https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll en-us 2022-09-15 14:28:42 UTC 2026-01-18 19:30:13 UTC hello@padlet.com 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298411683 The Mayflower Compact was the first Constitution written by colonists in North America; it was created after settlers landed in Cape Cod, MA instead of their original destination (Virginia) and wanted to create a system of laws that would allow for a functioning society. The Compact included rules that the MA citizens would abide by, including loyalty to King James, creating laws for the good of the colony, and dutifully practicing Christianity. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:35:20 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298411683 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298413118 The House of Burgesses was the first English representative government in not only the colonies, but in the whole of North America. It was established as a way to pass local laws and maintain order in Jamestown, Virginia and to allow the colonists to have a voice in their legislature. However, only white men over the age of 21 were allowed to participate, ignoring the many women and people of color in the colonies. In addition, all laws could be vetoed by the governor and had to be approved by the Virginia Company of London. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:35:58 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298413118 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298417168 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were similar to the Mayflower Compact in that they established a series of laws that would allow for a functioning society under Christianity. The principle difference, however, was where the Mayflower Compact cited King James as the major governing body, the Fundamental Orders declared that the Connecticut settlers had the right to create their own form of government. With these laws they created a yearly election for Magistrates, Secretaries, and Governors as well as a set number of years that each can serve. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:37:35 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298417168 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298418606 The Navigation Acts were a series of Acts put in place by the British government in order to restrict colonist trade to only England and its territories. These acts were a crucial part to perpetuating the idea of Mercantilism - a belief that wealth is limited and one must amass as much wealth as possible in order to be powerful. These restrictive acts placed on the colonists were met with rebellion in the form of navigating loopholes and smuggling products to other countries such as Africa, Asia, and the Caribbeans. As time went on, the Navigation Acts became more and more restrictive in an attempt to tighten control over colonist trade. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:38:13 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298418606 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298419823 Prior to 1686, Massachusettes had never had a royal governor and was almost entirely independent. However, King James II began to tighten control over New England with the Formation of the Dominion of New England. This was spurred on by infighting over land, a lack of respect for the Navigation Acts, and conflict with Native Americans (especially King Philip's War). With this Dominion in place, elections were replaced with royally appointed governors and officials. Jury trials and bails were removed, as well as the press becoming censored. In addition, taxes were imposed without consent and entire customs concerning land were redistributed. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:38:47 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298419823 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298421526 With the Glorious Revolution in which Queen Mary and her husband William of Orange took the throne from James II, the Dominion of New England Ended. The news of this sparked an uprising in Boston in which they overthrew the governor, Andros. The mob removed the governor and reinstated the previous government; one run by the Puritans. However, they did not fully regain control as before the Dominion and the loss of the Charter, but the MA Bay colony became a Royal Charter in 1691 in order to regain some control. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:39:44 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298421526 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298422942 The Wool Act, similarly to the Navigation Acts, was put in place by the British Parliament in order to restrict colonist trade to only England. The Wool Act put restrictions specifically on Wool and Wool products (such as cloth) that only allowed for trade within the British Empire and heavily taxed those trades. The idea behind this was to maximize profits in the name of Mercantilism and to encourage colonists to buy from England for a higher price than what they could make in their own homes. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:40:29 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298422942 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298424154 Salutary Neglect was an UNOFFICIAL policy that England held towards the colonies. Robert Walpole took over as Prime Minister through a series of bribes, corruption, and underhanded deals. After this, he appointed law enforcement who was equally corrupt as he was. With this lack of loyal subjects to the King, the enforcement of the Navigation and other Acts became much more lax. Smuggling drastically increased, and colonists were able to practice religion, democracy, and trade at their own will. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:41:04 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298424154 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298425095 Once again, the Molasses Act was an act passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to gain more control over colonist economics in the name of Mercantilism. The Act imposed taxes on rum, sugar, and molasses from non-British countries to encourage trade between the colonies and the motherland. However, because this law was passed during the reign of Walpole, it fell victim to Salutary Neglect and was very loosely enforced. English traders bypassed this law and smuggled sugar products as often as not, and there were very lenient consequences if one was caught. This Act was later amended with the Sugar Act (1764), which was a contributor to the American Revolution.]]> 2022-09-15 14:41:33 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298425095 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298425931 The Iron Act was yet another attempt at controlling colonist trade for Mercantilism. The goal was to restrict the construction of iron-making equipment like furnaces, rolling/slitting mills, and other sources of iron-making. Because the colony production of iron was competing with England, these laws were made to restrict the growth of the iron industry. However, because the Act was passed during the era of Salutary Neglect, there was no real motivation to enforce the rules. ]]> 2022-09-15 14:41:59 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2298425931 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2302989161 2022-09-19 13:31:41 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2302989161 12350381 https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2303049801 The British Colonies in North America had a considerable amount of self governance because when compared to the oppressive situation for citizens in England and their lack of democracy, the colonists ability to have a representative democracy is substantial. In England, citizens were subject to working almost every waking hour in oppressive factories where they ran the risk of capital harm for infinitesimal amounts of pay. In the colonies, people were allowed to choose their own career (as long as they were not indentured servants), and there were high amounts of social and economic mobility. In the colonies, it was possible to make far more money (almost triple) than what citizens in England were making. In addition, a majority of the Acts placed on the colonists were not readily enforced. The early Navigation Acts were quickly worked around as colonists found loopholes, and as they got more and more strict colonists continued to smuggle product to the Caribbean and other continents. By comparison, in England where the monarch was on the same continent, working around laws was a far more dangerous and difficult task, to the point where very few attempted compared to the colonists. ]]> 2022-09-19 14:01:50 UTC https://padlet.com/12350381/qhjyl3rh9g31brll/wish/2303049801