Mrs. Lisa L. Deyarza Miami Lakes Middle English Political Heritage Basic Concepts of Govt The colonists brought with them three main ideas about government from England: 1) Ordered government 2) Limited government 3) Representative government Norman Invasion 1066 The Domesday Book. The thing for which William I is best remembered, aside from winning the battle of Hastings and making England a European kingdom, is the Domesday Book. The Domesday Book was, in effect, the first national census. It was a royal survey of all England for administration and tax purposes. William needed proper records so that his new, efficient Norman bureaucracy could do its job, especially when it came to collecting all the revenues due to the crown. Inspectors were sent into every part of England to note the size, ownership, and resources of each hide of land. The Domesday Book represented an amazing accomplishment. It also left exact records behind which give historians a lot of data about Norman English life. Sample Questions How many ploughs are there in the manor ? How many ploughs are there in the manor ? How many mills and fishponds ? How many freemen, villagers and slaves are there in the manor ? slaves are there in the manor ? How much woodland, pasture, meadow ? How much woodland, pasture, meadow ? What does each freeman owe in the manor ? What does each freeman owe in the manor ? How much is the manor worth ? Common Law When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he combined the best of this Anglo- Saxon law with Norman law, which resulted in the English common law, much of which was by custom and precedent rather than by written code. By the 14th century legal decisions and commentaries on the common law began providing precedents for the courts and lawyers to follow. The common law became the basic law of most states. Today almost all common law has been enacted into statutes with modern variations by all the states except Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code. is as a result of a natural sequence which hardened first into custom and then into law. It did not come about as an act of will, as an act of some group aware only of the instant moment, unaware of the nature and history of man. It came about as a result of a seamless and continual development, through processes we can hardly begin to understand; it evolved along with man. Magna Carta 1215 The Magna Carta was signed by King John in It asserted the right of the Nobility to A trial by jury No imprisonment without a trial No taxation except by approval of Parliament a King John I forced to accept it. a A list of demands made by the nobility. a Created a CONTRACT between the king and the aristocracy. a Established principles which limited the power of the king: Established basic legal rights. The king must ask for popular consent for taxes. Accused must have jury trial. Fundamental Rights Established the principle that the power of the monarchy was not absolute. * trial by jury *due process of law *protection against taking of life, liberty, and property Political Change Has always been characterized by its gradual nature (e.g.: William the I in order to be accepted by the English Nobles promised to consult them before imposing taxes, and also give lands to those who had been loyal to him). This led to the gradual acceptance of the HOUSE of LORDS. The emergence of the middle class gradually led to the creation of the HOUSE OF COMMONS. Limitations on Monarchy Magna Carta (1215) Petition of Right (1628) Habeas Corpus (1679) English Bill of Rights (1689) Cabinet (1702) Prime Minister (1727) Model Parliament, 1295 a King Edward I brought his military leaders and nobility together as a Parliament to ask their consent to new taxes. a Established the principle of parliamentary power of the purse. a A radical new idea for any monarch to ask for anything! The Petition of Rights, 1628 a In return for money to fund his wars, Charles I agreed: No imprisonment without due cause. No taxation without Parliaments consent. No putting soldiers in private homes. No martial law during peacetime. a Charles signed it, and then ignored it, dissolving Parliament! Petition of Right Signed in 1628 by Charles I, it limited the power of the monarch in these ways: *The king could no longer imprison or otherwise punish any person except by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. * King could not impose martial law in time of peace. Beheading of Charles I, 1649 The vote by the Parliament was King Charles II [ r ] a Had charm, poise, & political skills [unlike his father!]. a Restored the theaters and reopened the pubs and brothels closed during the Restoration. a Favored religious toleration. a Had secret Catholic sympathies. a Realized that he could not repeat the mistakes his father had made. King Charles II [ r ] a 1673 Test Act Parliament excluded all but Anglicans from civilian and military positions. [to the Anglican gentry, the Puritans were considered radicals and the Catholics were seen as traitors!] a 1679 Habeas Corpus Act Any unjustly imprisoned persons could obtain a writ of habeas corpus compelling the govt. to explain why he had lost his liberty. The Glorious Revolution 1688 The Glorious Revolution: 1688 a Whig & Tory leaders offered the throne jointly to James IIs daughter Mary [raised a Protestant] & her husband, William of Orange. He was a vigorous enemy of Louis XIV. He was seen as a champion of the Protestant cause. English Bill of Rights 1689 Passed by Parliament in English rights reinforced: no taxation right to petition individual rights a It settled all of the major issues between King & Parliament. a It served as a model for the U. S. Bill of Rights. a It also formed a base for the steady expansion of civil liberties in the 18 c and early 19 c in England. Provisions *Required a standing army in peacetime had to have the approval of Parliament *All parliamentary elections had to be free *Taxes had to have the approval of Parliament *The right to petition the king could not be punishable. *King could not require homeowners to shelter the kings troops without their consent *Even the monarch must obey the law of the land *guaranteed the right to a fair trial *freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment Where did these ideas come from? The Social Contract Theory the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people. The state exists only to serve the will of the people, that they are the sole source of political power, an that they are free to give or to withhold that power as they choose. This was the foundation for democracy as we know it the concepts of popular sovereignty, limited government, and individual rights! English Bill of Rights [ 1689 ] a Main provisions: 1. The King could not suspend the operation of laws. 2. The King could not interfere with the ordinary course of justice. 3. No taxes levied or standard army maintained in peacetime without Parliaments consent. 4. Freedom of speech in Parliament. 5. Sessions of Parliament would be held frequently. 6. Subjects had the right of bail, petition, and freedom from excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment. 7. The monarch must be a Protestant. 8. Freedom from arbitrary arrest. 9. Censorship of the press was dropped. 10. Religious toleration. The Seesaw of King & Parliament: SOCIAL CONTRACT Social Contract The proponents were: *Thomas Hobbes (1651) *John Locke (1689) Hobbes wrote in his Leviathan about the state of nature and the natural condition of mankindman against manand the need to form a social contract (govt.) for protection and general welfare. John Locke Second Treatise of Civil Government. *natural rights as the state of nature has a law to govern it, which obliges everyone *People have a right to overthrow an unjust government. *Govts. were formed by people voluntarily coming together to live by the will of the majority. *people trade perfect freedom for increased security. *people trade perfect freedom for increased security. The Road to Revolution Mercantilism a nations power was directly related to its wealth a goal :Balance of Trade the colonists could supply raw materials to England and could buy English goods The English felt taxing was fair because profit was the major incentive for colonizing America. Salutary Neglect During the early years of the existence of the colonies, Parliament opted for a policy of Salutary Neglect or non-interference It was too difficult to control the situation in the colonies when they were 3000 miles away Would not be prudent to impose mercantile policy - tensions with France and Spain on the continent. The French & Indian War Begins England and France had been at odds with each other over the Americas but the final struggle began in the Ohio Valley The French drove out English fur traders and in 1754 built Fort Duquesne at the point where the rivers Monongahela and Allegheny rivers meet to form the Ohio river The fort posed a serious threat to the Virginia and Pennsylvania colonies The Treaty of Paris, 1763 France --> France --> lost her Canadian possessions, most of her empire in India, and claims to lands east of the Mississippi River. Spain --> Spain --> got all French lands west of the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England. England --> England --> got all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean slave trade, and commercial dominance in India. North American was now divided between Great Britain and Spain with the Mississippi River forming the boundary The Effects of War Britain It increased her colonial empire in the Americas. It greatly enlarged Englands debt. Britains contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings because they felt they had to support the colonists overseas The Colonies It united them against a common enemy for the first time. It created a socializing experience for all who participated increasing feelings of being American It created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify. The Proclamation of 1763 After Pontiacs rebellion in the west the British responded by drawing a boundary line This line effectively ended settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains Colonists protested that the Proclamation deprived them of land they had a right to settle causing more friction between colonists and the crown The Stamp Act In 1765, British imposed taxes upon all paper products and stamped the item once the tax had been played. This tax was paid directly to the government direct tax Products affected ranged from documents and wills to playing cards and newspapers The Townshend Acts This act placed duties on tea, paper, glass and paint The British repealed this tax in 1770 except for the tax on tea The Protests Begin! Patrick Henrys speech Sons and Daughters of Liberty Benjamin Franklins visit to Parliament Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre After Parliament repealed the Townshend duties, the first clash between British and Americans took place On the night of March 5, 1770, a crowd of 50 or 60 men and boys gathered to taunt British soldiers outside the Boston Customs House When the crowd went as far as to throw sticks and snowballs at the redcoats, the soldiers panicked and opened fire, killing five men The event quickly became known as the Boston Massacre The Boston Tea Party British East India Company, facing bankruptcy, appealed to Parliament for assistance Parliament voted to give them a monopoly for the trade of tea in America Opposition groups mobilized against the plan and forcing ships to turn back at New York and Philadelphia harbors In Boston, Governor Hutchinson ordered that no ship could leave harbor without being unloaded Colonists on a signal from Sam Adams disguised themselves as Mohawks, boarded the ship and heaved 342 chests of tea into the harbor The Intolerable Acts The Boston Port Act - closed the port of Boston to trade The Massachusetts Government Act - revoked the colony's charter and forbade town meetings The Quartering Act - required the colonists to provide billets for British soldiers The Impartial Administration of Justice Act - removed British officials from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts courts The First Continental Congress 56 delegates from 12 colonies attended the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September, 1774 The Congress petitioned the King for relief from the Intolerable Acts and vowed to stop trade with Britain until the acts were repealed Lexington and Concord The Minutemen were greatly outnumbered. The British soldiers fired, killing 8 Minutemen and injuring 10 others. While the British soldiers continued on their way to Concord, the men and women of Concord were busy moving the arms and ammunition to new hiding places in surrounding towns. When the British soldiers reached Lexington, Captain Jonas Parker and 75 armed Minutemen were there to meet them. Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of several British North American colonies which met from May 10, 1775, to March 1, 1781 By the time the Second Continental Congress met, the American Revolutionary War had already started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, Thus, the Second Continental Congress found itself in the unenviable position of being the decision-making body of a military alliance at war with a far more powerful enemy. Thomas Paine and Common Sense In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense He attacked the strongest bond tying tying America to Britain the King He pointed out the advantages of freedom from British rule and commercial restrictions The book divided Americans into either Patriots or Loyalists Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson used Lockes ideas as its philosophical basis. The Declaration establishes unalienable rights as the cornerstone of natural rights. As a consequence of these rights, limited governments are formed receiving their power from the consent of the governed. July 4th Beginning in April of 1776, the colonies advised their delegates to vote for independence On June 7 th, Richard Henry Lee introduced a brief Resolution of Independence On July 2 nd, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted Lees resolution that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states. The Declaration of Independence The Official Declaration of Independence was agreed upon on July 4 th, 1776 Its purpose was to justify the Revolution, state that the colonies were independent and to express the nations principles The rest is history!