The American Revolution Why did the Colonists revolt against the British?
Roots of American Democracy. First Permanent American Colony Jamestown, Virginia. Many colonists in...
-
Upload
benjamin-kevin-doyle -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of Roots of American Democracy. First Permanent American Colony Jamestown, Virginia. Many colonists in...
Roots of American Democracy
First Permanent American Colony
• Jamestown, Virginia.• Many colonists in America practiced a
different religion than the official religion of England, making them know as religious dissenters.
Early signs of Democracy in the Colonies
• Mayflower Compact: System of direct democracy, directly influenced system on New England Town meetings in which citizens discussed and voted on important issues.
• House of Burgesses: First representative assembly in Virginia.
English Abuse Power
• English began taxing American colonies heavily to pay for war debts.
• After the Stamp Act – which placed a heavy tax on newspapers and legal documents – colonists began to boycott English goods.
• Colonists had no representation in Parliament to oppose the taxes, so they greatly resented them.
English Abuse Power
• Pass coercive acts after Boston Tea Party – intended to “coerce” colonists into falling in line.
• Known to colonists as “Intolerable acts.”
Declaration of Independence
• Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson• Influenced largely by enlightenment views on
government.• “The power of government should be derived
from the consent of the governed.”
Revolution
Articles of Confederation
• Created to unite the 13 colonies against England for the revolutionary war.
• Set up a unicameral legislature in which each state had 1 vote.
• Allowed central government to control the Army and deal with foreign countries on it’s behalf.
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
• Lack of Power and Money.– Congress had no power to collect taxes.– Congress had no power to regulate trade.– Congress had no power to enforce its laws.
• Lack of Central Power• No single leader or group directed government policy.• No national court system existed.
• Inflexible• Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states.• The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13
states.
Articles of Confederation Fail
• The colonists did not grant their new central government the power to tax because of their negative experience with Great Britain.
• Basically…the articles of confederation failed because it did not grant the government enough power. If a state didn’t want to follow a law there was no consequence.
Debt Under the A.O.C.
• Unable to collect taxes, congress under the A.O.C. had borrowed money to pay for the revolutionary war.
Lack of Security Under Articles of Confederation
• Shay’s rebellion, an uprising of 1,200 farmers against heavy state taxes, showed that a stronger central force to keep security may be needed in the future.
Setting up a New Constitution – 4 Compromises
1. “The Great Compromise:” counting representation in Congress.
2. The Three-Fifths compromise: how to count slaves towards a states’ population.
3. The Bill of Rights: protecting individual liberties.
4. Electoral College: the presidential election process.
Setting Up a New Constitution
Virginia Plan• Bicameral Legislature• Representation in both
houses based on states’ population.
• Large states favored this plan.
New Jersey Plan• Unicameral Legislature• Equal representation for all
states.• Small states favored this
plan.
The Great Compromise
• Bicameral Legislature.• House of Representatives – Representation
based on states’ population.• Senate – Representation equal for all states.
(2 Senators)
Three-Fifths Compromise
• Northern states did not have many slaves and did not want them counted towards a states population (and therefore representation in Congress).
• Southern states had a lot of slaves and wanted them counted toward their population, even though slaves could not vote and were considered property.
• Eventually the compromise was that 3/5 of all slaves would count towards a states population.
Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
Federalists • Supported a strong national
government.• Many wealthy land-owners
who wanted a strong government to protect their property.
• Believed the Articles of Confederation showed the need for a stronger national government.
Anti-Federalists • Believed a strong national
government would infringe on the liberties won in the revolution.
• Were skeptical of the system, believed it favored wealthy land-owners over the common people.
• Declared they would not ratify constitution without a bill of rights.
The Federalist Papers
• A collection of essays written in support of the constitution (and a strong national government) while it was under debate.
• Published anonymously, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.
• Argued that a strong national government that properly protected individual liberty and the security of the people could be created.
Bill of Rights(First 10 Amendments to the Constitution)
Electoral College
• Debate over whether president should be directly elected or chosen by the national congress.
• Compromise became the state legislatures voting for the president.