CHAPTER 2
Origins of American Government
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Early English Settlers created government
positions in the colonies that were modeled
after English government. Ex. Sheriff,
coroner, justice of the peace, etc.
These settlers also brought with them the
concept of limited government. This is the
belief that government is not all powerful
and people have certain rights that can not
be taken away.
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This idea of limited government was created in
England with the signing of the Magna Carta in
1215. This took place nearly 400 years earlier
than the first settlement at Jamestown in 1607.
These settlers also brought with them the concept
of representational government. This concept
states that people run the government through
elected representatives and is still used in the
U.S. and many other countries today.
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In 1215 King John was forced to sign the Magna
Carta by a group of barons. They were seeking to
gain protection from heavy taxes and military
campaigns.
The Magna Carta included such rights as the right
to a trial by jury, due process of law, right to life,
liberty or property.
The rights were originally only intended for the
upper class but through time have been applied to
many people.
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The petition of right was another document
that limited the king’s power. It said that the
king could not imprison political critics and
could not require people to shelter the
troops without consent.
After much turmoil and revolt in England
William and Mary of Orange were given the
crown by Parliament in 1688.
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The events that led them to receiving the crown
was called the Glorious Revolution
In 1689 Parliament drew up an English Bill of
Rights which William and Mary had to sign.
This document included such guarantees as the
right to a fair and speedy trial and freedom from
cruel and unusual punishment.
It also prohibited excessive bail
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The 13 colonies were formed over a period
of 125 years with Virginia being the first
and Georgia being the last. All of the
colonies were established on the basis of a
charter.
Charter- a written grant of authority from
the king.
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The Royal Colonies were under the direct control
of the crown. There were 8 royal colonies
including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New
York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia.
In these colonies the king could appoint a
governor to serve as a chief executive. The king
also appointed a council to be an advisory to the
governor. This council became the upper house
in the colony’s government.
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Lower house of the bicameral legislature
was elected by those property owners
qualified to vote. Bicameral means a
legislature with two houses.
The proprietary colonies were Maryland,
Pennsylvania, and Delaware. A proprietor
was a person to whom the king had given a
grant of land in which they could govern as
they please.
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In 1632 the king granted Maryland to Lord
Baltimore, in 1681, Pennsylvania to William Penn,
and in 1682 Penn also acquired Delaware.
In these colonies Maryland and Delaware had
bicameral legislatures much like the royal colonies
Pennsylvania, had a unique government which
was unicameral. Unicameral means that the
legislature had only one house.