Our English Heritage Tresky Magna Carta The Virginia Charter Mayflower Compact

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Our English Heritage England was ruled by a Monarch…if the king stunk the nobles wanted more power. When the English came to the New World they brought with them a history of limited and representative government that was later adopted by our founding fathers. Lets see where those original ideas came from, shall we young citizens? We Shall!

The Magna Carta In the year 1199 a King named John inherited the throne of England, he believed that a monarch was divine, meaning it was Gods will to be in power. He treated the nobles very harshly. The Nobles thinking that King John stunk forced him to sign the Magna Carta or else……..

The Magna Carta They wrote the Magna Carta and forced King John to sign it!!!!!

The Magna Carta 1 st document that limited the power of a ruler, the ruler is not above the law. A rulers power has limits Gave nobles rights that the King could not take away, such as equal treatment under the law and trial by ones peers.

Parliament After the Magna Carta had been signed, the Nobles began to meet regularly…..and soon the group was elected and became part of government called Parliament. At first the King needed approval from Parliament to raise an army or taxes, as time went on parliament was writing the laws and began to yield more power.

Parliament The Parliament had 2 houses (sound familiar?), a upper house called the House of Lords and a lower house called the House of Commons. Does this 2 House idea sound familiar? Can anyone tell me why?

English Bill of Rights To protect themselves from any future kings, parliament created the English Bill of Rights. It stated…………….. 1.The King could not undo Parliaments laws 2.Parliaments members would be freely elected 3.Members were guaranteed Free Speech 4. The Monarch could not create courts, raise taxes or raise an army w/out Parliaments approval. (Who’s wearing the pants now King baby?) 5. Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.

Common Law England’s legal system is based on Common Law, a system based on precedent (rulings from earlier cases). 1.Any ruler is NOT above the law. 2.People should have a say in their government. 3.Basic rights and freedoms should be protected by the government.

FUNFACT!!!! The U.S. Legal System is also based on Common Law! Neato!

Ideas the U.S. Borrowed from English Roots! The ruler is NOT above the law (Magna Carta) People should have a say in their government (Parliament & Magna Carta) Citizens have basic rights protected by law (English Bill of Rights) Consistent system of common law, legislature made up from citizens. (Parliament)

Fun FACT ! Most of England’s laws and rules were never written down; certain documents such as the Magna Carta and The English Bill of Rights helped to shape the government, however no one document contained a master plan………..would we? Yes, its called the U.S. Constitution.

The Virginia Company of London Charter! The Colony of Jamestown was founded in The Virginia Company’s charter was granted by the King to grant land and establish royal colonies.

The Virginia Charter Add the following to your notes. It created Jamestown (the 1 st permanent settlement in the New World.

What the Charter did: 1.Established that the rights of all Englishmen were given to the colonists in Virginia. 2. The colonists of Virginia were considered royal subjects of the King and guaranteed all the rights of Englishmen. 3. The colony was to be run by a governor and a council appointed by the company.

Lets get this straight, same rights as Englishmen……….this will be an important reason for Revolution against England and the King!

The House of Burgesses In 1619 each county in Virginia elected 2 representatives to meet with the governor. This was the first elected representative body in the new world. In 1624 King Charles cancelled the Charter and Virginia became a Royal Colony, the King appointed a royal governor and allowed the House of Burgesses to continue as an elected body.

FUNFACT! The Virginia House of Burgesses later evolved into our current State Legislative Branch called the Virginia General Assembly, making it the oldest Representative Government in North America!!! Right here in ol’ Virginny.

TEE HEE! Question: If April showers bring May Flowers……..what do May Flowers bring? Clik Pilgrims silly!

The Mayflower Compact The Compact Agreement was written in It was the 1 st Attempt of direct democracy with majority rule in the new world. It was written by the Pilgrims sailing to Plymouth Massachusetts to the New World. It stated that “Government would make just and equal laws for the good of the colony. (The idea that Government worked for the good of the people).

The Mayflower Compact

The next 150 years……… By 1733 there were 13 colonies on the east coast of North America, governed by England. From Massachusetts to Georgia!

The Next 150 Years They followed the Democratic Examples of the Mayflower Compact and House of Burgesses. Each colony had a governor and an elected legislative branch, modeled after the British Parliament. As years passed by, colonial governments took on more power and became comfortable solving problems on their own!

The Next 150 Years…… The Mother Country England was far away across the Ocean, waiting for decisions took too long….the colonists had a sense of growing independence…………

Tresky Educational Production Wow!!