Do Now:Grab today’s Agenda (1:4) from the Outbox. Then answer the following:

“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know where it is today.”

- Robert E. LeeWhat do you think Lee meant by this?How important do you think it is to know your heritage?

Know Your Heritage

Our British Heritage• After Rome• William the Conqueror• Monarch vs. Parliament• Documents of Freedom

After RomeBefore Rome…• Britain didn’t have a national identify.

They were just a bunch of local tribes.• They were farmers and traders. And

because they were an island, they were uninfluenced by what was going on in mainland Europe…• …until Julius Caesar, who invaded Britain

in 55 BCE.

After RomeRoman Empire• England was part of the Roman

Empire.• While over the centuries, Britain was

subject to Roman rule, they were largely independent (since they were so far away).• But the British enjoyed the perks of

being a citizen of the Roman Empire.

After RomeThe Fall• Roman rule had started to decline long before its

fall and goods and services that were granted to the people by the empire had disappeared. • So small towns and villages were left to take care

of themselves and so they developed a sort of self-government, on the local level. That meant:1. People were entitled to their property.2. It’s the government’s job to protect their

property.3. If the government wants to take away our

property or our freedom, they can only do so following specified procedure (due process).

William the ConquerorWilliam I• 1028 – 1087• Duke of Normandy (France)• Invaded and conquered England at the Battle of

Hastings in 1066. Became the monarch of England.

William the ConquerorNorman Rule• To gain the quick trust of the people,

William promised to uphold existing laws and customs. • From William I came the rest of the

British monarch as we know them today.

Monarch vs. ParliamentOrigins of Parliament• To ensure he kept his promise to the people and

uphold existing laws and customs, William I established a group of royal advisors to the king.

• This group would eventually be called Parliament – from the French word parle, to speak. (Remember that William I was from France!)

• Parliament was created to represent the people, to protect their rights (due process and trial by jury) and property.

• William I consulted Parliament regarding legal traditions, customs, and taxes. Since taxation required the taking of property from the people, the king needed the people’s permission.

Monarch vs. ParliamentConflict• But having a Parliament didn’t stop many

British monarchs from acting like absolutists and ignoring, and sometimes even disbanding, Parliament.• The next 600 years of British history was

largely defined between this conflict between Monarch and Parliament:• Many monarchs believed in Divine Right and

the notion they could do whatever they wanted. They felt their power should trump that of Parliament.

• Parliament felt that since they represented the people, and the king should always consult the people, their power should trump that of the monarch.

Homework:Grab a chart from the Out Box. Complete the highlighted (the one with the arrow) column

only!

Documents of Freedom  Magna Carta British Petition of Rights English Bill of Rights

 Year 

 Written By

 

 Written For

 

   

Purpose of Document   

  

   Which rights did it guarantee?

     

Magna CartaGuarantees• Habeas Corpus – a court order that requires a person under arrest to be brought

before a judge or into court in order to question their imprisonment.• Due Process – “No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed, or

outlawed or exiled, or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him, nor will we send against him except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land… To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice.”• Rule of Law• No taxation without consent of ParliamentSignificance• Challenged the idea that monarchs had absolute power• Defined a basic set of rights for individuals

British Petition of RightsGuarantees• Property rights• Taxation with consent• Habeas Corpus• No quartering• Rule of law – particularly to monarchs, that are subject to the same laws as everyone else and

have to answer for their crimes.• Due processSignificance• Like the Magna Carta, it diverged from the idea that God appointed kings, giving them “divine

right” of absolute power.• People began to adopt the conviction that a king’s power was not God-given, leading them to feel

that they could reduce the king’s rights and expand their own.

English Bill of RightsGuarantees• No taxation without consent• Freedom of petition• No standing army during times of peace• Right to bear arms• Free speech in Parliament• No cruel and unusual punishmentSignificance• Thus ends the conflict between monarch and parliament• Parliament won

Conclusion• The heritage of the U.S. government lies within the history of the British government.• The British people have always had a sense of self-government, even before the Roman

Empire. The purpose of government was to protect property, which included:• Consent of the Governed• Due Process• Trial by Jury

• The political history of Britain largely consists of the conflict between monarch and parliament. This struggle resulted in the creation of several historic documents.

• These historic documents serve as the foundation for the British government, including the basic Rights of Englishmen.

• It is this heritage that serves as the foundation for U.S. Government.