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Founding of Jamestown
interest for the British or Puritans. -
Founding of Jamestown
In 1607, King James I of England granted a charter to the Virgina Company in order to establish a colony in the New World, as well offer settlers the same rights as Englishmen in Britian.On May 24, about one hundred colonists left their ship and founded Jamestown, Virgina; named for King James. Unfortunately, the swampy and marshy site of Jamestown led to poor drinking water and a large population of mosquitos, causing malaria and yellow fever. Settlers spent most of their time digging for gold -
Founding of Jamestown Continued
time digging for gold, indstead of planting crops and finding food. Captain John Smith led the colony, enforcing the mantra of "he who does not work shall not eat". Jamestown was later restablished in 1623 by the crash crop of tobacco. Although the colony was poorly thought out, it became the first permanent colony in the New World, and allowed the settlers to live and create their own profits successfully. If not for Jamestown and tobacco planting, the New World would not have been a point of -
Mayflower Compact
use until the Plymouth Colony was absorbed by the Massachussetts Colony in 1691. The Mayflower Compact was the first gorverning document of the New World, and instilled the belief of self government. The Mayflower Compact served as a prerequisite for several other American documents such as the Declaration of Independance and the Constitution. -
Mayflower Compact
After sailing to the New Wrold, the Puritan Pilgrims formed the Mayflower Compact, a document that established cooperation and aggreement to any form of government made by Puritan leader, William Bradford. The compact created a "Civil Body Politic" to enact "just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices." Every adult male had to sign the agreement before going ashore. The compact remained in effect until Plymouth was absorbed by the Massachussetts Bay Colony -
The Salem Witch Trials Continued
true to american law today. Also, because the trials were predominantly based on claims but no evidence, the American jury system was able to put together a more ethical and fair judicial system. Today, testimonials are not accepted without sufficient evidence. -
The Salem Witch Trials Continued
Satanic foreces among the community. However, most cases followed an eerie pattern- members of small farming families acted as the vicims, accusing rich merchant families as the witches. Eventually, the state of Massachussetts recognized the witch hangings and tirals as "unconstitutional", and reincompensated the families of the accussed. However, this unjust time in United States History, helped prove the point of separating church and state in government, a value that still holds true to -
The Salem Witch Trials
In colonial Maasachussetts, a witchcraft hysteria broke out among the god frearing Puritans of New England. The first account began with the report of local minister Reverend Samuel Parris; who blamed the tantrumns and screaming caused by two daughters and niece came from someone in Salem Village "bewitching" them. The children blamed their uncontrollable behavior upon three women, all who had little to no church attendance. The women were later hanged. As a result of this inccident, fear of -
The Great Aakening Continued
immigrant and his family. Presbyterians not only initiated religious revivals in those colonies during the 1730s but also established a seminary to train clergymen whose heartfelt sermons would bring sinners to experience evangelical conversion. Princeton College, the first of these, still exists today. The movement quickly spread from the Presbyterians of the Middle Colonies to the Puritans and Baptists of New England. The Great Awakening reinstated religous beliefs shared by the Pilgrims and -
The Great Awakening Continued
changed the sermon style and religious routine of all faiths in the colony. -
The First Great Awakening
From the 1730's to the 1770's, Colonial America, a new age of religous faith rose to face the Age of Enlightenment. The Great Awakening "reaffirmed the view that being truly religious meant trusting the heart rather than the head, prizing feeling more than thinking, and relying on biblical revelation rather than human reason.". The begginings of this movement in the colonies first appeared among Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, led by Reverend William Tennent, a Scots-Irish -
French and Indian War Continued
Fort Neccessity was destroyed. Britain soon declared war on France. Most American Indians sided with the French, because of their interest in tader but lack of interest in settling the land. In 1763, Britain and France ended the war by signing the Treaty of Paris. France gave Britain control of Canada and most of the land east of the Mississippi River. British forces stayed in the Ohio River Valley, angering the Ottawa Indian tribe. Led by their chief, they began to war against the British, in -
The French and Indian War Continued
an event now remembered as Pontiac's Rebellion. However, the British defeated the Indians in less than a year. After the war, Great Britian found themselves in heavy war debt and passed several taxes, known as the "Intolerable Acts" upon the colonists. The colonies found "taxation without representation" unlawful, which sparked the American Revolution. Without the war, colonists would not have wanted to seperate from their mother country and gain independence. -
The French and Indian War
Tension between the French and British had been rising for a long time before the war, as each side wanted to increase it land holding in the colonies. In early November of 1753, General George washington and his troops headed towards the Ohio River Valley, with the mission to deliver a message to a French captain Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, demanding his troops withdraw from the Ohio region teritory. Washington's request was rejected, and in the early months of 1754, Washington began to -
French and Indian War Continued
contruct Fort Neccessity. Washington hoped the fort would allow the Americans to create a settlement in Ohio, and defend themselves against French forces. However, shortly after construction, Washington spotted a French scouting party. Rather than waiting to be attacked, Washington struck first, successfully ambushing the small party. Jumonville was then murdered by Washington's Indian ally, Tanaghrisson. Enraged by Jumonville's murder in captivity, the French attacked with great brutality, and -
Boston Massacre
In 1768, British troops were stationed in Boston, the capital of Massachussetts Bay Colony, in order to protect and support crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. Due to tense relations between the population and the soldiers, a mob formed around a British sentry, who was harrassed. He was eventually supported by eight additional soldiers, who were subjected to verbal threats and thrown objects. The redcaoats then fired at the crowd, killing -
Boston Massacre Continued
five people. The town eventually held a meeting on the trial of Captain Thomas Prseton, leader of the troop. The trial later lead to the requital and release of Preston, however convicting two British soldiers guilty of manslaughter. The Boston Massacre was a huge cataylst in the beginnings of the American Revolution, and the first public rebellion against British rule. -
The American Revolution Continued
the French and Indian War. Without the French, the colonies would most certasinly have not won the war. France blocked General Cornwalis by the sea, while militia men blocked them by land. Cornwalis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia and signed the Treaty of Paris. Without the revolution, America would never have become an independent country, seperate from England. The Revolution allowwed America to now make their own desisions by themselves, and establish their own form of government. -
The American Revolution
The American Revolution was sparked by a great deal of events between the colonies and her mother country, Great Britain. Besides British control over colonial trade, the colonies were otherwise self governing, due to the fact of Britain's unspoken "Salutary Neglect" over them. After the French and Indian war however, the British found themeselves in profound debt, and heavily taxed the colonists as means of relief. Britain even taxed the colonies oin foreign goods, which caused therum industry. -
The American Revolution Continued
In 1764, Britain passed the Currency Act, taking away the right for colonists to print their own currency in forms of bills of credit. A year later, Britain passed the Stamp Act, declaring all paper products were to be taxed . Shoprtly after, Britain again added a new tax, the Quartering Act, forcing the colonists to provide or built barracks or places to stay. This angered the colonists because they felt British presense was unneccessary, and defenses should be left to the local militia. -
The American Revolution Continued
After several other new tax acts, the colonists finally rebelled to the Tea Act in 1772, after the Sons of Liberty dumped unpaid for British Tea into the Boston Harbor. Infuriated, Britain issued the Boston Port Act and closed the Boston Harbor until the dumped tea was paid for and the king was satisfied. In 1774, the colonies created the First Continental Congress, agreeing to a non-importation agreement and a boycott of British products until action was taken. The colonies still did not want -
The American Revolution Continued
The petition was ultimately ignored by King George III. nofficial skirmishes and battles between British troops and colonial minutemen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and a year later, the colonists were waging a full-scale war for their independence from Britain. France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists in 1778, due to losing Canada to the British in the French and Indian War. The Americans eventually won their independence -
The Declaration of Independance Continued
conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which Independent States may of right do.The Declaration is the first official document of all colonies stating their wishes to seperate from their mother country. It also establishes the values of self government and natural rights, which will later be used in the Constitution. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman xand Robert Livingston.This document announced that all thirteen of the colonies, currently at war with Britain, would seperate from the British Empire and govern themselves by forming a Union and creating the country of the United States of America. The Declaration is broken apart into three parts: the Preamble, Charges against King George III, and the Conclusion. The Preamble states that -
Declaration of Independance Continued
all men are born with natural rights and deserved to be treated equal among themselves. The colonists believe their rights have been infringed upon and therefore seek political independence. In the charges against King George III, the most significantly stressed issue would be britian's "taxation without representation" to the colonies. The document concludes by saying, the ties between Britain and the colonies must be completely desolved; and that the colonies now have the right to to levy war, -
The Articles of Confederation Continued
ppinted out the flaws of colonial government, and inspired the Constitutuion. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first formal Constitution of the colonies. Even when not yet ratified, the Articles provided domestic and international authentici for the Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with Europe and deal with territorial issues and Native American issues. Nevertheless, the weakness of the government created by the Articles became a matter of concern, due to it's lack of authority to central government. Although unsuccess -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's rebellion was an uprising of farmers led by Daniel Shay, a formal Continental soldier, in central and western Maassachussetts. The nrebellion was caused by several factors:financial difficulties brought about by post-Revolutionary War economic depression, a credit squeeze caused by a lack currency, and harsh government policies established in 1785 to solve the state's debt problems. Most protestors were war veterans, who attempted to shut down county courts to stop the judicial hearings -
Shay's Rebellion Continued
for tax and debt collection. After the government captured several of the rebellion's leaders, the group formed a militia defense of its own- which was poorly planned and scattered. Eventually, government realized the flaws of the Articles of Confederation, and pardoned Daniel Shay and his supporters in 1788. Shay's Rebellion led to the end of the Articles of Confederation and ignited the need for a better form of law which became the Constitution.
