Road to Representation Worksheet
New York’s Road to Self-Government
Colonial Civics • 7th Grade Social Studies Guided Inquiry
Name:
Date:
:
Key Vocabulary / Vocabulario Clave
Director-General: (Director General) Appointed ruler with total lawmaking power.
Petition: (Petición) Written citizen request demanding rights or change.
Elected Assembly: (Asamblea) Lawmakers voted in by citizens to represent them.
Representation: (Representación) Having an elected voice in government.
1 Reading Chunk 1: Dutch Rule & Company Control (New Netherland) Read carefully
When the Dutch founded New Netherland, the colony was run by the Dutch West India Company. The company cared most about making money from the fur trade. It chose a director-general to make the laws, and colonists had almost no voice. Director-General Peter Stuyvesant was known for his strict rule. Many colonists grew frustrated and wrote petitions asking for more rights. In 1664, when English warships arrived, colonists refused to fight for Stuyvesant, and the Dutch surrendered.
Reading Checkpoint: Underline ONE important sentence in the paragraph above, then explain its importance:
Sentence Starter: The sentence I underlined is important because it shows that...
1. Who held most of the power in New Netherland? Use evidence from the reading.
Sentence Starter: In New Netherland, most of the power was held by... because the text states that...
2. Why do you think the Dutch West India Company did not give colonists a voice in government?
Sentence Starter: The Dutch West India Company did not give colonists a voice because their primary goal was...
3. Why might the Dutch colonists have refused to fight the English in 1664?
Sentence Starter: The Dutch colonists likely refused to defend Director-General Stuyvesant because...
Unit 2: Colonial Development • Scaffolded Guided Reading Page 1 of 2 → Turn over for Part 2: English Rule & The Assembly
Part II: English Rule, Assembly Powers & Colonial Voice
Name: Period:
2 Reading Chunk 2: English Rule & The Assembly (1664–1691) Read carefully
The colony was renamed New York. At first, the Duke of York controlled the colony and did not allow an elected assembly. Colonists kept asking for representation. In 1683, the Duke finally allowed an assembly, and the Charter of Libertyes and Privileges listed rights for colonists. After the Duke became king, New York became a royal colony. By 1691, the elected assembly was a permanent part of New York’s government. It controlled taxes, which gave colonists real power.
Reading Checkpoint: Underline ONE important sentence in the paragraph above, then explain its importance:
Sentence Starter: This sentence is important because it demonstrates that...
4. What was the Charter of Libertyes and Privileges, and why was it important?
Sentence Starter: The Charter of Libertyes and Privileges was a document that listed... and it was important because...
5. Why was controlling taxes such an important power for the assembly?
Starter: Controlling taxes gave the assembly real power because royal leaders could not...
6. Compare Dutch vs. English rule. Which gave more voice by 1691? (2 facts)
Starter: By 1691, [Dutch / English] rule gave more voice because 1) ... and 2) ...
Extension Challenge Higher-Level
7. How might New York’s experience with an assembly shape how colonists felt about British rule later on?
Starter: Having an assembly made colonists expect that they had a right to... so later on...
Daily Exit Ticket
Formative • 2 Min
Why did having a voice in government matter so much to colonists, and how does that idea still matter today?
Scaffold: Having a voice mattered because... Today, it matters because...
Unit 2: Colonial Development • New York State Social Studies Framework (Grade 7) Page 2 of 2 • Completed Guided Inquiry
Representation Teacher Answer Key
Road to Representation
Teacher Answer Key
Part 1 Guide • Exemplar Responses, Text Evidence & Scoring Notes
Grade 7 Social Studies NYS Framework 7.2c • Civics
Vocabulary Conceptual Checks (Look-Fors)
Director-General: Look for recognition of an appointed corporate ruler without citizen election.
Petition: Look for understanding that colonists used written appeals as their only peaceful recourse.
Elected Assembly: Look for contrast between royal decree and representative democracy.
Representation: Look for connecting representation directly to having power and voice.
1 Reading Checkpoint 1 Exemplar & Criteria Target: Analysis of Evidence
Acceptable Underlined Sentences & Sample Explanations:
- If student underlined sentence about fur trade: "The sentence I underlined is important because it shows that the company cared more about profit and trade than protecting the human rights or welfare of the settlers."
- If student underlined sentence about director-general making laws: "The sentence I underlined is important because it shows that one unelected leader held total power, leaving regular citizens completely voiceless."
- If student underlined sentence about petitions / refusal to fight: "The sentence I underlined is important because it shows that colonists did not just accept poor treatment; they took active steps to push back and demand self-rule."
Question 1: Who held most power in New Netherland? Text Evidence Required
Exemplar: In New Netherland, most of the power was held by the Dutch West India Company and Director-General Peter Stuyvesant because the text states that the company chose a director-general to make all the laws, and colonists had almost no voice in government.
Teacher Note: Clarify for students that New Netherland was run by a for-profit private business corporation, not directly by a monarch.
Question 2: Why the company denied colonists a voice Historical Inference
Exemplar: The Dutch West India Company did not give colonists a voice because their primary goal was making money from the fur trade, and company directors wanted total efficiency and control over trade, profits, and taxes without colonists debating or voting against their financial interests.
Question 3: Why colonists refused to fight the English in 1664 Cause & Effect
Exemplar: The Dutch colonists likely refused to defend Director-General Stuyvesant because