US History
Fort Burrows
7.3 - Ideas behind the Constitution
Main Idea:
In writing the Constitution, Americans drew on ancient traditions,
Enlightenment ideas, and their own experience.
Vocabulary:
Founding Fathers - James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other leaders who
laid the groundwork for the United States
republic - system of government in which citizens choose representatives to
govern them
dictatorship - government in which one person or a small group holds complete
authority
Magna Carta - 1215 British document that contains two basic ideas: Monarchs
themselves have to obey the laws, and citizens have basic rights
English Bill
of Rights - 1689 document that guaranteed the right of English citizens
habeas corpus - the right that no person can be held in prison without first being
charged with a specific crime
separation of - principle by which the powers of government are divided
powers
among separate branches
Setting the Scene:
Serving as the ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson did not attend the
Constitutional Convention. James Madison, however, kept in touch with his friends in
Paris. As Madison prepared for the convention, he asked Jefferson to send whatever
books “may throw light” on various governments.
Jefferson sent not five or ten books but hundreds. Some discussed the laws of
nations. Others were biographies of important leaders. A French encyclopedia alone
came to 37 volumes. In gratitude, Madison shipped Jefferson unusual American
plants to show the French. (Jefferson had also asked for a live opossum, but that, alas,
Madison could not manage!)
Today, we often refer to Madison, Jefferson, and other leaders who laid the
groundwork for the United States as the Founding Fathers. These patriots were well
aware that their nation was embarking on a bold experiment. Still, they did not have
to invent a government from scratch.
Founding Fathers: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton
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The Lesson of Rome’s Republic
Long before the Revolution, John Adams called on Americans to investigate how
governments work:
“Let us…search into the spirit of the British constitution; read the
histories of ancient ages; contemplate the great examples of Greece
and Rome; and set before us the conduct of our own British ancestors…”
John Adams, Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention followed this advice
They created a republic and looked to the ancient examples of Greece and Rome
The Roman Example
 Americans admired the Roman Republic
 Independence and public service were virtues they saw in the citizens of Rome
 Roman citizens served because they were devoted to their republic, not for $$
The Roman Warning
 Founding Fathers also saw the collapse of the Roman Republic as a warning
 No republic could survive unless citizens remained independent and devoted to
public service
 Rome eventually became a dictatorship under Caesar Augustus
 Rome stumbled when citizens valued luxury/comfort more than independence
Britain’s Traditions of Freedom
Despite the quarrel with Britain, leaders of the Revolution valued British
traditions of freedom
Magna Carta
 King John signed Magna Carta in 1215 which contained 2 basic ideas:
1. English monarchs had to obey the law
2. English nobles had rights such as rights to private property and the
right to trial by jury
English Bill of Rights
 In 1689, English Bill of Rights went further in protecting the rights of citizens
1. Elections should be held regularly
2. Upheld right to trial by jury
3. Allowed citizens to bear arms
4. Affirmed the right of habeas corpus
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¿¿ What traditions from British government are reflected in the Constitution ?
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1620 Mayflower Compact
The American Experience
Americans enjoyed representative government as far back as the House of
Burgesses (HOB) in 1619
A Constitutional Tradition
 Americans were used to relying on written documents that clearly defined
powers and limits of government
 Mayflower Compact, 1620, was 1st document of self-government in NA
 all other colonies had a written charter by the monarch or Parliament
The Revolutionary Era
 Framers of the Constitution also drew on their own experiences
 Founding Fathers remembered their grievances against the English king
 Declaration accused king of placing military power above civilian authority
 Constitution made President “Commander in Chief of Army and Navy”
 Declaration protested that king made judges “dependent on his will alone”
 Constitution set-up court system independent of President and legislature
 Much that went into the Constitution came from AOC or state constitutions
¿¿ What grievances from the Declaration of Independence are addressed in the
Constitution ?
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Teachings of the Enlightenment
Constitution also based on European Enlightenment
Improving society through the use of reason
Locke and Natural Rights
 English writer, John Locke, declared all people had natural rights to life,
liberty and property
 Suggested that government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled
 Framers saw Constitution was a contract between the people and their
government
Montesquieu and the Separation of Powers
 French thinker, Baron de Montesquieu, stressed importance of the rule of law
 Powers of government should be clearly defined and divided up
 Suggested 3 branches: legislative, executive and judicial
 Separation of powers did not allow one group to gain too much power
From Out of the Old, the New
 Founding Fathers drew on traditions but the new system of government was
not quite like anything that came before it
 John Adams called the Constitution “the greatest single effort of national
deliberation that the world has ever seen”
1. What 2 things did American leaders learn from studying ancient Rome?
1.________________________________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________________________________.
2. What traditions (documents) of freedom did Americans inherit from Great Britain
and from their own colonial past?
GB - _______ ___________________________________________________________
colonial past - ___________________________________________________________
3. How did Enlightenment ideas shape the development of the Constitution?
Locke - __________________________________________________________________
Montesquieu - __________________________________________________________
4. What two ways does the Constitution describes propose an amendment ?
1._____________________________________________________________
2._____________________________________________________________
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