Government

1
Government

• What type of government does the United States
  have?

2
What are the characteristics of a democracy?

• Government by the people
• People have a say
• People choose others to make their laws (an
  indirect democracy, or a republic or a
  representative democracy)
• Government is supposed to protect the peoples
  rights

3
How did the U.S. develop the ideas of democracy?

• We borrowed ideas from earlier civilizations

4
From Athens

• A direct democracy all citizens participate

5
From Rome

• A republic a representative democracy in which
  people choose others to make their laws
• Codified laws (12 Tables) written, uniform
  throughout
• Legal Principles equality under the law legal
  precedence (legal record keeping)

6
From England

• Magna Carta (1215) limited the power of the
  King included trial by jury of peers and no
  taxation without representation
• Petition of Right (1628) granted the Writ of
  Habeas Corpus the right of an imprisoned person
  to know the charges placed against him and to be
  granted a trial
• English Bill of Rights (1689) established that
  the monarch is not absolute and provided a
  representative government restricted powers of
  government (no standing army, no quartering of
  troops, trial by jury taxation only by reps)

7
From the Enlightened Philosophers

• John Locke natural rights to life, liberty
  property social contract - an agreement between
  the people and the state if government fails to
  protect peoples natural rights, the people have
  the right to revolution government is by the
  consent of the governed.

8
(Enlightened Philosophers)

• Montesquieu division of power among branches of
  government so no one becomes too powerful (checks
  and balances)
• Rousseau government by the consent of the
  governed power to rule comes from the people
  (We the people)
• Voltaire - wrote against religious intolerance
  and persecution (basis of freedom of religion and
  freedom of expression

9
From the American Colonies

• Mayflower Compact (1620) agreement to obey laws
  made by the will of the majority consent of
  the governed the power to govern comes from
  the people
• Town Meetings (New England) free men could
  participate in elections and decision-making for
  the good of the community

10
(American Colonies)

• Virginia House of Burgesses (1619) elected
  officials made laws to ensure the survival of the
  colony
• Freedom of the Press trial of John Peter Zenger
  (1735) charged with libel for newspaper
  articles critical of NY Governor. Decision
  established basic of freedom of the press as long
  as what was printed was true.

11
(American Colonies)

• The Great Awakening (1740s) religious revival
  that challenged traditional teachings and
  practices of the established churches promoted
  religious toleration

12
Life in the American Colonies before 1763

• Self-government
• Each colony had a colonial assembly
• Profit from trade (in spite of mercantilism)
• Mercantilism Colony exists to benefit mother
  country but the Americans continued to trade with
  other countries (smuggling)
• Salutary Neglect
• England allowed the colonies to operate without
  direct interference (a very lenient parent!)