Discusses development of representative government especially in the New England colonies.

This tutorial looks at the British political traditions that influenced the American colonists as they gained their independence from Britain and created their own form of government. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.

View the complete text of the 1620 British Charter for the settlement of New England granting authority to colonize and govern.

This 5th grade unit is an introduction to Native American history in the 19th and 20th centuries. The lessons focus on U.S. government policies that have determined the official relationship between the government and Native American...

Find out about the development of self-government in the English colonies and the responsibilities of the colonial legislatures.

By reading this section from a chapter on "Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests," students will be able to describe the state of affairs between the colonies and the home government in 1774 and explain the purpose and results of the...

Background information about the literary traditions of the pre-Colonial and Colonial period. Includes information about Native American oral traditions and Native American cultures. Follow the links to the Early American era and to...

Scroll through this site from the Modern History Sourcebook of Fordham University to New England and click on the primary source documents concerning Edmund Andros. This site contains dozens of links related to colonial America. Sections...

Scroll to Massachusetts and link to the colonial documents establishing the colonies' earliest forms of government and laying the foundation for self-governing and eventual independence from England. Beginning with The Charter of England...

Writings of philosopher John Locke on religious toleration, government and society from which students will gain an understanding of the underpinnings of American government.

This page is a chapter from the book entitled "The Americans in Panama." It provides information about the colonial period of Panamanian history. "Panama's relations with the parent government at Bogota, from 1821, the year of...

America was victorious in the Revolutionary War, but now faced a slew of problems while trying to set up our new nation. Study how we attempted to solve the problems of establishing a government, forming our economy, meeting the needs of...

View the complete text of the New England Articles of Confederation 1643, an alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven.

The early settlers to the New World began to map strategy for their own system of government. This site details that strategy and what kinds of events spawned the idea of representative government.

The 18th-century statesmen who met in Philadelphia were adherents of Montesquieu's concept of the balance of power in politics. This principle was supported by colonial experience and strengthened by the writings of John Locke, with...

Although some believe that the history of the American Revolution began long before the first shots were fired in 1775, England and America did not begin an overt parting of the ways until 1763, more than a century and a half after the...

One of Jefferson's acts doubled the area of the country. At the end of the Seven Years' War, France had ceded to Spain the territory west of the Mississippi River, with the port of New Orleans near its mouth -- a port indispensable for...

Comprehensive information about the colonial period of American History. Includes information about New England, colonies, government, people, The French and Indian War, and the Salem Witch Trials.

In 1773, however, Britain furnished Adams and his allies with an incendiary issue. The powerful East India Company, finding itself in critical financial straits, appealed to the British government, which granted it a monopoly on all tea...

The major cities in colonial America played a huge role in preparing for the Revolutionary War, both in terms of ways of governing and philosophy. Read about Philadelphia, Williamsburg, New York, and Boston and the events in those cities...

Biographical note on Patrick Henry, the lawyer, patriot, orator, and symbol of the American struggle for liberty and self-government during the American Revolution.

This resource gives a comprehensive account of the Intolerable Acts, why they were passed, colonists' reactions, and particulars surrounding the Massachusetts Government Act and other Coercive Acts with text links and references.

Provides an overview of the history of New York and of how the United States government came to acquire Ellis Island. Fort Gibson was built there prior to the War of 1812 to serve as a strategic post in case of attack.

After the War of Independence, Americans were unable to agree on the form of their federal government. This unit explores how those conflicts played out as the new Republic defined its identity in relation to other nations.