Group+2+Government+and+Politics

=__Settlement of Massachusetts Bay__= ===John Winthrop was probably the most powerful leader figure in New England in the beginning of the 17th century. John Winthrop led the first Puritan migration of 700 settlers on 11 ships. The purpose of this settlement was to enjoy religious liberty in matters of worship. He then became governor of Massachusetts Bay, and was seen as a great political and religious leader of New England at that time.===

= = =__Government of Plymouth__= ===Most members of the Pilgrims immigration group were Separatists who had split from the Church of England. They had gotten permission from the King of England to settle near the mouth of the Hudson River, but when they arrived at North America they decided to stay there. When they arrived, they knew that land was uncharted territory of the London Company. As a temporary set of laws for that colony, until they got permission from England, they signed the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. On November 11, 1620, on board of the ship, the male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact to maintain order and to establish a civil society.===

= = =__House of Burgesses__= ===The house of Burgesses first met on July 30, 1619 to first set the minimum price for the sale of tobacco. Though the meeting was cut short due to an outbreak of malaria, it soon began to symbolize a representative government. The group consisted of 22 members, which had the governor who was chosen by the company officials in London, the governors council who were the six prominent citizens that the governor had chosen, and the burgesses representatives. The House of Burgesses began meeting once a year to make new laws. in 1624, Virginia had become a royal colony. They continued to meet, but their influence in decisions became very limited.===

[[image:psontheimer/houseofburgesses2.jpg width="460" height="322" caption="House of Burgesses"]]
= = ===The northern colonies had a tough time growing crops, because soil was not good, and with such harsh winters the crops died quickly. For those who were close to the oceans, they mostly had fish. The middle colonies were the most prosperous, as they grew so much wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn, and were nicknamed the "breadbasket." Wheat could be turned into flour, and both could be sold in the others colonies or could be sold in Europe. The cash crops in the southern colonies were tobacco, rice, and indigo. There was a high demand of tobacco in England, and it quickly became the best crop that was grown in America.===

=__Crime and Punishment__= ===the religious leaders and magistrates of colonies are the ones that made the laws and decided on the punishments that were given. Many of the religious leaders believed that to disrespect god was sinful and whoever did would be punished. The citizens were reminded that you were to go to church twice a day, and failure to do this was punishable by the loss of food that day. To do this again was punishable by whipping and if it was done a third time, six months of rowing in the colony's galleys. Punishments were almost always public, as they wanted to humiliate the criminal and teach him a lesson so that he would be eager to get back on the religious track. Some examples of punishment were:=== ===**The way that the officials branded the criminals was also quite barbaric. For example, if you were a burglar, you would be branded with a capital B in the right hand for the first time and in the left for the second. If the crime was committed on the Lords Day (Sunday) then you would be branded on the forehead. In Maryland, all of the county's were given orders to brand all criminals, with the letters specifically prescribed. SL stood for seditious libel, M for manslaughter, T for thief, R for Rogue or vagabond, and F for forgery. An example of this is in the States of Maryland and Virginia, if you were to steal a hog, you would have your ears cropped and you were pilloried. For a second offense, you would be fined and have the letter H burned on your forehead, and punishment was twice as bad if you were a slave. The third offense was execution. In New England, Jesuits and Quakers were feared as "Blasphemous Hereticks" for their "devilish opinions", and were asked to never return. If they did, the punishment was ears being cut off, tongues bored through with hot iron, and severe whipping until the criminal was bleeding.**===
 * **in early 1600's, a man by the name of Roger Scott was arrested for "repeated sleeping on the Lord's Day" and was sentenced to be severely whipped for "striking the person who waked him from his godless slumber."**
 * **In Maine of 1682 a man named Andrew Searle had to give up 5 shillings for "wandering from place to place" instead of "frequenting the publique worship of god"**
 * **Another mans crime was described as "lewd and unseemly behavior" when he kissed his wife in public. Captain Kemble was returning home on a Sunday after three years at sea, and it earned him many hours of public humiliation in the stocks.**



=__Citations:__=

. "Mayflower Compact-The Common Anchor." // All About History //. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sep 2012. .

" [|1600-1754: Government and Politics: Chronology.] " __ American Eras __. 1997. // Encyclopedia.com. // 22 Sep. 2012 < [|http://www.encyclopedia.com] >.

Greene, Jack P.. " Colonial America Government and Politics." // History.com //. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sep 2012. .

Cox, James A.. "Bilboes, Brands, and Branks." // Colonial Williamsburg //. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sep 2012. .

__Pictures:__
[] endtimepilgrim.org

ushistory.org

=Links:= http://www.allabouthistory.org/mayflower-compact.htm http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536600290.html http://www.history.com/topics/colonial-government-and-politics []