1. How did constitutional government develop in Great Britain?

2.  Rights of Englishmen: Certain rights all subjects of the monarch were believed to have, such as—  trial by jury  security from unlawful entry into one’s home  no taxation w/out consent  Common law: The unwritten body of law developed in England, based on judicial decisions and custom; the basis of English law  Parliament: The British legislative body

3.  Feudalism: A system of social, economic & political organization based on control of land  Royalty/nobility/commoners  Magna Carta: “Great Charter” signed between King John & the nobles in 1215; introduced two ideas:  1. Gov’t is a contract between ruler & subject  2. Rule of law: Both the people and the gov’t must obey laws and can be punished if they don’t

4.  Petition of Right: 1628 law that stated the king could only raise taxes w/ the consent of Parliament; he also could not house soldiers in people’s houses.

5.  English Bill of Rights: 1689 law that further limited monarch’s power  Elections to Parliament must be free  People have the right to petition king  King cannot collect taxes without Parliament’s consent  Parliament must have free speech & debate  No army during peacetime  Protestants must be allowed to bear arms  No excessive bail or cruel & unusual punishments for convicts  King may not nullify Parliament’s laws

6. Explain, specifically, how early British documents such as the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights paved the way for modern constitutional government.

7. What experiences led to the American Revolution?

8.  Charter: A written document from a gov’t or ruler that gives certain rights (in this case, land) to a person, group, or organization  All colonial gov’ts were based on—  1. Natural rights  2. Representative gov’t  3. Rule of law  4. Separation of powers  5. Checks and balances

11.  Proclamation of 1763: Banned settlement of certain western land  Sugar Act, 1764: Intended to stop smuggling  British navy can search American ships via writs of assistance, royal search warrants  all goods must be sent directly to Britain  taxes on cloth, sugar, coffee & wine  Quartering Act, 1765: Innkeepers & officials required to house & feed British soldiers

12.  Stamp Act, 1765: All written & printed goods must be stamped & taxed by Britain  Later revoked  Declaratory Act, 1766: Parliament has the right to pass any laws in the Colonies it sees as necessary  Tea Act, 1773: Lowered taxes on East India Co.’s tea & gave it the sole right to sell tea in the Colonies  Colonists believed Parliament had no right to pass laws for the colonies if the Colonists couldn’t vote in Parliamentary elections.  “No taxation w/out representation!”

13.  Committees of Correspondence: Teams of men who made sure each colony knew what was going on & rallied Americans against Britain  Sons of Liberty: Groups of men who resisted the Stamp Act through marches and violence  Daughters of Liberty: Groups of women who helped boycott British goods by making their own

14.  Boston Massacre: 1770  Boston Tea Party: 1773  1 st Continental Congress, 1774: Representatives from 12 of 13 colonies met in Philadelphia & agreed to ban trade w/ Britain  War breaks out: April 19, 1775  2 nd Continental Congress, 1775- 1776: Continental army is raised, Washington is selected as commander, and Declaration of Independence is drafted.

15. Do you feel British actions in the 1760’s-1770’s were fair? Do you feel the American responses were fair? Why or why not? Be specific!

16. What basic ideas about government are in the Declaration of Independence?

17.  Loyalists (Tories): Those who remained loyal to the king  Patriots: Those who supported the Revolution/independence

18.  Declaration of Independence passed July 4 th, 1776.  Organization:  1. Ideals  2. Arguments for independence  3. Complaints against king  4. Conclusion

19.  Self-evident: Easy for anyone to see  Unalienable rights: Rights that no one can take away

20. Declaration of Independence

21. Magna Carta

22.  1. Rights of the people are based on natural law  Natural law: There is an unchanging set of laws that governs human relations  2. If the gov’t violates the people’s rights, they can abolish it.  Abolish: Put an end to  3. The colonists & king had an agreement  4. No such contract existed between the colonists & Parliament, so they had no right to tax  5. The king violated his contract, so the Colonists were now free to go

23. Make certain that your Declaration of Independence packet is complete.

24. What happened during the American Revolution? How did the government function?

25.  2 nd Amendment: “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”

26.  Proposition: Guns DO kill people. Guns are dangerous. Therefore the government should AT LEAST limit access to them, and possibly even begin to remove them from society.

27.  “The shot heard ‘round the world”: The opening shot of the Rev. War at Lexington  Quebec Campaign: Failed American plan to invade Canada & drive out British influence (1775-76)

28.  Battle of Saratoga: Important American victory that stopped British from taking New York (1777)  Diplomacy: The practice of carrying on formal relations with foreign gov’ts.  Treason: Betrayal of one’s country

29.  Yorktown surrender: British forces under Lord Cornwallis surrender to Washington at Yorktown, Va.  Treaty of Paris: 1783 treaty, signed in Paris, that ended war between Britain & America  Treaty: An official agreement between two or more countries

30. Explain the problems Congress had in directing the war. How did Congress attempt to fix its problems, and how successful were their efforts?

31. How did the states govern themselves after the Revolution?

32.  1. Natural rights/higher law  2. Social contract  3. Popular sovereignty: Belief that the people have highest authority  4. Representation  5. Separation of powers  6. Checks and balances  7. Legislative supremacy: Most of the power given to legislative branch

33.  The governor was given more power  Governor could veto (refuse to sign into law)  Governor could appoint executive officials & judges  People divided into voting groups by wealth

34.  Voting rights (w/ property)  Free & frequent elections  Freedom of speech/press  Right to petition (make a formal request of) gov’t  No taxation w/out representation  Rights for those accused of crimes  Limitations on standing armies  Right to bear arms

35. Why was the legislature commonly viewed as the most democratic branch in the states? Why was the executive branch so distrusted?

36. How did the Articles of Confederation organize the first national government?

37.  National (federal) government: A central gov’t with political control over trade and conflicts between states  Articles of Confederation: Document that created our first national gov’t (adopted 1777, ratified 1781)  National gov’t under A.O.C. was weak, with only a Congress  NO executive  States had most power  Each state had one vote in Congress

38.  Waged Rev. war  Negotiated Treaty of Paris (1783)  Made states recognize each other  Passed Northwest Ordinance: 1787 law that gave people in Northwest Territory the right to organize gov’ts and become future states w/ public education, equal rights & no slavery

40.  Congress could not tax the people; it could only ask the states for $$.  Congress had no power over states or their citizens  Congress could not make states live up to promises to other nations  Congress could not regulate trade between states  Citizens felt their property rights were threatened

41.  Shays’s Rebellion: Rebellion led by Daniel Shays & angry Massachusetts farmers who wanted relief from debts

42. Why were the Articles of Confederation unsuccessful? What were its successes?