ROOTS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY Ch. 2 Sections 1-2

MAGNA CARTA  In 1215, After harsh treatment of powerful English nobles, King John of England faced a rebellion.  The king was accused of disrespecting Nobles’ rights and nobles complained about heavy taxation.  In order to avoid rebellion, King John signed the Magna Carta (Great Charter)  The document included a list of nobles’ rights and established a principle that had far reaching effects.  What was so important about this document? Why?

I’LL TELL YOU WHY!  By signing the document, King John admitted that his power had certain limits and that he too had to obey the laws.  Unfortunately, neither party complied with the document’s conditions. Civil war broke out, and King John died of dysentery. His son, King Henry III would achieve victory over the rebels the following year. So, I would say that both sides lost.

DEVELOPMENT OF PARLIAMENT  After King Henry III had a rough start to his reign, (Disastrous papal invasion of Sicily)Seven powerful English nobles forced Henry III into giving power to a council of 15 barons. (1258)  Parliament was created in order to monitor the council’s performance. At these meetings, nobles would advise the king and help govern the realm.  By the late 1300’s Parliament had developed into a legislature. (A group of people who make laws for a state or country)  King still ruled, but Parliament took over the day-to-day work of governing.

PARLIAMENT CONTINUED  Parliament started out as a single house. It eventually split into two houses.  Upper House, or House of Lords, grew out of a group of nobles.  Lower House, or House of Commons, was made up of representatives of towns and counties. Governing power was now divided between the two houses. Parliament is bicameral (two houses). Can you guys think of any other government that is bicameral?

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION  In 1688, after a troubled rule by King James II, England went through a time of great unrest.  Parliament removed James II from the throne and offered it to a new pair of rulers, William and Mary.  Why is this significant?  Parliament demonstrated that its power was now greater than that of the monarch.  Idea of government had changed. Parliament’s right to govern came from the English citizens, not the monarch. No ruler’s power was greater than that of the legislature.  Parliament drew up the English Bill of Rights in This B.O.R. gave Parliament the sole power to make laws, raise taxes, and control the nation’s army. It also set up a system for Parliamentary elections.

UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION  US government was carefully planned, discussed, and debated.  English government never had this type of careful construction.  Why do you think The US government was carefully planned while the English government wasn’t?  Since the English gov’t was not planned, many of its rules were never written down. Many documents existed that helped shape the government, however, not one document contained the master plan for government. Because of this, England is said to have an unwritten constitution.

COMMON LAW  System of courts developed, and courts’ decisions became the basis of a system of law.  When early judges were asked to decide a case, they would look for precedent (a ruling in an earlier case that was similar.)  The system of precedent allowed for common/similar laws and punishment to take place.  System of law based on precedent is known as common law. Common law was consistent and produced similar results in similar circumstances.

EFFECTS OF COMMON LAW  Many American laws are based on English common law. English citizen’s heritage included the idea that rulers were not above the law, people deserve a voice in government, and citizens have basic rights protected by law.  Sound familiar?  English heritage also included a consistent system of common law, and a legislature made up of representatives of different groups of citizens.

COLONIAL EXPERIENCE  A colony is a group of people in one place who are ruled by the government of another place.  English citizens who left to settle in America became colonists. Though they lived in America, they were still under Parliament rule.  Though, ruling/punishing people on a different continent was hard to do. Because of this separation, those in America needed to learn to govern themselves.

HOUSE OF BURGESSES  1607 a group of English settlers founded Jamestown in present day Virginia. It was the first permanent English settlement in America.  After suffering from hunger, various diseases, and Native American attacks, the settlers decided something needed to be done.  Hunger got so bad during the winter of , that several of the settlers resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.  In 1619, colonists from each town or planation chose two representatives (called burgesses) to meet with the colony’s governor. These 22 representatives formed the Jamestown House of Burgesses. This early attempt at representative government (representative democracy) was the first legislature in colonial America!  Unfortunately, the H.O.B. solved few problems and had little power. They were also responsible for sentencing an African indentured servant to life-long servitude. AKA the action that officially marked the institution of slavery in Jamestown and the future United States.

MAYFLOWER COMPACT  1620, a new group of colonists arrived in Plymouth (current day Massachusetts)  Plymouth settlers drew up a plan for government to direct the colony, unlike Jamestown settlers.  While aboard their ship, the Mayflower, many passengers wrote and signed a document called the Mayflower Compact.  The compact said that government would make “just and equal laws”  Signers pledged to obey the laws, the compact set up a direct democracy in which all men would vote and majority would rule.  This compact established a tradition of direct democracy.

ENGLISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS  By 1733, English settlements in America grew into 13 colonies.  Each colony set up its own government. Some differences, many similarities.  Each colony had a governor, who was either elected by colonists, or appointed by the English king.  Each colony had a legislature. Many were modeled off of English Parliament, with an upper housel and a lower house. Upper house members were usually appointed by the governor, while lower house members were usually elected by colonists.  At first the British government paid little attention to the colonies, however, once the colonies found success, Great Britain saw them as a source of great wealth. After certain actions of Parliament in the mid-1700’s, colonists started to see themselves as Americans for the first time.

SUMMARY AND QUESTIONS  As Cornell Notes dictates, please write a summary over todays lecture. Including what information you think is most important, and why.