Origins of philosophies that underpin the U.S. Republic.

1. Constitutional Foundations for
The United States Republic
The Creation of a Nation

2. The Constitution is the
Foundation of American Society
• Developed from 13 ENGLISH
COLONIES
• American Political Rights and
governmental institutions had 3
sources
– 1 British Influence
– 2 17th
& 18th
Century Enlightenment ideas
– 3 American Colonial Experience

3. British Influence
• Magna Carta 1215 – Limited the
Kings power to rule
• Petition of Rights – 1628 –
Established basic rights for the
people
• English Bill of Rights –
representative government & rule
of law are more important than the
power of the King

4. John Locke
• People are born with
natural rights
– Life
– Liberty
– Property
Social Contract Theory
= to protect rights
people from
governments
Governments exist
with consent of the
governed

5. Baron De Montesquieu
• Balanced
government
works best
• Divide power
among several
branches
–Prevents one
branch from
becoming too
strong

6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Governments rule
with the consent
of the governed
• People have the
right to change
their government
(by force if
necessary)

7. Voltaire
• Advocated right to
free speech and
religion
• “I may detest what
you say but will
defend to the death
your right to say it.”

8. Colonial Experience
• House of Burgesses – 1619 –
Virginia
–First representative government
–New England Town Meetings
–1754 Albany Plan of Union –
Franklin’s plan – rejected - fear of
loosing self-government

9. Economic Causes of Revolution
• Mercantilism
• Proclamation of (1763) – limited
movement
• Sugar Act (1764) - Tax
• Stamp Act (1765) -Tax
• Townsend Acts – Tax
• Tea Act – British tea less
expensive
• Intolerable Acts (1774)

10. Political Causes
• Lost control over King’s
representatives
• Taxes threaten rights to property
• No voice in British Parliament

11. Social & Ideological Causes
• Colonists felt more equal to each other
than their British counterparts
• 90% of all white males owned land
which enabled them to vote
• Birth rate in the colonies produced
many people who had no ties to
England
• Great Awakening religious movement
encouraged people to question
authority

12. Colonial Response to Britain
• First Continental Congress (1774) –
attempt to plan a united response to
British actions
• April 1775 – Battles of Lexington &
Concord - colonial attempts to arm
themselves are frustrated – starts the
shooting war- American Revolution
• June 1776 – Declaration of
Independence proposed – becomes
fact July 1776

13. Purpose of the Declaration of
Independence
• Tell the world that
the colonies are
now a new
Independent
nation
• Explain and
Justify to the
world why this
action was
necessary

14. Three parts of the Declaration
• A theory of Government
• List of grievances against
the King
• Formal resolution declaring
independence

15. Key Ideas of Government
• People have natural rights
• Governments get power from the
people, the consent of the
governed
• If governments don’t respond to
the people’s wishes the people
have the right to abolish that
government.