Our Political Beginnings
Chapter 2 Section 1
Basic Concepts of Government
• The English colonists in
America brought with them
three main concepts:
– 1.) The need for an ordered
social system, or government
– 2.) The idea of
limited government, that is,
that
government should not be
all-powerful.
– 3.) The concept of
representative government—
a government that serves the
will of the people.
The Magna Carta
• The 1215 Charter
required King John of
England to proclaim
certain liberties,
– That his will was not
without restriction
– No "freeman" (in the sense
of non-serf) could be
punished except through
the law of the land
– a right which is still in
existence today.
The Magna Carta
• Could the basic notions
of ordered, limited, and
representative
government have
developed without the
signing of the Magna
Carta?
The Petition of Right
• English constitutional document
that sets out specific liberties of
the subject that the king is
prohibited from infringing.
– Taxation without Parliament's
consent
– Forced loans
– Arbitrary arrest
– Imprisonment contrary to Magna
Carta
– Arbitrary interference with
property rights
– No martial law in a time of peace
– Troops may not be sheltered
without the people’s consent
English Bill of Rights
• It lays down limits on the
powers of sovereign
– Sets out the rights of
Parliament and rules for
freedom of speech in
Parliament
– The requirement to regular
elections to Parliament
– The right to petition the
monarch without fear of
retribution.
• It reestablished the liberty
of Protestants to have arms
for their defense within the
rule of law
The 13 Colonies
• Each colony was
described as its own
school of government
• The colonies were
established separately
over 125 years
– They slowly developed into
organized communities
• There are 3 types of
colonies
– Royal Colonies
– Proprietary Colonies
– Charter Colonies
Royal Colonies
• Royal Colonies were the
colonies were ruled directly by
the English monarchy
• The King named a governor
and council to rule the colony
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
New York
New Jersey
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Proprietary
Colonies
• These
colonies were organized
by a proprietor
– The king gave him a
grant of land
– The proprietor set
everything upland
• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• Delaware
Charter Colonies
• The charter
colonies were mostly
self-governed with the
charters granted to
the colonists
• The governor was
elected each year by
property owners
– Connecticut
– Rhode Island
Our Political Independence
Chapter 2 Section 2
Early British Colonial Policies
• Until the mid-1700s,
the colonies were
allowed a great deal of
freedom in their
governments by the
English monarchy.
Albany Plan of Union
• In the mid-1700’s there
was a concern over colonial
trade
– Also over Native American
attacks and the French
• In 1754, Benjamin Franklin
proposed the Albany Plan
of Union
– In which an annual
congress of delegates
(representatives) from each
of the 13 colonies would be
formed
• Trade with the Native
Americans
• Raise an army
• Regulate trade
French and Indian War
• The war between Great
Britain and France in
North America from
1754 to 1763
– Colonists helped the
British
– Native Americans helped
the French
Reasons for the
War
• Dominance of the new
world was the main
cause of the war:
– Trade
– Establishing territory
– Relations with the Native
Americans
– Rivalry between the
British and French
During the War
• The Colonists and the
British fought side by
side to win the war
• Many Revolutionary
War leaders earned a
reputation during this
war
Who Is This War Hero??
Who Is This War Hero??
• George
Washington
After The French and Indian War
• After the war, the British
had a major war debt
– The British turned to the
colonists to pay the debt
• The rich resources from
the 13 Colonies had a
major monetary value in
Britain
–
–
–
–
–
Tobacco
Fruits
Vegetables
Wheat
Cotton
So It Begins…
• In 1760, King George III
imposed new taxes and
laws on the colonists to
get his money
– Sugar Act
– Stamp Act
– Currency Act
• The colonists did NOT
like this…
The Stamp Act Congress
• In 1765, a group of
colonies sent delegates
to the Stamp Act
Congress in New York.
• These delegates
prepared the
Declaration of Rights
and Grievances against
British policies
– It was sent it to the king.
The More Things Change…The More
They Stay The Same
• The British repeal the
Stamp Act
– but add more laws and
taxes
•
•
•
•
Quartering Act
Declaratory Act
Townshend Acts
Tea Act
• Majority of these new
laws were called the
Intolerable Acts
The Colonists
Fight Back
• The colonists began to
mount organized
resistance
• They boycotted taxed
goods
– Boston Massacre
– Boston Tea Party
What did the colonist hope to accomplish
by destroying the cargo of tea?
The 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
Second Continental Congress
• Despite the
colonist’s attempts
– The British refused
to give in
• In 1775, each of the
13 colonies sent
representatives to
this gathering in
Philadelphia.
Our First Government
• By this time, “The Shot Heard Around The World” already
happened
• The Revolutionary War had begun
• By default:
– The Second Continental Congress served as the first government of
the United States
How does this image reinforce
Washington’s image as a strong leader?
Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense
Questions
1. Why is government an necessary evil?
2. What is natural liberty according to Paine?
3. Explain how a colonies’ size and government
are related.
4. What are the pro’s and cons of absolute
government?
5. What ancient tyrannies is the English
constitution based upon?
6. What are the three problems of the English
Constitution?
Question
Why is government an necessary evil?
1. Why is government an necessary evil?
• People find it necessary
to surrender a part of
their property for the
means of protection of
the rest.
• Security is the design
and end of government.
Questions
What is natural liberty according to Paine?
2. What is natural liberty according to Paine?
• When a small number
of persons settle in an
area, unconnected for
everything else, they
will represent the first
people of a country.
– Society will be their first
thought.
Questions
Explain how a colonies’ size and government are
related.
3. Explain how a colonies’ size and
government are related.
• As the size of the colony
increases, the public’s
concerns will as well.
– It is necessary to leave these
concerns to a small group of
people chosen from the many.
• As the colony gets even bigger,
so should the number of
people representing them
– so that every part of the colony
may be attended to.
• The elected will never form an
interest different from the
electors
Questions
What are the pro’s and cons of absolute
government?
4. What are the pro’s and cons of absolute
government?
• Pros
• They are simple
• If there is suffering, we
know who to blame
• We know how to fix the
problem
• Cons
• The system may be very
complex
• It may be impossible to fix
the system
• No one knows where the
fault is
Questions
What ancient tyrannies is the English
constitution based upon?
5. What ancient tyrannies is the English
constitution based upon?
•
•
–
–
–
•
–
–
Monarchical Tyranny
The leader is a king (godgiven right)
Aristocratical Tyranny
People believe the king is the
leader
Especially people who work
with the king
Commons (people) Tyranny
Commons are setup to
watch over the king
The king is corrupt and
needs to be watched over
•
The people watching over
him are just as corrupt as
he is
Questions
What are the three problems of the English
Constitution?
↘
6. What are the three
problems of the
English Constitution?
• The Commons have the
ability to check the king
– The king as the ability to
reject what they want
• The king has no connection
to the outside world
– The state of the king shuts
him out from the constitution
– but expects him to know it
thoroughly
↙
• Hereditary Succession
– No one has the right to set his
family up for birth to rule
over others forever
– All men originally equals
We Declare Independence
• Under the rules of war:
– A declaration of war was
needed to make the
break from the British
official
• On July 4, 1776, the
Second Continental
Congress adopted the
Declaration of
Independence.
The Declaration of Independence
• The document is divided
into 3 sections
• 1st Section
– Describes what rights the
colonists have
• Natural Rights
• Inalienable Rights
• 2nd Section
– Describes the violations of
the king against those rights
• 3rd Section
– Announces the intention to
become independent
•
1776-1777
Between 1776 and 1777:
– The Revolutionary War was still going on
• Most of the States start adopting constitutions instead of charters
– They did this as an act of independent states
• These constitutions showed how the state governments should be run
Common Features of State
Constitutions
Why did the State constitutions
share several common features?
The Critical Period
Chapter 2 Section 3
The Articles of Confederation
• After the Declaration of
Independence, a
resolution was pushed to
create a confederation
out of the 13 colonies
• This resolution became
know as the Articles of
Confederation
– The Articles of
Confederation established
“a firm league of
friendship” among the
States.
Ratification
• The Articles were not ratified or accepted right
away
• They did not become effective until 1781
Government Structure
• A Congress was the
sole body of power
– It was unicameral
(One House)
– Each state had one
vote not matter the
size
– Each year the
congress would
choose a presiding
officer
Congress
• Several powers were
given to congress:
– the power to declare
war
– deal with national
finance issues
– settle disputes among
the States
– set up a money system
State Obligations
• The 13 States promised
to obey Congress, and
to respect the laws of
the other States
• Most other powers
were retained by each
State.
• The 13 states protected
people’s natural and
unalienable rights
– Congress did not
The Weaknesses of The Articles
• Even though it
seemed Congress
controlled
everything
– Congress was
actually not strong
enough
– The States held more
power within The
Articles
The Weaknesses Defined
How is the fear of a strong government reflected in the
weaknesses built into the Articles of Confederation?
The Call For A Stronger Government
•
•
•
The central government was unable
to act on anything
The 13 states fought among
themselves
– They became jealous of one
another
• banning trade
– They were also suspicious of
each other
• printed their own money
– They often refused to support
the central government
– They traded with foreign
countries without permission
The elite of society took it upon
themselves to make changes
Mount Vernon
• Maryland and Virginia
agreed to start the
process
– They began by talking
about the trade issue
• George Washington
moved the meeting to
Mount Vernon
• It was so successful, a
joint meeting of all the
states was called
Annapolis
• The joint meeting
started on Sept 11,
1786
– Only 5 states showed up
• Another meeting was
then setup with a
demand that all 13
states show up
Philadelphia
• Congress called upon all 13 states to show up at Philadelphia
• It was here they began working on a new document which
would replace The Articles
– THE CONSTITUTION
• This meeting eventually became the Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia.
Creating The Constitution
Chapter 2 Section 4
Leaders of The Philadelphia
Convention
• These men were
known as the
Framers
–
–
–
–
Well educated
Rich
Landowners
Soldiers in the
war
Notable People Who Were There
Name
Background
George Washington
Leader of the Continental Army
James Madison
Co-Author of the Articles of Confederation
Benjamin Franklin
Popular Writer and Diplomat
Alexander Hamilton
Lawyer and Legislature who favored a strong national
government
What are the similarities and differences in these men? Did it
help or hurt the creation of the Constitution?
Notable People Who Were Not There
Name
Reason For Not Attending
Patrick Henry
“Smelled a Rat” and refused to attend
Sam Adams
Was not selected to attend
John Hancock
Was not selected to attend
Thomas Jefferson
Was in Paris
Thomas Paine
Was in Paris
John Adams
Was on diplomatic mission in Holland and England
What impression about the creation of
the Constitution is conveyed from this
picture?
The Two Proposed Plans
The Virginia Plan
The New Jersey Plan
• Three branches of government
• Bicameral legislature (2
houses)
• “National Executive” and
“National Judiciary” Branches
• Unicameral Congress (1 house)
• Equal representation for States
of different sizes
• More than one federal
executive
Compromise
• It was evident that
nether plan was fully
supported
– Smaller states were
worried about bigger
states
– Slave states were
worried about their
economy
• 3 compromises were
necessary
The Connecticut Compromise
• Delegates agreed on a
bicameral Congress (2
houses)
– one segment with equal
representation for States
– the other with
representation
proportionate to the
States’ populations
• This creates the House
and the Senate
The 3/5ths Compromise
• The Framers decided to
count a slave as
three-fifths of a person
when determining the
population of a State.
• This made Southern
States very happy
Why did the southern States want slaves
counted in their total population?
The Commerce and Slave Trade
Compromise
• Congress was
forbidden from
taxing
exported goods
– was not allowed to
act on the slave
trade for 20 years.
Influences
• The Framers were familiar
with the political writings
of their time
– Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau
• They also were seasoned
– the Second Continental
Congress
– the Articles of
Confederation
– experiences with their own
State governments.
Reactions To The Constitution
•
•
When the Constitution was complete
– the Framers’ opinions of their
work varied.
– Some were disappointed
• like George Mason of
Virginia, who opposed the
Constitution until his death
in 1792.
Most agreed with Ben Franklin’s
thoughts when he said,
– “From such an assembly [of
fallible men] can a perfect
production be expected?
It…astonishes me, Sir, to find this
system approaching so near to
perfection as it does…”
– Meaning it was the best we
could do!!
Ratifying the Constitution
Chapter 2 Section 5
The Fight For Ratification
• The Constitution
was very
controversial at first
– some groups
supporting it
• Federalists
– others attacking it.
• Anti-federalists
Federalists
• Federalists thought that
the Articles of
Confederation were weak
– argued for the ratification
of the Constitution.
• Believed in a strong
central government
– Alexander Hamilton
– John Jay
– James Madison
The Federalist Papers
• A series of 85 articles or essays
promoting the ratification of
the United States Constitution.
– They were published in The
Independent Journal and The
New York Packet.
• The authors wrote them
without anyone knowing their
names
• The authors of The Federalist
wanted both to influence:
– the vote in favor of ratification
– to shape future interpretations
of the Constitution.
The Anti-federalists
• Anti-Federalists
objected to the
Constitution for many
reasons
– including the strong
central government
– the lack of a bill of
rights.
• They favored more
power to the states
–
–
–
–
Patrick Henry
Richard Henry Lee
North Carolina
Rhode Island
The Anti-Federalist Papers
• A collection of articles,
written in opposition to
the ratification of the
1787 United States
Constitution.
• Unlike the Federalist
Papers
– the authors of these
articles operating under
pen names,
– The authors were not
engaged in a strictly
organized project.
Ratification
• Nine States ratified the
Constitution by June 21
1788
– The new government
needed the ratification
of the larger States of
New York and Virginia.
• Great debates were
held in both States
– Both eventually ratified
the Constitution in June
of 1788.
Inaugurating A New Government
• The new Congress met
for the first time on
March 4, 1789.
– Their first piece of business was
to elect a executive
• Congress finally attained
a quorum (majority) on
April 6 and counted the
electoral votes.
– Congress
found that George
Washington had been
unanimously elected
President.
– He was
inaugurated on April 30.
Washington as President
• Washington presided over
the creation of a strong,
well-financed national
government
– He stayed neutral in the wars
raging in Europe
– suppressed rebellion
– won acceptance among
Americans of all types.
• His leadership style
established many forms and
rituals of government
– The cabinet system
– inaugural address.
Farewell Address
• Washington's Farewell Address
(issued as a public letter in
1796) was one of the most
influential statements of
republicanism.
– It gives advice on the necessity
and importance of national
union
– the value of the Constitution
– the rule of law
– the evils of political parties
– the proper virtues of a
republican people.
• Washington's public political
address warned against foreign
influence in domestic affairs
and American meddling in
European affairs.