govchapter2
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American Government
Chapter 2
Basic Concepts of Government
• Ordered Government– The first English colonists saw a need for
orderly regulation– Many offices needed then are still in existence
today• Sheriff• Juries• Townships• Justice of the Peace
Basic Concepts of Government
• Limited Government– Government is limited; each individual has
rights the government cannot take away
• Representative Government– Government should serve the will of the
people– People should have a voice– We elect our representatives
Landmark English Documents
• Magna Carta (1215)– “The Great Charter” signed by King John– Protected against the arbitrary taking of life,
liberty, or property
• Petition of right (1628)– Limited the king’s power
• Kings could not imprison political critics without a trial by jury
– Challenged the “divine right” of kings
Landmark English Documents
• English Bill of Rights (1688)– Prohibited a standing army in peacetime,
except with the consent of Parliament– Must be fair and have a speedy trial
Government in Colonies
• Royal Colonies (8)– Bicameral legislature (2 houses)– New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York,
– New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina,– South Carolina, and Georgia
Government in Colonies
• Proprietary Colonies (3)– Unicameral (1 House) legislature– Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
Government in Colonies
• Charter Colonies (2)
• Governors elected by the white, male property owners in each colony
• Connecticut and Rhode Island became charter colonies in 1662 and 1663, respectively.
Royal Control
• All 13 colonies were separately controlled under the king
• Objected to taxes they had no part in levying
• French and Indian War (1754-1763)
Growing Colonial Unity
• Several attempts to unity occurred in the early 1770s
• Early attempts– 1643 “League of Friendship” between
Plymouth Bay, Mass and New Haven, CT– 1696 William Penn and his inter-colonial coop.
Growing Colonial Unity
• Albany Plan (1754)– Included the colonies of Connecticut,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island
The Stamp Act Congress
• 1765- Stamp Act passed by the British• Required the use of tax stamps on all legal
documents, business arrangements, and newspapers
• Nine colonies sent delegates to the SA Congress in New York, except for (Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia
• Boycott- refusal to buy or sell English goods
First Continental Congress
• 1774- 55 delegates from every colony except Georgia
• Met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774
Second Continental Congress
• 1774-75 (winter) British government refused to compromise its political policies
• 13 colonies sent reps to congress• John Hancock was chosen President
• 2nd Continental Congress became the nations first national government
Declaration of Independence
• A group of five men were selected to prepare a Proclamation for Independence
• July 4, 1776– Ben Franklin
– John Adams– Roger Sherman– Robert Livingston
– Thomas Jefferson
The First State Governments
• January 1776
• New Hampshire adopted a constitution to replace its royal charter
• Constitutions- bodies of fundamentals
Common Features of New States
• Popular Sovereignty– Government can exist and function only with
the consent of the governed
• Limited Government– The powers delegated to the government
were
Common Features of New States
• Civil Rights and Liberties
• Separation of Powers/Checks & Balances– Executive branch
– Legislative branch– Judicial branch
The Critical Period
The First National Constitution
• ratification- formal approval
• Articles of Confederation– Established “a firm league of friendship”
• Government Structure– Unicameral- made up of delegates chosen
yearly by the states– No judicial or executive branches (it was
handled by congressional committees
Powers of Congress
• Make war and peace• Send & receive
ambassadors• Make treaties
• Borrow money• Set up monetary
system• Build a navy
• Raise an army by asking the states for troops
• Fix uniform standards of weights and measures
• Settle disputes among the states
State Obligations
• Submit their disputes
• Allow open travel and trade
Weaknesses
• No power to tax
• Could not regulate trade between states
• Had no power to make states obey
Critical Period- 1780s
• Revolutionary War ended October 19, 1781 (Treaty of Paris-1783)
• They refused to support the new central government financially
• States printed their own money and banned some trade
Meetings at Mount Vernon and Annapolis
• Maryland and Virginia took the first step for change
• Representatives from the two states met on March of 1785 and January of 1786
• Compromises in the Constitution– Great Compromise (Conn)– 3/5 compromise
– Slave Trade compromise
The Framers
• 12 of 13 states sent delegates to Philadelphia (Rhode Island did not)
• Main “framers”– George Washington
– James Madison– Edmund Randolph– George Mason
Organization and Procedure
• Meeting to establish rules on May 25 and May 28
• Secretary William Jackson kept the convention’s journal
• The framers met on 89 of the 116 days from May 25 to Sept 27
• The decision to write a new constitution was made at the Philadelphia condition
The Virginia Plan
• Bicameral government
• Congress- Legislative Branch
• President- Executive Branch• Courts- Judicial Branch
The New Jersey Plan
• Keep unicameral Congress
• States should be equally represented
The Connecticut Compromise
• Congress compromised of two houses
• Senate- equal representation
• House- based on population
3/5 Compromise
• “free persons” be counted
• Slaves and “non citizens” be counted 3/5
Sources of Constitution
• William Blackstone’s- Commentaries on the Laws of England
• John Locke
Convention Completes It’s Work
• September 8, 1787– Revising of articles were agreed upon.
• September 17, 1787– 39 names were placed on the finished
document
Ratification
• The new document was sent to the states on September 28, 1787
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
• Federalists- favored ratification– James Madison, Alexander Hamilton
• Anti-federalists- opposed ratification– Patrick Henry, Richard Lee, Samuel Adams,– John Hancock– They thought the articles were too weak
• Greatly increased powers of the central government
• Lack of a bill or rights
Success
• June 21, 1788- nine states ratified the new constitution
• Inauguration of new government– September 13, 1788
– Convened on March 5, 1789 in Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York
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