Tuesday, Sept. 22nd

Please have your Chapter 2.3 IR out and ready to
be checked.
 You will need your Chapter 2 Outline and a
pencil for today’s discussion.

HLA: Start working on your SSL Project (due
Oct. 8) – have you PRINTED your pictures yet?
FREEDOM WEEK
Declaration of Independence (excerpt)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness --- That to
secure these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed.”
Our English Heritage
Early English Influence

Early American ideas of
democracy and government
can be traced back to early
English rule.
 The English brought with them
a tradition of limited and
representative government.
 England was ruled by a
“monarch” for centuries.
 “Monarchy” is a form of
government where the nation is
ruled by a king or queen
Rule of King John
(1199-1216)
Rule of King John
(1199-1216)

The rule of King
John of England met
resistance from his
noble families.
 In 1215, they rebelled
in order to maintain
their authority and
privileges.
The “Magna Carta”
(1215)
“Magna Carta” (Latin
for “Great Charter”)
was signed by King
John.
 It was a contract that
limited the power of the
monarch by
guaranteeing that no
one is above the law
(even the king or queen)
– RULE of LAW

The “Magna Carta”
(1215)
This document upheld
the rights of landowners
by:
1. protecting the
English nobles’ rights
2. limiting the power of
the Monarch – thus
leads to a LIMITED
MONARCHY!
Early English “Parliament”

King Henry III continued the
idea that had began with
earlier kings of meeting with
nobles and church officials
during his rule.

This group of advisors
became known as
“Parliament”. The king and
Parliament generally had a
good relationship.
Rule of King James II
(1685-1688)
Rule of King James II
(1685-1688)
By the 1680’s, the
monarch, King James
II, began to fight
with Parliament over
power.
 In 1688, King James
was removed from
power by Parliament
- without violence.

The “Glorious Revolution”
(1688)

William & Mary (the
king’s daughter) were
invited to take over the
throne of England.

That peaceful transfer
of power is known as
the “Glorious
Revolution”.
“English Bill of Rights”
(1689)

The new “English Bill of
Rights” was drawn up at this
time by Parliament.

The English Bill of Rights stated that the English
monarch had no power over
the Parliament and could
never again control it’s
actions.
“English Bill of Rights”
(1689)
The new document guaranteed the following:
1. King could not suspend laws without
Parliament’s approval.
2. King could not create special courts without
Parliament’s approval.
3. King could not impose new taxes without
Parliament’s approval.
4. King could not raise an army without consent of
Parliament
5. Parliament would now be freely elected (by the
people)
6. All citizens would have the right to fair trial
7. Bans cruel and unusual punishment
Limited Government

Documents like the Magna Carta and the
English Bill of Rights created a tradition of
limited government in England – the colonists
would be influenced by these documents and
the idea of limited government later on….
Great Britain Today
GB has a parliamentary government that is run by a
Prime Minister (executive) and Parliament (legislature).
(The Prime Minister is part of the Parliament –the PM
gets his authority from the Parliament)
2. GB has a unitary (uni = 1) system of government. This
is where all power lies with one central body (national
government has all power and can decide if they wish
to share or delegate any of their powers).
1.
Impact of Early English Law

Early English law
was based on customs
that developed into
the basis for future
laws.

Court systems were
created to enforce
these new laws.
Early English Law

Early judges ruled on
cases based on
“precedents”.

A “precedent” is a ruling
in an earlier case that was
similar.

This created consistency
among rulings.
“Common Law”

“Common Law” is a system
of law based on precedent and
customs.

Court decisions determine
law, not regulations made by
lawmakers.

Today, American property,
contract, and personal injury
laws are based on this
English idea of “common
law”.
The English
“American Colonies”
The “American Colonies”

When the American
colonies, a group of
settlements owned by a
parent country elsewhere,
were established in the mid
1600’s, they brought with
them English traditions of
government and law.
Jamestown, Virginia
(1607)
Jamestown, Virginia
(1607)

“Jamestown” was the
first permanent English
settlement in America.

They were issued a
“charter” - a written
document granting land
and authority to set up a
colonial government.
Arrival of the Pilgrims Plymouth, Massachusetts
(1620)
Plymouth, Massachusetts
(1620)
“Mayflower Compact”
(1620)

1620, the Pilgrims members of the
“Mayflower” voyage
(seeking religious freedom)
drew up a written plan for
how their government
would run. This agreement
was the Mayflower
Compact.

A “compact” is an
agreement or contract
among a group of people.
“Mayflower Compact”
(1620)

41 of the men aboard the
Mayflower agreed to this
compact.

The “Mayflower Compact”
established a tradition of direct
democracy and this is the first
example of SELF
GOVERNMENT in the
colonies.
English Colonies Grow

The success of Jamestown
and Plymouth led to the
development of other
colonies.

By 1733, there were 13
English colonies from
Massachusetts to Georgia.

Each colony maintained
its own colonial
governments.
Colonial Governments

Colonial governments each
had an appointed governor
and a legislature.
 Only free adult males
participated.
 As time moved on, the
colonial governments did
more and more on their own.
 The “British” government
remained occupied at
home…and was located very
far away from the colonies