[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

[Pages:10][ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals Origins of American Constitutional Government

[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

Key Terms ? limited government - Government is restricted in what it

can and cannot do

? representative government - system of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections

? due process - doctrine that holds that the government must act fairly and in accord with established rules in all that it does

? bicameral - an adjective describing a legislative body composed of two chambers

? unicameral - an adjective describing a legislative body with one chamber; see bicameral

?

[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

Influential Documents and Ideas ? Magna Carta,1215 - Nobles forced King John to

recognize basic legal protections, limited royal power

? Petition of Right,1628 - Parliament forces King Charles I to agree to further limit royal power and submit to the law of the land

? English Bill of Rights,1688 - Further enumerated individual rights for English citizens.

[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

Three Types of Colonies ? Britain's 13 colonies were established and developed

over 125 years ? Virginia was the first established in 1607 ? Georgia was the last established in 1733 ? Each colony was created by a charter or written grant

of authority by the King

[ 2.1 ] Origins of American Political Ideals

Three Types of Colonies

? Royal Colonies - Directly controlled by the Crown, examples - NH, MA, NY, NJ, VA, NC, SC, GA

? Proprietary Colonies - Land granted to a group or one person, examples - PA, DE, MD

? Charter Colonies - Grants given directly to colonists, examples - CT, RI

[ 2.2 ] Independence

[ 2.2 ] Independence

Key Terms

? Confederation - the joining of several groups for a common purpose

? delegates - people with authority to represent others at a conference or convention

? duties - taxes levied on imports

? popular sovereignty - the idea that government can exist only with the consent of the people governed

[ 2.2 ] Independence

British Colonial Policy

? Parliament left control of the colonies to the Crown ? For the first 100 years colonial legislatures were given the

ability to govern with consent of the Crown

? Colonist believed they were loyal British subjects but not represented by Parliament.

[ 2.2 ] Independence

British Colonial Policy

? Parliament levied a series of taxes on the colonies in an attempt to recoup costs from the French & Indian War.

? Without considering to consult the colonial legislatures first, King George III and Parliament enact these taxes

? Colonist violently protest these taxes and ultimately force Britain to back down

[ 2.2 ] Independence British Colonial Policy

[ 2.2 ] Independence

Growing Colonial Unity ? The 13 colonies begin to coalesce because of these

protests

? Albany Plan of Union - Ben Franklin's Albany Plan of Union is considered the first official step towards uniting the 13 colonies by having an annual meeting of delegates to address future issues with Britain

? The Stamp Act Congress - Led the boycott of British goods during the Stamp Act.

[ 2.2 ] Independence

The First Continental Congress ? In the spring of 1774, Parliament passed yet another set

of laws, this time to punish the colonists for the troubles in Boston and elsewhere.

? These new laws, denounced in America as the Intolerable Acts, prompted widespread calls for a meeting of the colonies.

? Members of the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and debated for almost two months before finalizing a Declaration of Rights, which was sent on to King George III.

[ 2.2 ] Independence

The Second Continental Congress ? The British government continued to refuse to consider

compromising on its colonial policies.

? King George III reacted to the Declaration of Rights as he had to other expressions of colonial discontent--with even stricter and more repressive measures.

? The Second Continental Congress met just weeks after the battles of Lexington and Concord.

? One of their first tasks was to appoint George Washington as commander in chief of the new army.

[ 2.2 ] Independence The Second Continental Congress

[ 2.2 ] Independence

The Declaration of Independence

? Slightly more than a year after the Revolution began, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Congress that the thirteen colonies should declare their independence from Britain

? Congressional delegates thought the move for independence should be unanimous, so they delayed the final vote until 12 colonial delegations favored it. New York abstained.

[ 2.2 ] Independence The First State Constitutions

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

Key Terms

? ratification - formal approval or final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

? full faith and credit - clause requiring that each State accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

The Articles of Confederation ? The First and Second Continental Congresses rested on

no legal base. They were called in haste to meet an emergency, and they were intended to be temporary.

? The new independent states knew they needed a governing structure that was more regular and permanent.

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

The Articles of Confederation ? The Articles of Confederation would be America's first

form of government

? Approved on Nov. 15, 1777

? Ratified on March 1, 1781

? All 13 states had to ratify the Articles in order for them to take effect

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

The Articles of Confederation ? Provided a weak national government

? No Executive or Judicial Branch

? All powers given to Congress

? Make war and peace, borrow money, establish a money system, post offices, a military, settle disputes between states

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

The Articles of Confederation ? Congress was funded by the States ? State had to agree to honor the Articles ? States retained the main responsibility of defending the

rights established in the Declaration of Independence

[ 2.3 ] First Steps Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation ? No power to tax ? Could not regulate inter-state trade ? 9 out of 13 States had to agree to pass legislation ? All states had to agree to amend the Articles

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

A Time of Troubles, the 1780s

? Post Revolutionary War America was disorganized and prone to inter-state arguments

? During the 1780's states printed their own money, blocked trade with other states, and refused to fund Congress

? Shay's Rebellion highlighted the volatility of situation

[ 2.3 ] First Steps

A Demand for Stronger Government

? Ignoring Congress Virginia & Maryland held their own meetings to settle trade disputes at the invitation of George Washington

? Annapolis 1786 - Virginia calls for a meeting of all states to discuss a stronger national government... few attend but the meeting does set the foundation for a future meeting in Philadelphia in 1787

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

Key Terms

? Framers - Authors of the US Constitution ? quorum - fewest number of members who must be

present for a legislative body to conduct business ? veto - chief executive's power to reject a bill passed

by a legislature; literally (Latin) "I forbid"

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

The Framers Meet

? The Constitutional Convention began on Friday, May 25, 1787

? 12 of 13 States sent delegates to Philadelphia ? 55 delegates attended the Convention (74 had been

selected but 19 could not make it)

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

The Framers Meet

? 39 had been members of the Continental Congress ? 8 Signed the Declaration of Independence ? 31 had gone to college ? The average age was 42 / almost half were in their 30s ? Notable Non Participants - John Adams, Thomas

Jefferson, Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution The Leaders

[ 2.4 ] Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

The Delegates Adopt Rules of Procedure

? George Washington was elected President of the Convention

? Simple majority was used to adopt the rules ? It was agreed that their work would be done in secret ? Five days into the convention the Framers made the

decision to scrap the Articles of Confederation in favor of creating a new government

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download