CHAPTER 2
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
1. MAGNA CARTA (1215)
– Proved that a monarch’s power had limits. Until
this, it was believed that a monarch received
their power from God, therefore their power was
infinite.
– Long story short, King John had made the nobility
angry. The nobles drew up this document and
forced the king to sign it.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
2. PARLIAMENT
– Law-making group for Great Britain.
– Bicameral (two-house) group. House of Lords and
House of Commons.
– Used as a model when creating our legislative
branch: CONGRESS.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
3. GLORIOUS REVOLUTIUON
– This event made Parliament more powerful than
the King.
– Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights
afterwards, which gave BRITISH citizens certain
rights.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
4. COMMON LAW
– System of law based on tradition and customs.
– It mostly involves using previous court decisions to
arrive at decisions in current cases.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
5. JOHN LOCKE
– Had two important theories:
– NATURAL RIGHTS: everyone is
born with “inalienable” rights.
– SOCIAL CONTRACT: if a
government fails to meet the
needs of its people, then the
people have the right to rebel
and create a new government.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
6. BARON DE’ MONTESQUIEU
– Developed the idea that
power should be divided up in
government.
2.1: FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
7. ALBANY PLAN OF UNION
– Was a plan that proposed a government that
would oversee/make plans for all of the North
American colonies.
– Proposed by Ben Franklin.
– Franklin was inspired by and borrowed this idea
from the Iroquois Tribe.
2.2: EARLY COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS
8. JAMESTOWN: first official British colony
– First colony to make use of REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY. (House of Burgesses)
9. PLYMOUTH: Massachusetts colony, colonized
by Pilgrims.
– First colony to make use of DIRECT DEMOCRACY.
(Mayflower Compact)
2.2: EARLY COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS
10. NORTH
– Economy revolved
around commerce
and shipbuilding
– Life revolved around
the city
11. SOUTH
– Economy revolved
around agriculture,
due to the climate.
– Life revolved around
the plantation, very
few towns. Most
people never left the
plantation.
2.2: EARLY COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS
12. REGIONS OF THE COLONIES
– NEW ENGLAND: MA, RI, CT, NH
– MIDDLE: NY, NJ, PA, DE
– SOUTHERN: NC, VA, MD, GA, SC
– Making ratchet crunchy noodles
– Not needing pink dye
– Need very much grape soda
2.2: EARLY COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS
13. REASONS PEOPLE CAME TO THE COLONIES
– Religious Freedom
– Economic Opportunity
14. GREAT AWAKENING
– Religious movement.
– Spread idea of egalitarianism
– Introduced African-Americans to Christianity
2.2: EARLY COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS
15. SALUTARY NEGLECT
– This is the “relationship” the colonies and Great
Britain shared initially.
– GB for the most part, ignored the colonies.
– Since GB was not active in colonial affairs, the
colonies got to govern themselves.
– (not in notes: this was the long-term cause to the
colonies declaring independence from GB!!!)
2.1/2.2 REVIEW
1. What were the two major theories John Locke
developed?
2. What were the major differences between the
northern and southern colonies?
3. Why was the Magna Carta significant?
4. Where did the idea of the Albany Plan of Union
come from?
5. What were the two reasons people came to the
colonies?
6. Which colonies were the first to use; a)
Representative Democracy, and b) Direct
Democracy
2.3: SALUTARY NEGLECT… TO WAR
16. END OF SALUTARY NEGELECT
– Happened due to two reasons
–MERCANTILISM: BULLION (wealth) = power,
economic theory. Great Britain decided to start using
the colonies as a means of accumulating wealth.
–FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR: long story short,
colonists start war > can’t handle it, ask for help > GB
comes to save them > GB wins war, despite the
colonists…
•GB went into deep debt due to this war… felt the colonies
should help pay the debt
2.3: SALUTARY NEGLECT… TO WAR
17. Great Britain decided to best way to get the
colonists to pay their share of the debt would
be to TAX them.
–These were called “ACTS” by Parliament.
a) STAMP ACT
b) DECLARATORY ACT
c) TOWNSHEND ACTS
d) TEA ACT
e) COERCIVE/INTOLERABLE ACTS
STAMP ACT
SONS OF LIBERTY
JAMES OTIS
BOSTON TEA PARTY
QUARTERING ACT (Part of Coercive Acts)
Can I help you?
Yes, get out of my
new home.
18. BOSTON MASSACRE
2.3: SALUTARY NEGLECT… TO WAR
19. CONTINENTAL CONGRESS(es)
–There were TWO
–FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS:
•tried to appeal to the King to end the treatment of
colonists brought by the Coercive/Intolerable Acts. Also
decided to continue the boycotts on British goods.
–SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS:
•DECLARED INDEPENDENCE FROM GREAT BRITIAN.
2.3: SALUTARY NEGLECT… TO WAR
20. THOMAS PAINE –
Common Sense
–Wrote pamphlet that
encouraged the colonists to
support the revolution against
Great Britain.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Colonists won.
The end.
2.3/2.4 REVIEW
1. What were the two reasons the relationship
between the colonies and Great Britain fell
apart?
2. Why were the colonists opposed to paying
the British taxes?
3. Why did the British Parliament feel the
colonists should pay taxes?
4. When did the colonies decide to declare their
independence from Great Britain?
5. Who wrote the Declaration of
Independence? Who inspired him?