Chapter 2: Origins of American
Government
2.1: Our Political Beginnings
2.2: The Coming of Independence
2.3: The Critical Period
2.4: Creating the Constitution
2.5: Ratifying the Constitution
2.1: Our Political Beginnings
*The colonists used
many English
documents (Magna
Carta, Petition of
Right, English Bill of
Rights) as resources
when creating
America’s government.
They took things that
that liked and
disregarded the rest.
Basic Concepts of U.S. Government:
1. Ordered Government: government is needed to
keep order in society – every governmental position
is important (president, congressman, mayor, sheriff,
coroner, etc.)
2. Limited Government: government is not allpowerful – every individual has rights that the
government cannot take away (the government is
restricted in what it can do).
3. Representative Government: the government
exists to serve the will of the people – the people
decide what the government should/should not do.
English Colonies:
The 13 original colonies were
settled over 125 years –
Virginia was the first /
Georgia was the last.
Each colony was established
by a “charter”: a written
grant of authority from the
king. Over time, other types
of colonies emerged…
Types of Colonies:
1. “Charter”: largely self-governing – leaders were
elected by property owners – could make many of
their own laws (Conn / RI).
2. “Proprietary”: organized by a proprietor (person who
the king had granted land) – governor was
appointed by proprietor – less freedom than charter
colonies (MY / DE).
3. “Royal”: royal crown organized most of government –
all new laws needed approval – least freedom of
the 3 types (8 by time of Amer. Rev.)
**Americans would draw from these methods when creating
the new government of the United States – they would
keep the good and lose the bad.
2.2: The Coming of Independence
In the beginning, colonists were given a decent amount of
freedom and self-government. Over time, England
(King George III) began to restrict this freedom.
*The colonists had no representatives in English Parliament, which
they greatly resented.
*England was more than 3,000 miles (and 2 months journey)
away.
When England began passing restrictive laws, the
colonists soon considered a revolution:
The Final Straw:
The “Stamp Act”: England required all tax stamps on all
documents within the colonies. The colonists felt that
this was “taxation without representation” and
several smaller revolts (Boston Massacre/Boston
Tea Party) soon followed .
Colonists sent delegates to the
First (1774) and Second (1775)
Continental Conventions in
order voice grievances, and
eventually declare independence,
to England.
In 1776, 56 delegates signed the
Declaration of Independence,
which created the United States
of America, and severed ties with
England
2.3: The Critical Period
The Articles of Confederation
was the foundation document
of the United States.
It established a “firm league of
friendship” between the 13
states and was “ratified”:
formally approved in 1781.
The Articles of Confederation:
Congress: was unicameral – its powers were very
limited and each state had one vote (regardless of its
population).
The States: agreed to follow the acts of Congress,
provide funds and troops requested by Congress, treat
citizens of other state fairly and equally, and allow
open travel and trade between states (among other
things).
Its Weaknesses: the powers of government were too limited –
could not tax (could only borrow or request $), could not
regulate trade between the states, and could not make states
obey its laws.
*The Articles could only be amended if all 13 states agreed
States instantly became jealous and suspicious of one
another (Congress couldn’t act). States refused to
follow Congressional decisions, taxed each other’s
goods, banned trade, and organized their own militaries
and currencies. Violence and economic chaos broke
out.
Very quickly, leaders realized that a new foundation of
government was needed. In 1787, state delegates met in
Philadelphia in order to construct this new
foundation. This meeting became known as the
Constitutional Convention.
2.4: Creating the Constitution
55 delegates travelled to Philadelphia in
order to create a new constitution.
These men became known as the
“framers” of the constitution and
included some of the most famous
thinkers in American history
(Washington, Madison, Hamilton,
Franklin).
Each state had one vote in each matter
– sometimes disagreements occurred.
The Virginian Plan:
Called for a national government with expanded
powers and three branches. Congress would be
bicameral and representation in each house
would be based on each state’s population
or on the amount of money it donated to the
central government. *This plan favored larger,
wealthier states.
The New Jersey Plan:
Called for a national government with limited
extra powers. Congress would be unicameral,
with each state represented equally. *This
plan created an equal playing field for smaller, less
wealthy states.
The Connecticut Compromise:
Created a bicameral Congress – in the smaller
Senate, each state would be represented
equally. In the larger House, representation
of each state would be based on population.
*This plan satisfied both large and small states
and became known as the Great Compromise.
*When it came time to determine each state’s
number of seats in the house, the question
arose as to whether or not slaves should be
counted in population totals. *Southern states
said yes, while northern states said no.
The Three-Fifths Compromise:
Stated that all “free persons” would be counted,
and so would “three-fifths” of all other persons.
*Taxes paid by each state was based on population –
this compromise came at a price for southern states.
The U.S. Constitution became known as a “bundle of
compromises”. While details were often argued, the
major principles were unanimous – limited
government and popular sovereignty.
2.5: Ratifying the Constitution
Many people opposed the new constitution – two
opposing sides quickly emerged:
“Federalists”: favored the new constitution –
believed the Articles of Confederation were too
weak and that a new government was necessary.
“Anti-Federalists”: opposed the new constitution –
believed the new government had too much
power and that there should be a bill of rights
that guaranteed individual freedoms.
After much debate, the Federalists won the
argument and the U.S. Constitution was ratified
in 1788. New York was chosen as the nation’s
temporary capital and George Washington was
elected president by unanimous vote.
Is Flag-Burning Free Speech?
Review the court case given on p 59:
1. What is the background of the case.
2. Why was Texas v. Johnson important to this case?
3. What are 3 arguments in favor of the U.S.?
4. What are 3 arguments in favor of Eichman?
5. What was the Supreme Court’s ruling?
6. What do you think? Was this the right decision or not?
Explain in a paragraph.
Group Activity:
In groups of 3 or 4 – describe the following arguments
that took place when creating the constitution:
1. The Virginia Plan (how was government set up?)
2. The New Jersey Plan (how was government set up?)
3. The Connecticut Compromise (how was it settled?)
4. The 3/5 Compromise (how were slaves dealt with?)