Origins of American Government

The British years • Great Britain both controlled the colonies and

influenced their political ideas• Among these ideas were:– Representative government– Limited Government– Ordered government

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

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

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

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

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.

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. (You’re 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

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

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 didn’t like

• Helped lead to the Revolution

Reasons for Revolution1. 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)

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.

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

May 4th, 1970

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

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

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?

Answer

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

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.

Life, liberty and ….

• Property?• All the founding Fathers were big fans of John

Locke. • However, they all owned lots of property.

Most people didn’t in this country

Why is it now “the pursuit of Happiness?”

• The declaration of independence doesn’t 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?

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

We’re breaking up?

• Think of the Declaration of Independence as breaking up with your significant other via text messaging.

• It is a series of “I’m leaving you because you did this to me______.”

• George III was not happy.

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?