The Roots of American Democracy
Religious & Classical Roots
• Christians believed in natural law, the idea
that a universal set of moral principles
existed. Many colonists believed that a
human law that violated natural law was
unjust and should be changed.
Religious & Classical Roots
• Ancient Greeks
introduced the idea of
direct democracy, or
decision making by all
citizens. Direct
Democracy took root
in New England’s
town meetings, where
citizens gathered to
solve local problems.
Religious & Classical Roots
• From Ancient
Romans came the
idea of
Representative
government, or
decision making by
elected officials. This
idea would be the
basis of US
government.
English Roots
• The Magna Carta
defined the rights and
duties of English
nobles, set limits on
the monarch’s power,
and established the
principle of the rule of
law. The colonists
had great respect for
the traditions of
English government
English Roots
• The Petition of Right demonstrated the
idea of limited government by affirming
that the king’s power was not absolute.
The idea of limited government was one of
the principles that colonists admired in
English government.
English Roots
• The English Bill of Rights
reaffirmed the principle of
individual rights
established by earlier
documents. One reason
the colonists rebelled was
to secure their individuals
rights, which they
believed had been denied
to them.
English Enlightenment
• Thomas Hobbes first introduced the idea that
government was the result of a social contract between
people and their rulers. His social-contract theory laid
the groundwork for the idea that government was formed
by the consent of the people.
English Roots
• John Locke wrote about the idea that all people were
equal and enjoyed certain natural rights, such as the
right to life, liberty, ad property. This idea exerted a
powerful influence on colonial thinkers and would be
used to justify the revolution.
French Enlightenment
• Montesquieu introduced the idea of separation
of powers, in which governments are organized
to prevent any one person or group from
dominating others. Americans applied this idea
to their colonial governments.
French Enlightenment
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed in the idea that a
government formed by a social contract was legitimate if
it was based on popular sovereignty. Some colonial
leaders, including Thomas Paine, agreed with this idea
that the government should be based on the will of the
people
From Ideas to Independence
• 1619, Virginia House
of Burgesses
• The legislative branch
of the colony where
elected officials made
decisions
• The House of
Burgesses was the 1st
elected assembly in
the colonies
From Ideas to Independence
• 1620, Mayflower Compact
• Before settlers from the Mayflower landed, they drew up
this compact for governing their new colony.
• They agreed to live in a civil body politic and obey just
and equal laws enacted by representatives.
• 1st written framework for self-government in the colonies.
From Ideas to Independence
• 1763 French and Indian War
• After the war, Britain reversed its policy of “benign neglect” by
imposing new taxes and restrictions on the colonies.
• Before this time, colonies had been accustomed to managing their
own affairs, with Britain rarely interfering in the day-to-day business
of government.
From Ideas to Independence
• 1765, Stamp Act
• The British government required Americans to buy
stamps to place on various documents.
• Colonists felt that as British citizens, only their elected
representatives could tax them; with no colonial
representation in Parliament, the taxes were illegal.
From Ideas to Independence
• 1775, Battles at Lexington and Concord
• Massachusetts militia troops clashed with British soldiers, marking
the beginning of the American Revolution.
• This event revealed that tensions between the colonies and the
British government were so high that armed conflict was inevitable.
From Ideas to Independence
• 1776, Declaration of Independence
• Called for a final break between the colonies and Britain.
• It set a vision for a new kind of nation in which the
government is formed to protect people’s unalienable
rights and gets its powers from the consent of the
governed.
Framing New Constitutions
• State constitutions showed that lawmakers were
committed to constitutionalism-the idea that
government should be based on an established
set of principles.
• These principles included popular sovereignty,
limited government, the rule of law, and majority
rule.
• State constitutions also created a government
with 3 branches to separate powers, and most
began with a statement of individual rights.
Framing New Constitutions
Articles of Confederations
• Main Weaknesses
– Congress could not levy taxes to raise money
to support an army or repay debts.
– Congress could not control trade among the
states; instead, states set up trade barriers
and argued among themselves.
– There was no executive to enforce laws and
no court system to settle legal disputes.
States could and did ignore laws passed by
Congress.
Framing New Constitutions
Articles of Confederations
• These weaknesses meant that the
national government did not have enough
power to accomplish what it needed to do.
Major Challenges at the
Constitutional Convention
• 1st issue was how to determine representation in
the new government.
– Some delegates favored a unicameral legislature in
which all states had equal representation.
– Others favored a bicameral legislature with
representation based on population.
– The resolution was to have a bicameral legislature. In
one house, representation was based on population.
The other house had equal state representation.
Major Challenges at the
Constitutional Convention
• 2nd challenge was over slavery. The
resolution was to count slaves as 3/5 of a
free person for determining taxation and
representation.
Major Challenges at the
Constitutional Convention
• 3rd Challenge – how to choose the
president. Some delegates thought
Congress should do it, while others
favored popular elections. The resolution
was to set up the Electoral College.
Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists
Favored the creations of
a strong federal
government that shared
power with the states.
Anti-Federalists
Preferred the loose
association of states
established under the
Articles of Confederation
Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Believed that because
the national government
represented so many
people, it would be less
likely to fall under the
sway of factions
Feared that a strong
national government
would lead to tyranny.
Believed that states are
better able to represent
people’s rights and
preserve democracy.
Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Believed that separation Were concerned that the
of powers in the
Constitution did not
Constitution kept the
contain a bill of rights.
national government
from becoming too
powerful.
Ratifying the Constitution
How was the debate resolved?
• By an agreement that a bill of rights would be
added to the document.
• 1789,James Madison, father of the Constitution,
introduced a series of proposed constitutional
amendments in Congress. These amendments
were a list of rights, found in various documents.
• Congress eventually approved 12 amendments,
10 of which were ratified at that time.