The Roots of American Democracy

Ideas That Shaped Colonist’s Views on Government

Religious and Classical Roots Of American Government Colonist’s views were heavily influenced on Judeo-Christian beliefs Natural Law: a universal set of moral principles believed to come from humans’ basic sense of right and wrong that can be applied to any culture or system of justice Representative Government: a political system in which power is exercised by elected leaders who work in the interests of the people Civic Virtue: ancient Roman idea that citizens should serve their country

English Roots of American Government Magna Carta (1215 CE): “Great Charter” limited the Monarch’s power Rule of Law: principle that government is based on clear and fairly enforced laws and that no one is above the law Limited Government: powers exercised by the government are restricted, usually by a written constitution Individual Rights: rights and liberties that can be claimed by individuals by virtue of being human; also called natural rights or human right

Enlightenment Enlightenment: Intellectual movement in the 1600/1700s focusing on the use of science and reason to improve society Natural Rights:  rights that all people have by virtue of being human Separation of Powers: powers of a government should be split between two or more strongly independent branches to prevent any one person or group from gaining too much power Popular Sovereignty: people are the ultimate source of the authority and legitimacy of a government Social Contract Theory: Rousseau's idea that individuals and their leaders have to work together

Montesquieu= Separation of Powers Hobbes= Social Contract Locke= Natural Rights Montesquieu= Separation of Powers Rosseau=

Colonial Experience With Self Government Most of the 13 colonies had their own royal charter giving them power over the King of England Compact: written agreement between two or more parties or nations to perform some action Tensions mounted between the colonists and England over unfair taxes and policies Militia: reserve army made up civilians who are trained to fight and can serve full time in an emergency

—Declaration of Independence, 1776 American Revolution Eventually fighting broke out between colonists and British soldiers in 1775 marking the start of the Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence: Written by Thomas Jefferson, this was issued on July 4, 1776 to declare the 13 colonies independent of British rule Ratification: formal approval of an agreement, treaty, or constitution Fighting ended in 1781 and the Continental Congress served as the nation’s interim government Articles of Confederation: Drafted in 1776 and ratified in 1781, this legally established the US as a confederation of sovereign states and served as the first constitution 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. —Declaration of Independence, 1776

State Constitutions Constitutionalism: governments should operate according to an agreed set of principles, which are usually spelled out in a written constitution Majority Rule: decisions are approved by more than half of the people in a group or society will be accepted and observed by all of the people Articles of Confederation was failing and the first Constitutional Convention was called Constitutional Convention: Called in 1787, it was a meeting of the states to create a new constitution James Madison was considered the “Father of the Constitution” for his work

Representation Delegates chose George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, as its presiding officer Virginia Plan: Madison’s plan for 3 branches of government and 2 houses of legislature =bicameral New Jersey Plan: William Patterson proposed created a stronger national government with a 1 house legislature=unicameral Great Compromise: Combined both plans allowing for a bicameral legislature with one house based upon population (House of Reps) and the other with equal representation (Senate)

—Preamble to the Constitution, 1787 Other Issues Slavery became a major issue with many Northern states wanting to abolish slavery 3/5 Compromise: Slaves were counted as “3/5 of a free person” for representation and taxes Many delegates were concerned with allowing for one leader to have power Electoral College: body of electors from each state who cast votes to elect the president and vice president The Electoral College is made up of each of the house and senate members On Sept. 17, 1787, the Constitution was formally signed by 39 of the 42 delegates We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. —Preamble to the Constitution, 1787

Ratifying the Constitution In order for the Constitution to be ratified it needed a 2/3 majority (9 out of 13 states) Federalists: supporters of ratification of the US Constitution, who favored the creation of a strong federal government that shared power with the states (James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay) Anti-Federalists: opponents of ratification of the US Constitution, who favored the loose association of states established under the Articles of Confederation (Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock) Federalist Papers: Series of 85 essays defending and explaining the new government The constitution was ratified in 1788 and George Washington was unanimously elected in the first presidential election by the electoral college in 1789

Bill of Rights Bill of Rights: First 10 amendments, or changes, to the Constitution President Washington and James Madison worked to form a list of “Rights” that would be ratified A proposed “Bill of Rights” was called upon by many states who ratified the Constitution By 1790, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution were ratified= “Bill of Rights” Article IX=Rights not in the Constitution can be Granted, too Article X=Anything the Constitution doesn’t Say will be left up to the people/states, not Congress