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