US History & Government
Origins of American Government
What ideas about government did the colonists have before the American Revolution?
Ancient Influences
What ideas did we get from Ancient Greece and Rome?
Greece:
Rome:
English History
Magna Carta: In the year 1215, the King of England’s was forced to sign the Magna
Carta. Among the items listed in the document were the following:
“No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or … except by the lawful judgment of his
peers or by the law of the land…..”
“If anyone has been dispossessed [lose his property to the King] …. without the legal
judgment of his peers ….. we will immediately restore them to him….”
What rights do the people of England get as a result of the Magna Carta?
English Bill of Rights: In the year 1689, King of England was forced to
agree to another document in which he was no longer allowed to do the
following:
[The King may NOT]
[Require] excessive bail …. of persons committed in criminal cases …
[Impose] excessive fines …
[Inflict] illegal and cruel punishments ….
How does government change for people in England after the English Bill of Right?
What is happening to the power of the monarchy?
The European Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a movement that started in the 1700’s. It that stated
that people were basically good. It valued education, freedom of thought, and
reason. It rejected blind faith and unquestioning obedience. According to
enlightened thinkers, all aspects of life should be logical or make sense. Any
institution or tradition that unreasonably limited personal freedom or called
for unquestioning obedience should be reformed or ended.
Why do you think that many monarchs did not approve of the Enlightenment?
What type of government do you think ‘enlightened’ people preferred?
The American Colonial Experience
The Virginia House of Burgesses: Formed in 1619 to govern
Virginia
“The other Council, shall consist, of two Burgesses
(representatives) out of every Town…. to be respectively
chosen by the Inhabitants; Which shall be called THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, and this General Assembly shall have
free power to …. to make, ordain, and enact such general Laws
and Orders…”
How is the government of Virginia organized?
Mayflower Compact: In 1620, a group of Englishmen headed for
Virginia across the Atlantic. They were blown off course and landed
at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Alone, they agreed to stay and
“…combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our
better Ordering and Preservation… to enact, constitute, and frame,
such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and
Offices, for the General good of the Colony.”
What are the people onboard the Mayflower agreeing to do in this
document?
New England Town Meeting:
Starting in the early 1600’s, towns in New England held meetings at which the
community would create and vote on laws relating to local problems. The
meetings were open to all and anyone could express an opinion. Voting was
not done by secret ballot. Everyone in the town knew how everyone else
voted.
How were towns in Massachusetts governed?
How is this different to the system in Virginia?
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut: In 1639, settlers in Connecticut created the first
written constitution in America. It stated that:
“[Voting is open to] all that are admitted freemen and have taken the Oath of Fidelity,
and do cohabit [live] within this Jurisdiction.”
“It is Ordered [that] every person present and qualified …. shall bring in (to the person
deputed to receive them) one single paper with the name of him written in it whom he
desires to have Governor, and he that hath the greatest number of papers shall be
Governor for that year. And the rest of the Magistrates or public officers to be chosen in
this manner.”
What are the requirements for voting in Connecticut under Fundamental Orders?
Are there any religious requirements for voting?
What positions in government could people in Connecticut vote on?
Zenger Trial: Colonial newspaper printers could be jailed if an article offended
the government. In 1735, John Peter Zenger was tried on a charge of libel
(publishing a false statement) because he criticized the Governor of New York in
his newspaper. Zenger’s lawyer argued that he had been telling the truth about
the governor and a jury found Zenger innocent.
What right did colonists gain as a result of the Zenger trial?
What ideas about government did the colonists have before the American Revolution?