The Foundations of Representative Government

Colonial Government

The colonists brought ideas about government with them from England. By the 1600s the English people had political liberties, like trial by jury, that were almost unheard of elsewhere.

At the heart of the English system were two principles of government. Limited government and representative government greatly influenced the development of the United States.

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The idea that government was not all-powerful had first appeared in the Magna Carta in 1215.

The Magna Carta established the principleof limited government.Even the king was not above the law! The Magna Carta protected the citizens from unfair punishment and from the loss of life, liberty, and property.

How the Magna Cart came to be…

Magna Carta

Magna Carta – Main Idea

Limited the power of the king

* Our Constitution limits the power of the central government

As the Virginia colony grew, the settlers complained about taking orders from the Company in London. In 1619 the company agreed to let the colonists have some say in their government.

Ten towns in the colony each sent two representatives called burgesses to an assembly. The assembly could make local laws for the colony.

On July 30, 1619, the House of Burgesses met for the first time in a church in Jamestown.

The House of Burgesses made it possible for the

colonists to

House of Burgesses – Main Idea

First representative assembly in colonies, enacted laws to safeguard individual rights

There were no laws in the new world so before going ashore, the Pilgrims wrote a formal document called the Mayflower Compact that established the “rule of Law”.

The Compact pledged their loyalty to England and declared their intention of forming an orderly society with laws that would be for the good of the colony.

In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland, the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini, 1620.

Mr. John CarverMr. William BradfordMr. Edward WinslowEdward TillyMr. ‘William WhiteThomas RogersThomas TinkerJohn TurnerFrancis EatonJames ChiltonDigery PriestThomas WilliamsGilbert WinslowEdmund Margesson

Mr. Samuel FullerMr. Christopher MartinMr. William MultinsMr. William BrewsterFrancis CookeMyles StandishJohn AldenJohn HowlandMr. Steven HopkinsRichard GardinerMr. John AllertonThomas EnglishEdward Doten

Edward LiesterPeter BrownRichard BritteridgeGeorge SouleJohn TillyIsaac AllertonMr. Richard WarrenJohn RidgdaleEdward FullerRichard ClarkJohn CraxtonJohn BillingtonJoses FletcherJohn Goodman

Mayflower Compact – “Rule of Law”

Mayflower Compact – Main Idea

Signed by most men on Mayflower An agreement that established the

idea of self government and majority rule

In the 1630s Thomas Hooker, a minister, became dissatisfied with Massachusetts because the Puritan’s lacked toleration for those who believed differently. In 1636 he founded the town of Hartford, Connecticut.

They adopted a plan of government called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was the first written constitution in America, and it described the organization of representative government in detail.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut The first written constitution in America

_____undamental Orders of __________necticut

=

_____irst written __________stitution

Fundamental Orders – Main Idea

First written constitution in the colonies, stated that people had the right to elect governors, judges, and a legislature

English Colonial Rule

In England, Parliament replaced King James with his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William.This “Glorious Revolution” showed how much power elected representatives have.

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In 1689, William and Mary signed the English Bill of Rights. It guaranteed certain

rights to all English citizens and later inspired the people who created the American Bill of Rights.

English Bill of Rights

Englis

h Bill

of

Right

s

English Bill of Rights – Main Idea

Listed individual rights Model for the Bill of Rights in our Constitution which is the first ten amendments

So Here’s the Quiz1. What type of farms developed in the Southern Colonies?

A. subsistence farms C. tobacco and rice plantationsB. oat and wheat plantations D. multipurpose farms

2. What allowed to Southern Colonies to prosper with agriculture?A. warm climate and rich soil C. immigrants had farm experience

B. excellent harbors D. new fertilizer technology

3. In which section of the colonies were farms generally the largest?A. New England C. Middle Colonies

B. Southern D. They were all about the same

4. What did most southern plantation have in common?A. they were small C. they produced the same cropB. they were near rivers D. they were not successful

5. What was the most powerful group in the Southern colonies?A. small farmers C. Cash crop farm

B. merchants D. plantation owners

6. What king or queen was forced to sign the Magna Carta?A. Henry VIII C. JohnB. William and Mary D. Harry

7. How is the Magna Carta like our Constitution?A. both are in Olde English C. Both limit government powerB. the King signed both D. Both contain many laws

8. In what type of government do we elect people to make decisions?A. democracyC. civil B. representative D. Constitutional

9. How is the House of Burgesses like student council?A. both have people in them C. both have a leaderB. both are representative assemblies D. they are nothing alike

More Quiz

Even More Quiz10. Why was the Mayflower Compact signed?

A. the Pilgrims needed a government C. to escape the kingB. to save the Pilgrims’ religion D. Manufactured Goods

11. The Mayflower Compact was signed in _________ by ______________.A. 1620, all adults C. Massachusetts, only PuritansB. London, King John D. 1620, most men on the ship

12. The Fundamental orders of Connecticut was a_________________ .A. Plan of government C. Constitution B. explanation of Connecticut’s government D. All the Above

 13. How did William and Mary become rulers of England?

A. Parliament put them there C. they were electedB. King James died D. they conquered England

14. What is modeled after the English Bill of Rights?A. the American Bill of Rights C. the Mayflower CompactB. the U.S. Constitution D. the Magna Carta