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Origins of American Government

Explore the rich history of political experiences and ideas brought by early English colonists that shaped the foundation of US governance. Discover key events such as the Magna Carta and the Petition of Right, as well as the evolution from the Articles of Confederation to the adoption of the US Constitution. Learn about the debates over representation and the compromises that led to the formation of our current governmental system.

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Origins of American Government

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  1. Origins of American Government Chapter 2 Notes and Review

  2. Our Political Beginnings (2.1) • Our nation’s original English colonists brought with them a rich history of political experiences and ideas • Those experiences and ideas would help to shape the political landscape of our nation, both then and now

  3. Three Big Ideas • 1. Ordered Government • An orderly regulation of the relationship between themselves and their government • 2. Limited Government • Govt. should not be all powerful • Protection of rights • 3. Representative Govt. • Govt. should “represent” the will of the people • People should have a voice in what their govt. does

  4. Landmark English Documents • Magna Carta (1215) • First documents outlining basic individual rights • Trial by jury • Due process of law • Protection of life, liberty and property

  5. Petition of Right • Freedom to criticize the king; could not be imprisoned without jury trial • No martial law during peacetime • No quartering of soldiers • English Bill of Rights • No army during peacetime • Free elections • Fair and speedy trial • Excessive bail / cruel punishment

  6. Unicameral and Bicameral • Unicameral – a one house legislature (law making body) • Bicameral – a two house legislature

  7. What was Accomplished at the First Continental Congress (1774) • Sent a declaration of rights to King George III • Urged all colonies to boycott English goods • Local committees to enforce the boycott

  8. What Was Accomplished at the Second Continental Congress (1775) • First real National Government • Continental army and navy was formed • Adopted the Declaration of Independence • Fought a war • Created a Monetary system • Made treaties with foreign powers

  9. The Articles of Confederation • Our Nation’s first constitution • Very weak document and was not effective • Had no strong central government to enforce policies between the states • A new constitution would be necessary

  10. A New Constitution Was Necessary! • Problem: How should the States be represented in Congress? • Some States were large with many people and some were small with few people • What about slaves?

  11. The Virginia Plan • States would be represented in Congress based upon their population or the amount of money sent in support of the Central Govt. (Taxes) • Virginia loves the plan, they are a big state • Small states hate the plan

  12. The New Jersey Plan • All States were to be equally represented without regard to population or availability of money • New Jersey was a small state & loved the plan • Large States like Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania hated the plan

  13. THE CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE(AKA “THE GREAT COMPROMISE”) • A bicameral legislature • The smaller Senate would be represented equally • The larger House of Representatives, representation would be based on population • Oh NO!!! What about slaves? Are they to be counted as population? Another major battle!

  14. The Three-Fifths Compromise • Southern slave states wanted slaves to be counted as population (even they had no rights) • Northern non-slave states objected • Compromise • “All free persons are to counted, and so should three-fifths of all other persons” • Reality: A slave only counted as 3/5 of a person • An ugly part of our history to be sure, but it settled the dispute • 3/5 Comp. was abolished along with slavery later on.

  15. The New Constitution was completed! Now it had to be sold to the people for approval!

  16. Federalists and Their Main Argument • Federalists – favored ratification (formal adoption) of the new constitution • Stressed the weakness of the Articles of Confed. • All of those problems could be fixed by the new constitution

  17. Anti-Federalists and Their Argument • Objected to the ratification (formal adoption) process • Objected to the absence of the word God • Denial of some previously held states rights

  18. Two Main Issues Being Argued Over the New Constitution • 1. The greatly increased powers of the central government • 2. The lack of a Bill of Rights • Solutions: • The “Federalist Papers” were distributed to help explain the limited power of the new central government • The adoption of the first ten amendments; the Bill of Rights

  19. Finally a New Constitution was Won and has lasted for over 200 years!!!

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