Transcript pre-colonial antecedents

ORIGINS OF
AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT
BASIC CONCEPTS OF
GOVERNMENT

English colonists brought 3 ideas to North
American that would help shape the government
of the United States
 ordered government


limited government


local governments to regulate relationships in a
community (sheriff, justice of the peace, tax assessor)
which states that government is restricted in what it
may do, and each individual has rights that
government cannot take away.
representative government

public policies are made by officials selected by the
voters and held accountable in periodic elections
LANDMARK ENGLISH
DOCUMENTS

These notions of government can be
traced to several landmark documents in
English history.



The Magna Carta
The Petition of Right
The English Bill of Rights
Magna Carta - 1215
Required the King of England to proclaim
certain rights, respect certain legal
procedures and accept that his will could
be bound by law.
 It protected certain rights of the King's
subjects.

Petition of Right - 1628
It was addressed to Charles I of England
by the English Parliament.
 Attempted to seek redress (remedy) of
certain actions of the King.

English Bill of Rights – 1689
(Declaration of Rights)
An act of the English Parliament.
 Largely a statement of certain rights that
citizens and/or permanent residents of a
constitutional monarchy were thought to
be entitled to in the late 17th century.

RESPONSE TO BRITISH
COLONIAL POLICIES

Growing frustration with the policies of the
British led colonial leaders to meet to
discuss the issues.
THE CONTINENTAL
CONGRESSES
First Continental Congress

The colonists sent a Declaration of Rights to King
George III.

The delegates urged each of the colonies to
refuse all trade with England until British tax and
trade regulations were repealed, or recalled.
THE CONTINENTAL
CONGRESSES
Second Continental Congress
In 1775, each of the 13 colonies sent
representatives to this gathering in
Philadelphia.
The Second Continental Congress served
as the first government of the United
States from 1776 to 1781.
DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE

Almost a year after the War for
Independence began Richard Henry Lee
proposed the colonies ought to be free
and independent states.
DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
primary author was Thomas Jefferson
 an attack against King George III for
the long abuses against the colonists
 issued by the Continental Congress
and adopted on July 4, 1776
 it has become one of the most
important statements of American
political philosophy

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