Origins of American Government Unit 2

Before the United States  The United States has existed as a nation for more than 200 years. 200 years before that, however, England, France, Spain, and Holland fought over territories east of the Mississippi River.

Political Heritage  The English colonies brought with them four important principles:  limited government,  representative government,  individual liberty,  rule by law.

The Magna Carta  Considered the foundation of English constitutional freedoms.  This document put restrictions on King John of England; established the principle of limited government.

Henry II  Royal Courts  Circuit Judges  Common Law  Thomas a Becket

The Magna Carta  Barons Revolt  1215 at Runnymeade  Clauses  Parliament  2 Houses

Parliament  Created from the Magna Carta  Representative body of government with the power to make laws.  Consists of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

English Traditions  Items such as individual liberty (fair trial/jury of peers),  Petition of Right (checks and balances),  The English Bill of Rights (similar to our Bill of Rights.  Locke’s “social contract” (that the purpose of government is to protect people’s “natural rights”) deeply influenced American leaders.  Common law: laws based on decisions of judges, based on custom and tradition.

What Are Historical Sources?  A historical source is something that tells us about History. It may be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film, a television program or an object.  There are two main types of historical source:  Primary Sources and Secondary Sources

What are Historical Sources?  A Primary source is something that originates from the past.  A Secondary source is something that has been made recently about the past.  For example:  A Roman coin that was made by the Romans is a Primary Source, but a drawing of a Roman coin made in 2003 would be a Secondary Source.  OR  A Book written about the Tudors in 1525 would be a Primary Source, but a book written about the Tudors in 1995 would be a Secondary Source.

Practice  Do you know the difference? Try these exercises to see:  Look at each of the images, which are primary resources, and which are secondary resources?

Practice 1  A piece of the original Magna Carta signed by King John in 1215  Primary

Practice 2  The Mona Lisa - Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1506  Primary

Practice 3  A book about the Tudors written in 1999  Secondary

Practice 4  A mug made in 2013  Primary

Practice 5  A cartoon of Napoleon made in 1975  Secondary

Practice 6  Roman Coins made by the Romans in AD 45  Primary

Practice 7  A Poster of a Van Gogh Painting made in 1975  Secondary

Questions to ask a Source  A historian will ask a variety of questions in order to find out historical information about a source. The same questions can be asked of either a Primary Source or a Secondary Source. There are six key questions to ask: historian  WHO? WHERE? WHAT? WHEN? HOW? WHY?  Listed below are a selection of questions that might be asked of a source by a historian. Please note that not every question will be used for every source.

Who?  WHO made it?  WHO used it?  WHO is in the picture?  WHOSE opinion does it show?

Who? Practice  Who made it? The Romans in AD 45  Who used it? The Romans  Who is in the picture? The head on the coins show who was emperor.

Where?  WHERE?  WHERE is it?  WHERE was it?  WHERE was it made?  WHERE was it used?

Where? Practice  Where is it? It is in the Louvre art gallery, Paris.  Where was it? It was in Italy. It is now in the Louvre gallery, Paris.  Where was it made? It was made in Italy by Leonardo da Vinci.  Where was it used? It was used to hang on a wall for decoration.

When?  WHEN?  WHEN was it made?  WHEN was it used?  When does it show?

When? Practice  When was it made? It was made in  When was it used? It was used in 1215 to force King John to grant concessions to the barons force  When does it show? It shows the feelings of the barons in 1215.

How  HOW?  HOW was it made?  HOW was it used?  HOW has it survived?

How? Practice  How was it made? It was made in a factory - there may be a stamp on the base of the mug that gives details of the factory or potter.  How was it used? It was/is used for people to drink hot beverages from.  How has it survived? It has survived because it was made this year.

Why?  WHY?  WHY was it made?  WHY has it survived?

Why? Practice  Why was it made? Because people like Van Gogh paintings and because there is only one original painting; posters like this enable many people to see art.  Why has it survived? It has survived because it is fairly new and has been looked after.

Federalism

Government in the Colonies  By the mid 1700’s, the colonists had grown used to ruling themselves. When Britain tried to tighten its control, the colonists fought back.  Colonial Governments  Anyone who wanted to establish a colony in English North America had to get both land and permission from the English monarch – charter.  Proprietors: individuals who set up trading companies in the colonies. These were usually friends or relatives of English nobility.

Colonial Government  Colonial governments were similar in that all had a governor, a council of advisors, and a court system.  Early in colonial history, colonists claimed their right to choose elected assemblies, or legislatures.  Mayflower Compact: compact drawn up by the first settlers to agree to have “just and equal laws”; elected one governor.

Colonial Governments  Three reasons for the freedom in the colonies:  colonial legislators had the backing of public opinion,  the assemblies claimed the right to se the governor’s salary and impose local taxes  the colonial assemblies generally had their way because the British governments colonial politics allowed them to do so.

British Colonial Policies  Because of the huge war debt, King George III taxed the colonist to recover the debt.  Albany Plan: a plan by Ben Franklin that called for a unification of the colonies.  Stamp Act: a law that placed a tax on all printed material.  Townshend Acts: taxed everyday items and suspended colonial assemblies.

How the Colonists Reacted  March 1770, Boston Massacre: 5 colonists were accidentally killed because they were protesting the taxes  1772, Sam Adams organized committees throughout the colonies to oppose British policies.  1773, Tea Act: Parliament passed a law to help the East India trading company have special advantages in selling tea in America.  Dec. 16, 1773, sixty colonist dressed as Indians dumped 300 crates of tea in Boston harbor in protest.

Moving toward Rebellion  September 5, 1774, representatives from every colony (except Georgia), met in Philadelphia to consider the colonies’ relations with Britain (First Continental Congress).  Decided to have the “Constitutional Association”, which put a ban on all British imports. They also decided to meet the following May to review what re-evaluate the situation.

Second Continental Congress  May, 1775  All 13 colonies represented, each got 1 vote  Acted as a government until 1781  Not everyone wanted to break with Britain, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense converted many people

A Decision for Independence  Congress appointed John Adams, Roger Sherman, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston and Thomas Jefferson to write a declaration  Approved Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for Independence July 2, the declaration July 4,  Declaration had 3 functions  Stated reasons for the break with Britain  Rallied world sentiment for the American cause  Unified American public opinion

Declaration of Independence  Contained multiple parts  Why it was written/basic principles: limited government, representative government, individual liberty, rule of law  List of charges against King George III, showing how the British had broken the Americans’ natural rights  Explanation of the colonists’ attempts at a peaceful settlement.  Signed 1st by John Hancock, then 55 others.  Ben Franklin said “If we don’t hang together, we will surely hang separately.  Franklin was a master calligrapher, and many of the signers’ signatures on the Declaration don’t match their other signatures. Could have been a built in defense

New State Governments  Even before Independence colonies started behaving as states  Replaced Royal Charters with Constitutions  Mostly bicameral legislatures  Weak executives, sign of royal power  Adult male property owners could vote

The Articles of Confederation  The First National Constitution  Finally ratified in March 1781  The Declaration was unclear if the colonies became 1 united nation or 13 Independent states.  The Articles created a Confederation, a “league of friendship”. While the states would work together for the common good, each state was independent.

The Articles  A Weak Central Government  Very weak central government  Unicameral legislature, with 1 vote per state  No executive or judicial

The Articles  Congress could:  conduct foreign relations  declare war  make treaties  settle conflicts between states  borrow money  direct Indian affairs  Congress needed 7 votes to do anything, no one could ever agree

The Articles  Congress couldn’t  Collect taxes  Create an army (couldn’t pay them)  No control of foreign or interstate trade  Couldn’t enforce its policies  Settle disputes between states, no national courts