Transcript Document

Chapter 2 – Origins of American Government
In the Beginning
• European domination of
the continent, esp England
in North America
• The English in America were
influenced by their system
which was influenced by
early River Valley
civilizations.
• And also the Romans, who
occupied England for 400
years (43-410 CE)
3 Big English Ideas
about Government
• Ordered government – British saw a need for
orderly regulations
• Limited Government – they thought the
government was NOT all-powerful and
should be restricted
• Representative Government – a government
should serve the will of the people
Important Documents from England
Magna Carta (1215)
• elite citizens sought protection against heavy-handed king
• originally intended for privileged but over time applied to all English people
• provided for trial by jury, due process, protection of life, liberty and property
Petition of Right (1628)
• limited the king’s power
• could no longer punish anyone unless lawfully judged by peers
• challenged the idea of the Divine Right of Kings – this idea God created the
state and gave royalty the “divine right to rule”
Bill of Rights (1688)
• The Glorious Revolution – Parliament offered the crown to Mary & William –
it showed Parliament actually had power over the monarchy
• The English Bill of Rights offered rights such as prohibiting standing armies in
peace
The English Colonies
Each of the 13 colonies had its own character
• Royal Colonies - These were subject to the
direct control by the Crown. The king would
appoint a governor and a council. Propertied
residents did vote for the lower house of the
legislature.
• Proprietary Colonies – King made a grant of
land to a proprietor who then appointed a
governor.
• Charter Colonies – largely self-governing
Colonies attempted to work together before the
fight for independence through confederations.
THE STAMP ACT OF 1765
•
British Parliament required the use of stamps on all
legal documents, newspapers, etc. It was just a way to
tax.
•
Colonies resisted so Parliament repealed it but tensions
persisted
•
Colonists boycotted English goods.
•
Relations between the Crown and the colonists were
also harmed by the Boston Massacre and the Boston
Tea Party in 1773.
Continental Congresses
• Delegates met in Philadelphia
• First Continental Congress – 1774
• Delegates included Samuel & John Adams, John Jay, Patrick
Henry, & George Washington
• Sent Declaration of Rights to the king and wanted to refuse
trade with England until trade regulations and taxes were
repealed
• Second Continental Congress – 1775
• The American Revolution had already begun – Battles of
Lexington & Concord already fought
• Delegates included Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock (President),
Washington (Commander-in-Chief)
• Became the first national government
Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
“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. That to secure these rights
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed; That whenever
any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundations on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
- the Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of
America
Articles of Confederation
• The first plan to set up the government
• Only Congress with no executive or judicial branches
• Weaknesses
• One vote for each state, no matter its size
• Congress powerless to collect taxes
• Congress could not regulate foreign and interstate trade.
• No executive to enforce Congressional acts
• No national court system
• Amendment only with consent of all states
• A 9/13 majority required to pass laws
• Articles were really only a “firm league of friendship”
Chaos & Rebellion
•
•
•
•
With the states really accountable to
nobody, they started to bicker and
refused to support the central
government
Some organized their own military
forces
Economic chaos and sometimes
violence erupted
Shays’ Rebellion – Economic
conditions drove some landowners
into debt and they started to lose their
property as a result. In 1786, Daniel
Shays helped lead an uprising that
forced the government to act.
Eventually Massachusetts passed
legislation to ease the burden on
debtors.
Framers of the Constitution –
Who were these men?
• men with a lot of public
experience, wealth, and
prestige
• some had served in
constitutional
conventions for their
own states
• famous names include
Washington, Madison,
Franklin, and Hamilton
Philadelphia – Independence Hall in
1787
• Delegates decided to
keep their deliberations
secret to protect
themselves from
outside pressures
• Framers decided to
replace the Articles of
Confederation with the
Constitution
Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Slaves – Were they people?
• Delegates from slaveholding states argued they
should be counted but most
northerners opposed that
• Three-Fifths Compromise –
“free persons” would be
counted and so would 3/5s
“of all other persons”
• Also used this formula to
decide the amount of
money each state had to
raise for a tax levied by
Congress
The Constitutional Convention & Trade
Commerce and Slave Trade
Compromise
• Southerners worried Congress, with the ability to
regulate interstate and foreign trade, would act
against their interests in favor of the more
commercial north. They especially worried about
tobacco and the slave trade.
• They insisted on the Commerce & Slave Trade
Compromise before they would agree to commerce
power for Congress.
• This compromise said Congress was forbidden the
power to tax the export of goods from any state and
had to wait at least 20 years before acting on slavery.
Ratifying the Constitution
Because it was so difficult to get unanimity, the
Framers only required nine states “sufficient for
the establishment of this Constitution.”
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Federalists
• Led by Philadelphia
Convention attendees like
Madison and Hamilton
• Stressed weaknesses of
Articles
• The Federalist – collection
of 85 essays supporting
the Constitution and
written by Hamilton,
Madison and Jay. One of
the most famous set of
political writings.
Anti-Federalists
• Led by Revolutionary War
heroes like Patrick Henry,
Hancock and Samuel
Adams
• Objected to most parts of
the document but the
biggest issues were the
increased powers of the
central government and
the lack of a bill of rights.
Ratification & Inauguration
• September 1788 –
• Federalists finally won
Congress chose NYC as
in all states but the vote
the temporary capital
was very close in
• Congress convened in
several (Virginia, New
March 1789
York are examples)
• Washington was elected
• 11 of the 13 states
President unanimously
voted to ratify the
and John Adams was
Constitution.
elected Vice President