The document provides an overview of the origins and constitutional underpinnings of the United States government. It discusses key influences like the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, and Enlightenment thinkers including Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. The document also summarizes the development of the US system of government from the colonial period, Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, ratification debates, and key compromises and principles embedded in the Constitution like separation of powers and federalism. It also reviews the Bill of Rights and amendment process.

1. Kara Powell
Constitutional Underpinnings of the
United States Government

2. Origins of the US Government
 Magna Carta (1215)- The first attempt to limit
the power of the British monarch.
 English Bill of Rights (1689)- Guaranteed free
parliamentary elections, the right to a speedy
trial, freedom of excessive bails and cruel and
unusual punishment, the right to petition to the
Kind, and protection of armies during time of
peace.
 Enlightenment (discussed on next slide)

3. 5 Key Enlightenment Ideas
 Reason
 Natural Laws
 Progress
 Liberty
 Toleration

4. 3 Key Enlightenment
Philosophers
 John Locke
 Natural rights-life, liberty, and property
 Government should be formed on consent of the
governed
 Charles de Montesquieu
 Separation of powers among branches
 System of divided authority to prevent one branch
from gaining too much authority
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau
 Social contract between people and government
 Rulers are servants to the community

5. Colonial Times
 Colonial charters-colonies formed from charter
from the King
 House of Burgesses- VA established the first
representative legislature in the colonies in 1619
 Mayflower Compact- an agreement in 1620
signed by colonists aboard the Mayflower
 The First Continental Congress- Delegates from
12 colonies met in Philadelphia in 1774. Sent a
Declaration of Rights to the King

6. Troubles with Britain
French and
Indian War
(1756-1763)
Sugar Act
(1764)
Stamp Act
(1765)

7. Troubles with Britain Con’t…
Townshend Acts
(1767)
Boston Massacre
(1770)
Boston Tea Party
(1772)
Coercive/Intolerable
Acts (1774)

8. The Second Continental
Congress
 May 1775
 Delegates from 13 colonies
 The Declaration of Independence
 Theory of government based on natural rights and
social contract
 List of grievances
 A statement of colonial unity and separation from
Britain
 Articles of Confederation (continued on next
slide)

9. Articles of Confederation
 First national constitution for the US
 Unicameral legislative branch
 League of friendship among states
 Weak national government
 No executive or judicial branches
 Amendments would require unanimous vote

10. The national government was
too weak
States taxed each other and
printed their own money,
which led to economic chaos
No branch to uphold laws
Violence broke out (Shay’s
Rebellion)
Problems with
the Articles of
Confederation

11. Test Your Knowledge
1. The Articles of Confederation established
I. A unicameral legislature
II. The supremacy of state legislatures
III. A chief executive
IV. A national court
(A) II only (D) I, III, and IV only
(B) I and II only (E) II, III, and IV only
(C) I, II, and III only

12. Constitutional Convention
 Philadelphia, May 1787
 Delegates from every state except Rhode Island
 Decided to write new Constitution
 Agreed on Federal system
 Agreed on three branches
 Many plans presented, such as the Virginia Plan
and the New Jersey Plan (discussed on next slide)
Picture source:
www.whitehouse.gov

13. Important people at the
Constitutional Convention
 Thomas Jefferson
 James Madison (shown on left)
 Alexander Hamilton (shown on right)
 George Washington
Picture Source:
www.nps.gov

14. Test Your Knowledge
Base your answers to questions 1 and 2 on the quote below
and on your knowledge of U.S. government and politics.
"What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of
liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of
patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
– Thomas Jefferson, 1787
2.Thomas Jefferson expressed the above belief in the
immediate aftermath of
(A) Bacon's Rebellion (D) the Whiskey Rebellion
(B) Pontiac's Rebellion (E) Nat Turner's Rebellion
(C) Shays' Rebellion
3. Jefferson's remarks constitute an argument in support of the
(A) First Amendment (D) Fifth Amendment
(B) Second Amendment (E) Eighth Amendment
(C) Fourth Amendment

15. VPPlan
• Bicameral
Legislature
• Representation in
each house based
on population or
monetary
contributions
• Single executive
• Judges chosen by
legislative branch
NJPlan
• Unicameral
legislative
• Representation
equal among the
states
• Plural executive
• Judges chosen by
the executive
branch
Picture Sources: www.yellowmaps.com
wwp.greenwichmeantime.com

16. Compromises at the Constitutional
Convention
 Connecticut (Great) Compromise- Bicameral
legislative branch with the Senate having equal
representation for each state and the House
having representation based on population
 Three-Fifths Compromise- each state would
count slaves as 3/5 of a person-This resolved
representation and taxing issues
 Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise-
Congress could not tax exports from the states or
ban slave trade for 20 years-this resolved
problems between the North and the South

17. Federalists
For Constitution to be ratified
James Madison, John Jay,
Alexander Hamilton
Wanted strong national
government
Didn’t need a Bill of Rights-
Constitution was strong enough
Federalist Papers
Anti-
Federalists
Against the Constitution being
ratified
Patrick Henry, Richard Henry
Lee, George Mason, Sam
Adams
Wanted strong state
governments
Wanted a Bill of Rights

18. Ratification of the Constitution
 Ratified by 9/13 states
 September 17, 1787
Picture Source:
www.house.gov

19. Principles in the Constitution
 Limited government-government has limits on its
powers
 Popular Sovereignty- government’s authority is by
the people
 Separation of powers-separated among the three
branches
 Checks and balances- each branch limited by
other branches
 Federalism-division of government between
national and state levels

20. Checks and Balances
Picture Source: http://rosseconcp.wikispaces.com

21. Separation of Powers
 Legislative-Creates Laws
 Executive-Enforces Laws
 Judicial-Interprets Laws
Judicial
Executive
Legislative

22. School House Rock Video to Review
Checks and Balances/Separation of
Powers
 http://www.schooltube.com/video/9ee8d7e4bef24
e8394b4/

23. Articles in the Constitution
I-Legislative Branch
II-Executive Branch
III-Judicial Branch
IV-Intergovernmental Relationships
V-Amendment Process
VI-Supremacy of the Constitution
VII-Ratification Process

24. Amendment Process
 4 methods
1. Proposed by 2/3 vote of each house of Congress
and ratified by ¾ of state legislatures (used 26
times)
2. Proposed by 2/3 vote of each house of Congress
and ratified by a special convention in at least ¾ of
all states (used once)
3. Proposed by national convention called by
Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state
legislatures and ratified by ¾ of the state
legislatures (never used)
4. Proposed by national convention called by
Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state
legislatures and ratified by special conventions in at

25. Informal Amendment Process
 Legislative actions-Congress passes acts that
more clearly define the meaning of the
Constitution
 Executive actions-to expand presidential authority
 Judicial review-interpret constitution/decide what
is unconstitutional
 Customs and precedents-example: no term limit
until the 22nd amendment was passed

26. Test Your Knowledge
4. Which of the following statements regarding constitutional
amendments is correct?
(A) The Constitution has never been amended by a
constitutional convention.
(B) No constitutional amendment has ever been
successfully repealed.
(C) The majority of proposed amendments have been
ratified.
(D) Every state legislature requires a three-fourths majority
for ratification.
(E) A constitutional amendment requires the signature of
the President.

27. Bill of Rights
 First 10 amendments of the Constitution
 Added to satisfy Anti-Federalists
 Passed by Congress September 25, 1789.
 Ratified December 15, 1791.
 Visit this site to read the Bill of Rights:
http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-
documents/bill-of-rights/

28. List of ALL Amendments (including
Bill of Rights)
Bill of Rights
Amendment 1 Freedoms, Petitions,
Assembly
Amendment 2 Right to bear arms
Amendment 3 Quartering of soldiers
Amendment 4 Search and arrest
Amendment 5 Rights in criminal cases
Amendment 6 Right to a fair trial
Amendment 7 Rights in civil cases
Amendment 8 Bail, fines, punishment
Amendment 9 Rights retained by the
People
Amendment 10 States' rights
Later Amendments
Amendment 11 Lawsuits against states
Amendment 12 Presidential elections
Amendment 13 Abolition of slavery
Amendment 14 Civil rights
Amendment 15 Black suffrage
Amendment 16 Income taxes
Amendment 17 Senatorial elections
Amendment 18 Prohibition of liquor
Amendment 19 Women's suffrage
Amendment 20 Terms of office
Amendment 21 Repeal of Prohibition
Amendment 22 Term Limits for the
Presidency
Amendment 23 Washington, D.C.,
suffrage
Amendment 24 Abolition of poll taxes
Amendment 25 Presidential succession
Amendment 26 18-year-old suffrage

29. Test Your Knowledge
5. Since the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the greatest
number of constitutional amendments have served to
(A) broaden the government's role in the economy
(B) expand voting rights to the disenfranchised
(C) reform Congress to counteract corruption
(D) formalize the concept of judicial review
(E) clarify the federal structure of government
6. In 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed by
the
(A) Nineteenth Amendment
(B) Twentieth Amendment
(C) Twenty-first Amendment
(D) Twenty-sixth Amendment
(E) Twenty-seventh Amendmen

30. Marbury v. Madison
 1803
Established judicial review
 Chief Justice John Marshall (shown in picture
below)
Picture Source:
www.lva.virginia.gov

31. Unwritten Traditions
 Political parties are not found in the Constitution.
 President’s cabinet was not specifically in the
Constitution
 Senatorial Courtesy-The President much first
seek the approval of the senator or senators of
the President’s party from the state in which the
nominee will serve.

32. Answers to Test Your Knowledge
Questions
1. B
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. C

33. Information Sources
 Pamela, K. Lamb. 5 Steps to a 5 Ap Us Government
and Politics. [S.l.]: Mcgraw-Hill Contemporary, 2011.
Print.
 Krieger, Larry. AP U.S. Government and Politics
Crash Course. Piscataway, NJ: Research &
Education Association, 2010. Print.
 "Sources for the Individual Delegate Attendance
Record | Teaching American History."Teaching
American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2013.
<http://teachingamericanhistory.org"AP US
Government and Politics Questions Catalogue." N.p.,
n.d. Web. 18 May 2013.
<http://www.eduware.com/>.The practice test
questions came from this website.
 "Bill of Rights and Later Amendments." N.p., n.d.