2. Basic Concepts of Government
Ordered Government
• Our first settlers brought with
them the customs and laws from
England
• The first settlers organized their
towns based on those common laws
using a sheriff, coroner, justice
of the peace, and grand juries.
3. Basic Concepts of Government
• Land was divided into counties and
townships.(ordered gov.)
• They brought the idea of limited
government (limited gov.)
• Because they were far
from the king, they began
a representative
government in Jamestown
(Representative gov.)
4. Basic Concepts of Government
• The new government was based
on English law and tradition
from the Magna Carta,
Petition of Rights and the
English Bill of Rights
• Wealthy men still ruled
these local governments
5. Limited Government
• Absolute monarchies lost some of
their power in England beginning
in 1215. (Magna Carta)
• The idea of limiting the power of
government was brought with the
early colonists.
6. Magna Carta
• In 1215, English nobles forced
King John to sign the Magna
Carta, making the king share
power with them
• It included a trial by jury and due
process before taking life, liberty
or property.
7. Petition of Right
• Almost 400 years later, in 1628,
Charles I signed the Petition of
Right which gave rights to common
people.
• This document further eroded the
power of the absolute monarchy
• It challenged the idea of divine
right saying the king had to obey
the law (Rule of Law)
8. English Bill of Rights
• After the Glorious Revolution in
1688, William and Mary agreed
to the English Bill of Rights
• This required the elected
Parliament to share the power
of government
9. English Bill of Rights
• It gave the right to a fair trial,
freedom from excessive bail and
cruel and unusual punishment and
prohibited a standing army unless
authorized by Parliament.
• The absolute monarchy was dead
in England
14. Georgia
• To relieve overcrowding in
debtors prisons, Britain sent
victims of the Poor Laws to
Georgia
• It was set up as a military
colony to buffer
Spanish Florida
from the Carolinas
15. Royal Colonies
• Of the 13 colonies, 8 were under
direct control of the Crown –
NH, MA, NY, NJ, VA, NC, SC,
GA
• The king named a
governor but the lower
house was elected by
the people
16. Proprietary Colonies
• Three were proprietary
colonies: PA, MD, DE
• Lord Baltimore – Delaware
• William Penn – PA and MD Penn
• Major decisions were made
by the king while day to day
business was controlled by
elected representatives
17. Charter Colonies
• Connecticut and
Rhode Island were
charter colonies
and largely self-
governing
• They had a bi-
cameral, two
houses, legislature
19. Britain’s Policies
• The 13 colonies were separately
controlled through the king
• Except for trade, the colonies
were left to govern themselves
under the watchful eye of the
Crown
20. Britain’s Policies
• The Crown hired royal governors
to oversee policy, but colonial
taxes paid his salary.
• Usually the governor went with
the wishes of the town
21. Britain’s Policies
• The Crown provided for a
national currency and made
foreign policy for the colonies.
• Parliament made few
regulations regarding trade
and taxes were low
22. Policies Change…..
• When George III takes the throne he
begins to deal more firmly with colonies
• New taxes were imposed to pay for
French and Indian War and to support
British troops in the colonies
23. Colonial Unity
• For the first years, there was no
unity among the colonies.
• Trade, transportation, communication,
etc all went between Britain.
• The first attempts at unity, the New
England Confederation(to defend
against Native American attacks) and
one devised by William Penn, were
unsuccessful.
24. Albany Plan of Union
• Ben Franklin wanted each colony
to send delegates to an annual
meeting
• They would have the power to
raise a military, regulate inter-
colonial trade, and dealings with
the Indians
• It was rejected, too soon for a
proposed “national” gov; not
ready to be independent from
26. Stamp Act 1765
• Parliament passed
a new tax law for
the
colonists
• It required that a tax be paid on
almost all paper goods;
newspapers, legal documents, etc
• A stamp proved the tax was paid
27. Stamp Act 1765
• The colonists petitioned the king,
boycotted British goods and hung
effigies of tax collectors
• Parliament repealed the tax.
28. More Taxes, More Protests
• Colonial boycotts
continued when
Britain imposed
other taxes
• Their claim, “No
taxation without
representation.”
Tar and feathering
29. More Taxes, More Protests
• Boston Massacre (1770)- British
troops kill five colonists
• On Dec. 16, 1773, patriots
threw chests of tea into Boston
Harbor
• King George III imposed the
Intolerable Acts (See Handout)
• It was time for
the colonies to
30. First Continental Congress
• Delegates from 12 colonies, (not
GA) met in Philadelphia
• They discussed the worsening
situation with Britain and looked
for a way to solve the conflict.
• They planned to meet the
following summer.
31. More Taxes, More Protests
• In April 1775, British soldiers
headed for a colonial munitions
stockpile west of Boston
• The “shot heard ‘round the
world” was fired and the
American Revolution
had begun
32. Second Continental Congress
• By the meeting of this Congress,
we were at war with Britain.
• All 13 colonies sent delegates,
which devised America’s first
government.
33. Second Continental Congress
• John Hancock was its president
• George Washington was appointed
Commander in Chief
• They raised an army, borrowed
funds, dealt with foreign nations,
and created a money system
34. Declaration of Independence
• A committee of 5 was charged
with writing a document explaining
our grievances against King
George III
• Thomas Jefferson wrote
the document which was
approved on July 4, 1776
35. Declaration of Independence
• The Declaration of Independence
lists the numerous acts that King
George III did to America
without any representative from
the colonies in Parliament.
36. United States of America
• After 5 years of fighting,
America was independent
• States began writing their own
state constitutions, each
featuring popular sovereignty,
something the patriots had
fought for.
37. United States of America
• The state constitutions had many
similarities
– Governors had little power
– Most authority was given to the
legislature
– Elected offices had short terms
– Landed men had the right to vote
38. United States of America
• It was easy to see that America
would not easily forget the
reasons they fought for their
freedom.
39. Origins of Our American
Government
The Critical Period
Chapter 2
Section 3
40. Vocabulary
• Articles of Confederation – first
plan for America’s government
following the Revolutionary War
• Ratification – approval
• Presiding officer – person leading
a meeting
41. Articles of Confederation
• The first state and federal
governments of America were
reminders of what colonists had
lived through under King George
II
• They based these documents
more on what they did not want
42. Articles of Confederation
• The Articles of Confederation is
a government which gave states
exactly what they wanted
– Strong state’s rights
– Weak central government
– Unanimous decisions to change the
Articles
43. Articles of Confederation
• The Articles of Confederation
was ratified by all 13 states by
1781
• The presiding officer had no
decision making power
• Congress could declare war but
not raise troops
• Congress could spend money but
not raise revenue
44. Articles of Confederation
• The states promised to send
money and troops to the federal
government when it was needed
• Nothing could force them to do it
when the time came, however
• The govt had ‘power’ but no
‘authority’
45. Articles of Confederation
• Congress borrowed heavily to pay
for the war and those debts had
not been repaid
• Not a single state came close to
repaying their share of the debt
and Congress could not mandate it
46. Articles of Confederation
• Because 9 of the 13 states had
to ratify any amendments, it was
impossible to get them to agree
so no amendments were done
• States bickered among
themselves and many acted like
an independent country when
dealing with foreign countries
47. Critical Period, 1780’s
• “We are one nation today and 13
tomorrow, Who will treat us on
such terms?” G. Washington
• States taxed one another’s goods
and banned trade.
• Debts went unpaid
• Violence broke out
48. Shays Rebellion
• Daniel Shays led farmers in
western Massachusetts
in violent protests
against losing their
farms
• There was no army to
stop them
49. Shay’s Rebellion
• American’s realized that they
needed a stronger federal
government
• States agreed to meet to
discuss a plan to settle the
problems
51. Origins of our American
Government
Creating the Constitution
Ch. 2 Sect. 4
52. Constitutional Convention
• The summer of 1787 was hot
• To keep out the noise and flies,
and to protect their secrets, the
windows were shut.
• Men wore wool suits
53. The Framers
•The men who came to Philadelphia
had a great deal of experiences and
education among them
•Most were lawyers and current
legislators for their state
•Some wrote their own state
constitutions
54. The Framers
•Some signed the Declaration of
Independence
•The average age was 42, with
almost half in their 30’s
•Ben Franklin was the oldest at 81
55. The Framers
•Sam Adams, Thomas Jefferson,
Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock
and Thomas Paine were not present
•George Washington was elected
president of the Convention
56. The Work
•The delegates decided to keep the
proceedings secret until they were
finished.
•Several delegates, especially
James Madison, kept copious notes
•They met most days from May to
September 1787
57. The Work
•Upon arriving, most delegates
expected to “fine tune” the
Articles.
•Within days, they majority knew
they were writing a totally new
document.
•Some delegates were prepared for
this turn of events
58. The Virginia Plan
•Virginia was the largest, most
populated and most influential of all
the colonies.
•Their plan favored large,
populated states, wanting a
legislative body whose membership
was decided on by total population
59. The Virginia Plan
(Large State Plan)
•Their plan also called for 3
branches of government; executive,
legislative and judicial
•The lower house, based on
population, would select members
of the upper house
•Federal laws supersede state laws
60. The Virginia Plan
•Congress has the authority to
admit new states
•Congress would choose a “National
Executive”
•The small states thought these
ideas were too radical
61. The New Jersey Plan
(Small State Plan)
•William Patterson of NJ presented
the plan for the smaller states
•The plan called for equal state
representation regardless of size
•Congress would be limited in their
ability to tax and regulate trade
62. The New Jersey Plan
•A panel would make up the
“federal executive” office
•A “supreme” tribunal would oversee
the judicial system.
63. The Connecticut Compromise
•The large states expected to
dominate the new government
•The Connecticut Compromise joined
the Virginia Plan and the New
Jersey Plan into the Constitution
we have today.
64. The Connecticut or
Great Compromise
•Two House Legislature
–Upper House, the Senate, would
have 2 members from each state
–Lower House, House of
Representatives, members would be
based on population
65. Three-Fifths Compromise
•Northern states had few or no slaves and
did not want them counted for southern
population
•Southern states had majority of slaves and
wanted to count them in their population
(more people=more control in gov.)
•The 3/5 Compromise allowed states to count
only 3/5 of their slaves as noted in the 1790
US Census
66. Commerce Compromise
•The South was fearful that the
new government would try to pay
for itself using export taxes.
•They didn’t want tobacco, a major
export, taxed
•The Compromise stated that no
State export would be taxed,
imports could be taxed
67. Slave Trade Compromise
•The South also feared that the
new government would try to
regulate the slave trade
•In the late 1700s, slavery was
dying out
•For this reason the North agreed
to allow slavery for 20 years, until
1808.
68. Bundle of Compromises
•The Constitution is a bundle of
compromises
•From 13 states with different
geography, products, ethnic groups,
religions, social classes,
populations, climates, etc, they
agreed to the document
69. Bundle of Compromises
•They agreed that the new
government had to have the power
to deal with big social and economic
problems
•They agreed to a separation of
powers and checks and balances
70. Bundle of Compromises
•The heated debates occurred over
how the president would be
elected, the structure of Congress,
and the limits of power that should
be given to the new government.
71. Separation of Powers
•The 3 branches of government,
executive, legislative and judicial,
have duties and responsibilities
given to it in the Constitution that
is their job that no other branch
can do.
•Example - Only Congress can
declare war, only the President can
move troops.
72. Checks and Balances
•Because each branch has its own
duties, the Constitution set up this
system to make sure no branch
assumes too much power.
•Example - The president
nominates a Supreme Court judge
but the Senate must agree.
73. Sources of the Constitution
•The framers of the Constitution
used early writings from Greece
and Rome, and books written by
European philosophers of the
1700s.
•They also used their experiences
with colonial governments and the
Articles of Confederation.
74. Sources of the Constitution
•Locke – Two Treatises of
Government
•Rousseau – Social Contract
•Blackstone – Commentaries on the
Laws of England
•Montesquieu – Spirit of Laws
75. The Constitution is Complete
•On Sept 17, 1787
the delegates
approved and
signed their work
•James Madison
gets credit for
writing the
document
76. Origins of our American
Government
Ratifying the Constitution
Chapter 2 Section 5
78. Federalists Anti-Federalists
•George • Patrick Henry
Washington • John Hancock
•James Madison • Samuel Adams
•John Adams • Thomas
•Alexander Jefferson
Hamilton
79. Concerns
•1. Increased powers of the
federal government (which means
less state’s rights and local
control)
•2. Lack of a Bill of Rights
80. Concerns
•Nine states ratified the
Constitution, but two of the large
states, VA and NY, did not
•Without their support, the
Constitution would be doomed.
81. Federalist Papers
•Essays, for and against
ratification, were printed in
newspapers
•Once gathered, all 85 essays
comprised the Federalist Papers
•After including a Bill of Rights, all
states ratified the Constitution.
82. Ratification
• They decided that the States
would choose electors to vote for
a president who would assume
power in March 1789.
• Even today, electors, not
individuals, elect our president.
83. President George Washington
•Washington was elected
president unanimously
•John Adams was selected
as his VP
•Inaugurations were held the first
Wednesday of March
•The President moved to the new
US capital in New York City
