Transcript Federalism - Scott County, Virginia Public Schools

Origins of American Government
Magruder Chapter Two
Our Political Beginnings
Section One
Basic Concepts of Government

Ordered Government
 Colonists from England saw the need for
orderly regulation of their relationships
with one another.
Basic Concepts of Government

Limited Government
 Colonists brought with then the idea that
government should not be all-powerful.
Basic Concepts of Government

Representative Government
 Colonists brought with them the idea that
government should serve the will of the
people.
Landmark English Documents

Magna Carta
 The Magna Carta established the
principle of limited government and
fundamental rights of English citizens.
 Signed in 1215 in Runnymede, England
 Signed by King John at the “request of
his Barons”
Landmark English Documents

The Petition of Right
 The Petition of Right limited the
monarch’s authority and elevated the
power of Parliament wile extending the
rights of the individual.
Landmark English Documents

The Bill of Rights
 The Bill of Rights redefined the rights of
Parliament and the rights of individuals.
Government in the Colonies

The Royal Colonies
 Royal Colonies were subject to the
control of the crown and run by
appointed governors, who were advised
by councils.
Government in the Colonies

The Proprietary Colonies
 Proprietary Colonies were owned by
wealthy individuals who appointed
governors, who were advised by councils.
Government in the Colonies

The Charter Colonies
 Charter Colonies were governed by the
colonists themselves through elected
governors, who were advised by councils.
The Coming of Independence
Section Two
Royal Control
Because of the distance from England to
America, royal control of the colonies was
relaxed for much of the colonial period.
 Each colonial legislature assumed broad
lawmaking powers.
 After 1760, Parliament imposed new taxes
and restrictive regulations, acts that
provoked colonial protests of “no taxation
without representation.”

Growing Colonial Unity

Early Attempts
 In the 1600s some colonies banded
together temporarily to defend
themselves, but the need passed and unity
failed.
Growing Colonial Unity

Early Attempts (con)
 The Albany Plan of Union
 Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union called
for annual meetings to deal with issues
of common concern, but colonial
governments turned down the plan.
Growing Colonial Unity

Early Attempts (con)
 The Stamp Act Congress
 Harsh tax and trade policies caused
colonists to meet to denounce the
practices and to organize boycotts and
other acts of protest.
The First Continental Congress
In 1774, the Intolerable Acts caused
colonists to send delegates to a meeting to
discuss matters and to make plans for
action.
 The Congress sent a Declaration of Rights
to the King, protesting taxes and
restrictions.

The Second Continental Congress
In 1775, Congress met again, but by now
the Revolution had begun.
 The Congress organized a government and
established an army, led by Gen. George
Washington.
 The Congress served as government until
the Articles of Confederation went into
effect.

The Second Continental Congress

The Congress was unicameral, exercising
both legislative and executive powers.
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence
announced the independence of the United
States from Great Britain and listed the
reasons for rebellion.
 The Declaration proclaimed equality and
the rights of the people.

The First State Governments
Most States wrote their own constitutions.
 Most States adopted their own constitutions.

Common Features of New States
Popular Sovereignty
 The States’ governments existed by the
consent of the governed.
 Limited Government
 The power of the States’ governments
was restricted.

Common Features of New States
Civil Rights and Liberties
 Each State clearly announced the rights
of its citizens.
 Separation of Powers and Checks and
Balance system
 Each new State government was
organized with independent branches of
government

The Critical Period
Section Three
The First National Constitution
The Articles of Confederation formed a
confederation among the States.
 Government Structure
 Government under the Articles was a
unicameral legislature with no executive
or judiciary

The First National Constitution
Powers of Congress
 Most powers related to common defense
 State Obligations
 The States agreed to accept several
obligations to the central government, but
retained many powers of government for
themselves.

The First National Constitution

Weaknesses
 The government lacked:
 The power to tax
 The power to regulate trade between
the States
 The power to make the States obey the
Articles.
The Critical Period
Disputes among the States highlighted the
need for a stronger, more effective National
Government.
 Economic chaos also resulted from a weak
central government.

The Meetings at Mt. Vernon
and Annapolis
A majority of States called for a convention
in Philadelphia to improve the Articles of
Confederation
 This meeting became the Constitutional
Convention

Creating the Constitution
Section Four
The Framers
The delegates to the Constitutional
Convention were young.
 They were remarkably well-educated and
experienced in politics.

Organization and Procedure
George Washington was elected president of
the convention.
 Each State could cast one vote on an issue,
and a majority of votes were needed to
carry any proposal.

The Decision to
Write a New Constitution
The Philadelphia Convention was called to
revise the Articles of Confederation.
 Most delegates agreed that writing a new
constitution was necessary.

The Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan called for a strong
National Government with three separate
branches.
 It favored large States because the number
of votes in the legislature would be based
on a State’s population.

The New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan resembled the Articles
of Confederation, but with increased power
of the Federal Government to tax and
regulate trade.
 It favored the small States because each
State was given equal representation in the
legislature.

The Connecticut Compromise
Disagreement over representation in
Congress caused tempers to flare.
 The Connecticut Compromise settled the
conflict.

The Three-Fifths Compromise
The question arose of whether slaves should
be counted in the population of Southern
States.
 The delegates agreed to count slaves as
three-fifths of a person for purposes of
representation and taxation.
 Article I, Section 2, Clause 3

The Commerce and
Slave Trade Compromise
Congress was forbidden tax exports
 Congress could not act on the slave trade
for at least 20 years.

A “Bundle of Compromises”
Great differences of opinion existed among
the delegates.
 Compromise was necessary on many issues.

Sources of the Constitution
The Framers were well-educated.
 Delegates drew from history, current
political thought, and from their own
experiences.

The Convention Completes Its Work
The convention approved the Constitution.
 Most delegates agreed that the Constitution
was not perfect, but was the best that they
could produce.

Ratifying the Constitution
Section Five
Ratification
Federalists favored ratification.
 Anti-Federalists opposed it.
 Debate about ratification involved the
increased power of the central government
and the lack of a bill of rights.
 Success was achieved when Virginia and
New York ratified the document in the
summer of 1788.

Inauguration of the
New Government
The new government assembled in its
temporary capital, New York City, in March
1789.
 In April 1789, George Washington was
elected President of the United States.
