Origins of

American Government

Basic Concepts of Government1. The need for an ordered social

system, or government. 2. The idea of limited

government, that is, that government should not be all-powerful.

3. The concept of representative government—a government that serves and is responsive to the will of the people.

The Magna Carta Signed by King John at Runnymeade

in 1215 Sought protection against arbitrary

acts by the king Fundamental rights like

Protection against taking life, liberty, property

Initially only for the privilegednew taxes only with permission

THE MAGNA CARTA• This was a list of do

and do nots for the king.

• It established the idea of limited government – the power of the monarch was limited not absolute.

The Petition of Right 1628 when Charles I asked Parliament for more money in taxes

Limited king’s power Demanded king no longer imprison or

otherwise punish person without lawful judgment of his peers (Due Process)

No imposition of martial law during peace No housing of king’s troops without

consent

The Petition of Right2

No man should be “compelled to make or yield any gift, loan, benevolence, tax, or such like charge, without common consent by act of parliament.”

English Bill of Rights 1689 Glorious Revolution William & Mary to

throne Free Parliamentary

elections Parliament’s approval

needed for ending laws, and passing new taxes

Subjects right to petition king

Fair trial, no excessive bail, nor cruel or unusual punishment

13 Original Colonies1. The royal colonies were ruled

directly by the English monarchy.

2. The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed proprietary colonies.

3. The charter colonies were mostly self-governed, and their charters were granted to the colonists.

ROYAL COLONIESDIRECTCONTROL-KING-King appoints governor asChief Executive-King appoints council as advisory body to Governor-Also became highest court-Overtime, developed intoBICAMERAL structure(Governor/representative).

-they could tax citizens-all laws approved by Governor and King.

PROPRIETARY COLONIESKING GRANTS LAND –PROPRIETOR

-King grants land to a proprietor-Proprietor appoints Governor-Some were UNICAMERAL-Citizens could appeal to King

CHARTER COLONIESCHARTERS GIVEN TO PEOPLE

-King give Charters to a Groupof People-People elected governor yearly-largely self-governing-BICAMERAL-Judges were appointed by Leg.-Appeals could still go to King-largely for religious freedom-King did not approve laws.

New Hampshire, Mass, N.Y., N.J., Virginia, North Carolina, SouthCarolina and Georgia

Maryland, PennsylvaniaAnd Delaware

Rhode Island andConnecticut

13 Original Colonies

Section 2: Uniting for

Independence

MAYFLOWER COMPACT• The Mayflower Compact

(1620) is the first example of colonial plans for self government.

• The Pilgrim leaders realized they needed rules to govern themselves if they were to survive.

• They also agreed to pick their own leaders and make their own laws, which they would design for their own benefit.

Britain’s Colonial PoliciesKing separately controlled the

13 colonies, mainly through the Privy Council and the Board of Trade in London.

Parliament, while involved in matters of trade, took little part in managing the colonies.

Britain’s Colonial Policies2

Salutary Neglect: Colonies got used to being left alone by England (3,000 miles away across the Atlantic Ocean).

Things changed after the French and Indian War.

England needed revenues (tax money).

Growing Colonial UnityNew England Confederation

Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, Connecticut

1643 league of friendshipDefense against Native

Americans1696: William Penn offered a

plan which was not accepted.

Growing Colonial Unity2

The Albany Plan of Union 1754 7 colonies and the Iroquois Problems with colonial trade and

danger of attacks by French and their Indian allies

Ben Franklin’s Plan but plan was rejected by colonies.

Power to raise military, make war/peace with Indians, regulate Indian trade, collect customs duties.

Stamp Act Stamp Act of 1765:

required use of stamps on all legal documents, business agreements, newspapers, and playing cards.

Created lots of colonial anger

The Stamp Act CongressOctober 1765All colonies except Georgia,

New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia

Declaration of Rights and Grievances against new British policies and sent it to the king.

Repeal & RecourseParliament

Repealed the Stamp ActCreated new laws causing even more colonial resentment

Boycotts by colonialsBoston Massacre 1770

Committees of Correspondence

Carried out organized resistance against property

Formed by Samuel Adams in Boston in 1772

Boston Tea Party-1773Committees spread through

out the colonies

First Continental Congress In response to the Intolerable

Acts, Spring 1774Delegates from all colonies

except Georgia met in Philadelphia on 9/5/1774

Sent Declaration of Rights to King George III

Urged boycott of British trade until taxes repealed

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

• April 19, 1775, “the shot heard ‘round the world” was fired beginning the American Revolution.

• British redcoats clashed with American minutemen at Lexington and Concord.

2nd Continental Congress

Met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775

Lexington & Concord had already occurred

Each colony sent reps

John Hancock president

Served as first government of the US

Declaration of Independence

Proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia

Committee of 5 (Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson) to draft the declaration

Declaration of Independence

7/2: Delegates agreed to Lee’s proposal

7/4: Delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence

First paragraph announces independence

Rest gripes about the king

DECLARATIONDECLARATION OFOF INDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCE

Section 4Creating the Constitution

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Could do’s:1. Make war & peace

2. Receive ambassadors

3. Make treaties

4. Borrow money

5. Set up a money system

6. Post offices

7. Raise an army –navy

8. Settle disputes between states

Could not do’s:1. No taxes

2. Raise money by borrowing and begging the States

3. No regulating trade between the states

4. No power to make states obey the Articles

5. Needed unanimous consent

Who were the Framers?Leaders who were there:

James MadisonGovernor MorrisAlexander HamiltonGeorge WashingtonBen Franklin

Who were the Framers?2

Leaders who were NOT there:Patrick Henry - “smelled a rat”

Samuel Adams & John Hancock – not elected

Thomas Jefferson & Thomas Paine – in Paris

John Adams – In England

The Virginia Plan3 branches of GovernmentBicameral LegislatureNational Executive and

JudiciaryAdvantageous to large

states Introduced by Richard Henry

Lee

The New Jersey PlanUnicameral Legislature

Equal representation for states of different sizes

More than 1 federal executiveAdvantageous to small statesPresented by William Patterson

The Connecticut Compromise

Delegates agreed on a bicameral Congress, one segment with equal representation for States, and the other with representation proportionate to the States’ populations.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Framers decided to count a slave as three-fifths of a person when determining the population of a State.How many

representatives should each State have in House of Representatives

The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

Congress was forbidden from taxing exported goods, and was not allowed to act on the slave trade for 20 years.

Slavery not otherwise addressed.

Influences on the FramersPolitical writings of people

like Locke and RousseauExperience with:

Second Continental Congress

Articles of Confederation Individual State governments

THE CONSTITUTION• James Madison was a

strong advocate of a strong national government.

• He is called “the father of the Constitution” because he was the author of the basic plan of government that was eventually adopted.

Reactions to Finished Job

George MasonOf VirginiaDisappointedOpposed Constitution until his death in 1792

Reactions to Finished Job2

Ben Franklin

“From such an assembly [of

fallible men] can a perfect

production be expected? It…

astonishes me, Sir, to find this

system approaching so near to

perfection as it does…”

Section 5Ratifying the Constitution

Not Necessarily a Done Deal

The Constitution was very controversial at first, with some groups supporting it, and others attacking it.

Particularly concerned about how New York would vote.

RATIFYING THE CONSTITUTION• Two opposing viewpoints arose

about the Constitution: Anti-federalists and Federalists.

• The Anti-federalists said the Constitution was drafted in secrecy and was extralegal, not sanctioned by law. They were against it. They thought state gov. should have more power and Con. didn’t have a bill of rights.

• The Federalists argued that a strong national government was to stop anarchy, political disorder. They were for ratification of the Constitution. They promised a Bill of Rights added to it.

FEDERALISTS VS. ANTI-FEDERALISTS

Anti-FederalistsObjected to the Constitution

for many reasons Thought State

governments should have more power

The lack of a bill of rights and potential for elected monarchy.

Famous Anti-Federalists were

Patrick Henry (smelled a rat)

Samuel Adams Richard Henry Lee George Mason Thomas Jefferson

(absent)

Anti-Federalists Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee

Federalists Thought that the Articles

of Confederation were weak

Supported a strong national government

Argued for the ratification of the Constitution.

Famous Federalists Alexander Hamilton James Madison John Jay

RatificationNine States ratified the

Constitution by June 21, 1788Concerned because lacking

New York and VirginiaGreat debates were held in

both StatesVirginia: June 28, 1788

New YorkSupporters of the Constitution

published a series of essays known as The Federalist.

85 articles by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

Published anonymously under name of Publius

The New GovernmentThe new Congress met for the

first time on March 4, 1789.Congress finally attained a

quorum (majority) on April 6 and counted the electoral votes.

George Washington was unanimously elected President.Inaugurated on April 30.