This document provides an overview of the historical context leading up to the American Revolution and the creation of the United States government. It discusses how Enlightenment ideas influenced colonial leaders and the Declaration of Independence. The document also summarizes the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention, and key principles and structures established in the US Constitution.

1. Dissent and Independence
1600 - 1776
Roots of the American Revolution.
Why did Europeans want to colonize the world?
Mercantilism: Export more than import. This
leads to wealth.
Colonies provide raw materials to Mother
country.
Colonies provide CLOSED markets for exports.

2. Mercantilism
Spain
Sought Gold and Silver
from North America.
Imported other raw
materials.
Used Missions to spread
Catholic faith AND
organize native peoples
to provide labor.
Fair relations with native
peoples.
Only loyal Spaniards
allowed to go to colonies.
France
Imported raw materials
from the Miss. Basin.
Spread the Catholic faith.
Also limited the number
of colonists.
Good relations with
native peoples.
Only loyal Frenchmen
allowed into Colonies.

4. Mercantilism - English
First settlements-Early
1600’s.
Colonies used as a
way to get rid of
unwanted English
subjects.
“Sturdy beggars.”
Criminals. Georgia.
Outcasts.
Victims of the
“Enclosure” movement.
Religious outcasts-
Puritans.
Those looking for
riches. Jamestown or
Roanoke.
Salutary or Benign
Neglect. Colonies
developed World wide
trading network.
No taxes.

6. World Wide Colonial Trade

7. The Enlightenment Time
Bomb
By the 1400’s Europe started to come out of the Dark
Ages.
Europeans began to rediscover math, science, art,
and geography.
Logic and reason began to replace church doctrine.
Many in the English colonies, future American
leaders, became students of this Enlightenment.
Enlightenment philosophy would fuel our revolution
and creation of our country.

8. Philosophers of the
Enlightenment.
Political/Economic:
Montesquieu. Separation of Powers.
Rousseau. Popular Sovereignty.
Voltaire. Free Speech.
Adam Smith. Free Markets.
Descartes. Question Everything. “ I think therefor
I am.
John Locke. Social Contract.

9. Social Contract: Two
Visions.
Thomas Hobbs 1588-1679
The King must provide
social services.
He must protect his
people from foreign
invasion.
He must protect his
peoples life and
property.
SUBJECTS must obey
and serve the King no
matter what.
This is the Social
Contract.
John Locke 1632-1704
Locke matches Hobbs
Social Contract,
EXCEPT:
Locke said you MUST
overthrow a bad King.
This theory will appeal
to American
Revolutionaries. Why?
Locke had to flee to the
Netherlands.

10. England Tries to Regain
Control.
Navigation Acts of
1660: Tries to reroute
all colonial trade
through England.
Colonial ship then pay
taxes.
Colonial products then
shipped out on non
Colonial English ships
This started Colonial
smuggling.

11. French-Indian War 1754-
1763. A.K.A as the Seven
Year War in Europe.
English Colonial pop.
2.5 million.
French pop. 100,000.
Albany Congress 1754.
First time all thirteen
colonies ever met.
Model for future
struggle during
revolution.
England wins war.
Proclamation Act of
1763.
England creates AND
enforces taxes on
Colonials.
This the beginning of
the end.
Seven Years War.

13. New Taxes
Sugar tax 1764
Placed NEW taxes on
sugar, silk, wine,
coffee, and indigo.
Quartering Act 1765
placed troops in their
home to enforce tax!
Stamp Act 1765
This placed a tax on
most printed material.
Stamp Act Congress.
Boycott of all English
imports and exports.
England backed down.

16. Committees of
Correspondence
This group wrote essays and reports about
British actions towards the colonists.
This information was quickly disseminated
through out the Colonies.
This information was NOT unbiased.
“Boston Massacre” Five killed. 1770.

17. Boston Tea Party 1774.
The Party.
The Tea Act gave a
BRITISH tea co. a
monopoly to import
tea.
150 Colonials dressed
as Native Americans
dumped several million
dollars worth of tea into
bay.
The Results.
Intolerable Acts:
Closed Boston Harbor.
Demanded repayment.
Revoked Mass.
Charter.
Taxes.....

19. Armed Rebellion Begins
1774
British troops march to Concord to seize arms.
“Minutemen” troops head them off at Lexington.
Shots are fired.
British troops are forced back from Concord.
While retreating Minutemen shoot at them from
cover/forest all the way back to Boston.

20. Lexington and Concord
Over two hundred British troops killed.
Blood has been spilled!
Second Continental Congress declares
independence.
Thomas Jefferson writes The Declaration of
Independence. 1776.
Concord and Lexington

24. .
2. Creating the D.O.I.

25. Social Contract-Locke-
Jefferson
Locke’s Fingerprints:
1. Jefferson paraphrased a lot of Locke’s
work for the D.O.I.
2. Most of rebels were students of the
Enlightenment.
3. Locke said that people had an
obligation to over throw a bad King.
Hobbs and Hobbs

26. Declaration of
Independence
Three key parts:
1. What is an ideal government?
2. List of grievances.
3. Declared freedom.

27. D.O.I. is Like a Divorce
1. What is an ideal marriage?
2. List of complaints against spouse.
3. Marriage is over.

28. Revolution 1775-1783
Rebels finally defeat British at Yorktown. 1781.
Treaty of Paris signed in 1783.
The Colonist get all the land east to the
Mississippi River.
America is now one of the largest countries,
geographically, in the world.

30. Origins of American
Government
Colonial Period

31. Written Constitutions-
Colonies
1. Mayflower Compact-1620.
2. Great Fundamentals-1629. System of laws.
Puritans Mass. Bay.
3. Fundamentals Orders of Connecticut-1639.
Plan for government.
Mayflower Compact
Plymouth Colony

32. English Political Heritage
Limited government:
1. Magna Charta-1215.
Limited the power of King
John.
2. Petition of Rights-1625.
Gave power to Parliament.
3. English Bill of Rights-1688.
This bill combined elements of
the Magna Carta and Petition
of Rights.
Magna Carta
Representative Government:
1. House of Lords/Commons.
New Political Ideas-
Enlightenment:
1. Thomas Hobbs.
2. John Locke
3. Voltaire.
4. Rousseau.
5. Montesquieu.
Hobbs

33. Enlightenment Continued
1. Montesquieu: Separation of
powers.
2. Voltaire: Free speech.
3. Rousseau: Democracy.
Enlightenment

34. Governments in the
Colonies
Shared government practices in all the Colonies:
1. Written constitutions.
2. Elected legislatures.
3. Separation of powers.

35. Articles of Confederation
1. Fighting a
war is a lot
easier than
running a
government.
2. Those who
created the
A.O.C.
designed it to
be weaker
that the
states. Why?

36. What did the A.O.C. Look
Like?
1. No executive
branch.
2. No national
court system.
3. No power to
tax.
4. Could not
regulate trade.
5. No one had to
obey its laws.
6. Unicameral
House.

37. Achievements of A.O.C.
Land Ordinance Act-1787
1. Provided free
western land to
help finance the
public school
system.
Northwest Ordinance Act-1787
2. Created a
pathway to equal
statehood for all
territories.

38. Reasons the A.O.C. Failed
Economic Turmoil
1. America suffered
a severe
depression after the
war.
2. Many Americans
lost their farms and
businesses.
3. The A.O.C. had
no power to help.
Shay’s Rebellion
1. A.O.C. became
very unpopular.
2. Capt. Daniel Shay
organized farmers to
resist foreclosure
with arms.
3. A.O.C. had no
power to stop the
armed farmers.
A.O.C.

39. Shay Almost Topples
Government!
1. Mass. had to call in local militia to put
down rebellion.
2. National leaders had to cross their
fingers and hope for the best.
3. Why is this bad?
4. Everyone realizes now that the A.O.C.
is a failure.

40. Constitutional Convention
Begins-1787
1. All states, except R.I., sent reps to
Philadelphia to fix the A.O.C.
2. The reps soon realized that the
A.O.C. was fatally flawed.
3. In SECRET the reps decided to
create a totally new government.

41. Key Agreements From the
Start
1. Limited Government.
2. Representative Government.
3. Three branches of government or
checks & balances.
4. Stronger national government.
5. Popular Sovereignty.

42. Decisions and
Compromise
1. The three most important developments of the
convention?
2. Compromise, compromise,
and more compromise.

43. Virginia Plan
1. Virginia showed up with a plan.
2. The three principles were:
National legislature-Bicameral.
Strong president-Chosen by legislature.
National judiciary-Chosen by the legislature.

44. Virginia Plan
Which branch of government
would have the most power?

45. New Jersey Plan
1. Unicameral Legislature.
2. One vote per state.
3. Congress would have power to
tax and regulate trade.
4. Weak executive branch with more
than one president.
5. Limited national judiciary.

46. Connecticut Compromise
1. Bi cameral House.
2. House of Reps based on
population.
3. Senate has two reps,
regardless of population.
How does this solve the big
state v small state conflict?

47. Three-Fifth Compromise
1. Southern states wanted to count
their slaves for representation in the
House of Reps.
2. North Carolina had a bigger slave
population than free.
3. Why did the North oppose this idea?

48. Commerce Compromise
1. The South wanted no tax on
exported goods.
2. Why was this so important to the
South?

49. Compromise on Slave Trade
1. South wanted a ban on any
discussion of the slave trade until
1808.
2. Congress gained the power to
regulate interstate and all foreign
trade.

50. Slavery Issue
The question of slavery was left out
of the constitution EXCEPT for a
clause that stated runaway slaves
had to be returned by Northern
States.
“Fire bell in the night.” Thomas
Jefferson.

51. Other Compromises
1. Electoral College.
2. Four year term for the President.

52. Ratification Difficulties
1. It took nine of the thirteen states to ratify the
new Constitution.
2. Rejection by any of the four biggest states
would doom ratification process. Mass., New
York, Pennsylvania, or Virginia.
3. Anti Federalists were afraid of a strong central
government and suspicious of the Federalists.

53. Federalist v. Anti-Federalists
Federalists-Hamilton
1. They wanted a
strong. Central
government.
2. They wanted the
Federal government
to be stronger than
the states.
3. Federal laws to
be supreme.
Anti Federalists-Jefferson
1. They felt that this
new Federal
government was
too strong.
2. Suspicious of the
“secret” convention.
3. Jefferson called
the convention
“extralegal.”

54. Federalist Papers
1. Essays published to explain the
Constitution and answer criticisms by
Anti-Federalists.
2. It promoted the idea that a stronger
government was a must.
3. They also promised that it would not
trample on civil liberties.

55. The Last BIG Compromise!
1. Anti-Federalists wanted a list of iron clad
guarantees to protect civil rights.
2. Federalists felt it was unnecessary, BUT
agreed.
3. What is the list called today?
4. Who was right about the need for a B.O.R?

56. The Constitution
Chapter Three U.S.
Constitution

57. Structure and Principles
Seven articles and preamble:
Preamble-Why the constitution was
written.
1. Article one-Est. the legislative branch.
Lots of details.
2. Est. the executive branch. Vague.

58. Articles Continued…
3. Article three-Est. the Federal court
system. Vague.
4. Article four-Explains the relationship
between the states and Federal
government. Federalism.
5. Article five-Amendment process.

59. Articles Continued…
6. Article six-Supremacy Clause.
7. Article seven-Ratification process.
8. The Amendments.

60. Informal Changes to the
Constitution
1. Changes through the passing of laws.
2. Changes through government
practices. William H. Harrison. V.P? Two hour inaugural
address during rain storm. Pneumonia!
3. Commerce Clause is a good example.

61. Changes Through Custom
and Usage
The constitution does not mention:
1. Political parties. Picks electors.
2. Presidential succession.
3. Executive agreements.
4. Impeachable offenses.
5. Privacy from the gov’t.

62. First Amendment
Five freedoms:
1. Speech.
2. Religion.
3. Press.
4. Assembly.
5. Petition.

63. Freedom Within Limits
Libel
This is when
there are lies or
wrong
information that
damages a
persons
reputation in
writing.
Absences of
malice excepted.
Slander
This false speech
that damages a
persons
reputation.
Also, a person
can’t yell fire in a
crowded theater
when NO fire
exists.

64. Amendment Two
Right to bare arms.

65. Amendment Three
No quartering of soldiers in private homes.

66. Fourth Amendment
Protection of privacy from the government & zones of
privacy:
1. Probable cause.
2. Search Warrants.
3. Surveillance.
4. Arrest warrant.

67. Fifth Amendment
1. Double Jeopardy.
2. “I plead the fifth.”
3. Due process of law.
4. Eminent domain.

68. Sixth Amendment
Speedy trial.
Jury.
Confront witnesses.
Right to compel witnesses.
Right of council.

69. Seventh Amendment
The right to a jury trail
concerning amounts over
$20.00.

70. Eighth Amendment

71. Ninth Amendment
“Rights reserved by the People.”
There are NO loop holes concerning our
civil rights.
Even IF a right is not written in the
constitution, it doesn’t mean we don’t
have that right!
“Zones of privacy.”

72. Tenth Amendment
“Rights retained by the states.”
1. IF there is NO Federal law concerning
a subject, then the state can have a law.
National speed limit?
2. Marriage licenses, health dept., state
parks, and public education. No Child
Left Behind?

73. Jefferson’s Most Important
Amendment?
He said that with this ONE
amendment you would regain all
the other civil rights.
First Amendment!

74. Other Amendments
Eleventh-1795
1. Citizens from one
state can’t sue
another state.
2. If NV passed a
law, a
resident/citizen of
CA can’t sue NV
over it.
Twelfth-1804
1. President/Vice
president run as a
team.
2. Before Amend.
12 the top two vote
getters became
Pres./V.P.
3. Pres. Adams and
V.P. Jefferson were
of different political
parties. Not good.

75. Civil War Amendments
1. Thirteenth Amendment. 1865. Outlawed
slavery.
2. Fourteenth Amendment. 1868. Prohibits a
state from depriving a person of “Life, liberty,
or property.” Equal protection under the law.
Start “Incorporation.”
3. Fifteenth Amendment. 1870. Right for ALL
males to vote.

76. Later Amendments
1. Sixteenth Amendment. 1913. Federal
income taxes.
2. Seventeenth Amendment. 1913.
Direct vote of U.S. Senators.
3. Eighteenth Amendment. 1919.
Prohibition.

77. Later Amendments
Continued…
1. Nineteenth Amendment. 1920.
Universal suffrage.
2. Twentieth Amendment. 1933. New
dates for Congress/Pres.
3. Twenty-First Amendment. 1933.
Repeals 18th. Only one repealed!

78. Later Amendments…
1. Twenty-Second Amendment. 1951.
Limits Pres. to two terms.
2. Twenty-Third Amendment. 1961.
Allows D.C. citizens to vote for Pres.
3. Twenty-Fourth Amendment. 1964.
Prohibits Poll tax.

79. Later Amendments
Continued…
1. Twenty-Fifth Amendment.1967. Presidential
succession/disability. L.B.J?
2. Twenty-Six Amendment. Lowers voting age
to 18.
3. Twenty-Seventh Amendment. 1992. No pay
raise during CURRENT Congressional
session.