1. Chapter 2: Origins of American Government Section 1

2. Origins of U.S. Government Questions
What do you know about the times in which the Constitution was written? Write T (True), F (False), or NS (Not sure) for each statement below.
1 . ____ Each of the thirteen colonies had its own legislature that enacted laws.
2 . ____ In the mid-1700s, Great Britain’s parliament took little part in the local affairs of the colonies.
3 . ____ In the 1760s, Great Britain’s harsh tax and trade policies fanned colonial resentment.
All the statements are true, except for 1 and 10.

3. Questions Continued
4. ____ The Declaration of Independence outlined the colonial grievances against Great Britain. 5 . ____ The colonies adopted constitutions after the Declaration of Independence was signed. 6. ____ The Articles of Confederation set up the first National Government after independence. 7 . ____ Government under the Articles of Confederation had no executive or judiciary branches. 8 . ____ The Articles of Confederation gave the Congress no power to tax. 9 . ____ Slavery was an important issue at the Constitutional Convention of All Framers were satisfied with the compromises that resulted in the new Constitution.
All the statements are true, except for 1 and 10.

4. Objectives Students will be able to:
1) Identify the three basic concepts of government that influenced the American colonies; and
2) Describe the three types of colonies that the English established in the American colonies.
Main Idea: English traditions and ideas influenced colonial governments.

5. Introduction
What ideas and traditions influenced government in the English Colonies?
English customs and ideas about government, including:
The idea of ordered government
The principle of limited government
The principle of representative government
English historical documents, including:
The Magna Carta
The Petition of Right
The English Bill of Rights

6. Basic Concepts of Government
The English colonists brought with them to America knowledge of a political system that had been developing in England for centuries.
1) Ordered government
Local governments should be divided into units and ruled by officers according to law.
2) Limited government
Individuals have basic rights that cannot be taken away
Government is restricted in what it may do
3) Representative government
Government that serves the will of the people. In other words, people should have a say in what the government does or does not do.

7. Questions What kind of government do you live under?
What rights do you have that the government cannot take away?
How does the government help you in your everyday life?

8. Landmark English Documents
**America’s limited and representative government can be traced back to three landmark English documents:
Magna Carta;
The Petition of Right; and
The English Bill of Rights

9. The Magna Carta Signed by King John in 1215
Created by English barons to put limits on the once absolute power of the King.
Guaranteed certain fundamental rights for the privileged, such as trial by jury and due process of law. Over time, these rights were extended to all English people.
The Magna Carta established the idea that the monarchy’s power was not absolute.

10. Video
Magna Carta Video

11. The Petition of Right
The Petition of Right was signed by King Charles I in 1628.
Banned the king from imprisoning or punishing people without first following the laws of the land.
Required the consent of Parliament for taxation.
The Petition challenged the idea of the divine right of kings, declaring that even the monarch must obey the law of the land.

12. The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was drawn up by Parliament in 1689 to prevent the abuse of power by all future monarchs.
Required the consent of Parliament for taxation and suspension of laws.
Promised the right to a fair trial, right to a jury trial and to petition the monarchy to correct injustices.
These “limitations” can also be seen as rights. They include the right to trial by jury, to due process, to bear arms, and to petition, as well as freedom from cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail or fines.

13. Questions:
Which right do you consider most important or essential to us? Why?
What would happen if we did not have these rights?
Let’s say you are stopped for speeding. What would happen if the right against cruel punishment and excessive bail or fines does not exist?
What would happen if the right against unreasonable searches or seizures went away?

14. The Thirteen Colonies
The colonies were established over a span of 125 years.
Virginia was the first colony, founded in 1607.
Georgia was the last, formed in 1733.
Each colony was established on the basis of a charter granted by the king.
These charters granted some governing authority to the colonies and kept some for the king.

15. Three Types of Colonies
Royal colonies were directly controlled by the king.
Proprietary colonies were run by a proprietor chosen by the king.
Charter colonies were run mainly by elected legislatures and were the most independent.
How many royal colonies were left at this time? How were royal colonies and charter colonies different?
Map Question Answer: In 1775, there were 8 royal colonies, 3 proprietary colonies, and two charter colonies. Royal colonies were run mainly by governors appointed by the king, whereas charter colonies were run mainly by legislatures elected by the colonists and thus had greater independence.

16. Royal Colonies The governor was appointed by the king.
Two house (bicameral) legislature:
The upper house of the colonial legislature was also appointed by the king and served as the colony’s highest court.
The lower house was elected by colonists who owned enough property to vote.
The king and governor had to approve all laws. The king’s and governor’s actions in royal colonies set the stage for revolution.
Royal colonies were under direct control of the crown. **Most of the 13 colonies were royal colonies.**

17. Proprietary Colonies The proprietor appointed the governor.
These colonies were run much like royal colonies.
Of the proprietary colonies, Pennsylvania had an unusually democratic government with a unicameral legislature.
These colonies were organized by a proprietor, a person to whom the king had made a grant of land. Lord Baltimore was granted Maryland.

18. Charter Colonies
Governors in charter colony were elected by property-owning colonists and lacked veto power.
The elected bicameral legislature could pass laws without the approval of the king.
Judges were appointed by the legislature.
Virginia and Massachusetts each had their charters revoked, becoming royal colonies.
Charter colonies enjoyed the most freedoms; they essentially governed themselves.
In a proprietary colony, the proprietor could set up the government as he saw fit, whereas charter colonies placed most of the power in the hands of the elected members of the colonial legislature.

19. Summary 3 concepts of government that influenced the colonies:
The idea of ordered government
The principle of limited government
The principle of representative government
3 landmark English documents:
The Magna Carta
The Petition of Right
The English Bill of Rights
3 types of colonies: royal, proprietary, and charter

20. Exit Ticket
1. The colonists wanted a(n) _________ government that could not take away basic individual rights. 2. A ________ government gives people a say in government decisions. 3. The ______ ______ was signed by King John. It limited the king’s power. 4. Parliament passed the English ______ of ______ in It gave the people the right to a jury trial. 5. Name the three types of colonies in America.
1) Limited; 2) representative; 3) Magna Carta; 4) Bill of Rights; 5) royal; charter; proprietary

21. Exit Ticket
6) How did English documents such as the English Bill of Rights influence American settlers? a. They avoided the mistakes made in those documents. b. The government they set up in the United States included the same rights as the English documents. c. They caused anger among the settlers. d. The documents almost prevented the Revolution.

22. Key Terms
limited government: the idea that government is restricted in what it may do and that every individual has certain rights that government cannot remove
representative government: the idea that government should both serve and be guided by the will of the people
Magna Carta: the Great Charter signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the English king and guaranteed certain fundamental rights

23. Key Terms, cont.
due process: protection against the unjust taking of life, liberty, or property
Petition of Right: a document signed in 1628 that required the English king to obey the law of the land and increased the influence of Parliament
English Bill of Rights: a document signed in 1689 that required free elections and guaranteed many basic rights, such as due process and trial by jury, to all English citizens

24. Key Terms, cont. charter: a written grant of authority from the king
bicameral: having two houses, as in a two-house legislature
proprietary: the name given to colonies organized and governed according to the will of a proprietor, a person granted land and authority by the king
unicameral: having only one house, as in a one house legislature