The Roots of American Democracy American Government, Citizenship, & Economics Chapter 2

Influences from England’s early Government  The English King – King John, signed the Magna Carta in 1215, which was a document that limited his authority as a King.  Soon thereafter, the English nobles created a Parliament which was a group of men who served as advisors to the King.  By the late 1300’s, this Parliament had grown in power to become a Legislature – a group that has the power to make laws.

The Glorious Revolution  The role of Parliament changed again in the late 1600’s with an event called the Glorious Revolution.  King James II was removed from power by the Parliament and replaced with a new pair of rulers – William and Mary. By doing this Parliament had demonstrated that its power was greater than that of the monarch.  To make sure no monarch would ever question the Parliament’s authority, they drew up the English Bill of Rights in 1689.

Common Law  U.S. law is based upon English Common Law – which is where rulings are based upon precedent. How a particular case has been decided upon in the past is how similar cases are considered.  Can you give you an example of precedent in our society today?

Bringing the English Heritage to America – Jamestown, Virginia  In 1607 a group of English colonists arrived in what is now the state of Virginia. They founded Jamestown, which became the first permanent English settlement in N. America.

The Virginia House of Burgesses  In 1619 the people of Jamestown formed a 22 member House of Burgesses to help discuss and solve some of the problems of Jamestown. This marks the beginning of self-government in colonial America.  What problems do you think the members discussed?

The Mayflower Compact  In 1620, a new group of colonists arrived in America. They came ashore and built a settlement called Plymouth in the state that is now Massachusetts.  Before they arrived, they drew up a system to govern their new colony and signed this document called the Mayflower Compact.  This document established a direct democracy in which all men would vote, and the majority would rule (men only).  This established a tradition of direct democracy that still exists in New England today; although now all citizens of legal age can vote.

Early Colonial Governments  Soon the colonists began to see themselves as a separate group from their British roots. This feeling would eventually lead to the American Revolution and ultimately the United States of America.  By 1733, 13 English colonies stretched from Massachusetts (modern day Maine) in the north to Georgia in the south, and each new colony set up its own system of self- government.  How were the colonial governments similar? Were there differences?

The Birth of a Democratic Nation Chapter 2 Section 2  Mercantilism: the theory that a country should sell more goods to other countries than it buys. During the 1600s and 1700s Great Britain followed this policy.  Stamp Act: King George III embraced a policy to squeeze as much wealth out of the American colonies as possible. Britain levied heavy taxes on the colonies and passed the Stamp Act, which required colonists to attach expensive tax stamps to all newspapers and legal documents.  Boycott: The colonists protested the taxes and boycotted, or refused to buy, British goods. Because the boycott had a negative effect on trade, the Parliament repealed (canceled) the Stamp Act.  More “Acts” by Parliament – the same day Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, they passed the Declaratory Act of 1766, which stated that Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the American colonies “in all cases.” Parliament also passed the Townshend Acts which levied new taxes on basic items in the colonies such as glass, tea, paper, and lead…these were items that the colonist could not produce and had to buy.  What is the main argument that colonists used against Parliament? Why did they feel the taxation was unfair?

Colonial Resistance & Rebellion  The Tea Act gave a British company a favorable advantage over colonial merchants.  Colonists reacted with an act known as “The Boston Tea Party.”  Colonists, dressed as Native Americans dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Parliamentary act.

British Response  In reaction to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, which Americans called the Intolerable Acts.

Movement Toward Independence  First Continental Congress: In Sept. 1774, 12 of the colonies sent delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia. This meeting lasted seven weeks – they sent a document to King George III demanding that the colonists’ rights be restored.  Second Continental Congress: In May 1775, the delegates met again to talk about the King’s refusal to meet their demands. The talk now began turning toward independence.

Common Sense  Support for independence grew largely because an American colonist named Thomas Paine inspired many other colonists by publishing a pamphlet titled Common Sense.  “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. 'Tis not the affair of a city, a country, a province, or a kingdom, but of a continent—of at least one eighth part of the habitable globe. 'Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected, even to the end of time, by the proceedings now. Now is the seed time of continental union, faith and honour. The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; The wound will enlarge with the tree, and posterity read it in full grown characters.”

The Declaration of Independence  Thomas Jefferson: a committee was formed to write the document, however, Thomas Jefferson did almost all of the work. When the representatives signed this document, they were in effect committing treason – an act punishable by death.  Rousseau & Locke: the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke were the basis of our new government. “All people are equal,” and “we all have individual rights.”  Independence: The American Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and in theory, the American colonies were independent.

Democratic Ideals  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”  “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government….”  According to Jefferson, what is the purpose of Government?

Analyzing Visuals  This image was created in the 1750s by Benjamin Franklin.  What message was Franklin attempting to convey?