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GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Limiting the Power of
Government
CHARTS
Lesson 1
TIME LINE
Influences on American
Colonial Government
The Glorious Revolution Era
Ancient peoples and the great thinkers of the Enlightenment
influenced how the Founders shaped our government in ways
that still affect us today.
NGSSS covered in
“The Foundations of Democracy”
SS.7.C.1.2 Trace the impact that the Magna
Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower
Compact, and Thomas Paine’s “Common
Sense” had on colonists’ views of government.
SS.7.C.3.1 Compare different forms of
government (direct democracy,
representative democracy, socialism,
communism, monarchy, oligarchy,
autocracy).
SS.7.C.3.2 Compare parliamentary, federal,
confederal and unitary systems of
government.
LA.7.1.6.1 The student will use new
vocabulary that is introduced and taught
directly.
LA.7.1.7.3 The student will determine the
main idea or essential message in
grade-level or higher texts through
inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and
identifying relevant details.
The Foundations of Democracy
GUIDING QUESTION What ancient principles, traditions, and events have shaped the system
of government we have today?
The rights, freedoms, and form of government that we enjoy as
Americans did not begin with the adoption of the United States
Constitution in 1788. Nor did they begin with our Declaration of
Independence from Great Britain in 1776. In fact, the origins of
the American political system can be traced to ancient times.
The growth of democracy, or rule by the people, has not
occurred at a steady pace over those thousands of years. There
have been long periods of time when little democracy existed.
During some of these periods, people were governed by
monarchs, or single rulers who held great power. At other times,
however, the ideas and practices of democracy have developed,
spread, and grown strong.
Ancient Democracies
Reading HELP DESK
Taking Notes: Relating
As you read, create a graphic organizer
showing how events limited
government power. LA.7.1.7.3
One of the earliest foundations for democracy can be found in
the Jewish religion. Although the ancient Jews were ruled by
Event
Magna Carta
Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights
social contract theory
Effect
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84 The American Colonies and Their Government
Content Vocabulary
• social contract
• natural right
• democracy
• republic
• direct democracy
• limited government
• representative democracy • legislature
republic a representative
democracy where citizens choose
their lawmakers
Academic Vocabulary
document an official
paper or form that is a record
of something
86 The American Colonies and Their Government
54
The American Colonies and Their Government
limited government
the principle that a ruler or a
government is not all-powerful
legislature a group of
people that makes laws
CRITICAL THINKING
Speculating Why do you think the
artist showed all the other senators on
one side of the room and Catiline on the
other?
representative democracy
a government in which citizens choose a
smaller group to govern on their behalf
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Lesson 1 85
English Bill of Rights
(1689)
•
No imprisonment without due process
of law.
•
No loss of property without due process
of law.
The English Bill of Rights
In 1688 Parliament forced King James II, the son
•
of Charles I, from the throne. It asked James’s
•
daughter Mary and her husband, William, to rule
instead. This transfer of power is known as the
Glorious Revolution.
•
But first William and Mary had to accept
•
rules set by Parliament. They agreed that
English citizens had rights that no king could
violate. Citizens had the right to a fair trial.
•
They also could not be taxed unless Parliament
agreed. The rights set out by Parliament became
known as the English Bill of Rights.
•
The signing of the English Bill of Rights
signaled the end of the struggle between
Parliament and the monarch. Parliament had
won. It was now the leading force in English
government. Such events changed English
government. They also received much notice in the English
colonies in North America.
No cruel punishment.
No standing army in time of peace without
Parliament’s consent.
No taxation without Parliament’s consent.
Subjects [people] have the right to bear
arms.
Subjects [people] have the right to petition
the king.
Freedom of speech in Parliament.
PROGRESS CHECK
The English Bill of Rights built on the gains
won in the Petition of Right.
▲
Reading HELP DESK
The Roman Empire collapsed around a.d. 476. For the next
700 years, kings and lords ruled most of Europe. Lords were
noblemen who usually inherited land, wealth, and power. Over
time the growth of towns as business and trade centers
weakened the power of the lords. The kings gained greater
control of their kingdoms. Many nobles resisted this change. In
England they rose up against King John in 1215. They forced
him to sign a document called the Magna Carta (Latin for
“Great Charter”).
The Magna Carta limited the king’s power. It
forbade him from placing certain taxes on the
nobles without their consent. It gave rights to free
men. These included the rights to equal treatment
under the law and to trial by one’s peers. The
Magna Carta also gave nobles the right to rebel if
the king broke his part of the agreement.
The Magna Carta is important because it
established the principle of limited government.
This is the idea that a ruler or a government is not
all-powerful. At first, many of the rights protected
by the Magna Carta applied only to nobles. Over
time, however, those rights came to apply to all
English people.
Kings who came after John were advised by
nobles and church officials. Gradually this group
grew to include representatives of the common
people, as well. By the late 1300s the advisers had
become a legislature, or lawmaking body. It was
called Parliament.
Parliament had some influence, but England’s
monarchs remained strong for the next 300 years.
In the mid-1600s, a power struggle developed
between the monarch and Parliament. In 1625 King
Charles I dismissed Parliament and ruled alone.
CRITICAL THINKING
Classifying What rights listed here do you
recognize as rights modern Americans enjoy?
SS.7.C.1.2
Explaining How did the Magna Carta establish the principle of limited
government?
PHOTO: The Stapleton Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library International
▲
CRITICAL THINKING
Cause and Effect How did this event
affect future English kings? SS.7.C.1.2
direct democracy a
form of democracy in which
the people vote firsthand
When he recalled the members in 1628, they
forced him to sign the Petition of Right. Like the
Magna Carta, this document limited the king’s
power. When Charles failed to uphold the terms
of the agreement, a civil war broke out.
Eventually, Parliament removed the king and
ruled without a monarch for about 20 years.
Early English Influences
English nobles forced King John to
sign the Magna Carta limiting the
monarch’s power.
democracy a government
in which citizens hold the power
to rule
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Rome’s common citizens, called plebeians, soon tired of the
rule of the patricians. A long struggle followed. The plebeians
finally gained political equality in 287 b.c.
Rome continued as a republic until General Julius Caesar
took control around 50 b.c. After his death, monarchs called
emperors ruled Rome and its empire for more than 500 years.
Persuasive speech-making was one of the
key skills of a Roman senator. This painting
shows a famous incident in which the consul
Cicero (left) accuses a politician named
Catiline (extreme right) of being a traitor.
PHOTO: Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd./The Bridgeman Art Library International
It Matters Because
PHOTO: (tl) Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd./The Bridgeman Art Library International; (tcl) The Stapleton Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library International; (tcr) Bettmann/CORBIS;
(tr) AP Photo/Lee Marriner
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How does geography influence the development of communities?
• Why do people create, structure, and change governments?
▲
kings, their religion taught (and teaches today) that every
person has worth. This belief is a basic principle of democracy.
Centuries later, in the 400s b.c., the Greek city-state of Athens
created the world’s first democracy. All free men over 18 were
considered citizens. They could take part in the Athens
assembly. This was a gathering at which any citizen had the
right to speak. Its decisions were carried out by a council of
500 members. This council governed Athens. Citizens took turns
serving on the council. Since this required taking time off from
work, council members were paid for their service.
This system, in which the people govern themselves, is
called direct democracy. It was possible in Athens because
the city-state was small. In places with large populations,
direct democracy is not practical. In such places, people
choose leaders to govern for them. This form of democracy
is called representative democracy. A government based on
representative democracy is called a republic. The United States
is a republic.
As the ancient Greeks were creating democracy, the ancient
Romans were creating the world’s first republic. In 509 b.c. the
Romans overthrew their king. Government was put in the hands
of a senate. Members of this body were chosen from among
Rome’s wealthy upper class, called patricians. The senators
elected two members, called consuls, to lead the government.
Both consuls had to agree. Each consul had the power to block
the actions of the other by saying veto, meaning “I forbid!”
There’s More Online!
English Bill of Rights
Enlightenment Thinkers
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Influence of the Enlightenment
NGSSS covered in
“Influence of the Enlightenment”
GUIDING QUESTION How did Europe’s Enlightenment influence ideas about government in
what became the United States?
SS.7.C.1.1 Recognize how Enlightenment
ideas including Montesquieu’s view of separation of power and John Locke’s theories
related to natural law and how Locke’s social
contract influenced the Founding Fathers.
SS.7.C.1.4 Analyze the ideas (natural rights,
role of government) and complaints set forth
in the Declaration of Independence.
LA.7.1.6.2 The student will listen to, read,
and discuss familiar and conceptually
challenging text.
The conflict between the monarch and Parliament produced new
ideas about government. These new ideas were part of a larger
cultural movement in Europe known as the Enlightenment.
During the 1600s, scientific discoveries led to the belief that
God had created an orderly universe. Some people thought that
its laws could be discovered through human reason.
This change in how some people saw their world is called
the Enlightenment. These thinkers wanted to apply the laws
that ruled nature to people and society. These new ideas had a
great effect on political thinking in Europe and the Americas.
Lesson 1 87
Teaching Influences on American Colonial Government
LESSON 1 • Day 1
NGSSS covered in Lesson 1
SS.7.C.1.1 Recognize how Enlightenment ideas including Montesquieu’s view of separation of power and John Locke’s theories
related to natural law and how Locke’s social contract influenced the
Founding Fathers.
SS.7.C.1.2 Trace the impact that the Magna Carta, English Bill of
Rights, Mayflower Compact, and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” had on
colonists’ views of government.
SS.7.C.1.3 Describe how English policies and responses to colonial
concerns led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
SS.7.C.1.4 Analyze the ideas (natural rights, role of government) and
complaints set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
SS.7.C.3.1 Compare different forms of government (direct democracy,
representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy,
autocracy).
SS.7.C.3.2 Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary
systems of government.
LA.7.1.6.1 The student will use new vocabulary that is introduced and
taught directly.
LA.7.1.6.2 The student will listen to, read, and discuss familiar and
conceptually challenging text.
LA.7.1.7.3 The student will determine the main idea or essential message in grade-level or higher texts through inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant details.
ENGAGE
Assume the role of a king or queen. If you have a crown, you
may wish to don it for added effect. Begin a discussion of
English rule.
Say: It’s the thirteenth century and I’m king/queen.
What power do I have? Can I do whatever I want?
(Possible answers: yes, because you make and enforce all the
laws; no, because you rely on people such as the army and
judges to do what you tell them) Ask these further questions
as you discuss with students the idea of absolute monarchy:
Say: What rights do my subjects have? (Possible answers:
none, because I am the king; some, but only those I let them
have)
Say: What might happen if I abused my power? Does it
matter how serious the abuses are? (Possible answer:
People might not like me, especially if the abuses were
serious.)
Say: What might happen if my subjects tried to limit my
power? Does it matter how many people rebel? Does it
matter which people do or do not rebel? (Possible
answers: If my subjects tried to limit my power, it could lead to
a conflict, especially if a lot of people were involved.)
Tell students they will see what happened in England when,
in the 1200s, nobles pushed for rights and successfully
limited the power of the monarch.
TEACH & ASSESS
The Foundations of
Democracy
GUIDING QUESTION What ancient principles,
traditions, and events have shaped the system of government
we have today?
Making Connections
Begin a discussion of the origins of the ideas underlying our
system of government in the United States. Point out that it
was shaped by ideas from different periods in the past.
Ask: What idea of government do we associate with the
ancient Greeks? (democracy) To demonstrate their
understanding, have students discuss the pros and cons of
direct democracy versus representative democracy. (Pros:
Everyone’s opinion can be heard; everyone’s interests can be
considered. Cons: Discussions can become time-consuming and
frustrating; voters may be swayed by personality and rhetoric
rather than accurate knowledge.)
Ask: What form of government do we associate with the
ancient Romans? (republic) AL
Ask: What ancient form of government—Greek or
Roman—does the United States most closely resemble?
Why? (The United States is a republic. It is governed by leaders
who represent the people, rather than directly by the people
themselves.)
Remind students that the Roman Republic gave way to an
empire, and that it was many centuries afterward before
people began to press successfully for limited government.
Background for the Teacher
A democracy is a state ruled by its citizens. Although the
Greek city-states (poleis) were democracies, the majority of
inhabitants were not citizens. A republic is a sovereign state
governed by a body of elected citizen-representatives. Under
the Roman Republic, people outside the city of Rome were
not eligible for citizenship. An empire is a sovereign state
that is ruled by an emperor and that rules over many
nations, most commonly collecting tribute from them.
Identifying
Ask students to identify the early English influences on our
system of government.
Ask: What principle did the Magna Carta establish? (The
Magna Carta established the principle of limited government.)
Synthesizing
Have students think about how the English monarch’s power
was limited after the Magna Carta.
Ask: What other documents besides the Magna Carta
placed limits on the power of the English monarch? (the
Petition of Right and the English Bill of Rights) Ask: What did
the group of advisers to the English king become over
time? (a legislature known as Parliament) Ask: What is the
role of Parliament in the English system of government?
(Parliament is a lawmaking body.)
(Student Edition pp. 84–91)
LECTURE SLIDE
Show the Lecture Slide about early English influences on
American government to confirm student answers or to help
students identify the early influences.
Ask: How were all of these developments similar? (The
three documents all placed limits on the power of the
monarch. Parliament also placed more power in the hands of
the people, although at first it had little influence on the king.)
INTERACTIVE WORKSHEET
Using Primary Sources
Distribute the Primary Source Activity Worksheet
“Documents That Founded a Nation,” which contains
excerpts from the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights,
the writings of John Locke, and the Mayflower Compact.
Project the excerpts one at a time and ask students to
paraphrase the excerpts in the spaces provided on their
worksheets. [Note: This activity continues through the rest of
the lesson.] AL
For the Magna Carta, ask: What right did the nobles
gain and how did that limit government? (They gained
protection under the law. The Magna Carta required the
monarch to enforce and obey the law, thus limiting the power
of the monarchy and introducing the concept of limited
government.)
CLOSE & REFLECT
Predicting
Ask students why these English developments might have
an effect on the future United States government. (Students
may recognize that America had many English settlers.)
Answers for pages 84–87
P. 84 Taking Notes
Magna Carta: limited king’s power over nobles;
Petition of Right: limited power of kings; English
Bill of Rights: forced the king and queen to agree to
rights for English citizens including a fair trial and
freedom from taxation without Parliament’s consent;
social contract theory: an agreement between
government and the people by which government
must protect people’s rights, or people can disobey
the government and choose new leaders LA.7.1.7.3
P. 85 CRITICAL THINKING The artist wanted to
indicate that Cicero had swayed the senate against
Catiline.
P. 86 CRITICAL THINKING Future kings ruled with
limits on their powers and eventually accepted a
legislature called Parliament. SS.7.C.1.2
Help students make connections between the events in the
past and present-day United States.
P. 87 PROGRESS CHECK The Magna Carta
limited the king’s power to tax nobles, gave nobles
the right to rebel if the king broke his agreement,
and granted landowners rights to equal treatment
and trial by jury.
Ask: What government body in the United States is
similar to Parliament? (Congress is similar to Parliament in
that, like Parliament, it is a legislative body.) BL
P. 87 CRITICAL THINKING Students may mention
no imprisonment, no loss of property without due
process, the right to bear arms, and freedom of
petition as rights Americans have as well. SS.7.C.1.2
Making Connections
55
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▲
CRITICAL THINKING
Making Connections How did the
Glorious Revolution inspire
Enlightenment thinkers?
Reading HELP DESK
Enlightenment Thinkers
In their writings on government, many Enlightenment thinkers
looked back to Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527). Machiavelli
was an Italian Renaissance writer and thinker best known today
for his book The Prince. In it, he argued that it is safer for a ruler
to be feared than loved. Elsewhere, however, he praised
republics as the best form of government.
An early Enlightenment thinker, Thomas Hobbes (1588–
1679), experienced the English Civil War at first hand. Hobbes
believed that an agreement, called a social contract, existed
between government and the people. In this contract, the people
agreed to give up some freedom and be ruled by government.
In return, government had to protect the people’s rights. But
Hobbes thought that people needed a strong leader because
they were too selfish to be able to rule themselves.
Another English thinker, John Locke (1632–1704), was
influenced by the events of the Glorious Revolution. In 1690 he
published Two Treatises of Government. (A treatise is a long
essay.) Locke wrote that all people were born equal with certain
social contract an agreement
among people in a society with their
government
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88 The American Colonies and Their Government
Why It
MATTERS
NAME
YEARS LIVED
BELIEFS
Thomas Hobbes
1588–1679
People agree to be ruled because their ruler pledges
to protect their rights.
John Locke
1632–1704
People have rights to life, liberty, and property that
the government must protect for the common good.
Baron de
Montesquieu
1689–1755
Separate the parts of government so no one part
can become too powerful.
Voltaire
1694–1778
People have the right to speak freely, and this right
should be defended by everyone.
Jean-Jacques
Rousseau
1712–1778
The legislative power belongs to the people.
1 Summarizing What rights
do people have, according to
these thinkers?
2 CRITICAL THINKING
Identifying Central Issues
What did these Enlightenment
thinkers believe the
relationship between the
people and government
should be? SS.7.C.1.1
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Lesson 1 89
Summarizing What beliefs about government did early English colonists
Residents listen to a speaker at a town
hall meeting in Grafton, New Hampshire.
Many New England towns preserve the
tradition of direct democracy.
bring to America?
▲
SS.7.C.1.2 Trace the impact that the Magna
Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower
Compact, and Thomas Paine’s “Common
Sense” had on colonists’ views of government.
LA.7.1.7.3 The student will determine the
main idea or essential message in
grade-level or higher texts through
inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and
identifying relevant details.
CHART SKILLS
Although Enlightenment thinkers
had different ideas about how
people should be governed, they
also shared some basic beliefs.
The signers of the Mayflower Compact established a direct
democracy in colonial America. The people of Plymouth held
town meetings to discuss problems and make decisions. Anyone
in the town could attend and express his or her views. However,
only some male members of the colony could vote. The tradition
of the town meeting continues in much of New England today.
GUIDING QUESTION How were the first English colonies in America shaped by earlier ideas
England founded colonies in America throughout the 1600s. A
colony is an area of settlement in one place that is controlled by
a country in an other place. The early colonists were loyal to
England. They brought to America the traditions, beliefs, and
changes that had shaped England’s government. These included
a strong belief in their rights and representative government.
NGSSS covered in
“The First Colonial Governments”
ENLIGHTENMENT THINKERS
The First Colonial Governments
about democracy and government?
Develop and complete a Venn
diagram comparing and
contrasting the ideas of Thomas
Hobbes and John Locke.
LA.7.1.6.2
PROGRESS CHECK
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The forms of government that
were created in the early
colonies have been adapted to
many other areas of American
life. Find out about student
government at your school.
Does it include any of the
features of the governments that
developed in the colonies?
SKILLS
Compare and Contrast
Listing What natural rights did John Locke believe all people had?
natural right a freedom
people possess relating to life,
liberty, and property
Student Government
21st Century
God-given rights, called natural rights. These included the
rights to life, to freedom, and to own property. Like Hobbes,
Locke believed in a form of social contract. Locke believed that
people agreed to give up some rights and to be ruled by a
government. But he believed that if the ruler failed to protect
the rights of the people, the social contract was broken. Then
the people could choose new leaders.
Some years later, a French thinker named Jean-Jacques
Rousseau (1712–1778) wrote The Social Contract. It was
published in 1762. In it, he said that “man is born free, yet
everywhere he is found in chains.” He referred to the many
Europeans living with little freedom. Rousseau thought people
had the right to decide how they should be governed.
At about this time, another French writer named Baron de
Montesquieu (1689–1755) developed the idea that the power of
government should be divided into branches. Then,
Montesquieu believed, no one branch would become too
strong and threaten people’s rights. Montesquieu called this
idea the separation of powers.
French writer Francois-Marie Arouet (1694–1778), who
wrote under the name Voltaire, also believed people should
have liberty. He supported freedom of religion and freedom
of trade.
Colonists’ views about government were shaped by the
Enlightenment thinkers. Ideas about a social contract, natural
rights, and separation of powers influenced the writers of the
Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
PHOTO: Bettmann/CORBIS
Members of Parliament look on as
William and Mary accept the English
crown.
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PROGRESS CHECK
Jamestown
CRITICAL THINKING
Evaluating What are some advantages
and disadvantages of direct democracy?
The first permanent English settlement in North America was
Jamestown. It was located in what is now Virginia. Jamestown
was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company. The Virginia
Company was a business owned by a group of London
merchants. They asked King James I to allow them to send some
colonists to North America. The company provided the supplies
and settlers for the colony. The owners hoped the colony would
make money for the company.
At first, Jamestown was ruled by a governor and a council.
The company appointed these officials. To attract more settlers, in
1619 the company allowed the colony to make its own laws. The
colonists elected leaders to represent them in an assembly. These
leaders were called burgesses. The assembly was named the
House of Burgesses. This legislature marked the beginning of selfgovernment and representative democracy in colonial America.
Reading HELP DESK
Soon after the House of Burgesses was formed, another group of
English colonists arrived in America. In 1620 these Pilgrims set
sail for Virginia, seeking religious freedom. A storm in the
Atlantic blew their small ship, the Mayflower, off course. They
anchored off the coast of what is now Massachusetts instead.
The Pilgrims knew they had reached a land that had no
English government. They knew that to survive they needed to
form their own government. So they drew up a compact, or
written agreement. All the Pilgrim men aboard the ship signed.
They agreed to choose leaders and work together to make their
own laws for the colony. They also agreed to obey the laws that
were made. Then the colonists went ashore and founded the
town of Plymouth.
Academic Vocabulary
compact an agreement, or contract,
among a group of people
90 The American Colonies and Their Government
56
The American Colonies and Their Government
PHOTO: AP Photo/Lee Marriner
The Mayflower Compact
LESSON 1 REVIEW
Review Vocabulary
1. How could a legislature restrain a monarch and
establish limited government? LA.7.1.6.1
2. How do direct democracy and representative
democracy differ? SS.7.C.3.1
Answer the Guiding Questions
3. Identifying What two ancient democracies
helped shape the system of government we have
today? SS.7.C.3.1
4. Explaining How did the writings of John
Locke and Baron de Montesquieu influence ideas
about government in what became the United
States? SS.7.C.1.1
5. Contrasting How did lawmaking at Jamestown
differ from lawmaking at Plymouth? SS.7.C.1.2
6. PERSUASIVE WRITING Write a short speech
convincing William and Mary to accept the English Bill
of Rights. SS.7.C.1.2
Lesson 1 91
Teaching Influences on American Colonial Government (cont.)
LESSON 1 • Day 2
ENGAGE
Ask students how scientific study and government might be
related. Explain that in the 1500s, scientists came to believe
that the world could be studied and explained using “natural
laws.” Political thinkers believed that such natural laws could
also be used to explain human interactions and politics.
TEACH & ASSESS
Influence of the
Enlightenment
GUIDING QUESTION How did Europe’s
Enlightenment influence ideas about government in what
became the United States?
Explaining
Introduce the Enlightenment. Point out that, just as it draws
on the examples of Greece and Rome as well as the English
tradition of law and representative government, our system
of government draws on many ideas from the European
Enlightenment of the 1600s and 1700s.
Ask: What was the Enlightenment? (The Enlightenment
was a period in which people began to believe that human
reason could discover the laws of the natural world and of
society.)
INTERACTIVE WORKSHEET
Using Primary Sources
Continue the Primary Source Activity with projections of the
excerpts from the English Bill of Rights and the writings of
John Locke. AL
For the English Bill of Rights, ask: What rights did
Parliament demand as a condition of granting power to
William and Mary? (Parliament demanded the right to a fair
trial and freedom from taxation without consent.)
For the writings of John Locke, ask: What did Locke
mean by natural rights? (Locke’s natural rights include rights
to life, freedom, and property.)
Ask: How does the idea of natural rights give rise to the
social contract? (In order to protect their natural rights,
people create government and grant it limited authority.)
The First Colonial
Governments
GUIDING QUESTION How were the first English
colonies in America shaped by earlier ideas about democracy
and government?
Explaining
Point out that the colonists who founded the first English
colonies in America brought with them traditions of
government.
(Student Edition pp. 84–91)
Ask: What were two fundamental ideas the English
colonists brought with them to the Americas? (The
CLOSE & REFLECT
colonists brought a strong belief in democracy and
representative government.)
Vocabulary Discussion
Have students take turns with partners to explain vocabulary
terms to each other: Enlightenment, Parliament, precedent,
common law, natural rights, social contract, and compact.
Monitor groups for correct explanations. AL ELL
Ask: Why is the House of Burgesses important? (The
creation of the House of Burgesses marked the beginning of
representative government in the colonies.)
INTERACTIVE WORKSHEET
Using Primary Sources
Complete the Primary Source Activity with a projection of
the excerpts from the Mayflower Compact. AL
For the Mayflower Compact, ask: What did the
Mayflower Compact share with Enlightenment thought?
(The colonists established a government based on a social
contract, a key part of Enlightenment thought.)
Answers for pages 88–91
P. 88 CRITICAL THINKING The Glorious Revolution
inspired Enlightenment thinkers because when
Parliament transferred power to William and Mary, it
insisted that they agree that English citizens had
rights even a king could not violate. John Locke, an
Enlightenment thinker, believed that people had
natural rights that no one could take away from them.
Ask: What might have happened if the Pilgrims had not
signed the Mayflower Compact? (Without rules, the colony
probably would have fallen into chaos.)
P. 89 21st CENTURY SKILL Hobbes: people are
selfish and need a strong ruler; Locke: people can
overthrow a leader who fails to protect their rights;
shared: people have rights, some of which they
surrender as part of social contract.
Comparing and Contrasting
Have students note similarities and differences between
Jamestown and the colony established by the Pilgrims.
P. 89 PROGRESS CHECK the right to life, the
right to freedom, and the right to own property
Ask: In what ways were the governments of Jamestown
and Massachusetts similar? (The colonies at Jamestown and
in Massachusetts each practiced self-government.)
Ask: In what ways were the governments of Jamestown
and Massachusetts different? (In Jamestown, elected
leaders spoke for the people; in Massachusetts, everyone could
express his or her views directly, though only some male
members of the community actually voted.)
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD ACTIVITY
Synthesizing
Project the chart “Enlightenment’s Influence on Colonial
Governments.” Review with students the Enlightenment
ideas listed in the first column. Ask them to explain each
idea in their own words. Then have volunteers suggest ways
in which colonial governments applied these ideas, and use
the information to complete the second column, “Application
to Colonial Government.” You may choose to fill in the chart
yourself by writing their answers, or have students come up
to the board and write their answers themselves.
Ask questions such as: One key Enlightenment idea is
the separation of powers. Give an example of how that
idea was applied in the colonies. (Students should note
that the way power was divided between a royal governor and
the House of Burgesses in Virginia demonstrates the
Enlightenment idea of the separation of powers.)
Have students complete the Section Review and/or the
Self-Check Quiz in the Online Student Center.
P. 89 CHART SKILLS
1 Possible answer: They believed people should have
certain rights, such as rights to life, liberty,
property, free speech, and control of their
government.
2 CRITICAL THINKING Possible answer:
Government gets its power from the people,
should help protect people’s rights, and should
never become too powerful. SS.7.C.1.4.1
P. 91 CRITICAL THINKING Direct democracy allows
active participation by citizens, but is impractical for
larger populations.
P. 91 PROGRESS CHECK a strong belief in
democracy and representative government
LESSON 1 REVIEW
1. It could pass laws that restricted the monarch’s
power. LA.7.1.6.1
2. In a direct democracy, the people rule themselves.
In a representative democracy, they choose others
to govern them. SS.7.C.3.1
3. Answers will vary, but should recognize the
contributions of Greek and Roman democracies.
SS.7.C.3.1
4. Students should recognize application of ideas
about equality, natural rights, and a social contract
between a government and its people. SS.7.C.1.1
5. Answers will vary, but should express that
Jamestown settlers set up a representative
democracy in the House of Burgesses, while the
Mayflower Compact started a direct democracy.
The House of Burgesses made the laws for the
Jamestown colonists, while the Plymouth colonists
made their own laws directly. SS.7.C.1.2
6. Answers will vary, but should show recognition of
the principle of limited government, English
political tradition, and Enlightenment views about
the nature of government. SS.7.C.3.1
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