietary governments at first, but in 1729 the king bought out the proprietary rights, and they became royal governments. Georgia was first settled under a body of twenty-one trustees, but in 1752 these trustees surrendered the government to the king. In 1679 New Hampshire was separated from Massachusetts, and became a royal colony. So that, after 1752, there were seven colonies under royal governments, namely, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and New Hampshire.
Three colonies— Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island—were under charter governments; that is, they were for the most part governed by their own people, according to charters granted by the king. Massachusetts, after it lost its first charter, had a governor appointed by the king, but the power remained mostly in the hands of the Legislature. Maine was attached to Massachusetts.
Maryland had been given to Lord Baltimore, Pennsylvania to William Penn. Baltimore and Penn were called "proprietors," or "proprietaries." The heirs of these first proprietors exercised in these two colonies power somewhat similar to those of the king in the royal colonies. These were called proprietary governments. Delaware had been ceded to Penn by the Duke of York, and, though it had a separate Legislature, it was under the same governor as Pennsylvania. There were, therefore, at the close of the French wars, three proprietary governments — Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Each of the thirteen colonies had a legislative body. These were divided into two houses. There was a lower house, or Assembly, elected by the people. The members of the upper house, or Council, were generally appointed by the king in the royal colonies, and by the proprietary in the proprietary colonies. In the charter colonies governors and members of the Council were elected by the Assembly.
In order to pass a law both houses of the Legislature must vote for it and the governor must agree to it. We have kept the same rule. Our State and national laws are made in this way now. The body we call the Senate takes the place occupied by the governor's Council in the colonies. But in our time the people elect the governors and both houses of the Legislature. In nearly all of the colonies the people had no voice in choosing the governor or the upper house of the Legislature. The people could not, therefore, make laws which were not agreeable to the king or the proprietary. There was, consequently, almost a continual quarrel between the governors, acting under instructions from England, and the representatives of the people.
All laws regulating the trade between the colonies and with other countries were made by the English Parliament. The colonies were forced to send nearly all their leading products to England for sale. They were not allowed to buy any European goods, except in England, and no foreign ships were allowed to enter a port in this country. Laws were made to discourage people in the colonies from making and trading in such things as were made in England. There were English laws against the manufacture of iron-ware and woolen goods by the Americans. The colonists had many furs, and could make hats very cheaply, but no hatter was allowed to send hats from one colony to another.
Custom-houses were established by law in all the principal ports of the colonies, and duties collected for the king. But the colonists evaded these unjust laws in every way they could, and there was a great deal of smuggling all along the coast.
Before the Revolutionary War, the thirteen American colonies had three forms of government in America: royal, charter, and proprietary. In the royal form of government, the English king selected the governors of a colony. In the charter form of government, the king granted a charter to allow the colonial people to mostly govern themselves. In the proprietary of government, colonies were governed by proprietors and their heirs. Each colony had a legislative body of two houses. The lower house or Assembly was elected by the people. The upper house, or Council, was either appointed by the king (royal form), the proprietors (proprietary form), or elected by the lower house (charter form). For any new law to pass, the lower house, upper house, and governor all had to agree. There was constant fighting between the governor or proprietors, who argued on England's behalf, and the lower house, who represented the views of the colonists. The English Parliament governed colonial trade from afar, including restricting colonists from buying any European goods except from England. When England started collecting duties for the king, some colonists turned to smuggling.
Vocabulary
Royal: Of or relating to a monarch or their family. Charter: A document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges. Proprietary: Of or relating to property or ownership. Legislative: Making, or having the power to make, a law or laws. Parliament: An institution whose elected or appointed members meet to debate the major political issues of the day and usually to exercise legislative sometimes judicial powers. Duty: A tax or tariff placed on imports or exports.
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Chapter
Narrate the chapter events aloud in your own words.
Activity 2: Study the Chapter Picture
Study the chapter picture, 'James II' by Peter Lely and describe how it relates to the story.
Activity 3: Map the Chapter
Find the following colonies under the specified governments before the Revolutionary War.
Find the colonies under royal governments: Virginia, New York, New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and New Hampshire.
Find the colonies under charter governments: Massachusetts/Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Find the colonies under proprietary governments: Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Activity 4: Compare the Colonial Governments to the Current United States Government
Point to the modern equivalent of the colonial bodies of governance:
Colonial Governor
Colonial Legislature
Colonial Proprietor
English King
Colonial Upper House
Colonial Lower House
Colonial Council
Colonial Assembly
Activity 5: Play the State Capital Cities Game
Play an online game to learn the state capitals.
https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3063
Activity 6: Complete Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Mapwork
Click the crayon above. Complete pages 52-53 of 'American History Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Mapwork for Fourth Grade.'
Review
Question 1
Under which type of government did the English King select a colony's governor - royal, charter, or proprietary?
1 / 5
Answer 1
Royal.
1 / 5
Question 2
Under which type of government did the colonies mostly govern themselves - royal, charter, or proprietary?
2 / 5
Answer 2
Charter.
2 / 5
Question 3
Under which type of government were the colonies governed by a proprietor and their heirs - royal, charter, or proprietary?
3 / 5
Answer 3
Proprietary.
3 / 5
Question 4
Why was there quarreling between the upper and lower houses of government?
4 / 5
Answer 4
The upper house represented England's interests while the lower house represented colonial interests. These interests often conflicted.
4 / 5
Question 5
Why did some colonists turn to smuggling?
5 / 5
Answer 5
Some colonists turned to smuggling to avoid England's duties or tariffs placed on colonial imports and exports.
Under which type of government did the English King select a colony's governor - royal, charter, or proprietary?
Royal.
Under which type of government did the colonies mostly govern themselves - royal, charter, or proprietary?
Charter.
Under which type of government were the colonies governed by a proprietor and their heirs - royal, charter, or proprietary?
Proprietary.
Why was there quarreling between the upper and lower houses of government?
The upper house represented England's interests while the lower house represented colonial interests. These interests often conflicted.
Why did some colonists turn to smuggling?
Some colonists turned to smuggling to avoid England's duties or tariffs placed on colonial imports and exports.
References
'Map of the states and territories of the United States as it was from March 1789 to August 1789. ({CC-BY 2.5})' Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_1789-03-1789-08.png. n.p.
A History of the United States and its People
A History of the United States
About
Curriculum
Navigation