CE - Salutary Neglect (Lesson)
Salutary Neglect
Have you ever heard the phrase “behind someone’s back”? It usually implies that someone is doing something against the better wishes of another. Often times the action is negligent or deceitful. In the case of the period of Salutary Neglect in the colonies, this phrase could be used to relate the foundation of Colonial America self-governance as the British government eased their oversight of the North American colonies. In this section you will learn how the North American colonies began to self-govern and further resent English rule.
Salutary Neglect
Colonial self-government traces back to the Mayflower Compact. The Puritan founders of the Plymouth Colony established the Mayflower Compact as an understanding to govern themselves by a majority rule. Other standards of colonial rule would establish to include town meetings, voting rights to male land owners, and the establishment of colonial legislatures. When the Glorious Revolution of 1689 occurred, British Parliament and the new British rulers, William and Mary, dissolved a much resented Dominion of New England and returned many colonies to their original governing status. In 1721, the first Prime Minister of England began a period of colonial oversight known as Salutary Neglect. Under Salutary Neglect, as long as the colonies provided the much needed resources to England they were, in turn, allowed to resume their previous governance models with less oversight from the British government. The result was a colonial dependence on self-government and colonial governance model for each colony of a colonial governor and legislature. The unintended consequence of Salutary Neglect was an increased desire for independence which ultimately led to the American Revolution.
House of Burgesses
The earliest elected legislature began shortly after the founding of Jamestown. Virginia’s House of Burgesses established a foundation for colonial dependence on elected officials and representation which would later manifest into the colonists’ desire to have “no taxation without representation” in British Parliament.
Bacon's Rebellion
Because of the dependence on colonial legislatures, colonists of all backgrounds believed their interests would be protected by those elected to serve in these legislatures. Former indentured servants often moved into frontier areas to find affordable land and escape further servitude. These former indentured servants payed taxes to the Jamestown colony. While moving west into the frontier, they encountered conflicts with local natives. These indentured servants expected their tax contributions would provide them protection from the local natives. When the wealthy Jamestown legislators refused to provide protection, the former indentured servants, led by Nathanael Bacon, rebelled. Bacon’s Rebellion was eventually put down, but not before they set fire to Jamestown itself. There are two outcomes of Bacon’s Rebellion that are of significance. First, Bacon’s Rebellion established that colonial legislatures should look out for the best interests of all colonists, not just the wealthy elite. Second, the wealthy plantation owners increasingly began to view indentured servants as an expensive liability. As such, Bacon’s Rebellion is often attributed to the end of indentured servitude in the North American colonies and the increase in African slavery.
Based on the previous reading, which outcome of Bacon’s Rebellion do you consider to be most impactful on the future of The United State of America? Which outcome do you think had the greatest impact on world history?
IMAGE: HOUSE OF BURGESSES BY SMASH THE IRON CAGE [CC BY-SA 4.0], FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS