Political

and
Social System of
America
JAMES I
King of England.
He believed in the
Divine Right of
Kings and
constantly
opposed the
Parliament for
contesting his
 Many Englishmen migrated to the other lands so
they could practice their Faith.
 The citizens were not all Catholics; There were also
Presbyterians, Lutherans, Quakers, and Methodists.
 The Colonies were also a source of great wealth for
the English since it supplied fur, gold and other
valuable Items and at the same time a market for
English goods.
England prohibited its American colonies from
trading with other countries .
 The Navigation Acts of 1660 and 1663 were
imposed by Great Britain for its advantage.
Accordingly, the acts required colonizers to sell
certain products such as tobacco, sugar, and indigo
to England and its possessions.
The colonists were forced to buy British- made
To pay for its war in Europe and with the French in the
French and Indian War, the English colonists in
America were taxed for England’s expenses.
The American resorted to boycotting British goods and
smuggling items to avoid paying taxes.
1767 – more taxes under the Townsend Acts raised the
prices of items like paint , glass, paper and tea.
Resentment over taxes grew in cities like Boston. The
Americans also hated seeing British soldiers roaming
their streets and randomly questioning them.
March 1770- English soldiers fired at colonists throwing sticks
and snowballs at them.
1773- Parliament granted the British East India Company
special rights to sell tea in America.
The colonists refused to unload the ships. Instead, some of
them dressed as Indians boarded the vessels and dumped the tea
into the harbor.
This greatly angered the English so they passed a series of
laws that came to be known as Intolerable Acts in 1774.
Under the leadership of Samuel Adams, the first Continental
Congress was established in 1774 which protested the
Battling for
Freedom
 The plea of the United States for emancipation
from English rule led to a war on April 1775. The
Americans were inspired by Thomas Paine’s book
Common sense.
July 4, 1776 – Adopted the Declaration of
Independence.
John Locke’s theory on natural rights was also
partly responsible for the Americans’ burning desire
to be free.
General George Washington
Charles Cornwallis
1777- The Americans won the battle in
Saratoga , New York which led many
English troops to surrender.
In the Treaty of Paris in 1773, Britain
finally recognized American freedom and
sovereignty.
 The Enlightenment and
the American Revolution
The American Revolution
borrowed many concepts
from the Age of
Enlightenment.
o John Locke- was English
Philosopher and commonly
known as “Father of
Liberalism”, widely regarded
as one of the most influential
of Enlightenment.

o Declaration of Independence-
contained Locke’s ideas that
the government drew its
power from its constituents.
This also justified the
 The Constitution of United States was influenced
by the Enlightenment.
 Three branches of government was imprint these
are:
o Legislative- a branch of government that drafts
and passes laws.
o Executive- a branch of government that implement
laws.
THE IDEA OF FREEDOM
INDEPENDENCE
Prepared by:

Roscain, Meliza
Sales, Roselle
Santos, Janeth