Name _________________________________________
Date ___________
Origins of Government
A. Ancient Greek’s Influence on American Democracy:
 Great Council passed laws that were favorable to the __________________.
 Many Greeks wanted to participate in the _____________________________________________.
 ________________ were permitted to participate in lawmaking
 Only ____________ who owned large plots of land were considered citizens
B. Ancient Rome’s Influence on American Government:
 Romans established a ________________________
 More and more people were permitted to vote.
 Romans decided that the laws be written down.
C. Enlightenment Thinkers Influencing American Government
 ___________________________________________________
- In nature, people were _____________, ________________ and ______________________.
They would fight, rob, and oppress one another.
- To escape this people would enter into a social contract: they would give up their freedom
in return for the safety and order of an organized society.
- His view of human nature was negative, or pessimistic. Life without laws and controls would
be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
 ____________________________________ (1632 – 1704)
- Believed in _________________________ and ____________________________.
- At birth, the mind is a ____________________________, a blank tablet. Everything we
know comes from the experience of the senses – empiricism.
- We are born with rights because they are a part of nature, of our very existence – they come
from god.
- At birth, people have the right to _______________________________________________.
- ___________________________________________ have an obligation, a responsibility, to
protect the natural rights of the people it governs.
- If a government fails in its obligation to protect natural rights, the people have the right to
______________________________ that government.
- The best government is one which is accepted by all of the people and which has
__________________________________(Locke liked the English monarchy where laws
limited the power of the king).
 ______________________________________ (1712 – 1778)
- People are basically good but become __________________________ by society (like the
absolute monarchy in France).
- For Rousseau, the ______________________________ was the path to freedom: people
should do what is best for their community.
- The general will (of the people) should direct the state toward the common good. Hence,
the good of the _________________________ is more important than
________________________________.
Senior Social Studies
Leonard
Name _________________________________________
Date ___________

Baron de Montesquieu (1689 – 1755)
- He strongly criticized absolute monarchy and was a voice for democracy.
- ____________________________ - the best way to protect liberty was to divide the powers
of government into three branches: _____________________________________________.
- _________________________________________ – each branch of government should
check (limit) the power of the other two branches. Thus, power would be balanced (even)
and no one branch would be too powerful.
- Montesquieu’s ‘separation of powers’ and ‘checks and balances’ greatly influenced
_______________________________________________and the other framers of the US
Constitution. These ideas are at the core of American government to this day.
D. Influences on American Government
 Magna Carta
- English document signed in 1215
- Name means “________________________________”
- Limited the power of the monarch
- How did it influence American Government?
o Gave Americans ideas about:



 English Bill of Rights
- Established in 1689 when William and Mary took over England after King James II was kicked
off of the throne by Parliament.
- How did it influence American Government?
o Gave Americans ideas about:


 Mayflower Compact
- Established 1620 by the Pilgrims for the general good of the colony
- First attempt by colonists to ______________________________________
- How did it influence American government?
o Gave Americans ideas about:

E. Three types of American Colonies
- The ______________________________ were ruled directly by the English monarchy.
- The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed
______________________________________ colonies.
- The ____________________________________ were mostly self-governed, and their
charters were granted to the colonists.
Senior Social Studies
Leonard
Name _________________________________________
Date ___________
F. Earliest forms of Government
1.
a. Colonists on the Mayflower signed the Compact, agreeing to help aid in the common
good of all the people.
b. They agreed to create laws and follow the laws.
c. This form of government was basically a _________________________________.
2. Virginia Colony
a. Known for its rocky start in which the colony experienced times of hardship, but
thanks to James Smith, Jamestown developed a “No work, no food” policy and
soon prospered.
G. Colonial Unity
1. 1643 several New England settlements formed the ____________________________________.
2. ___________________________________________ – proposed by Ben Franklin 1754
a. Annual congress of delegates from each of 13 colonies would be formed
b. Would inspire basis for _______________________________________________
H. The Mid-1700’s in America
1. Problems with the British
a. During the mid-1700’s, the British would begin to impose unfair laws such as taxes to the
American colonists.
b. Most of the taxes would be in an effort to create revenue to fuel the British military campaigns
in Canada or abroad.
c. The __________________________________________ were a set of laws put forth by British
colonial rulers that imposed unfair treatment of the American colonies OR imposed heavy taxes
upon the colonists, or goods they purchased.
2. Intolerable Acts
a. ___________________________________ of 1765
- Required printed documents to be produced on stamped paper and carry a Revenue (tax)
stamp.
b. _____________________________________ of 1768
- Acts that lead to further Taxation
c. ___________________________________ of 1765
- An act created by Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of the British in America. Used the act
to allow soldiers to stay in the houses of colonists.
d. _______________________________________ of 1773
- An act to help the struggling British Easy India company survive, as well as to support the
Townshend duties.
- Also attempted to cut down on smuggling tea into the Americas.
I. “No Taxation without Representation!”
a. A Quote from the 1750’s and 1760’s in which many colonists felt they were not directly
represented in the distant British Parliament.
b. Any laws that were passed that were aimed at taxing them were
________________________ under the English Bill of Rights, 1689.
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Leonard
Name _________________________________________
Date ___________
c. This slogan, along with the idea of ____________________________________ and
_____________________________________________________________ would become
further basis for laws in the new future government.
d. Intolerable Acts angered many Americans and would be one of the primary factors for
Independence.
Senior Social Studies
Leonard