origins of american government. section 2.1 basic concepts of government
TRANSCRIPT
Chp. 2
Origins of American Government
Section 2.1
Basic Concepts of Government
Ordered
Based on English style: still around; sheriff, justice of the peace, grand juries and counties
Limited Gov. is restricted in what it can do, every
individual has certain rights Gov. can’t take away
Representative Gov. Should serve the will of the people
Governments
Magna CartaThe great charter.Runnymede 1215, EnglandBarons dissatisfied with King John’s heavy taxes and battles• Trial by Jury• Due process• Originally these were for
upper class only, but over time became every English citizens rights
The petition of RightMagna Carta Respected/disrespected by English Rule for 400 yearsCharles the first wanted more $$ for taxes, Parliament wouldn’t give it until he signed• No wrongful imprisonment• Jury trial by peers• No martial law in peace• Effectively ended divine right
The English Bill of Rights, 1689William and Mary of Orange offered the throne. Must agree to Bill of Rights• No standing army in
peacetime• Right to fair trial• Freedom from excessive bail
and cruel and unusual punishment
The 13 Colonies
Royal Colonies Direct Control of the
crown 1775 there were 8: New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia
Bi-cameral: there was approval for laws from a governor and the King
Proprietary Colonies 1775 there were 3:
Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware
Land was “owned” by someone and governor was appointed by owner
The 13 Colonies
The charter colonies Massachusetts bay
colony, Connecticut and Rhode island
Governors were elected by white male property owners
Laws made by legislature in these colonies were not subject to governor veto
Section 2.2
The Coming of Independence
Events that led to the Revolution
1643: New England Confederation 1696: Penn offers Inter-colonial
cooperation 1754: The Albany plan 1765: The Stamp Act Congress 1770, March 5: Boston Massacre 1772: Committees of
Correspondence 1773, Dec. 12: Boston Tea party 1774, spring: The intolerable acts 1774, Sep. 5: First Continental
Congress 1775, April 19: Battles of Lexington
and Concord (Am. Rev.) 1775, May 10: Second Continental
Congress 1776, June 7: Resolution of
independence (Lee’s resolution) 1776, July 2: Agreed to Lee’s
resolution 1776, July 4: Adopted Declaration of
independence 1781, March 1: Articles of
Confederation are ratified
Britain became more involved in trying to govern the colonies in the 1760s. Delegates joined the first Continental Congress to plan opposition to British policy. The second Continental Congress proclaimed independence and served as the first US Gov. After the Declaration of Independence, most of the 13 States adopted written constitutions, which later influenced the US constitution
Section 2.3
The Critical Period
The second continental congress adopted the Articles
of Confederation to establish a more lasting form of government
Under the Articles of confederation, each state had one vote in congress; no executive or judicial branches existed
Congress did not have the power to tax, regulate commerce, or make the states obey the Articles
The Articles weaknesses led to bickering among the states
The growing need for a stronger National Gov. led to plans for a Constitutional Convention
Facts
The Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation
during the Revolutionary War. The articles were written to give the colonies some sense of a unified government. Once the thirteen colonies became the thirteen states, however, each one began to act alone in its own best interest. A new governing document was needed in order for these new states to act together, to become a nation.
The Articles of Confederation became effective on March 1, 1781, after all thirteen states had ratified them. The Articles made the states and legislature supreme. There was no executive branch. Judicial functions were very limited.
The resulting government was weak. Efforts to make it stronger failed. A convention called in May 1787 to re-write the Articles decided to draft an entirely new Constitution.
Articles of Confederation
Section 2.4
Creating the Constitution
The constitutional Convention convened in
Philadelphia to revise the Articles of the Confederation
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan each offered an approach to organizing a new government
Delegates accepted compromises that led to agreement on the configuration of Congress and other issues
Facts
The Framers
55 reps from 13 states went to Philadelphia for convention
famous and involved they were an impressive group
Elected George Washington President of the Convention
Decided to create an entirely new Gov. for the U.S.
Constitutional Compromises
Three-Fifths Compromise
• 3/5 of slaves counted for representati
on
• 3/5 of slaves counted for
taxation
Connecticut Compromis
e
• Bicameral Congress
• Equal represenat
i-on in senate
• Representat-ion by
State population in house
Commerce and Slave
Trade Compromise• Congress forbidden to tax exports• Congress forbidden to
interfere with slave trade until
1808
• Congress could
regulate commerce
The “Plans”
New Jersey Plan Small state plan to get equal
representation in the Gov. Led to the Senate New Jersey had the smallest
amount of population, they knew that if the Virginia Plan succeeded that they would have no voice in government at all so they countered the plan with the New Jersey Plan that if there were equal amount of people from each state then no one state would rule the government.
Virginia Plan Large state plan to get
representation based on population in the Gov.
Led to the House of Representatives
Virginia was a big state at the time, they knew if they had a government based on population, then they would have the biggest voice in government
John LockeJohn Locke FRS, widely known as the Father of Classical Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Tabla Rasa No Government without the governed
Montesquieu Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. Came up with Legislative, Judicial and Executive BranchesWanted to reform Slavery
Jean- Jacques Rousseau The social Contract Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological, and educational thought
William BlackstoneSir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England(an overview of how British Law works)
Section 5
Ratifying the Constitution
Comparison
Federalists The articles of
Confederation are too weak Only a stronger national
Gov. can overcome the difficulties the Republic faces
Liberties that could be included in a bill of rights are covered in the state constitutions
Anti-Federalists
The states would no longer have the power to print money
The national Gov. would be given too much power
There should be no bill of rights.
George Washington1st President of the U.S. New York was the last Key state to ratify the Constitution11 of the 13 states were under “1 federal roof” April 6, 1789 Elected as president of the U.S.ANew York was the first temporary capital