Roots of American Democracy

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Roots of American Democracy

• When our nations founders met, they drew
  inspiration from ancient Rome, Greece, and Great
  Britain.

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Roots of American Democracy

• Many of the rights that American citizens
  enjoy today can be traced back to the political
  and legal traditions of England. For centuries
  before the first English people arrived in
  America, England was ruled by Monarchs.

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Democracy is . .

• A system of government in which citizens

• Vote for their leaders
• Have specific rights and responsibilities

• We get democracy from many sources

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The ancient Greeks

• In Athens, citizens voting for their leaders
  became common
• Civic virtue became important to many
  philosophers.

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The ancient Romans

• Developed the rule of law common to all
  citizens throughout the empire
• Developed advanced forms of representative
  government, before evolving in to a dictatorship.

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The Bible

• Hebrew prophets developed the idea of all people
  being equal, created in the image of God.
• The idea caring for the weaker members of society.

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The Magna Carta

• British Document
• King John forced to recognize his power was
  limited by the Barons
• First step toward limited government
• But WHY???

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King John and the Magna Carta
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Could the rich control the king?
Around the picture below, you can read some of
the qualities which medieval people expected
their king to have! Which three are the most
important for a medieval king?
A good judge of character
Rich but not greedy!
A good soldier
Fit and strong
God fearing
Inspiring!
Brave
Hardworking
Wise
Firm but fair!
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King John manages to upset everyone!!
The first king to give up some of his power
was John. He is famous as Prince John in make
believe stories of Robin Hood. In the stories he
is a wicked and foolish prince who taxes the
people of England unfairly. Some historians say
John was just as foolish in real life. Others
say he was simply unlucky! John ruled England
from 1199 to 1216. He faced the following
problems.
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Problem Number 1
He quarrelled with the Pope about how to run
the Church. From 1208 until 1213, the Pope
banned all church services in England and English
people feared that they would all go to HELL!
Some Church leaders blamed John for the trouble.
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Problem Number 2
John went to war twice against the French
king. His army was badly beaten both times. He
lost almost all the land that his father had
gained in France!
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Problem Number 3
John raised taxes in England to pay for the
wars. This upset his BARONS! He ordered them to
pay far more tax than earlier kings had done!
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THINK!

• For how many years did the ban on church services
  last?
• Why do you think the barons gave John the
  nicknames Softsword and Lackland?
• Which of the three problems do you think upset
  the barons the most?

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How did the barons strike back?

• In 1214 many barons rebelled against John. They
  believed that he could not rule the country
  properly and was treating them unfairly. If
  someone did not do something the whole country
  could be ruined!
• In 1215 the barons forced John to grant a
  charter, which was the first time anyone had
  expected an English king to obey a set of rules.

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The Magna Carta
I, King John, accept that I have to govern
according to the law. So I agree 1. Not to
imprison nobles without trial 2. That trials
must be in courts not held in secret by
me 3. To have fair taxation for the
nobles 4. To let freemen travel wherever they
like 5. Not to interfere in Church
matters 6. Not to seize crops without paying for
them . and lot more things too!!
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Think!

• What was so new about Magna Carta for English
  kings?
• At the time, Magna Carta was not designed to help
  everybody. What kind of people were not helped
  by the charter?
• How did the Magna Carta help lead the way for
  Democracy?

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PARLIAMENT

• Developed by King Henry III
• Led to the Glorious Revolution
• English Bill of Rights

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SOURCES OF AMERICAN LAW

• COMMON LAW
• EQUITY LAW
• CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
• STATUTORY LAW

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THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT

• Established in Plymouth.
• Stated that government would make just and equal
  laws.
• Established the tradition of direct democracy
  that is still present in New England today.

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The End