The Real Story of the American Revolution 

Founding of and Charters for the Colonies (1606-1754)

Latest Changes: 07Apr26 - split from newhope.htm / 07Jul19 - more on Britaiin's governance in 1600-1750 / 08Jun27 - edit text and graphics slightly /

The earliest British colonies in North America were established either by a royal charter to a group or as a royal proprietorship to individuals (and their heirs) from James I (king from 1603-1625) and his son Charles I (1625-1642). James I sponsored the Bible translation that became known as the King James version, but his persecution of some religious sects led to their emigration to New England. Both James and Charles believed that their right to rule came from God and that they needed to answer only to God for their actions. During most of Charles I's reign as king of England he tried to dominate the Parliament History of the Granting of Charters for Groups (G-red), Proprietors (P-yellow), and Royal Governors (G-light blue): Date Area Details 1606 VA G to the Virginia Company of London 1624 VA G>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1629 MA G to the Puritans (Note: ME was part of MA until after the Revolution) 1629 NH P to David Thompson and John Mason (Note: The area that is now VT was claimed by both NH and NY until 1790.) 1632 CT G for Hartford area to the Puritans 1632 MD P to the Calvert family For the next thirty years political turmoil in England weakened the influence of the British government on the American colonies, and the colonists developed local governance and law enforcement structures to suit their needs. 1642-49: During the English Civil War political turmoil prevented the chartering of new colonies. In 1649 Charles I was beheaded and his sons Charles II and James fled to exile in France. 1649-58: During the Commonwealth and Protectorate Oliver Cromwell had dictatorial powers, but he refused to take on the title of king. Date Area Details 1647 RI G from the British parliament to a group representing several religious sects In 1660 Parliament invited Charles II to come back from exile and reign as king in England. One of his first acts was to grant the east coast of North America between New England and Virginia to his brother James, the Duke of York (who later became king). In 1679 Parliament passed the Habeus Corpus Amendment Act, prohibiting the detention of a prisoner for an extended period of time without the consent of Parliament. Before this act was passed the king could imprison people without being required to show cause supported by evidence in a court trial. This right and others related to fair application of the law is covered in the U.S. Bill of Rights -- Amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Date Area Details 1662 CT G replaced earlier charter with a charter for all of CT to the settlers of the entire area 1663 RI G from the king replaced the earlier charter from parliament 1663 NC/SC P for the Carolinas to eight lords 1664 NJ/NY P to the duke of York 1680 NH P>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1681 PA P to the Penn family (Note: DE was part of PA until it declared independence from PA in 1776 June) In 1685 Charles II died and his brother James II became king of England, By 1688 he had been driven back into exile in France due to his favoring Catholics for office. Parliament offered the crown to James' nephew William (who was married to James' daughter Mary) provided they sign an agreement -- The English Bill of Rights -- that made it clear that the powers of the king were secondary to those of Parliament. Because of this new power structure this conflict became known as the Glorious Revolution. 1688-1702: During William's reign the dominant mode for colonial governance shifted from groups and proprietors to more direct and centralized governance by governors appointed by the crown. Date Area Details 1691 MA G>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1691 MD P>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1691 NC/SC P>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1702 NJ P>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor 1712 NC/SC split into NC and SC, each with a Royal Governor 1732 GA G to a group Trustees led by Oglethorpe 1754 GA G>R: converted to rule through a Royal Governor Changes in Governance -- by State and by Mode           During the twenty-two years before the Revolution (1754-76) CT and RI were the only colonies operating under charters to a group, while NY and PA (which included DE) were the only proprietorships. The other eight colonies were administered by royal governors. Colonial Charters, Grants and Related Documents [The Avalon Project at Yale Univ.] has the full text of the terms of the charters to groups and proprietorships.

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