Name:_______________________________________________
Roots of Government
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Magna Carta
Virginia House
of Burgesses
Mayflower
Compact
•Signed in 1215 by King John II of England.
•First document that limited power of the ruler.
•First representative assembly in the new world established
at Jamestown, VA in 1619.
•Each Virginia settlement was entitled to elect 2 burgesses
(representatives) to be part of a governing council.
•Signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth.
•Pilgrims agreed to consult each other about laws for the
colony and promised to work together to make it succeed.
•First self-government in the colonies.
Fundamental
Orders of
Connecticut
•First written constitution of the colonies in 1636.
•Stated that governments are based on the rights of the
individuals.
English
Bill of Rights
•Signed in 1689 by William & Mary.
•Protected the rights of the English citizens and became the
basis for the American Bill of Rights.
Declaration of
Independence
•Written by Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1776.
•Declared the American colonies independent from
England.
•Guaranteed unalienable rights (“life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness”).
Articles of
Confederation
•First American Constitution signed in 1781.
•WEAK document that limited the power of the Congress by
giving states the final authority over all decisions.
United States
Constitution
•Written by James Madison in 1787.
•Sets out the laws and principles of the government of the
United States.
Summary:
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Roots of Government Quiz
1. Using the definions below to guide you, define the term representave democracy in your own words.
Representave Government is a system of government in which voters elect
representaves to make laws for them.
Democracy is a form of government that is run for and by the people, giving the people supreme power.
Representa
ve Democracy:
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2. Limited power of the government and protecon of basic rights are included in the US Constuon. Those
ideas come mainly from _________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Navigaon Acts
the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights
Treaty of Paris, 1783
“Common Sense”
3. Under the Arcles of Confederaon, the states had more power than the naonal government. The naonal government could not tax the states and therefore could not raise an army. There was no chief execuve
or system of federal courts. The states could coin their own money and set tariffs in interstate commerce.
The problem of weak central government under the Arcles of Confederaon was solved by
_______________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Mayflower Compact
United States Constuon
Declaraon of Independence
Albany Plan of Union
4. The creaon of the Virginia House of Burgesses was an important step in the development of democracy in
colonial America because it –
A.
B.
C.
D.
adopted a bill of rights
allowed cizens to vote directly on proposed laws
provided the first wri<en constuon
established a representave form of government
My Answer Choices:
2. __________
5. The 1787 event in American history _______________.
3. __________
A.
B.
C.
D.
4. __________
established a new representave democracy
was the "shot heard 'round the world"
ended the American Revoluon
started friendly relaons with Britain
5. __________