110 likes | 234 Views
Political Traditions are Brought from England. Page 35-38. Colonization in N. America. For 200 years before America declared her independence settlers had been coming France, Spain, England and Holland
E N D
Colonization in N. America • For 200 years before America declared her independence settlers had been coming • France, Spain, England and Holland • English eventually won control and brought with them their long-established traditions of politics, law, and government.
France and England • Main rivals for colonization in N. America • After French and Indian War, England took control of: • French territories in Canada and Great Lakes • Spanish territory in Florida • England had control of all of N. America east of the Mississippi
Four Important Principles from England • 1. Limited government • 2. Representative government • 3. Individual liberty • 4. Rule by law • These ideas had come from hundreds of years of English history.
Limits on the monarchy • Limits were placed on royal power by the Magna Charta • Magna Charta is considered the foundation of English constitutional freedom • limits on taxation, protection of private property, trial by jury, religious freedom • Important in establishing the principle of limited government.
Representative Government • A lawmaking body developed from the nobles and bishops - parliament • Two houses • House of Lords - upper house-bishops and nobles-inherited or appointed • House of Commons - lower house- knights and townsmen who were elected by other knights and townspeople • Established principle of representative gov’t
Individual Liberty • The principal of personal freedom was a part of English history • Magna Charta made it clear that the people possessed certain rights that not even the ruler could take away • Established the idea of judgement by your peers.
Struggle for Parliamentary Power • Parliament fought for more rights for the people • Petition of Rights increased the freedoms and rights of the people • King ignored it at first but parliament resisted and it turned into civil war. • King was defeated and a republic was set up.
English Bill of Rights • Signed by William and Mary • It recognized certain basic rights of the people • Parts of it would later be used to write the Constitution of the U.S. • Has stood throughout history as a beacon for citizen rights
Locke and Social Contract • Purpose of gov’t is to protect the people’s rights to life, liberty, and property. • People have the right to remove the gov’t if it fails to do so. • Locke’s ideas were used by Jefferson in the writing of the Declaration of Independence
Rule by Law • Common law was built on decisions of judges, based on custom and tradition • Was to be the law throughout the country • The decisions served as precedent for later judgements • English valued common law as a safeguard of rights since it didn’t come from the king • English colonist brought the idea of rule by law to America