Competency Goal 1

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Competency Goal 1

• Objective 1.02 and Objective 1.03

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Competency Goal 1 Investigate the foundations of
the American political system and explore basic
values and principles of American democracy

• Objective 1.02 Trace and analyze the
  development of ideas about self-government in
  British North America
• Objective 1.03 Examine the causes of the
  American Revolution

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Objective 1.02 Objective 1.03

• Early Foundations of Law Government
• Magna Carta / Great Charter Limited power of
  the king by granting liberties to certain
  subjects (noblemen)
• 1215, guaranteed such rights as the right to a
  fair trial protection from having property
  seized w/o due process of law.
• Also, basis of British Common Law, or law based
  on custom and court decisions rather than
  legislative action.
• British Common Law is part of the Law in the U.S.

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• Natural Rights
• A group of British noblemen established the 1st
  Parliament, a legislative body.
• Marked the beginning of Representative Government
  in the West.
• In 1689, following the overthrow (Glorious
  Revolution) of King James II in Britain, the
  Parliament passed the British Bill of Rights

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• Document recognized a number of natural rights,
  or rights of people have simply by being people.
• Right to life, liberty, and property.
• Also guaranteed the right to a fair trial before
  a jury of equals and freedom of speech.
• Many of these rights included in the U.S.
  Constitution.

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• Ideas of the Enlightenment
• A dominant idea of the Enlightenment was that
  governments are formed by a social contract (John
  Locke).
• Social Contract Theory says that government comes
  from the consent of the governed (people),
  individuals agree to join together equally under
  a common law for protection from violence, for
  protection of their rights, and to achieve a
  common good.
• They (people) agree to follow the law of the
  contract.

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• The Pilgrims established their colony in Mass.,
  it was based on the Mayflower Compact, which
  became the foundation of law at the Plymouth
  colony.
• Gave colonists the right to establish a system of
  laws under which they would live.

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• The Houses of Burgesses, established in
  Jamestown, Va., in the 1600s, was the first
  representative governing body in the New World.
• It was based largely on the British Parliament.
• In New England, the town meeting was a form of
  direct democracy.
• Landowners in the towns came together to discuss
  and directly vote on proposals, laws, and
  policies.
• They did not vote through representative

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• A republic is a political system in which the
  supreme power lies with the citizens.
• It has two basic principles governments
  authority arises form the consent of the governed
  (people) and the sovereign rules by law
• In a republic, society is governed by laws that
  apply equally to all, not governed by absolute
  rulers.
• In a total democracy, majority rules always
  carries the day.

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• The Founding Fathers felt the need to preserve
  the civil liberties, or political rights, of
  those in the minority.
• It had to be a limited government, or government
  with built-in restrictions on its power.
• In the 1st 2nd Continental Congresses limiting
  the power of the central government was one of
  their major concerns.

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The American Revolution
No Taxation Without Representation !!!!!!!!
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• Discontent with Foreign Rule
• A number of actions taken by the B. govt. that
  angered the American colonists.
• Convinced the colonists would be better off
  establishing own country making own laws.

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• British govt. pass a series on Navigation Acts
• The colonies of Great Britain could trade only
  with Great Britain.
• After the Nav. Acts until the middle of the
  18th Century, colonists enjoyed a period of
  salutary neglect.
• Britain did not pay close attention colonists
  enjoyed a relatively free period of self-govt.

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• B/t 1754 1763, B F fought the French and
  Indian War.
• B Govt. started taxing colonists to help pay for
  the war
• B. Govt. introduced a system of taxation that
  continued for the next 2 decades.
• Also, passed other laws that colonists saw as
  unfair

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• Proclamation of 1763 prohibited from settling
  west of App. Mts.
• Writs of Assistance Gave B customs officials
  authority to search peoples homes for smuggled
  goods w/o warrant.
• Britain was trying to achieve a favorable balance
  of trade Profits made on exports exceeds the
  costs of imports.
• Smuggling was upsetting this favorable balance.

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• James Otis, an early patriot, argued against this
  invasion of privacy against B. tax policy.
• Otis is believed to have coined phrase
  Taxation without representation is tyranny

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• Probably most unpopular Act Stamp Act (1765)
• Passed by Parliament w/o input from colonial
  governing bodies
• Placed a tax on all materials printed on paper
• Newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards
• All printed matter had to have special stamp on
  it to show the tax had been paid.
• Led to attacks on B tax collectors

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• Merchants boycotted, refused to buy B goods.
• Colonies sent a petition to B. king and
  Parliament.
• Said Colonists could not be taxed except w/ the
  consent of their elected assemblies.
• Stamp Act repealed the following yr.

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• The Declaratory Act was the British response to
  repealing the Stamp Act in 1766.
• It maintained that Britain could tax the
  colonists without consulting them.

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• Another unpopular law was the Quartering Act of
  1765.
• If asked, Colonists were required by law to
  provide temporary housing food to British
  soldiers.
• Unwanted intrusion into their privacy