Constitutional Foundations for The United States Democratic Republic

1
Constitutional Foundations for The United States
Democratic Republic

• The Creation of a Nation

2
The Constitution is the Foundation of American
Society

• Developed from 13 ENGLISH COLONIES
• American Political Rights and governmental
  institutions had 3 sources
• 1 British Influence
• 2 17th 18th Century Enlightenment ideas
• 3 American Colonial Experience

3
British Influence

• Magna Carta 1215 Limited the Kings power to
  rule
• Petition of Rights 1628 Established basic
  rights for the people
• English Bill of Rights representative
  government rule of law are more important than
  the power of the King

4
John Locke

• People are born with natural rights
• Life
• Liberty
• Property
• Social Contract Theory to protect rights people
  from governments
• Governments exist with consent of the governed

5
Baron De Montesquieu

• Balanced government works best
• Divide power among several branches
• Prevents one branch from becoming too strong

6
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Governments rule with the consent of the governed
• People have the right to change their government
  (by force if necessary)

7
Voltaire

• Advocated right to free speech and religion
• I may detest what you say but will defend to the
  death your right to say it.

8
Colonial Experience

• House of Burgesses 1619 Virginia
• First representative government
• New England Town Meetings
• 1754 Albany Plan of Union Franklins plan
  rejected - fear of loosing self-government

9
Economic Causes of Revolution

• Mercantilism
• Proclamation of (1763) limited movement
• Sugar Act (1764) - Tax
• Stamp Act (1765) -Tax
• Townsend Acts Tax
• Tea Act British tea less expensive
• Intolerable Acts (1774)

10
Political Causes

• Lost control over Kings representatives
• Taxes threaten rights to property
• No voice in British Parliament

11
Social Ideological Causes

• Colonists felt more equal to each other than
  their British counterparts
• 90 of all white males owned land which enabled
  them to vote
• Birth rate in the colonies produced many people
  who had no ties to England
• Great Awakening religious movement encouraged
  people to question authority

12
Colonial Response to Britain

• First Continental Congress (1774) attempt to
  plan a united response to British actions
• April 1775 Battles of Lexington Concord -
  colonial attempts to arm themselves are
  frustrated start the American Revolution
• June 1776 Declaration of Independence proposed
  becomes fact July 1776

13
Purpose of the Declaration of Independence

• Tell the world that the colonies are now a new
  Independent nation
• Explain and Justify to the world why this action
  was necessary

14
Three parts of the Declaration

• A theory of Government
• List of grievances against the King
• Formal resolution declaring independence

15
Key Ideas of Government

• People have natural rights
• Governments get power from the people, the
  consent of the governed
• If governments dont respond to the peoples
  wishes the people have the right to abolish that
  government.