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