Important Principles and Documents for the U.S. Government Beginning with the Story of American Freedom

Story of American Freedom Colonists defeat the British King and his powerful army. 13 colonies become independent states

Declaration of Independence: A document that announced the U.S. would no longer accept being under the control of Great Britain

Who said that we could overthrow our government if it did not give us our rights? What does ________ say?

THAT’S WHAT LOCKE SAYS!!!

To understand government we must understand… Popular Sovereignty (Consent of the Governed) Let’s apply the definition to the real world

TermDefinition Popular Sovereignty Government decisions depend on the consent (approval) of the governed (people)

**King George ignored popular sovereignty. His decisions did not have the people’s consent (approval). **They were based on his personal wants and desires. “Stop letting your soldiers stay in our homes! We want more rights now!”

Finally, popular sovereignty caused the colonists to rebel against him….

Declaration of Independence A document that formally broke off political ties with Great Britain

We won!

The concept of popular sovereignty was mentioned in the Declaration of Independence It also led to the creation and approval of the U.S. Constitution, which begins with 3 simple words: “We The People…”

Story of American Freedom America is free, but now what? What will our new government be? Should we have a government for each state? Or one national government?

Our country’s first try…. Articles of Confederation A weak document that gave too much power to individual state governments

Story of American Freedom Articles of Confederation were WEAK and did not work The national government could not tax the states or raise a national army

Story of American Freedom The Americans debate back and forth about what government will work They split into two different groups The Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Federalists wanted… A strong national government The “power of the sword” = ability to mobilize a national army and navy The “power of the purse” = ability to raise money through taxing Alexander Hamilton

Anti-Federalists wanted… States’ rights States to be able to decide their own laws Believed that a strong national government would lead to another brutal monarchy Thomas Jefferson

Federalists/Anti-Federalists Federalists- wanted a strong national government – Supported Constitution Anti-Federalists- wanted each state to be in control of its own affairs – Supported the Bill of Rights

Before they agreed to the Constitution, the anti-Federalists wanted a guarantee… Both sides agreed the Articles of Confederation were too weak Anti-Federalists said they would agree to the Constitution only if… A BILL OF RIGHTS was attached to make sure the federal government didn’t take too much power. We’ll talk about the Bill of Rights later.

Federalists/Anti-Federalists Agree... They agree that a stronger national government is needed if America is to survive They agree that the Articles of Confederation are too weak

U.S. Constitution is Agreed Upon U.S. Constitution A document that outlines the structure, powers, and limits of American government

The Constitution sets up one of the most brilliant government systems ever made! Using the ideas of Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Madison, and many more!!