ORIGINS OF AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT
Unit I, Section 2
Our Political Beginnings
The Beginning


North American Exploration
Begins In Mid-16th Century
European explorers, traders, &
settlers
 French,
Dutch, Spanish, Swedes, &
the English


English settlers most numerous
Native American dominations
begins to fade
Basic Concepts of Government



English settlers brought their own traditions and
customs
English law has deep roots in Middle Eastern &
Ancient Roman Traditions
Brought ideas on government
 Ordered
Government
 Limited Government
 Representative Government
Ordered Government


Orderly regulation of relationships is key
Creation of local offices; many still found today
 Sheriff
 Coroner
 Assessor
 Justice
of the Peace
 Grand Jury
 Counties & Townships
Limited Government


Government should not be all-powerful
Individual rights should not be touched by the
government
 These
ideas have a strong hold in English government &
law practice
Representative Government



Government should serve
the will of the people
People should have a
voice in the government
Notion of “government of,
by, and for the people”,
took root in colonial
America
Legislative Bodies

Unicameral
 One
chamber/legislative house
 Used in early colonial legislatures
 Nebraska only state that has a unicameral legislature

Bicameral
 Two
chambers/legislative houses
 Adopted from English Parliamentary system
 House
of Lords & House of Commons
 American
standard federally and with the States
Landmark Documents & Events
Magna Carta



Known as the “Great
Charter”
Signed by King John in
1215 at Runnymede
Unhappy barons tired of
heavy taxes and military
campaigns
 Pressured

King John
Protection from unfair act
by the Crown
…Continued

The Magna Carta Included
 Trial
by jury
 Due process
 Protection of taking of life,
liberty, or property

Intended for the upper classes
 Evolved

into including all classes
Est. that monarchial power was
NOT absolute
Petition of Rights



Magna Carta fell in and
out of favor
Parliament began gaining
more influence
1628 Charles I asked
Parliament for money
 Parliament
demanded he
sign the “Petition of Rights”
 Heavily limited King’s
powers
…Continued

Power Limitations
 Imprisonment
could not occur
without a judgment by a jury of
peers
 No martial law in times of peace
 No quartering of troops by
private citizens
 Challenged “Divine Right”
 King
subject to the laws as well
The English Bill of Rights


1688 saw the end of
conflicts in England
William & Mary of Orange
crowned


Called the “Glorious
Revolution”
Parliament began drawing
up the Bill of Rights

Officially accepted in 1689
…Continued

English Bill of Rights included
Prohibition of a standing army
during peace time
 Parliament elections should be
free
 Prohibition of the Crown levying
money
 Petitions can be heard by the king
 The Crown could no longer
tamper with English Law
 Right to a fair trial
 No excessive bail or cruel/unusual
punishment

The English Colonies



13 colonies est. over 125 years
Outposts & forts became thriving communities
Virginia,1607
Jamestown
 Commercial venture, company owned trading operation


Massachusetts, 1620


Settled for religious freedom
Georgia, 1733
Savannah
 Haven for English debtors and petty criminals


Penal Colony
The Coming of Independence
Britain’s Colonial Policies

Colonies controlled by the Crown
 Privy
Council & Board of Trade in London
 Parliament

little interest in management (trade only)
Colonies under framework of royal control
 London
was over 3000 miles away
 Self-government evolved
 Colonial legislatures
 Broad
lawmaking power
 Power of the purse
…Continued

Development of a
“Federal” system
 London
provided defense
and dealt with foreign
affairs
 Colonies allowed to self
rule, hardly taxed, and
they ignored trade
regulations
George III


Began his reign in 1760
More firm dealings with
colonist
 Enforced
ignored
regulations
 New taxes imposed to
support troops in the
Colonies
Colonial Response


“Taxation without representation”
Felt there was no need for stationed troops
 French

The Government was across the ocean
 Out

had been defeated in 1763
of touch with colonial life
Saw themselves as British
 The
questions posed: Submit or Revolt?
…Continued

The Stamp Act Congress
 Crown’s
tax and trade polices angered the Colonies
 Stamp Act-1765
 Tax
on legal documents, business agreements, & newspapers
 “Taxation
without representation”
 October 1765-Stamp Act Congress meets
 Colonies
but GA, NH, NC, VA gathered in New York
 Prepared “Declaration of Rights & Grievances”
 Sent petition to the king
 Parliament repealed the Stamp Act
Tensions


Parliament closing the gap between the Colonies
and London
Colonial boycott of English goods
 Refusal


to buy or sell certain products or goods
March 5, 1770-Boston Massacre (5 Killed)
December 16, 1773-Boston Tea Party
 Men
dressed as Native Americans board three English
ships in Boston Harbor
 Dumped cargo overboard
…Continued

Committees of
Correspondence formed
 Grew
from the idea of
Samuel Adams in Boston
 Spread across colonies
 Exchange of information
among patriots
The Congresses
First Continental Congress

Intolerable Acts passed in 1774
 Punishment

for Boston Tea Party
Sept. 5, 1774
 Congress
meets in Philadelphia
 GA did not attend
 Political minds of the day
 Prepared and sent Declaration of Rights to the king
 Called for end of English trade until Acts repealed
 Adjourned in October with plans to meet in May
 Support grew over the months for FCC
The Second Continental Congress


1774-1775; British stand by colonial policies
Reaction to the Declaration of Rights
 Stricter

and more repressive measures
Congress
 Met
again in Philadelphia
 May
 The
10, 1775
Revolution had already begun
 “Shot
heard ‘round the world”
 Battle at Lexington and Concord on April 19
…Continued

Representatives
All 13 colonies participated
 Ben Franklin, John Adams, & John
Hancock
 Hancock picked as president of the
Congress
 Accomplishments

Continental Army Created
 George Washington chosen as
Commander-in-Chief


Jefferson replaces Washington on
Virginia’s delegation
Our First National Government







SCC forced to become the first national government
No constitutional base
Denounced by British as unlawful and treasonous
Waves of growing public support
Served for 5 years (1776-1781)
Each Colony had 1 vote
Legislative & Executive power linked together
…Continued

Accomplishments
 Fought
a war
 Raised an army & navy
 Borrowed money
 Bought supplies
 Created a monetary system
 Negotiated treaties
The Declaration of Independence

Richard Henry Lee proposed
separation from Britain
 Resolution
of June 7, 1776
 Committee picked to prepare
Declaration
 Adams,
Franklin, & Jefferson
 Work
on Declaration of
Independence

July 2, 1776, Delegates agreed to
Lee’s resolution
…Continued

July 4, 1776
 Declaration
of Independence
proclaimed
 Independence declared in 1
paragraph
 2/3 speak of injuries by the
Crown that led to revolt
 Called for equality of all
men
 56 men signed the final
document
The Critical Point
The Articles of Confederation


Lee’s resolution called for the unifying of the States
Articles of Confederation created Nov. 15, 1777
 “Firm
League of Friendship”
 Each state would remain sovereign
 Ratification came slowly
 Delaware:
February 1779
 Maryland: March 1781
Government Structure

Simple government




Delegates picked by their state
Each state had only 1 vote
No executive or judicial branches


Committees in Congress
Annual choice for President of the Congress


Unicameral legislature
“Presiding Officer” of Congress not the U.S.
Civil officers appointed by Congress
Powers of Congress










Make War & Peace
Send & Receive Ambassadors
Make Treaties
Borrow Money
Set Up a Monetary System
Establish Post Offices
Build a Navy
Raise an Army of State Troops
Fix Uniform Weights & Measures
Settle Disputes Between the States
State Obligations








States would obey the Articles
Promised to provide funds and troops
Equality of all citizens
Full faith and credit to other state’s actions
Surrender fugitives
Submit disputes to Congress
Open travel & trade
Responsible for protection of life, property, &
happiness of citizens
Weaknesses

Congress Could Not Tax
Raise money through borrowing or asking the States
 Borrowing became a poor choice
 Revolutionary debt high and unpaid
 States never met financial requests of Congress





No regulation of interstate trade
Lack of power to make states obey laws
9-13 vote to pass laws
Changes made to the Articles had to be unanimous

No amendments ever made
The 1780’s
At War’s End


Revolutionary War ended on October 19, 1781
Treaty of Paris confirmed U.S. victory in 1783
…Continued

Problems began to surface at home
 Weak
central government
 Suspicion and jealousy between states
 Refusal to support central government
 States made agreements with foreign powers
 Forbidden
 Taxes
by the Articles
and bans on other state’s goods
 Soaring prices & poor credit
 Skyrocketing debt
Shays’ Rebellion



Economy worsened
People losing property & possessions to pay on
taxes & debts
1789-Danial Shays of MA leads an armed uprising
 Officer
during Revolution
 Uprising closed state courts
 Lead unsuccessful assault on Springfield arsenal
 Fled to Vermont
 MA response: Pass debt easement laws
A Need For A Strong Government



Demand grew for strengthening central
government
Large property owners, merchants,
traders, & creditors worried about
shaky economy
March 1785
 Virginia
& Maryland meet at Mt. Vernon
 Recommended Federal plan of
regulating trade
 January
21, 1786
…Continued

September 1786
5
of the 13 States meet in Annapolis
 Called for second meeting the following May
 February 1787, 7 of 13 States plan attendance
 Congress
 Met
calls for states to send delegations
in Philadelphia
 Would become the Constitutional Convention
Creating the Constitution
The Framers



55 Delegates met at the Philadelphia Convention
“an assembly of demi-gods” –Jefferson
Attributes
Well educated
 Revolutionary war vets, members of Continental Congress &
Art. of Confed. Congress
 7 State governors
 2 Future Presidents, 1 future VP
 Average age: 42

½ in their 30’s
 Franklin was the oldest member at 81

Organization & Procedures





Met in Independence Hall
George Washington elected president of the
convention
Every state had one vote, majority vote would carry
a measure
Adapted a rule of secrecy
Recommended changes to Articles of Confederation
 Feeling
of creating something new
 Eventually push to replace Articles of Confederation
The Virginia Plan


Proposed by Madison
3 Separate branches of government


Leg, Ex, & Jud
Bicameral Legislature
Representation based on states population or monetary
funds
 House members- Lower house, popularly elected
 Senate members- Upper house, chosen by House members
off list of State appointees



A of C powers kept by Congress
Congress would have more force backing them
The New Jersey Plan


Proposed by William Paterson
Called for Unicameral Legislature
 Equal



representation of the states
Limited taxing ability and interstate trade
regulations
Plural Executive picked by Congress
Federal Judiciary
 Supreme
Tribunal appointed by the Executive
Compromises

States bickered over representation
 Large
states expected to dominate
 Small states worried of infringement of rights &
interests

Connecticut Compromise
2
Congressional Houses
 Senate-
equal representation
 House- representation based on population
 Supported
strong central government
 The “Great Compromise”
…Continued

3/5 Compromise
 Q.
Should slaves be counted in a state’s population?
 Southern states wanted slaves counted
 Boost
representation in the House
 Northern states highly apposed
 Agreement
 Free
people counted as a whole
 Slaves considered 3/5 of a person
 Southerners would also have to pay for their slaves
...Continued

Commerce & Slave Trade Compromise
 Agreement
Congress needed control of trade
 South feared Northern Control
 Congress
paid through taxes on exported goods- Tobacco
 Interference with Slave Trade
 Agreement
 Congress
could not tax exported goods from the States
 Congress could not act against the Slave Trade for 20 years
The End

States had differing views & interests
 States


separated by geography & economic goals
“Bundle of Compromises”
Seeing Eye-to-Eye
 Federal
government was needed
 Government needed power
 Popular sovereignty & limited government
 Separation of powers & Checks and balances
…Continued

Committee of Stile &
Arrangement
 September
8, 1787
 Gouverneur Morris head of
committee
 September 17 work
approved
 39
men signed the finished
document
 Printed and sent throughout the
States
Ratification
The Fight To Ratify


Constitution was meant to replace the A of
C
9 states needed to ratify the document to
enact it


Formal consent by the States
Copies sent out September 28, 1787
Heavily debated and discussed throughout
the Country
 Two distinct groups formed

Federalists
 Anti-Federalists

Federalists


Stressed weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation
Knew that a strong government
would help the infant country
 Economical

& socially
James Madison & Alexander
Hamilton some of the most active
Anti-Federalists

Attacked the Constitution
 Disapproved
of the Ratification
process
 Demoralized by the lack of
God in the document
 Disdained lack of the States
ability to print money
 Disliked the increase in central
governmental power
 Disheartened by lack of a “Bill
of Rights”
Nine States Ratify



Delaware the first:
December 7, 1787
New Hampshire the ninth:
June 21, 1788
New York & Virginia had
yet to ratify
 Fear
that without their
support the Government
would fail
Virginian Ratification




Followed NH four days
later
Heated battles, Strong
debates
George Washington
supported the Constitution
Madison persuaded
Jefferson’s support
New York Ratification


Eleventh state: July 26, 1788
Saw rise of “The Federalist” papers
 85
essays
 Written by A. Hamilton, J. Madison, & J. Jay
 Supported Constitution
 Printed in newspapers and eventually collected into
books

End of long battle for ratification
The New Government

September 13, 1788
 11


of 13 States under “…federal roof”
New York picked as temporary capital
New government inaugurated the following March
 March
4, 1789 at Federal Hall
 April 6, George Washington elected President
 Unanimously
 John
 April
Adams elected VP
30, Washington takes the Oath of Office