Notes: Chapter 2- Origins of American Government

I.

Basic Concepts of Government

A. Heavy English/British influence on U.S. government
B. Understand the importance of an ordered government
C. Limited government
1.
The government is not all-powerful
2.
Unlike other European countries such as France, England had a limited monarchythe King had to share power with Parliament
D. Representative government
1.
The people have a say in government through people elected to represent their
interests
2.
Government of, by, and for the people.

II.

English Foundations of U.S. Government

A. Magna Carta (1215)
1.
English nobles forced King John to sign at Runnymede
2.
Limited the kings power
3.
Established precedents for trial by jury and due process
B. Petition of Right (1628)
1.
Parliament forced King Charles I to sign it stating he had
No divine right (authority from God)
2.
Limited the Kings power
C. English Bill of Rights (1688)
1.
Guaranteed rights such as:
a. Right to a fair trial
b. Protection from cruel and unusual punishment
2.
The concept of a bill of rights influenced our Bill of Rights

III. The English Colonies

A. Thirteen English colonies
1.
Georgia
2.
South Carolina
3.
North Carolina
4.
Virginia
5.
Maryland
6.
Delaware
7.
New York
8.
New Jersey
9.
Pennsylvania
10. Connecticut
11. Massachusetts
12. Rhode Island
13. New Hampshire
B. It was said the thirteen colonies were 13 schools of government

C. Types of colonies
1.
Royal colonies
a. Directly controlled by the king
b. The King appoints a royal governor
c. Controlled the upper house of the bicameral (bicameral) legislature
d. The colonists came to resent this type of rule
e. Ex: Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Virginia
2.
Proprietary colony
a. Founded by someone who the King had made a land grant to
b. Often had a unicameral (one-house) legislature
c. Ex: Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
3.
Charter colonies
a. Only Connecticut and Rhode Island
b. Have the most self-rule of the 13 colonies- The most independent
D. Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)
1.
First legislature in the colonies
E. Mayflower Compact (1620)
1.
The Pilgrims established a form of self-government
2.
NOT a constitution
F. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1636)
1.
The first constitution in the 13 colonies

IV. The Road to Revolution

A. Difficult for England to rule her colonies closely
1.
Distance (>3,000 miles)
2.
Travel was slow (sail)
3.
Communication could only travel as fast as people could travel
(word of mouth / written)
4.
Salutary neglect
a. 1680s-1760
b. Period where the British government only loosely governed the 13 colonies
c. Ended by Britains debt in the French and Indian War
B. Early attempts at colonial unity
1.
It was difficult for the 13 colonies to unify because of :
distance, travel, and communication
2.
Many early attempts revolved around self-defense against Native Americans
a. Ex: the New England Confederation (1643)
3.
The Albany Plan (1754)
a. The colonists needed the Iroquois Indians to remain loyal to the British in the
French and Indian War
b. Benjamin Franklin called for a plan of colonial union: Join or Die
c. Suggested there would be legislature for all 13 colonies and each colony would
send delegates (representatives)
d. Ahead of its time- it did not pass

C. The French and Indian War (1754-1763)

1.
Britain defeated France for control of North America and specifically the western
lands of the Ohio River Valley
2.
The British won but were heavily in debt = raised taxes on the colonies
3.
With the French threat removed the American colonists felt they no longer
needed British protection
D. British taxes and colonial responses
1.
Proclamation of 1763
a. Prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains
b. Done to prevent Indian wars and thus save money
2.
Quartering Act (1765)
a. Required colonists to house and feed British troops
b. So hated by the American colonists that it is prohibited by the Third
Amendment
3.
Stamp Act (1765)
a. Taxed the colonies by requiring a stamp to be on a wide variety of goods (legal
documents, newspapers, and even playing cards)
b. Stamp Act Congress
i. The colonies boycotted goods from Britain
ii. Britain was forced to back down and repeal (take back) the Stamp Act
4.
The Townshend Acts (1767)
a. An invisible tax on goods such as paint, tea, and lead
5.
The Boston Massacre (1770)
a. British troops fired into a crowd killing five Americans
6.
Committees of Correspondence (1772)
a. Founded by Samuel Adams
b. Network between colonies to list grievances against Parliament
7.
Boston Tea Party (1773)
a. The British had tried to trick the colonists into buying cheaper tea
b. The colonists in Massachusetts responded by dumping 342 chests of tea into
Boston Harbor
c. Britain responded with the Coercive Acts (called the Intolerable Acts in the
colonies) in 1774
i. Done to punish the colonists
ii. Ex: prohibited town meetings

8.

The First Continental Congress (1774)

a. 12 of 13 colonies were represented
b. The Association: a complete boycott of British goods
c. Called for taxes to be repealed
d.
E. So why was all this such a big deal?

1. No taxation without representation

2.

a. Because the 13 colonies had no delegates to Parliament they did not have a say
when these taxes were passed
Virtual representation
a. Britain believed each member of Parliament represented all members of the
British Empire
b. Thus, the British think the colonists are represented and they are acting like a
bunch of spoiled brats
3

V.

The American Revolution (1775-1783)

A. Lexington and Concord (19 April 1775)
1.
The shot heard round the world
2.
Opening battle of the American Revolution
B. Second Continental Congress (May 1775)
1.
Created the Continental Army
2.
Named George Washington commander of the Continental Army
3.
Basically the first government of the U.S.
C. During the Revolution the central government had several problems
1.
Weak government
2.
Inflation
3.
Problems of starting a government from scratch
4.
Equipping the army
D. The road to independence
1.
Initially the American colonists did not see this as a war for independence
2.
Oliver Branch Petition:
a. Asked King George III for forgiveness after Lexington and Concord
b. King George III rejected it
3.
Common Sense (1776) by Thomas Paine
a. Propaganda pamphlet that encouraged Americans to declare independence
i. Why should an island rule a continent?
b. Stated monarchy was the worst type of government and the American people
should have a republican form of government
E. Declaration of Independence
1.
Mostly written by Thomas Jefferson with some help from John Adams
2.
Adopted July 4, 1776
3.
Heavily influenced by John Lockes social contract
4.
Two parts
a. List of all natural rights
i. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
ii. Sometimes known as unalienable rights
b. List of grievances against the King
i. Demonstrates how he violated the peoples rights
F. State constitutions
1.
During the Revolution the States drafted their own constitutions
2.
Essentially practice for the U.S. Constitution
3.
Common characteristics
a. Popular sovereignty
b. Limited government
c. Civil rights and liberties
d. Separation of powers and checks and balances

VI.

The Articles of Confederation (1781-1787)

A. Approved in 1777 but needed all 13 States to ratify
1.
Ratify: to formally approve
2.
Ratification did not occur till 1781
B. Unicameral (one-house) legislature
C. Weakness of the Articles of Confederation
1.
No national judiciary
2.
No executive branch
3.
Basically in the national government Congress held all the power
4.
The States had more power than the national government
5.
Ex: Congress could only ask States for taxes, not require them
6.
Congress did not have the power to regulate interstate (between two or more
States) commerce
7.
1 vote/State regardless of size
8.
9/13 majority to pass laws
9.
All 13 States were required to amend the Articles
D. Because the Articles were so weak the 1780s was a critical period in U.S. History
1.
Economic troubles
2.
Shays Rebellion (1786)
a. Western Massachusetts farmers were upset with economic troubles
b. The national government was unable to put it down
c. Convinced many a new constitution was needed because the Articles were not
working
E. Movement for a stronger national government
1.
Mount Vernon Convention (1785)
a. Moved for regulation between Virginia and Maryland
b. Called for all colonists to meet in 1786
2.
Annapolis Convention (1786)
a. Only 5 of 13 States present
b. Called for all States to attend in May 1787 in Philadelphia

VII.

The Constitutional Convention (Summer 1787)

A. The delegates
1.
12 of 13 States
2.
55 delegates
3.
Prominent delegates
a. George Washington: president of the convention
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. James Madison: known as the Father of the Constitution
d. Alexander Hamilton
4.
Important people not present
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. Samuel Adams
d. Patrick Henry
B. Initial resolutions
1.
Oath of secrecy
2.
The Articles of Confederation would be scrapped and an entirely new document
would be started from scratch

C. Virginia Plan
1.
Large-State Plan
2.
James Madison
3.
Three separate branches
4.
Bicameral legislature based on population
5.
Dedicated to giving more power to the national government
D. New Jersey Plan
1.
Small-State Plan
2.
Unicameral legislature
3.
States regardless of population would be equally represented
E. A bundle of compromises
1.
Connecticut Compromise
a. Bicameral legislature
i. House of Representatives: based on population
ii.
Senate:
equal representation among States
b. Sometimes known as the Great Compromise
2.

3/5 Compromise
a. Slaves would count as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation purposes

3.

Commerce and Slave Trade Clause

a. The African slave trade could not be abolished within 20 years
b. Congress cannot tax exports

VIII. Ratifying the Constitution

A. Only 9 of 13 States were needed
B. Federalists vs. Antifederalists
1.
Federalists
a. Those who supported the Constitution
b. Ex: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
2.
Antifederalists
a. Those who opposed the Constitution
b. Ex: Patrick Henry
c. Most wanted a bill of rights included
C. The Federalist Papers
1.
Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
2.
Written during New Yorks ratification campaign supporting various aspects of the
Constitution
D. The Constitution new government officially went into effect in 1788