From North to South and the lead up to the Documents that created America

Documenting self-governance up to the 1760’s

Connecticut is considered the Constitution State. The origin being the first recorded self-governing agreement to run the Connecticut “colony” (can not technically be a “British” colony if run by free men).

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – June 4, 1639:

The 4th day of the 4th month, called June, 1639, all the free planters assembled together in a general meeting, to consult about settling civil government, according to GOD, and the nomination of persons that might be found, by consent of all, fittest, in all respects for the foundation work of a church, which was intended to be gathered in Quinipiack. After solemn invocation of the name of GOD, in prayer for the presence and help of his spirit and grace, in those weighty businesses, they were reminded of the business whereabout they met, for the establishment of such civil order as might be most pleasing unto GOD, and for the choosing the fittest men for the foundation work of a church to be gathered.

Forasmuch as it hath pleased the Allmighty God by the wise disposition of his diuyne1 pruidence so to Order and dispose of things that we the Inhabitants and Residents of Windsor, Harteford and Wethersfield are now cohabiting and dwelling in and vppon the River of Conectecotte and the Lands thereunto adioyneing; and Well knowning where a people are gathered togather the word of God requires that to mayntayne the peace and vnion of such a people there should be an orderly and decent Gouerment established according to God, to order and dispose of the affayres of the people at all seasons as occation shall require; doe therefore assotiate and conioyne our selues to be as one Publike State or Commonwelth; and doe, for our selues and our Successors and such as shall be adioyned to vs att any tyme hereafter, enter into Combination and Confederation togather, to mayntayne and prsearue the liberty and purity of the gospell of our Lord Jesus wch we now prfesse, as also the disciplyne of the Churches, wch according to the truth of the said gospell is now practised amongst vs; As also in o[u]r Cieuell2 Affaires to be guided and gouerned according to such Lawes, Rules, Orders and decrees as shall be made, ordered & decreed, as followeth:—

1639: Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. Online Library of Liberty. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/1639-fundamental-orders-of-connecticut

Notice ‘4th month’ referenced. Since when was June the 4th month? Time permitting, research The Book of Enoch and the chapters for THE BOOK OF THE COURSES OF THE HEAVENLY LUMINARIES. This ancient work (with debated origin dates) describes March as the first month, with June being the 4th month using the spring equinox as the starting point for the year. This is a 364 day solar calendar unlike our 365 day lunar Gregorian calendar.

The Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch Index. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/

Here are significant dates that follow The Fundamental Orders:

• 1641 New England makes Slavery legal.

• 1651 British Parliament passes Navigation Act (1st)

In reference to the Navigation Acts and money in America, i suggest reading the Badlands Media Substack. The coverage on the Federal Reserve, banking, and money that i will reference in future articles are very well described by Badlands Media and will tie into this history without the need to re-write the same content.

For example, before the US Revolution took place, Great Britain imposed several Navigation Acts that all but crippled the colonies. The colonists decided to create their own form of money, free from the controls of the Bank of England. This led to one of the most economically-successful periods in American history, arguably better than what the country enjoyed after 1776.

• February 10, 2023 - Cracks in the Curtain Substack article by Badlands Media

• 1652 Rhode Island passes the first law within the colonies making slavery illegal.

• 1660 British Parliament passes Navigation Act (2nd installment)

• 1663 British Parliament passes Navigation Act (3rd installment)

• 1673 British Parliament passes laws governing import control

• 1675 Capture-Of-King-Phillips-Fort. Earliest attacks against Colonists begins King Philip’s War.

• 1676 Declaration of the People of Virginia leads to Bacon’s Rebellion. This is one of the first Declarations outside the Mayflower Compact. And one of many in the early American historical fight for actual independence.

• 1677 Colonists in North Carolina rebel against taxation by the English.

The next significant series of documents of freedom and self-government came from Pennsylvania.

• 1681: King Charles II of England owed $80,000 to Admiral Sir William Penn, and as payment for the debt, the king granted what is today Pennsylvania to the admiral's son, also named William Penn. Originally the territory was named New Wales, but after a Welsh member of England’s Privy Council objected, it was renamed Sylvania (woods). The king changed the name to Pennsylvania, in honor of the admiral. (Notice how a King owes money to a navy admiral and land owner).

• 1681 – Jan 5: The founding of Pennsylvania, about 40,000 square miles, was confirmed to William Penn under the Great Seal. Penn induced people to emigrate, the terms being 40 shillings per hundred acres, and "shares" of 5,000 acres for 100 pounds. These generous terms induced many to set out for the New World.

• 1682 – Aug: William Penn set sail from England with Captain Greenway, in the ship Welcome. The ship was filled with additional passengers, mostly Quakers, with good estates.

• 1682 – Oct 27: Welcome arrived at New Castle and then the next day arriving at Philadelphia. Penn was 38 when he and his friends used an open boat and came up from Chester to Dock Creek, it is believed.

• Pennsylvania's first constitution, the Frame of Government was drafted in April 1682, providing for an upper house and lower house of the legislature. The assembly approved the second Frame of Government in 1683.

• In 1696, Penn established the landmark Charter of Privileges (Charter of Liberties), which was approved in 1701, and was a document “given” to the settlers in PA. The issue with this document is that it assumed that Penn could dictate what man had as far as privileges and liberties. This charter document lasted until the “American Revolution”.

Independence Hall Association. (n.d.). Pennsylvania 1630-1700. ushistory.org. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.ushistory.org/pennsylvania/pennsylvania.html

In 1684, New England saw another appointment of English direct rule in the form of the Dominion of New England (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and eventually Plymouth). This was created after the Massachusetts Charter was revoked due to complaints about local magistrates and application of laws and taxes.

By 1689, there was another revolt called the Boston Rebellion which toppled the Dominion rule. In 1689, William and Mary granted a new charter to New England. The power went back into the hands of the local governments, and the Protestant control. However; the local control did not always go well. The Salem Witch trials take place by 1692. Mass hysteria/psychosis fueled by smallpox epidemic, fear of attacks by native tribes, and a strong belief in the devil, kicked off this poor example of local government fear-trial control that had to be disbanded by Governor William Phipps.

Other important events are:

• 1690 King William’s War starts to spread to the colonies

• 1692 Salem Witch trials take place in a village in Massachusetts

• 1696 British parliament passes second round of import control laws

• 1699 The British parliament in England passes the Wool Act

• 1705 The Virginia Black Code is passed in Virginia

• 1706 Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston, Massachusetts

• 1707 Act of the Union combines England, Scotland, and Wales as part of the United Kingdom

• 1710 Post Office Act passes in the English parliament. Begins a postal system in the colonies

• 1718 May 7. The French establishes New Orleans

• 1720 Population of the American colonists reaches approximately 475,000

• 1732 George Washington of Virginia is born

• 1732 British parliament passes the Hat Act

• 1733 British parliament passes the Molasses Act

• 1737 First copper Coins of the Colony are minted in Connecticut

• 1750 British Parliament passes the Iron Act

• 1750 “No Taxation without Representation” was a phrase used by Rev Jonathan Mayhew.

• 1751 British parliament forbids the printing and use of colony paper money in New England

• 1754 Delegates from seven colonies met at the Albany Congress

• 1763 Feb. 10. French and Indian War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris

In the south (North and South Carolina, and Georgia) the colonies were primarily run by proprietors with land grants. The English crown issued land grants as early as 1632 for this area, however, settlement was slow and did not take off until around 1663 through the influence of extremely wealthy land proprietors from England. This gives a little bit of insight into the plantation structure that came out of this original settling of the south. It was more of a social control experiment with limited land grants to those either settling or brought under indenture. From 1669 until 1693 there was a feudal type set of constitutions in place called Fundamental Constitutions for the Carolina’s. By 1693, this was abandoned and power was slowly moved to the local assemblies. It was increasingly difficult to make money on items like silk and other desired items, but other products were starting to flourish like rice.

We start to see the benefits again of local assemblies in the south and control by the people by the end of the 1600’s. In England, there was much confusion on how to handle the colonies due to the random growth, varying priorities of companies and charters, ongoing crown and political issues in England, wars with France and Spain, and an uncertainty on how to capitalize on the colonies production while being so far away and hard to control.

To attempt to maintain control, parliament in England continued to establish legislation through various Acts that continued to impose restrictions and taxation on the independent colonies. Sound familiar to what you see today? Same playbook, new century. The list of acts are long and increased the push from the settlers to attain true independence from England.

In the 80 years between 1660 and 1740, three great new forces began to reshape the British colonies in North America. They were the economic regulations embodied in the Acts of Trade and Navigation, the partial systematization of imperial administration, and the contest with the French for dominion over the continent. By the year 1700 the colonists numbered roughly 250,000 and were increasing at a rate that has seldom been equaled in the history of Western nations. Immigration, early marriages, the economic value of children in an agricultural society, and the relatively high level of health sped this growth.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). The Carolinas and Georgia. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-colonies/The-Carolinas-and-Georgia#ref1268561

Due to the distance and general complacency of the British crown over colonial affairs up until 1760, the colonies became used to their freedoms and were relatively self-governing and very decentralized.

The years after the middle 1700’s become very contentious between the new American continent and European rulers. The desire to limit unjust taxation, conflicts-of-interest of title holders to the “free” land owners in America, and the constant attempts of British Parliament to impose restrictions, led to the growing discontentment of the people in America who were not, and did not believe it was necessary to be loyal to the crown. A true push for freedom of trade and land ownership was growing.

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In the next installment, the rise of the documented push back to Britain and the desire for real independence starts to be reflected in ways that put Britain on notice for their imposing control of commerce, trade and freedom. There are many documents not discussed in our educational system that are important to understand how the 50-75 years of the late 1700’s re-shaped our land more than just the Declaration of Independence and Constitutions.

After covering these crucial moments in history, it will help paint the picture of the events that actually occurred and realize that what we think of as a Constitution today is not wholly what was put in place to form a true Constitutional Republic.

Colonial Society in the 1700’s - by Miles Hodges

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