Individual Rights In Americ Freemen During The Colonial Era

During the colonial era in America, the words freedom and liberty had a different meaning than how we perceive them today. The discrepancies between the four liberties help lay out where an individual’s freedoms lie, however further interpretation of colonial law can illustrate how individual rights were limited by higher authority. In this paper, I will argue that freemen during the colonial-era in America were limited to individual freedoms and rights, rather granted a form of freedom through communal consensus and higher authority. I will explore how individual freedoms were limited through analyzing the Virginia and Massachusetts charters, through trading with Indians, servitude, religious practices, and mandatory church attendance. Freemen
Trade was legal between colonists and Indians, however there were lots of regulations. Any form of trade or sale with Indians that consisted of “shot, or powder, or any other arms offensive or defensive” was illegal to prevent Indians from possessing these powerful weapons. The individual who committed the transaction was convicted as a “traitor to the colony.” A freeman could trade with Indians, but any form of trade was heavily monetized by higher ranking individuals to control the outcomes of these transactions. Authorities, like the Court of Assistants of the Massachusetts Bay colony, had the power to increase fines and punishment. Furthermore, it was at the Courts discretion in the colonies to increase these punishments, limiting individuals’ freedom of trading, and increasing the laws implemented by the community. Another way in which freedom was limited for freemen was through the laws regulating the possession of servants. A freeman had the right to posses a servant, but many regulations were imposed by both higher-ranking officials and by communal