First 9 Weeks Study Guide

Name:______Class:______Date:______

First 9 Weeks Study Guide

1. The purpose of The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut was to provide self-government for the colony that was not based solely on religion, but included Common Law.

1. The Virginia House of Burgesses, the Mayflower Compact, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were all focused on developing self-government in the English colonies.

1. The Jamestown Colony, established in 1607, suffered many hardships, but always maintained religion and faith as an important part of their lives.

1. The Plantation Economy of the Southern Colonies created the need the greatest need for slavery in the Thirteen Colonies.

1. The New England colonies, because they did not have an agricultural focus that included cash crops, did not require large numbers of slaves.

1. Mercantilism, which included the establishment of colonies thatbenefitted the “Mother Country”, provided raw goods from the colonies to be manufactured in Great Britain, and involved the transportation and trade of slaves from Africa (Triangular Trade), proved profitable for the king.

1. The Middle Colonies, such as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware had the most diverse (different) ethnic populations in the Thirteen Colonies. Groups such as the Swedes (Sweden), Dutch, English(especially Catholics), and Germans, populated this area and brought their own cultures, including religious customs and freedoms.

1. Two steps that led to the development of self-government in the colonies were, The Virginia House of Burgesses, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

1. In 1639, Thomas Hookerfound it necessary to leave Massachusetts Colony and found a government in Connecticutbased on individual rights, and where towns’ people elected representatives that attended the colonial General Assembly.

1. European explorers, such as Columbus, and those who followed him, were looking for a faster way to the spice rich lands of Asia.

1. The English Bill of Rightsestablished greater libertyand also limited the power of the government (king or queen). Freedom of Speech, debate in Parliament, and the right to petition the government were all important freedoms established for the people.
2. The Magna Carta (Great Charter signed by King John), gave all English Nobles and Freemen, the right to, trial by a jury of their peers, it limited the power of the king, and stated that property could not be seized without permission or payment. We find these rights restated in our U.S. Constitution.

1. Thomas Jefferson carefully avoidedplacing language in the Declaration of Independence that would offend many European Monarchs, such as the King of France, because he feared that France would join with England and King George III to defeat the colonists’ attempt at independence.

1. The Declaration of Independencecontains ideas from the Enlightenment, the idea that leaders who break laws should be replaced, that people have the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, and that there is a social contract between the people and their leaders (there should be trust and the leaders should do what is good for the people).

1. America’s founding fathers, such as Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin, were encouraged to create the Declaration of Independence, sign it, and deliver it to the English government, because of writings by, Thomas Paine, in 1776.

1. The Battle of Saratoga, a great American victory over the English, is considered to be the, “Turning Point”, of the American Revolution. The Americans were not doing well before this battle and they captured many English cannons, guns, and men because of their victory.

1. HaymSolomon, was a Jewish colonist who loaned money to support the new American government. James Armistead, was a black freedman (former slave), who joined the British Army as a spy for the American “Continental Army” during the American Revolution.

1. Due to colonial unrest over the “Proclamation Act of 1763, King George III left his troopsin America to control the colonists.

1. The king imposing taxes on the colonist without their consent, placing troops in colonists’ homes ( Quartering Act), and ignoring colonial letters (petitions) of grievances (complaints), made the king look like a tyrant (dictator).

1. The following reasons led to the writing of theDeclaration of Independence: 1. Colonial protests against English troops and laws (acts), 2. Taxation without Representation, and 3. English policies towards colonists after the French and Indian War.

1. The Free Enterprise System includes, competition keeping prices low, people buying and selling whatever they want, and people can own their own property (private property).

1. The Magna Carta (Great Charter) limited the power of the English kings.

1. Benjamin Franklin designed the political cartoon called, “Join or Die”.

1. The purpose of Benjamin Franklin’s political cartoon, “Join or Die”, was to encourage the English colonies to stick together to defeat the French.

1. Colonial concerns for British taxing policies was one reason for the American Revolution.

1. Large numbers of Jamestown colonists did not survive because of disease caused by mosquitoes in the swamps that bordered the colony.

1. Free thought and free speechallows us to discuss ideas with one another.

1. Because of the Appalachian Mountains, English colonist found it difficult to move westward into North America.

1. Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Plymouth were all founded for religious freedoms.

1. The “unalienable rights” of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness can be found by reading, The Declaration of Independence.

1. The “Great Awakening”, the colonial religious movement that brought colonists back towards a godly life, reminded citizens that they had natural born rights (rights given them by God, and cannot be taken away).

1. The American colonies imported significantly more finished products from England (Mother Country) than the raw materials they exported to England. This allowed England to maintain a favorable balance of trade with the colonies and other European countries, allowing them to make greater profits.

1. The term, “Mercantilism”, means that the “Mother Country”, in this case England, receives raw goods from the colony (America), and produces and sells back (exports) finished products to the colony. This provides the “Mother Country” (England) with a cheap resource for raw materials, and a profitable market for finished goods. England uses the colonies to grow its own economy.

1. During the American Revolution, Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, wrote many letters to her husband concerning women’s rights, and especially giving women the right to vote following America winning its independence.