Roots of Democracy

A system of government in which citizens: Democracy is . . A system of government in which citizens: Vote for their leaders Have specific rights and responsibilities

Democracy came from many sources:

The ancient Greeks : In Athens, citizens voting for their leaders became common “Civic virtue” became important to many philosophers.

The ancient Romans : Developed the “rule of law” common to all citizens throughout the empire Developed advanced forms of representative government, before evolving in to a dictatorship.

The Bible: Hebrew prophets developed the idea of all people being equal, created in the image of God. The idea caring for the weaker members of society.

Roots of American Democracy The Enlightenment Magna Carta John Locke vs. Thomas Hobbes Parliament (1258) English Bill of Rights Thomas Paine Common Sense

The Magna Carta England’s Glorious Revolution CONTRIBUTIONS TO REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT The Great Awakening The Enlightenment The English Bill of Rights

The Magna Carta When? The Magna Carta was created in 1215 and signed into law by King John What was it? THE RULE of LAW!!! The Magna Carta protected many of the rights of the Church and barons (wealthy guys in England) Ex: right to due process and habeas corpus (right to a trial to make sure they were not thrown in jail illegally) Why is it important to us? The Magna Carta set the stage and precedent for future documents and later the Constitution itself

After this the dominoes will start to fall in Europe and eventually the world…but it will still take time

Parliament Big Ben Parliament

Parliament When? 1258 although some say it really began even earlier than that What is it? Parliament is the English equivalent to the U.S. Congress where by it has two houses…The House of Lords and the House of Commons These parties along with Prime Minister make decision for the English people although originally just made up of wealthy landowners (commons) and religious leaders (lords) who would answer to the King It would take generations for Parliament to gain any real power Why is it important to us? This system of government would eventually be a framework in a way to our own government

James II became King of England James II became King of England. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over the Scotland, England, and Kingdom & Ireland. Many of his subjects distrusted his religious policies and autocratic tendencies, leading a group of them to depose him in the “Glorious Revolution”. He was replaced- not Catholic son James, but by his Protestant daughter Mary II and son- in-law, William III.

William III Mary II

E The English Bill of Rights

English Bill of Rights and Declaration of Rights When? 1689 What was it? Just like the U.S. Bill of Rights…it outlines certain basic laws that all citizens possess Why do we care? We came from England and so did some did many of our basic ideas of life and liberty…without this we may not have our own Bill of Rights…what would life be like without that??

Provisions of the English Bill of Rights: The king or queen could not cancel laws or impose taxes, unless Parliament agreed. Free elections and frequent meetings of Parliament, must be held. Excessive fines and cruel punishment were forbidden. People had the right to complain to the king or queen in Parliament without being arrested.

The English Colonies in America Salutary (benign) neglect was the unofficial British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws over the American colonies. From 1607 to 1763, Parliament allowed the trade relations laws to be lenient. A “charter” granted the English colony to have some autonomy The Navigation Acts, established under Oliver Cromwell and Charles II, were designed to force the colonists to trade only with England. King George III ended this policy through acts such as the Stamp Act and Sugar Act, causing tensions between England and the colonies…and led to armed rebellion of colonists.

The Enlightenment or The Age of Reason When? 17th and 18th centuries What changed? The Enlightenment brought about changes in Science and Philosophy and people started to question…well anything and everything How did that effect us as Americans? Without people thinking questioning things such as rights and religion why would anything change? Why do you think it was called the Enlightenment?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Next John Locke Thomas Paine Jean-Jacques Rousseau Thomas Hobbes Baron de Montesquieu