Origins of American Government

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Origins of American Government
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The British years

• Great Britain both controlled the colonies and
  influenced their political ideas
• Among these ideas were
• Representative government
• Limited Government
• Ordered government

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From then until now

• Greece invented Democracy
• The Roman Republic also had similar ideas and
  respected the Greeks in their ideas.
• Rome ruled Britain and when they left they left
  their ideas of law, religion, economics
• Britain founded an empire that included parts of
  North America
• The educated British studied what the Greeks and
  Romans had written

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1215 CE the Magna Carta

• Until 1215CE Britain was ruled by absolute Kings
  who could not be questioned
• In that year the Barons of King John grew angry
  with him over heavy taxes, costly wars and how he
  would throw people in prison without trying them
  for any crime.
• The Barons forced King John to give up some of
  his power as King in a document called the Magna
  Carta
• This is the start of limited government in Britain

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Petition of Right 1628 CE

• England was ruled by Charles I
• Charles ignored Parliament. He imposed heavy
  taxes, made the English fight in unpopular wars
  and threw people in prison without trial
• Once again, the King was forced to give up some
  of his power in the Petition of Right
• Charles I would be executed after the English
  Civil war

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Ideas of John Locke

• John Locke was an English philosopher
• He argued that people were born with a clean
  slate that is when you are born you are all
  equal.
• He profited from the slave trade but did not
  actually own slaves
• He argued that all human beings are born with
  rights Life, liberty and property
• John Locke also argued that it was the duty of
  the oppressed to overthrow their government if it
  became too tyrannical or did not meet their needs

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Does this mean we have the right to overthrow our
government?

• Governments have a vested interest in holding on
  to power.
• Sedition is advocating the violent overthrow of
  your government. It is illegal.
• Chances are if someone attempts the overthrow of
  government, they will spend time in prison or
  suffer injury or death.

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English Bill of Rights 1688

• After the English throne was restored, Parliament
  demanded that the Monarchs give up some of their
  rights.
• The Monarch is monarch with the consent of the
  Parliament. (Youre only King because we allow
  you to be)
• The right to a fair and speedy trial, to petition
  the King, and to not have excessive fines or
  cruel or unusual punishments put on you is seen
  in this document

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North American Colonies

• Britain governed what is today the Eastern
  portion of the United States.
• In 1763 Britain defeated France in the Seven
  Years war (French and Indian)
• That war was expensive and was fought on four
  continents including North America

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What the French and Indian War did for Americans

• Made the colonists see themselves as Americans
  rather than just British
• Made the British Government pass Acts of
  Parliament that many colonists didnt like
• Helped lead to the Revolution

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Reasons for Revolution

• 1. Taxation without Representation (this
  revolution was mostly about economic concerns)
• 2. The British King forces us into wars that we
  get killed in only to then hand us the bill
• 3. British abuses of power ( quartering of
  soldiers in private homes, blockading Boston
  harbor, the Boston Massacre, jailing of people
  who disagree)

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Key Events

• 1763- End of French and Indian war
• 1765- Stamp Act passed requiring a taxed stamp to
  be purchased for all papered goods
• 1770- Boston Massacre- British soldiers shoot and
  kill 5 colonists
• 1772- Boycott of British goods called
• 1773- Boston Tea Party- Sons of liberty board a
  British tea ship and dump the tea into the harbor
• 1774- Intolerable acts passed to punish the Sons
  of Liberty/First Continental Congress
• April 1775- Revolutionary war begins when the
  British military attempts to find leaders of the
  sons of liberty and their weapons cache.
• 1775- 1783 Revolutionary war
• July 4th 1776-Declaration of Independence
• 1781- Articles of Confederation
• 1787- Creation of the Constitution
• 1789- Constitution goes into effect.

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The Boston Massacre

• March 5th, 1770, an angry mob hurls stones at a
  group of British soldiers in Boston.
• The soldiers open fire on the mob killing five

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May 4th, 1970
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Boston Tea Party

• December 16th 1773
• The Sons of Liberty board a British ship dressed
  as Native Americans and dump over 200 chests of
  tea into Boston harbor
• Great Britain demands the tea be paid for

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The Sons of Liberty

• A radical group known as the Sons of Liberty
  formed to combat the oppressive taxes
• They called for a boycott of British goods
• They also committed acts of vandalism against
  British subjects and interests

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Lexington and Concord

• What were the British coming to do at Lexington
  and Concord when the first shots of the
  revolution were fired in 1775?

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Answer

• They were coming to disarm the sons of liberty
  and arrest their leaders because they had a
  weapons cache there.

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What was the American Revolution all about?

• Money.
• Taxation without representation and specifically
  having a say in how much of your money you would
  have a right to get to keep.

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Life, liberty and .

• Property?
• All the founding Fathers were big fans of John
  Locke.
• However, they all owned lots of property. Most
  people didnt in this country

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Why is it now the pursuit of Happiness?

• The declaration of independence doesnt guarantee
  you a happy life, only the right to pursue it.
• Why?
• This was changed by Thomas Jefferson from
  property to pursuit of happiness because
  happiness is free and property is not.
• If you are all entitled to property, does Thomas
  Jefferson have to give you some of his?

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The Declaration of Independence

• Primarily written by Thomas Jefferson
• It is a formal complaint letter written to King
  George III of England informing him that the
  colonies are to be separate from England

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Were breaking up?

• Think of the Declaration of Independence as
  breaking up with your significant other via text
  messaging.
• It is a series of Im leaving you because you
  did this to me______.
• George III was not happy.

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quiz

• 1. Who signed the Magna carta?
• 2. List one idea of John Locke
• 3. Why were the British going to Lexington and
  Concord?
• 4. Who mainly wrote the Declaration of
  Independence?