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Explore the shift from absolute royal rule to constitutional governance, tracing historical events like Magna Carta & American Revolution. Witness how power was shared for the greater good.
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Monarchy • King is at the top of the hierarchy • Nobles and their Serfs serve him • King has absolute authority • Tax • War • Confiscation of property • Imprisonment
King John Abuses Power • Declares war without support of those under him • Demands more taxes and sale of lands to pay for wars • Imprisons without trial or charges
Magna Carta (1215) • Nobles force King to sing contract • Taxation with consent • Trials with peers • No imprisonment without charges/ trial • 1st time in History a rulers authority is limited • The people have rights the government must recognize
Fast forward to 1770s • America was a British Colony • King is subjecting colonists to • Taxation without consent • Imprisonment without charges • Searches without cause • Trial without peers • Colonist want the rights of Englishmen! • American Revolution
Articles of Confederation (1781) • First American Constitution • Power is shared equally by the states • Wanted weak federal government • No President • No power to tax • No power to raise an Army • No judicial system • Cannot change Articles without unanimous consent of ALL states • Very inflexible
Constitution of the United States(1787) • 3 branches (Executive, Legislative, Judicial) • Checks and Balances (each branch is assigned powers that check the others) • Amendments • 2/3 of Congress • ¾ of States • Difficult but allows for flexibility