Transcript 02 Origins of American Government v2

Chapter 2: Origins of American
Government
2.1: Our Political Beginnings
2.2: The Coming of Independence
2.3: The Critical Period
2.4: Creating the Constitution
2.5: Ratifying the Constitution
Drawing From Greek History

The Ekklesia
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The Boule
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Any member of the demos was welcomed to attend the
meetings of the ekklesia,
The second important institution was the boule, or
Council of Five Hundred chosen by lot.
The Dikasteria

Every day, more than 500 jurors were chosen by lot from
a pool of male citizens older than 30.
Rome
In Rome, however, elected officials from
the lower and upper class met in a
legislature, called a Senate. Because these
individuals were elected, Rome was
Republic
2.1: Our Political Beginnings
*The colonists used
many English
documents (Magna
Carta, Petition of
Right, English Bill of
Rights) as resources
when creating
America’s government.
They took things that
that liked and
disregarded the rest.
British: Parliament

Parliament: Henry III of England started a
tradition of meeting with high officials (birth
of our Congress)

1628 Petition of Rights

By the 1600’s, parliament included representatives
of the common people and was more powerful than
the monarch eventually removing, the king in 1688
in a peaceful revolution. --
English Bill of Rights


In 1689, Parliament limited the power of the
King by forcing Queen Mary and her co ruler
William to sign a Bill of Rights
Importance:
A law making body is shown to exert influence
over the monarch
 Established principles of equality under law,
individual rights, limited government
 With Magna Carta becomes the
UNCODEFIED constitution of England

Bill of Rights
1st English Settlements
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1607- Jamestown,Virginia
***This was the first Permanent English Settlement in
America
House of Burgesses was formed: the first Congress
was composed of 2 men from each county.
These 22 men would meet with the appointed governor
and his council.
The House of burgess was important because it created
a foundation for representation in America
Mayflower Compact


Pilgrims Established MAYFLOWER
COMPACT, the first written form of
government in America.
Importance:
A covenant, an agreement by all in the civil body
to govern themselves
 Stressed equality
 Self government
 Majority Rule
 Direct Democracy

English Colonies:
The 13 original colonies were
settled over 125 years –
Virginia was the first /
Georgia was the last.
Each colony was established
by a “charter”: a written
grant of authority from the
king. Over time, other types
of colonies emerged…
Types of Colonies:
1. “Charter”: largely self-governing – leaders were
elected by property owners – could make many of
their own laws (Conn / RI).
2. “Proprietary”: organized by a proprietor (person who
the king had granted land) – governor was
appointed by proprietor – less freedom than charter
colonies (MY / DE).
3. “Royal”: royal crown organized most of government –
all new laws needed approval – least freedom of
the 3 types (8 by time of Amer. Rev.)
**Americans would draw from these methods when creating
the new government of the United States – they would
keep the good and lose the bad.
2.2: The Coming of Independence
In the beginning, colonists were given a decent amount of
freedom and self-government. Over time, England
(King George III) began to restrict this freedom.
*The colonists had no representatives in English Parliament, which
they greatly resented.
*England was more than 3,000 miles (and 2 months journey)
away.
When England began passing restrictive laws, the
colonists soon considered protest and eventually
rebellion.
New British Taxes

Sugar Act 1764

A tax to stop the smuggling of molasses

Stamp Act
1765
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Taxed printed materials
(
Taxed imported goods (e.g. paper, glass)
(
Forced Americans to buy British tea
teacher telling you what to do in yo house)
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Townshend
Act
Tea Act 1773
teacher giving you HW as a way to control yo time)
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New British Practices
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Vice Admiralty
Courts 1763
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Courts run by military officers
not civilians
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Proclamation of
1763
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Restricted movement up to the
Appalachian Mountains
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Quartering Act
1765
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Colonists had to provide British
troops with room and board

Writs of
Assistance 1767
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Search warrants that allowed
officers to search for smuggled
goods
The Final Straw:
The “Stamp Act”: England required all tax stamps on all
documents within the colonies. The colonists felt that
this was “taxation without representation” and
several smaller revolts (Boston Massacre/Boston
Tea Party) soon followed .
Colonists sent delegates to the
First (1774) and Second (1775)
Continental Conventions in
order voice grievances, and
eventually declare independence,
to England.
In 1776, 56 delegates signed the
Declaration of Independence,
which created the United States
of America, and severed ties with
England
2.3: Drafting the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
was the foundation document
of the United States.
It established a “firm league of
friendship” between the 13
states and was “ratified”:
formally approved in 1781.
The Articles of Confederation:
Congress: was unicameral – its powers were very
limited and each state had one vote (regardless of its
population).
The States: agreed to follow the acts of Congress,
provide funds and troops requested by Congress, treat
citizens of other state fairly and equally, and allow
open travel and trade between states (among other
things).
Its Weaknesses: the powers of government were too limited –
could not tax (could only borrow or request $), could not
regulate trade between the states, and could not make states
obey its laws.
*The Articles could only be amended if all 13 states agreed
States instantly became jealous and suspicious of one
another (Congress couldn’t act). States refused to
follow Congressional decisions, taxed each other’s
goods, banned trade, and organized their own militaries
and currencies. Violence and economic chaos broke
out.
Very quickly, leaders realized that a new foundation of
government was needed. In 1787, state delegates met in
Philadelphia in order to construct this new
foundation. This meeting became known as the
Constitutional Convention.
Constitutional Convention
55 delegates travelled to Philadelphia in
order to create a new constitution.
These men became known as the
“framers” of the constitution and
included some of the most famous
thinkers in American history
(Washington, Madison, Hamilton,
Franklin).
Each state had one vote in each matter
– sometimes disagreements occurred.
The Virginian Plan:
Called for a national government with expanded
powers and three branches. Congress would be
bicameral and representation in each house
would be based on each state’s population
or on the amount of money it donated to the
central government. *This plan favored larger,
wealthier states.
The New Jersey Plan:
Called for a national government with limited
extra powers. Congress would be unicameral,
with each state represented equally. *This
plan created an equal playing field for smaller, less
wealthy states.
The Connecticut Compromise:
Created a bicameral Congress – in the smaller
Senate, each state would be represented
equally. In the larger House, representation
of each state would be based on population.
*This plan satisfied both large and small states
and became known as the Great Compromise.
*When it came time to determine each state’s
number of seats in the house, the question
arose as to whether or not slaves should be
counted in population totals. *Southern states
said yes, while northern states said no.
The Three-Fifths Compromise:
Stated that all “free persons” would be counted,
and so would “three-fifths” of all other persons.
*Taxes paid by each state was based on population –
this compromise came at a price for southern states.
The U.S. Constitution became known as a “bundle of
compromises”. While details were often argued, the
major principles were unanimous – limited
government and popular sovereignty.
2.5: Ratifying the Constitution
Many people opposed the new constitution – two
opposing sides quickly emerged:
“Federalists”: favored the new constitution –
believed the Articles of Confederation were too
weak and that a new government was necessary.
“Anti-Federalists”: opposed the new constitution –
believed the new government had too much
power and that there should be a bill of rights
that guaranteed individual freedoms.
After much debate, the Federalists won the
argument and the U.S. Constitution was ratified
in 1788. New York was chosen as the nation’s
temporary capital and George Washington was
elected president by unanimous vote.
Group Activity:
In groups of 3 or 4 – describe the following arguments
that took place when creating the constitution:
1. The Virginia Plan (how was government set up?)
2. The New Jersey Plan (how was government set up?)
3. The Connecticut Compromise (how was it settled?)
4. The 3/5 Compromise (how were slaves dealt with?)