Chapter 2 | The Road to Revolution
The Framing Question: What events led to the American Revolution?
Lesson 4.07
bjective: Analyze how Enlightenment philosophy, English rule of law, and religious movements such
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as the Great Awakening influenced colonial ideas about self-government and individual rights.
Bell Ringer:How might ideas about reason, equality,and faith lead people to question authority?
Key Vocabulary
Term
Define it in your own words
Judeo-Christian
Magna Carta
English Bill of Rights
Enlightenment
John Locke
social contract
rule of law
ead and Annotate:As you read, note how Enlightenmentthinkers, English legal traditions, and
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religion shaped colonial beliefs about liberty and self-government.
Instructions:Use the passage below to complete thegraphic organizer at the end of the passage.
The Roots of Colonial Government
y the mid-1700s, the British colonies in North America were governed by ideas that had developed
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over hundreds of years in England. Most colonists saw themselves as loyal Englishmen. They expected
the same legal protections and rights that citizens in Britain enjoyed. Their political ideas grew from
English law and changed as new ideas spread through the colonies. FromGreece, they inherited the
belief that citizens should take part in public affairs through debate, voting, and community service.
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romRome, they admired the principle of arepublic, where leaders were expected to serve the
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common good and follow written laws. Educated colonists read about ancient history and saw these
examples as proof that stable societies required active, virtuous citizens.
English Rule of Law
he legacy of English law in the Colonies began in 1215, when English nobles forced King John to sign
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theMagna Carta. The charter required the king tofollow the law, protect property, and allow free men a
fair trial by jury. This was the first time Englishmen formally restricted the king. Over time, it became a
symbol that all rulers must obey the law. Judges in England used its principles to shape common law, a
system based on precedent—meaning that judges follow the example of earlier cases when they make
their rulings.
hen English settlers crossed the Atlantic in the 1600s, they brought this legal tradition with them.
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Every colony established courts, laws, and elected assemblies. As we learned earlier, in Virginia, the
House of Burgessesmet as early as 1619 to pass locallaws. In Massachusetts, town meetings
allowed citizens to debate and vote on community decisions. Courtrooms in Boston, Philadelphia, and
Charleston looked much like those in London. Colonists served on juries, swore oaths, and used
English legal forms for property and marriage.
olonial judges often read and quoted English legal writers such as Sir Edward Coke, who argued that
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kings must respect the “ancient rights” of their people. Young lawyers trained by apprenticeship,
studying massive law books like Coke’sInstitutesand, later, William Blackstone’sCommentaries on the
Laws of England. Because there were no law schools,this reading and mentorship built a tight circle of
educated colonists who understood their rights as
English citizens.
In 1689, theEnglish Bill of Rightsadded new
protections. It required regular meetings of Parliament,
limited the king’s power to raise armies, and
guaranteed citizens the right to petition the
government and to a fair trial. When colonial
assemblies resisted new royal taxes or governors’
orders, they quoted these rights as proof that their
liberties could not be taken away. Colonists did not
think of themselves as rebels when they challenged
the King; they believed they were demanding the
English rights for themselves.
Primary Source: The English Bill of Rights declared in part [adapted]
. The King cannot suspend or ignore laws on his own without Parliament’s approval.
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2. The King cannot make exceptions to laws or choose not to enforce them whenever he wants.
3. The special courts created by the King are illegal and harmful.
4. The King cannot collect taxes or money for the Crown without Parliament’s approval, or keep
collecting them longer than Parliament allows.
5. People have the right to petition the King, and they cannot be punished for doing so.
6. Keeping a permanent army during peacetime without Parliament’s consent is against the law…
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Religion and the Great Awakening
ong before the Great Awakening, the colonies had inherited deepJudeo-Christian traditionsfrom
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Europe. The Bible and the Ten Commandments shaped colonial ideas of right and wrong, teaching that
all people were accountable to a higher moral law. Ministers often reminded their congregations that
rulers, too, were subject to God’s justice and that government should reflect honesty, fairness, and
respect for life and property.
olonial society, from poor farmers to wealthy merchants, was further changed by the Great
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Awakening. As we learned earlier, the religious revival from the 1730s had shaped colonial society to
believe in spiritual independence, moral equality, and community discussion. The Great Awakening
taught that all people were equal in the eyes of God and that every person could make moral choices
without permission from a minister or magistrate. This reinforced ideas of spiritual equality that
encouraged colonists to question established authority—especially since no English monarch had ever
visited the American colonies. In fact, the first reigning British monarch to set foot in North America
would not arrive until 1939, when King George VI visited just before World War II.
he Enlightenment and the Spread of New Ideas
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In the 1600s and 1700s, a movement known as theEnlightenmentspread across Europe. Thinkers in
Britain and on the continent argued that reason, observation, and evidence should guide human life.
They applied these ideas to science, religion, and government.
In Britain, writers such asJohn Lockehad a majorinfluence. Locke argued that people were born with
natural rightsto life, liberty, and property. Hesaid governments were created by asocial
contract—an agreement among people to protect thoserights—and that citizens had the right to
change any government that failed to do so. His books were read by educated Britons and circulated in
the colonies through London printers and merchants.
cross the Channel, Baron de Montesquieu in France wroteThe Spirit
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of the Laws(1748), which explained that governmentpower should be
divided into branches to prevent tyranny. His work was translated into
English in 1750 and spread throughout Britain and the American
Colonies. Colonial colleges—Harvard, Yale, and the College of William
and Mary—were beginning to include philosophy, science, and political
thought in their lessons.
ducated men, such asBenjamin Franklin,became bridgesbetween
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the Enlightenment and colonial life. Franklin’s experiments with
electricity and his founding of libraries, scientific societies, and the
Pennsylvania Gazettespread the belief that humanreason could
improve society. By the 1750s, these ideas were shaping how leading
colonists thought about law and government. They were loyal British
subjects, but they began to believe that good government rested on
reason and consent, not simply on royal authority.
A Colonial Political Culture
y the time of theFrench and Indian Warin the 1750s,the colonies had developed a political culture
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deeply influenced by both English tradition and new ideas. Assemblies controlled local taxation and
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pending. Governors appointed by the king had limited power, checked by local councils. Courts
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operated under English law but with colonial juries. When disputes with Britain later arose, colonial
leaders likeJames OtisandPatrick Henryargued thatParliament’s new taxes violated the “rights of
Englishmen” guaranteed by the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights.
In daily life, colonists practiced self-government long before independence. They held elections, served
on juries, debated laws, and printed petitions. Enlightenment reasoning gave their arguments sharper
logic; the Great Awakening gave them a moral voice. Together, these experiences created a society
that valued liberty, law, and personal responsibility. Colonists were not yet demanding separation from
Britain, but they were already living by principles that would soon lead them to question how an empire
so far away could truly protect their rights.
Instructions:On the following page, you will labelthe “roots of colonial government” based on their
origin. Before you begin, label each of the following with their corresponding number from the list below.
Then, label the tree.
. Religious and Classical roots
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2. English Roots (tradition in England)
3. English Enlightenment (new English philosophy)
4. French Enlightenment (new French philosophy)
5. Developed in the Colonies
________The Greeks promoted vigorous, intellectual debate.
________Baron de Montesquieu wrote about dividing government power among branches.
________Jean-Jacques Rousseau taught that governments gain legitimacy from the consent of the
governed.
________The Magna Carta (1215) limited the king’s power and established trial by jury.
________Common law developed through court decisions and applied equally to free English
subjects.
________The English Bill of Rights (1689) guaranteed Parliament’s authority and the rights of
citizens.
________Teachings from the Judeo-Christian tradition stressed moral law and justice.
________The Ten Commandments established standards of right and wrong that influenced legal
ideas.
________The Great Awakening promoted equality before God and encouraged colonists to question
authority.
________Colonists believed they were entitled to the same “rights of Englishmen.”
________Colonial assemblies and courts practiced self-government
________John Locke argued that all people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
________Locke’s social contract theory said governments exist to protect citizens’ rights.
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