HIS106Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 42: Continental Army, Pennsylvania Gazette, Townshend Acts
Document Summary
The 13 colonies based their claims to the independence on their inalienable rights, but they were not as universal as they claimed. Ability to worship, speak, and publish openly and freely. Establishment of a society based upon merit where all are equal before the law. Excluded women, blacks, indigenous, those without property and other minorities. Government established by the consent of the people through elected reps. But (cid:862)the people(cid:863) did (cid:374)ot (cid:373)ea(cid:374) all people. An egalitarian society by early modern standard with social hierarchies: women under control of men and husbands, slaves under control of masters. A large number of men were landholders more than in great britain. There was no titles nobility in the colonies (cid:374)obility did(cid:374)"t (cid:373)ove there. Each colony had a tradition of representative assemblies charters: individual colonies have different rights, colonial men could have a voice and be part of assemblies. They were emphatic that they should not be treated worse than english in britain.
