Britain's Political Control Over the Colonies

British Control of the Colonies

We will learn how colonies structured their government and the ways Britain imposed political and economic control over the colonies.

Multiple Choice

Review: Where did the majority of the people living in the 13 colonies come from?

• France

• Spain

• England

• They were already there

Two big ways that British took control:

• Political Control

• Economic Control

MANY COLONIES WERE ESTABLISHED AS CHARTERS

• The charter is an official document that grants colonists permission to start a colony and lays out the purpose of the colony

• Many of the people in the thirteen colonies came from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland—though some came from France, Germany, and other European countries too.

• Over time, Britain took control of their colonies, and colonies originally begun by a charter became royal colonies.

• As royal colonies, they no longer operated based on their charter. Instead, the King of England and the British Parliament now made the rules.

Open Ended

Why would it be difficult for the British government to keep order in the colonies?

The King

Council

- Appointed by governor

- Acted as highest court on

each colony

The Royal governor

- Appointed by king
- oversaw colonies

- final approval on laws

Colonial assembly

- elected by white landowners

- made laws
- could tax

- paid governor’s salary

Colonies for 30 years essentially governed themselves (self-government).
However, the King ultimately had the final say on everything.

• ​Parliament is a representative government meaning elected officials that represent the people of England.

• ​All of the 13 colonies had to follow the laws of the British Parliament.

British Parliament

​Colonial Government

• ​American colonists had no representation in the British Parliament.

• ​People in the 13 colonies could vote for people on local assemblies but those officials always had to do what the Parliament back in England wanted.

• ​Only white males that owned property could vote in the 13 colonies

Colonial Legislatures

• A legislature is a group of people who are responsible for making laws.

• Since Great Britain was all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, colonists established colonial legislatures to make laws for each colony.

• At Jamestown in 1619, the House of Burgesses became the first legislature in British North America.

The Royal governor

- Appointed by king
- oversaw colonies

- final approval on laws

Royal Governors

• While the colonies were experimenting with self-government, each still had a royal governor who was appointed by the King of England to watch over them.

• Royal governors were in the highest position of authority in the colonies. The colonial governors monitored the colonial legislatures and enforced British laws.

• The legislatures controlled the salary of the governor and often used this influence to keep the governors in line with colonial wishes.

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of the Royal Governor?

• To make the laws for the colonies

• To represent the King in a colony and approve laws made by colonial assemblies

• To make the laws in Great Britain

• To approve laws passed by Parliament

Multiple Choice

Where would you find colonial governors?

Multiple Choice

Where would you find King George III?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following made laws for people in Great Britain AND the colonies?

• Parliament

• The Colonial assembly

• the Royal Governor of the colonies

• the King

Multiple Choice

Where would you find Parliament?

Multiple Choice

Who did the colonial assemblies (legislatures) make laws for?

• The colonies

• Great Britain

• Parliament

• Great Britain and the colony

Open Ended

Why was land ownership important to colonists?

Multiple Choice

Who had the most power over the colonists?

• Colonists who could vote

• The Colonial assembly

• the Royal Governor of that colony

• The King of Great Britain

Multiple Select

Which of the following TWO statements describe the government of the colonies?

• They were controlled by the King of England, but largely were left alone to govern as they pleased.

• Colonists had the final say in how their colonies should be governed.

• They had local governments that were elected by white land owners, but were overseen by a Royal Governor

• They had local governments that were governed by kings

Open Ended

Recap: what are two ways in which Britain tried to impose political control over the colonies...