Our Political
Beginnings
Basic Concepts of
Government
 Ordered Government
 English Colonists saw a need for an orderly
regulation of their relationships with one
another
 Saw a need for government
 Created local governments
Limited Government
 Government is
restricted in what it
can do
 Every Individual has
certain rights
 Idea had been
developing in
England for over 400
years before
Jamestown in 1607
Representative
Government
 Government should serve the will of the
people
Landmark English
Documents
 Magna Carta
 document accepted by King John of England on
June 15, 1215 which contains a series of laws
establishing the rights of English barons and major
landowners thereby limiting the authority of the
King.
 Latin word which means 'great charter'
 individual rights and considered as a part of the
English Constitution where there is no written
constitution
Magna Carta
 Guarantees fundamental rights
 Trial by jury
 Due Process of Laws
 Protection of life, liberty, and property
 Originally intended for privileged class, but over
time became rights of all people
Petition of Right
 Magna Carta was respected by some
kings and ignored by others
 1628 Charles I asked for more tax money
 Parliament said only if you sign the
Petition of Right
 Petition limited the kinds power
 King no longer imprison or punish any
person but by the judgment of his peers
 King may not impose martial law in times
of peace
 Can’t require homeowners to shelter
troops
 Petition said “No man should be
compelled to make or yield any gift, loan,
benevolence, tax, or such like charge,
without common consent by act of
parliament.
The English Bill of Rights
 The Bill of Rights was passed by
Parliament on 16 December 1689
 no royal interference with the law
 only civil courts, not Church courts, are
legal
 freedom to petition the monarch without
fear of retribution
 no standing army may be maintained during a
time of peace without the consent of parliament
 no royal interference in the freedom of the
people to have arms for their own defense as
suitable to their class and as allowed by law
 no royal interference in the election of
members of parliament
 No excessive bail or cruel and unusual
punishment