Transcript United States Government Chapter 2 Origins of US Government

Early English settlers brought
knowledge of political
systems from
English Common Law.
But… the English developed
much of their concepts of
law from the Romans who
ruled England from 43AD to
410AD.
Ultimately, English colonists
brought 3 ideas that helped
shape our current
democracy.
1
1. Ordered Government
2. Limited Government
3. Representative Government
1. Ordered Government: Entities designed to
establish order and regulate relationships.
(e.g. sheriff, coroner, tax assessor, justice
of the peace, grand juries, counties, townships, etc.)
2
3
2. Limited Government: Brought idea that
government is not all-powerful. Government
needs to be restricted and individual rights need to be
protected. Developed with the Magna Carta in 1215…
ideas evolved by Jamestown in 1607
3. Representative Government:
Government serves the will of the
people! We should have
“government of, by and for the
people”
Magna Carta: King John was
forced to sign the Magna Carta
in 1215. Barons were upset
about heavy taxes and military
campaigns that King John
instituted at will.
The Magna Carta protected
rights such as trial by jury, due
process, protections of life,
liberty and property. The king
now had to consult nobles when
raising taxes, etc. The
document established a form of
limited government- the King’s
power was not absolute.
4
The Magna Carta stood for 400 years.
The ideas of greater Parliamentary
power grew…
In 1628, King Charles II asked
Parliament to levy heavier taxes, but
they refused until he was willing to sign
the Petition of Right.
The Petition of Right first limited the
king’s powers by not allowing him to
imprison or punish people without a jury
of his peers (or law of the land), to
impose martial law, or to quarter troops
without the consent of citizens.
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Most importantly, it extended the power
of the Parliament by requiring their
consent on most matters…
It challenged the theory of the divine
right!
• In 1688, Parliament overthrew King James
who escaped to France.
• This became known as the Glorious Revolution.
• Parliament invited King William and Queen
Mary of the Netherlands to take the throne.
William III
(of Orange)
William and
Mary did
away with the
Dominion of
New England
and restored
the
assemblies
They also
signed the
English Bill of
Rights (1689)
Mary II
Queen Mary
II, after a
painting by
William
Wissing
Public domain
image
6
The English Bill of Rights
guarantied several things
including:
• Trial by jury
• Protection from cruel and unusual
punishment.
• Ensured that the King could not
raise taxes or an army without
Parliament’s approval.
• Colonists, being English subjects,
were protected by the Bill.
Also, it granted freedom of religious
worship to all Christians, except
Catholics, and persons denying the
Trinity (Jews, etc.).
The 13 British Colonies in
America were all very unique
and were often called the
“13 schools of government”.
The first colony established
7
was Virginia (Jamestown
Settlement) in 1607. The last
was Georgia in 1733.
VA = commercial venture
MA = religious freedom
GA = debtors colony
All were deeply rooted in their
English heritage.
8
Every colony was established
by a charter, or a written
grant of authority by the king.
Over time three different
types of colonies developed:
1. 9 Royal Colonies: Directly controlled by
the king. There were prior to the
Revolution (NH, MA, NY, NJ, VA, NC,
SC, GA)
The King named a governor and a
council of advisors (later the upper
house of the legislature). The lower
house of a bicameral legislature was
elected by male, white property
owners, over 21.
The legislature did have some
influence with matters of money
(power of the purse)… but all laws had
to be passed by the Governor and
king/queen.
This is what led to Revolution!
10
2. Proprietary Colonies
were organized by
someone to whom the
King gave a land grant.
(MD, PA, DE)
The proprietor had the
power to appoint a
governor.
In MD and DE, there was a
bicameral legislature, but a
unicameral legislature was
set up in PA.
William Penn
Again, all decisions were
subject to approval by the
king and the governor.
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3. Charter colonies: These
were colonies based on
charters granted by the king.
Rhode Island and Connecticut
were the only two.
Governors were elected each year
by white, male, landowners. The
Kings approval after an election
was supposed to be sought, but
rarely was.
The governor and king had NO
veto power over the bicameral
legislatures. Judges were
appointed by the legislature,
and appeals could be made to
the king.
These colonies had the most
liberal constitutions as most
governmental matters were
12 handled by the colonists.
• The British
government
found itself in
serious debt
after the French
& Indian War£133,000,000!!!
• Taxes in Great
Britain rose
tremendously!
George Greenville
Courtesy of Florida
Center for Instructional
Technology. (17221770) Member of the
House of Commons
and First Lord of the
Treasury
Source: Benson J.
Lossing, The Pictorial
Field-Book of the
Revolution (New York:
Harper & Brothers,
1852)
Keywords: portrait,
House of Commons,
Lord of the Treasury
• As a result, Prime
Minister George
Greenville decided
to institute a tax in
the colonies on
molasses,
reasoning that the
colonists had
gained the most as
a result of the
French and Indian
War and needed to
pay their share of
the debt.
The SUGAR ACT of 1764 (Grenville American Revenue Act) was
passed by Parliament.
• It replaced the Molasses Act of 1733 which forbade the
import of foreign molasses (no molasses from French,
Dutch, Spanish colonies).
• Most merchants and traders ignored the Molasses Act of
1733 and smuggled molasses from the West Indies or bribed
tax collectors.
Sugar Act of 1764
allowed colonists to buy
foreign goods with a
smaller tax.
13 The
But Grenville took
measures to ensure that
smuggling and bribes
stopped, including more
aggressive naval patrols.
Courtesy of The Manhattan Rare Book Company
The Sugar Act reduced
trade from the colonies
(particularly rum).
Because foreign nations
would have to pay higher
prices, many of them
traded with other
nations.
Despite colonial anger
about the Sugar Act,
Grenville decided to get
Parliament to impose
another tax the following
year.
Stamp Act of 1765
imposed a tax on 55 types
of printed material
including wills, diplomas,
almanacs, newspapers,
playing cards, and dice.
14 The
These items required a
government stamp to
prove that taxes had been
paid.
Actual British Government Stamp
RESISTANCE GROWS
• In May of 1765
Colonists formed a
secret resistance
group called, Sons of
Liberty to protest the
laws
• Merchants agree to
boycott British goods
until the Acts are
repealed
The purpose of the Stamp Act was to help pay for the
large number of British troops in the colonies
Protests broke out in
New York City,
Newport, RI,
Boston, MA
Hartford, CT and
Charleston, SC.
Mobs burned effigies
(likenesses) of tax
collectors and some
were tarred and
feathered.
The Bostonians paying the exciseman or tarring
& feathering. (Cartoon). Lithograph by
Pendleton, 1830, after print published in London
in 1774. Colorized. Public domain image
The British were
surprised and outraged
by the colonists
unwillingness to accept
the taxes
The British paid 25
times more in taxes
than the colonists.
The average colonist
paid the equivalent of
$1.20 in taxes per year.
NO TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION!
The problem with
that, the colonists
argued, was not with
the tax itself, but
with the fact that
they were being
taxed without
representation in
Parliament (the right
to be taxed with
representation, they
argued, dated back
to the Magna Carta).
What they wanted
was colonial
approval of taxes in
their own
legislatures.
• The first to use the term
15
was James Otis.
• He was a wealthy lawyer
who quit his position as
the King’s advocate
general of the viceadmiralty after his
conscience got the best
of him.
• He said, “Taxation
without representation is
tyranny.”
James Otis, portrait by J. Blackburn, 1755; in the
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
James Otis
16
On October 7, 1765, the first meeting of the
Stamp Act Congress was held in New York City
by delegates opposed to the Stamp Act.
The meeting was the idea of James Otis.
Delegates from 9
colonies attended
(VA, NH, NC and
GA declined).
Stamp Act protest by newspaper publisher
William Bradford
Library of Congress
Public domain image
The delegates drew
up petitions to King
George III and the
Parliament stating
that they had no
right to tax the
colonies.
They also
organized boycotts
of British goods.
King George III
George III by Allan
Ramsay, 1762.
National Portrait
Gallery, London.
Public domain image
The boycott
resulted in a
14% drop in
trade.
British merchants
and workers
suffered because
of the boycott.
In 1766, the Parliament repealed the Stamp
Act, but it passed the Declaratory Act which
reserved the right of the Parliament to raise
taxes on the colonies.
Although the colonists were happy about the
repeal, taxation without representation would
still be an issue.
Review 2-2
11. Why did the British feel it was proper to increase
taxes in the colonies? The colonists had gained the most in the French & Ind. War.
12. What act replaced the Molasses Act of 1733
placing allowing merchants to purchase molasses
from foreign nations by paying a tax? Sugar Act of 1764
13. What Act imposed a tax on 55 types of printed
material including wills, diplomas, almanacs,
newspapers, playing cards, and dice Stamp Act of 1765
14. What group met for the first time on October 7,
1765 in order to draft petitions to King George III
demanding that he repeal colonial taxes? Stamp Act Congress
15. What tactic, or form of protest, ultimately led to
the repeal of the Stamp Act of 1765. Boycotted British goods
In 1767, Charles
Townshend, the
leader of the British
Treasury, proposed
the Townshend Acts
17 The Townshend Acts
(1) placed a tax on lead,
paint, glass, tea, silk,
and paper (it would
again be used to pay
for troops in the
colonies).
(2) It also ordered new
and corrupt customs
officers into the area.
The Honorable Charles Townshend
Merchants and
planters from all 13
colonies signed
nonimportation
agreements.
The agreements
promised that they
would boycott the
importation of
British goods in the
hope that the
Townshend Acts
would be repealed.
Many people
joined the
18 Sons of Liberty
(the Daughters of
Liberty were
founded later).
Sons of Liberty
gathered around
“Liberty Trees” in
which they would
hang lanterns and
conduct mock
hangings of British
Officials.
Another British law that
causes great controversy in
the colonies is the Quartering
Act (1765).
19 The
Quartering Act required
that colonists pay for the
quartering (lodging) of British
soldiers (as well as bedding,
candles, and drinks).
In 1774, the British required
the quartering of soldiers in
private homes. The
Quartering Act called for
taxes to be used to pay for
barracks and for lodging in
taverns and inns.
• Two regiments
of British soldiers
arrived shortly
thereafter.
• They set up
camp on Boston
Common.
• They suffered
insults and
beating when
walking the
streets.
The Boston Massacre
British soldiers were paid very
little, and they were not
provided with the necessities
of life (food, etc).
As a result, many searched for
work in their off hours.
One soldier searched for work
near Grey’s Ropewalk. A
small number of colonists
showed their displeasure by
rioting and later harassed a
sentry in Boston… 400
eventually gathered!
In the end, the Boston Massacre resulted in the deaths of 5 colonists.
6 were wounded.
1. Crispus Attucks - shot twice in the chest (considered the first martyr
for American Independence)
2. Samuel Grey - shot in the head
3. James Caldwell - shot twice in the back
4. Samuel Maverick - 17 years old, shot in the abdomen
5. Patrick Carr - shot in the hip, exited side
20
Boston Massacre, Mar. 5, 1770. Chromolithograph by John Bufford
National Archives and Records Administration
Captain Preston
and six of his men
were charged with
murder.
Two prominent
lawyers decided to
defend the soldiers.
Josiah Quincy
John Adams
Josiah Quincy and John Adams, despite their
patriot loyalties, took the case because they
strongly believed in the right to a fair trial.
The lawyers argued that the men only acted in
self-defense.
By coincidence, the
Townshend Acts were
repealed on March 5,
1770- the same day as
the Boston Massacre.
The King required that
the tax on tea remain
in place just to make a
point.
The colonists rejoiced
and things were pretty
calm for a couple of
years.
Massacre Circle Boston, MA
• To inform citizens in Massachusetts about the actions of the
21 British, Sam Adams set up committees of correspondence.
• Soon, committees of correspondence were set up in all 13
colonies.
• This helped Americans unite against the British.
• Tea was incredibly popular in the colonies.
• The British East India Company was the major
source of tea in the colonies.
• The company was in great financial trouble and the
British government decided to help.
The Parliament passed the
Tea Act of 1773 to help
reduce the 15 million pounds
of tea in British warehouses.
The act actually lowered
taxes in the colonies and
allowed the British East India
Company to sell tea directly
to colonial merchants (of
their choice) and bypass the
wholesalers and retailers who
usually bought it from them
first in England.
The British thought the
colonists would be pleased
by this action.
• To the surprise of Parliament, the Tea Act was
unpopular.
• American merchants argued it was an attempt to
destroy colonial merchants by cutting them out of the
tea trade… and American tea smugglers hated it for
obvious reasons (many colonists purchased smuggled
tea).
• The Sons of Liberty argued that it was a trick to get
colonists to accept British taxes, regardless of how
small it was.
• The colonists
again instituted a
boycott.
• Daughters of
Liberty served
coffee or “liberty
tea” made from
raspberry leaves.
• Sons of Liberty
prevented ships
carrying British tea
from unloading.
The Sons of Liberty rowed quietly out to the three ships in
the darkness of night and boarded them on Dec. 16, 1773
"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor."
1773. Copy of lithograph by Sarony & Major,
1846. Credit: National Archives and Records
Administration NOTE THE INACCURACY!
Public domain image
The men
dumped 342
crates of tea
into Boston
Harbor
which was
valued at
about
$90,000.
When they
were
finished,
they quietly
rowed back
to shore.
King George III
was outraged!
He asked
Parliament to
pass a series of
very harsh laws
designed to
punish the
people of
Boston.
King George III
The Intolerable Acts (or
22 Coercive Acts), as they
were nicknamed by the
colonists
Did several things:
1. closed Boston Harbor
2. limited power of MA
legislature, made the
governor more powerful.
3. local officials were to be
appointed by the royal
governor.
4. Town meetings could only
be held once per year.
5. British officials charged
with major crimes were to
be tried in England.
6. Quartering Act was
extended to include
private homes.
The First Continental Congress met on September 5, 1774
and accomplished a great deal, including the boycott of all
British goods.
• Moderates who wanted to work out problems fought against
radicals who wanted to take strong action.
23
•
"The Bostonians in Distress."
Copy mezzotint attributed to Philip
Dawe, 1774
Credit: National Archives and
Records Administration
The meeting
consisted of a lot of
arguments and a lot
of prayer.
In the end they did
the following:
• Denounced the
Intolerable Acts and
Quebec Act.
• Called for a
boycott of all British
goods as well as an
exportation ban.
• Urged colonies to
train militias.
• The delegates also
agreed to meet again
in May 1775.
On April 19, 1775,
the first battle of
the Revolution
ensued with 70
men standing on
Lexington Green
against 400 British
troops on their
way to Concord.
In the end, 8
colonists were
killed with no
British fatalities.
Courtesy of the Army National Guard
LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
• With Paul Revere’s
announcement, the Colonists
and the British began fighting in
April of 1775
• The first battle of the American
Revolution lasted only 15
minutes, but its impact has
lasted for over 200 years
• When the British returned from Concord they met 300 colonial militia on
the North Bridge (just outside of Concord).
• Fighting broke out, and the colonials drove the British back.
• As the British retreated, they were picked off by snipers hiding in trees
and in the fields (likely 11,000 militia participated).
Word of the Battles of
24
Lexington and Concord
spread quickly.
Many colonists realized
that war was now
inevitable.
There was no
possibility of resolving
the differences
between the colonies
and Great Britain
peacefully.
OLIVE BRANCH PETITION
• By July 1775, the Second
Continental Congress
was readying for war,
though still hoping for
peace
• Most delegates deeply
loyal to King George III
• July 8 – Olive Branch
Petition sent to King who
flatly refused it
Many of those in
positions of power
were also impressed
25 by Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense
Virginia delegate to
Second Continental
Congress, Richard
Henry Lee, was
moved to say, “I am
now convinced… of
the necessity for
separation.”
Thomas Paine
RichardBy Charles
Henry
Lee
Wilson Peale, 1784.
On June 7, 1776,
26 Richard Henry Lee
of Virginia resolved
before the Congress,
“That these United States
are, and of right ought to
be, free and independent
states… and that all
political connection
between them and the
State of Great Britain is,
and ought to be totally
dissolved.”
Richard Henry Lee
Voting in favor of
Lee’s resolution was
dangerous
The delegates realized
that Great Britain
would treat a vote in
favor of independence
as treason.
They realized that a
conviction as a traitor
would result in their
execution
After a day of
debate, and 2
colonies (PA and
SC) changing their
votes in favor of
independence, the
delegates decided
to appoint a
committee to write
a Declaration of
Independence.
The committee
appointed to draft a
declaration of
independence
included John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson,
Roger Sherman, and
Robert Livingston.
The purpose for
creating the
Declaration of
Independence was to
tell the world why
they felt it was
necessary to break
away from Great
Britain and form their
own government.
Courtesy of John Buxton. Founding Fathers –
The Declaration Committee
by John Buxton
27
Thomas Jefferson
was chosen to
actually write the
Declaration of
Independence. He
was considered an
incredibly eloquent
writer, but his
earlier writings
were much too
radical for most
Americans
Early draft of the Declaration
Public domain image
The first draft of the Declaration of Independence
included a paragraph on the evils of slavery,
blaming King George III for the institution in the
Americas.
Southern slave holders and Yankee traders
successfully insisted that it be removed.
On July 2,
1776, the
Second
Continental
Congress
voted that the
13 colonies
were “free and
independent
states.”
On July 4,
1776,
delegates
signed (but not
all) the
Declaration of
Independence.
"Reading the Declaration of Independence
from the East Balcony of the Old State
House, Boston, Mass. July 18, 1776."
Keywords: Revolutionary War
Credit: National Archives and Records
Administration
The Declaration
of Independence
was well
accepted in the
colonies and
people gathered
from all around to
read it or hear it
read.
The Declaration
of Independence
had 3 main parts.
Part I
Explains the basic rights
on which the nation was
founded.
“We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all
men are created equal,
that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.”
Public domain image
Jefferson’s ideas about
the rights of human
beings came from an
English philosopher
28 named John Locke
(1632- 1704) who argued
that all men were
entitled to the rights of
life, liberty, and property.
Jefferson’s wanted to
broaden the philosophy
and changed “property”
to “pursuit of
happiness.”
Painted by Sir
Gotfrey Kneller,
1697
Public domain
image
John Locke
The Declaration also argued that one of the purposes
of a government was to protect the basic rights of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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Governments only existed if they had the consent
of the governed.
If the government
failed to protect basic
human rights or were
the cause of a violation
of rights, the Declaration
stated that citizens had
a right and a duty
“…to throw off such
Government, and to
provide new Guards
for their future security.”
Part II
The Second part of the
Declaration of
Independence lists the
wrongs committed by King
30
George III.
It lists a variety of abuses of
power SUCH AS:
•dismissal of legislatures,
•sending corrupt customs
agents
•sending troops to America
during peace time
•imposing taxes without
consent
•requiring the quartering
troops
•depriving colonists of a trial
by jury… (pg.154-156)
Part III
The third part of the
Declaration of
Independence officially
announced that the 13
British Colonies were now
the United States of
America.
It stated that the United
States could make
alliances and trade as it
pleased.
During the Revolutionary
War, State governments
began to dissolve.
As a result, in May of
1776, the Second
Continental Congress
began to ask States to
form their own
governments.
In July of 1776, the
Congress began to
organize a national
government.
Source: National
Park Service
Most states created
Constitutions
(documents that
set laws and
principles
of a government),
which served 2
purposes:
1. spell out rights of
citizens.
2. limit the power of
government.
Americans wanted to prevent an
abuse of power so they divided
government into two parts:
All colonies had a
Legislative Branch:
• Lawmakers
• Elected by voters.
• had an Upper (Senate)
and Lower House.
Samuel Adams
Library of Congress
Executive (governor):
• Carried out laws.
• All states but PA had a
governor.
Virginia was the first of
several colonies to include
31 a Bill of Rights which
lists the freedoms the
government promises to
protect:
For example, freedom of:
•
•
•
•
•
speech
religion
assembly
press
trial by jury
The right to vote also
expanded under state
constitutions.
To vote you had to be
•
•
•
male
At least 21 years of age
property owner or pay a
tax.
• In some states free
blacks could vote.
• In New Jersey, women
could vote for a while.
Members of the
Continental Congress
also agreed that a
national plan of
government had to be
created.
Because most Americans
were loyal to their States,
few saw themselves as
citizens of the “United
States”.
They did not want to turn
over powers of the State
to a national government.
Source: National Archives
• Because Americans feared tyranny, the Congress created
a very weak national government.
• The first American constitution, completed in 1777, was
32 the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781. This was
the format for the United States government until the
Constitution
The authors of the Articles of
Confederation did not create a
nation, but a “firm league of
friendship” between the 13
states
The Articles of Confederation
created a Congress with 2-7
delegates from each stateBUT each state only had one
vote.
33
It did not create an executive
or judicial branch