1. Our Political Beginnings
Chapter 2
Our Political Beginnings

2. Basic Concepts of Govt
Ordered Govt: first English colonies saw a need for govt
Created local govts
Based on those in England
Many of those offices established are still with us today
Sheriff
Coroner
Assessor
Justice of the peace
Grand jury
Coutnies
Townships
Limited Govt
Idea that govt is not all powerful
Each individual has certain rights
Limited govt

3. Representative Govt
Representative Govt: the idea that govt should serve the will of the people
People should have a voice in deciding what govt should and should not do

4. Landmark English Documents
Basic notions of ordered govt, of limited govt, and of representative govt can be traced to several landmark documents

5. Magna Carta
A group of determined barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta “The Great Charter”
The barons were seeking protection against John’s heavy-handed and arbitrary acts
Included fundamental rights as trial by jury and due process of law
Protections of life, liberty, or property
Protections against absolute power
Originally only intended for the privileged classes
Overall became rights of all English people
THE MAGNA CARTA ESTABLISHED THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE POWER OF THE MONARCHY WAS NOT ABSOLUTE!

6. The Petition of Right
Magna Carta was respected by some and ignored by others for 400 years
Parliament slowly grew in influence
In 1628, when Charles I asked Parliament for more money in taxes, Parliament refused and signed the Petition of Right.
Limited the King’s power in several ways
Demanded that the king no longer imprison or otherwise punish any person but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land

7. Petition of Right Cont.
Insisted that the king no impose martial law (rule by the military) in time of peace, or require homeowners to shelter the king’s troops without their consent.
The petition challenged the divine right of Kings
Declaring that even a monarch must obey the law of the land.

8. Bill of Rights
In 1688, after years of revolt and turmoil, Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary of Orange.
Events surrounding their ascent to the throne are known as the Glorious Revolution
To prevent abuse of power by William and Mary and all future monarchs, Parliament, in 1689, drew up a list of provisions to which William and mary had to agree.
English Bill of Rights

9. English Bill of Rights Cont.
Prohibited a standing army in peacetime, ecept with the consent of the Parliament, and required that all parliamentary elections be free
Also included the right to fair trial, and freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment