U1C2: Origins of American Government Civics

Main Idea Individual Rights and the U.S. Constitution The Framers of the Constitution believed that individual rights had to be protected from government interference. To ensure the adoption of the Constitution, they promised to add a bill of rights that would safeguard individual rights.

Essential Question What events led to the development of American democracy?

2.1 The Roots of American Democracy The English political heritage of representative government, limited government, and individual rights influenced the development of government in the United States From the start, the English colonies in North America experimented with forms of self-government. The English colonists were influenced by ideas from various intellectual traditions, ranging from republicanism to natural rights theory, Judeo-Christian ideals and the work of Enlightenment thinkers.

2.2 American Independence After the French and Indian War, the colonists rebelled against British attempts to assert control over the colonies and against new British taxes. In 1775 the Second Continental Congress called for the writing of a formal Declaration of Independence.

2.3 Articles of Confederation In 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed the first official plan for national government, the Articles of Confederation. After the Revolutionary War, weaknesses in the Articles led to conflicts among the states, sparking calls for a stronger national government.

2.4 The Constitutional Convention At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, delegates debated competing plans-the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan-for how the government should be organized. To finalize the Constitution, delegates compromised on key issues.

2.5 Ratification and the Bill of Rights Ratification of the Constitution involved a heated debate between those who supported the Constitution and those who opposed it. Antifederalists opposed the Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights. The Federalist Papers outlined the key ideas of the Federalists, who supported the Constitution. The struggle for ratification took place in every state.