Origins of American
Government
An English Heritage
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The colonist brought ideals of freedom
Great Britain does not have a constitution- they have historical
documents, judicial decisions, and laws dating back hundreds of
years
Two ideals
• 1. Limited Government
• Before about 1200 monarchs could do what they wanted
• 1215- the nobles force King John to sign the Magna CartaGreat Charter
• It established the rule of law- leaders must act according to
set laws (especially for taxes and trial by peers)
• Magna Carta laid the foundation for a government that
serves the public good
• 2. Representative government
• The idea of representative government is older
• Started when the nobles formed a council to advise the
monarch
• Council evolved into a bicameral legislature- Two Houses
• Council became Parliament- House of Lords and the House
of Commons
• Parliament worked to limit the power of the monarchy
• Two ways
• 1. English Bill of Rights
• No Divine Rule
• Parliament had to pass taxes
• Parliament could not be interfered with by the
monarch
• Speedy trial
• No cruel or unusual punishment
• 2. Petition of Right- 1628- Charles I
• No imprisoning illegally
• Do not have to house soldiers
• No military rule in the time of peace
• Needed Parliament to levy taxes
• Caused a Civil War- after the fighting, England
offered the monarchy to William of Orange and Mary
• They had to agree to sign the English Bill of RightsGlorious Revolution
• Monarch could not rule without the consent of
Parliament
• Set up a Representative Government
Colonial Development
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First settlement was Jamestown
Charter- the monarch gave the settlers the right to start a
colony
Each colony had a limited and representative governments
Some of the governors were appointed others were elected
Males served on assemblies who advised the governor- the first
was the Virginia House of Burgesses
Three types of colonies
• Royal- belonged to monarch- VA
• Proprietary- monarch gave to someone- PA MD
• Corporate- founded without permission- CT RI
Three practices
• Written Constitution
• Elected Representatives
• Separation of Powers
Three documents
Mayflower Compact- 1620- First plan of government
Great Fundamentals-1629- First basic laws
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut-1639- People could elect
the governor
An English
Political
Heritage
Independence
Searching for Unity
• Tough task
• People came to the colonies for three main reasons
• Make money (Virginia)
• Religious freedom (Massachusetts)
• Debtors prisoners (Georgia)
• Different economies
• Same dangers- Indians and Non English speaking
colonist
• Two attempts to unify
• New English Confederation- protection- had few
powers- One colony could prevent them from
taking action
• Albany Plan of Union- worried about the Frenchdefense was needed- met with the Iroquois at
Albany NY- Ben Franklin- Colonial
Representatives could levy taxes, raise an army,
regulate Indian trade
• Rejected by Great Britain
An Ocean Apart
• Political distance from GB
• Increased their power over coloniesGovernors were feeling more pressure from
the colonist
• The gap widened with King George IIIParliament said the colonies were becoming
too independent
• Real spark came with the Seven Years War
• Our part was called the French and Indian
War
• Put England into debt: they needed
revenue and they wanted the colonies to
pay for their own defense
• Passed the Stamp Act- tax on all paper
goods, dice and playing cards
• England also passed a Tariff- made GB
goods cheaper to buy
Colonial Reaction
• No taxation without representation
• Claimed Great Britain was a Tyranny
• Colonists protested
• Stamp Act Congress- agreed to boycott English goods
• Parliament repelled the Stamp Act but passed other
taxes
• Tensions erupted again with the Boston Massacre
• Samuel Adams formed a resistance group called
Committee of Correspondence
• 1773- violence again with the Boston Tea Party
• Britain responded with the Intolerable Acts- embargo on
Boston and Charleston Harbor
• First Continental Congress met in Protest- every colony
but Georgia came
• Congress sent George III a Declaration of Resolves
and a boycott
• Britain passed more laws for tighter control
• Battle at Lexington and Concord
Declaration of Independence
• Second Continental Congress
favored independence- Thomas
Jefferson
• Adopted Declaration of
Independence July 4, 1776
• Unalienable Rights- Life,
Liberty, and pursuit of
happiness
State Governments
• All adopted new constitution
with limited government
• All but Pennsylvania were
bicameral- it was unicameral
• Protected individual rights
• Expanded voting rights to white
males
First National
Government
Articles of Confederation
• The Second Continental Congress held the
states together
• Really had no power to do this
• To remedy this problem they created the
Articles of Confederation
• Did not want a strong government, so it was
weak
• Power was unicameral- delegates were chosen
by the state houses
• Most decision were majority rule but for major
decisions, it was nine in agreement
• No other branches of government
• Ten major powers of Articles
• War/Peace
• Ambassadors
• Treaties
• Army
• Navy
• Military Officers
• Weights and Standards
• Indian affairs
• Post Office
• Disputes b/w states
• Could not tax- no courts to settle
disputes
• Amendments had to be approved by
all the states
1) They could borrow or
request money from states.
2) Weak, they gave little
power to government
3) They could wage war and
make treaties and alliances
with other nations
Obstacles to Unity
• Differences resurface again
• Cultural and economic
differences
• Slavery was an issue in both
cases
• Size of the US was too big for
weak central government
Achievements
• States ceded lands west of
Appalachian
• Two ordinances:
• Ordinance of 1785- surveyed the
land
• Northwest Ordinance- state hood
equal basis with older states and
how the land was divided
• Peace with Great Britain
Pressure for a Strong Government
• Some states ignored Congress
• Held Annapolis Convention to solve
problems- only 5 colonies showed up
• Decide to have future meeting
• Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts
made people realize the need for a
stronger government
• (Farm foreclosure leading to mob
violence)
The
Constitutional
Convention
The Delegates
• Met in Philadelphia May 25,1787- 55
men
• George Washington was elected
Chairman- Alexander Hamilton and
Ben Franklin
• Some, like Patrick Henry, did not
show up because they feared a
strong government
• James Madison- “Father of the
Constitution”
Rival Plans
• Went beyond strengthening to created
something new
• Two plans
• Virginia plan- strong government,
bicameral, Strong executive and
judiciary, legislature would be based on
population, Presidents would be chosen
by Congress, could force states to obey
national laws
• New Jersey plan- three branches, states
would have a stronger role, unicameral,
equal votes- chosen by the states
• 7 for VA, 3 for NJ, other delegations were
split
The Great Compromise
• Agreed on things from both
plans
• Great Compromise- Connecticut
plan- July 16, 1787, bicameral,
one based on population the
other based on equal votes
Settling Other Issues
• Great Compromise solved the bigger
issues
• Congress could regulate interstate trade
• Slavery was an issue- how to count slaves
• The North needed the South, so they
came up with the 3/5 Compromise
• Ban on slavery in 1808 and no tax on goods
to another country
• President elected by the people or
Congress
• Chose to use the Electoral College
• If no majority, the House would chose
• Finalized and signed in September 1787
• Not everyone signed
Ratification
Federalists and Anti-federalists
• Supporters were the Federalist – non
supporter were the Anti-federalist
• Patrick Henry most famous Antigovernment would be too strong and
force would have to be used to keep
the country together
• Had no Bill of Rights
• Federalist- checks and balances
would control the government
• If they did not list a restriction,
then you do not need it
Ratification
• Opponents- Constitution favored
larger states
• December 7, 1787 Delaware is the
first to ratify
• John Jay, Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison wrote the Federalist
Papers in support of Constitution
• After the promise of a Bill of Rights,
every state ratified the Constitution
1) the New Jersey Plan
2) the Electoral College
compromise
3) large states because
they had more people to
vote for the lower house