Unit 2: Foundations of
American Government
Part I – Our English
Heritage
The Magna Carta
“The Great Charter”
• 1215 England
• Nobles rebelled
against the King
and forced him
to sign a
document that
protected their
rights
Rule of Law
• The law applies
to everyone
•
Limited Government
• The government
is not all
powerful
•
The Development of
Parliament
• Late 1300’sPresent
• Started as a
advisory group
to King then
evolved into a
representative
legislature – a
lawmaking body
The Development of
Parliament
• The Glorious
Revolution –
Parliament
removes King
James II and
puts William and
Mary on thrown.
Parliament now
stronger than
King
Representative
Government
• The people are the source of
government power
• (POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY)
The Ideas of the
Enlightenment
• 1600’s-1700’s
• Philosophical
movement that
believed God had
created an orderly
universe and that
the laws of this
universe could be
discovered using
reason.
NATURAL RIGHTS
• Rights people are BORN with
that NO GOVERNMENT CAN
DENY
Social Contract
• Agreement between
GOVERNMENT and the PEOPLE
Self Government
• That people can RULE
THEMSELVES IN AN ORDERLY
MANNER
The English Bill of
Rights
• 1689
• Further LIMITED
Kings power and
increased the
RIGHTS OF THE
PEOPLE
• Right to:
• Free elections
• Fair Trial
• No cruel and
unusual punishment
English Common Law
• Developed over
time
• Law that rests on
previous court
decisions
(Precedents)
• Makes law fair and
consistent
• Bases for our:
• Divorce
• Civil
Philosophers of the
Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes
(1588-1679)
• People could not
rule themselves
• Have to have a
strong government
• Social Contract:
Give up rights to
absolute monarch
for protection from a
violent death
John Locke
(1632-1704)
• Natural Rights – all people
are born with basic rights
(Life, Liberty, Property)
• Social Contract – Relation
between government and
the people is a contract
• People obey laws
• Government protects rights
• Right to rebel – if the
government fails to protect
the rights of the people it is
the right of the people to
destroy that government
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1778)
• Everywhere gov. is
oppressing the
people
• The only just gov. is
one the people
create
Baron de Montesquieu
(1689-1755)
• Gov. needs power
but power corrupts
• Protect the people
by separating the
powers of gov. into
three branches
• Write the laws
• Enforce the laws
• Interpret the laws
Answer the EQ
• Using two examples of from your
notes on Our English Heritage
answer the following question:
• What characteristics of their English
heritage influenced the founding
fathers in the development of
American democracy and how?