Review – Quiz on Monday!

1. Review – Quiz on Monday! • Our English Heritage (9/19/11) • Birth of a Democratic Nation (9/20/11) • Problems with the English Government (9/21-23/11) • Road to the Constitution (9/26/11) • Creating and Ratifying the Constitution (9/28/11)

2. Our English heritage • From the 1600s – English traditions of limited and representative government • Monarchy – King or Queen • Relatives and noble families had power and were given land in exchange for loyalty, taxes, etc. • Magna Carta– 1215 King John treated nobles harshly • Rebelled and forced king to sign the Magna Carta protecting their privileges and authority • Granted certain rights such as equal treatment under the law and trial by one’s peers (WHAT AMENDMENTS DOES THAT SOUND LIKE?) • First form of limiting government •  Parliament – England’s law making body – legislature • Common law – no written laws, judges determining right from wrong would look at precedents – ruling in earlier cases • 1600-1700s England established colonies in America. • Colony-group of people in one place who are ruled by a parent country elsewhere • Set up throughCharter- written document granting land and authority to set up colonial governments • First permanent settlement was Jamestown in Virginia in 1607 • Colonists chose 2 representatives and 22 of the governors council – House of burgesses. • Little power but FIRST form of self governance. • 1620 – Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth in Massachusetts • Came in the Mayflower so their compact (Agreement among the people to govern) was called the Mayflower Compact – 1620 • Set up a direct democracy • 1733- all of the13 colonies established

3. Birth of a DemocratiC Nation • 1760 – King George III took the throne and established a system called mercantilism (selling more than you buy) to try to make as much money from the colonies as possible using the colonies as a source for cheap and raw materials. • The unequal trade agreements of low priced exports and high priced imports between the colonies and England led to economic problems in the Colonies. • “No taxation without representation” – Colonists were upset because they had no representatives in English Parliament • Led to a boycott – refuse to buy English products. • England repealed the taxes. • Stamp Act; Declaratory Acts; Townshend Acts = MORE BOYCOTTS • Tea Act – made tea from Britain the cheapest – British East India Company • Colonists blocked the ships from the colonial ports, dressed as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the ocean = BOSTON TEA PARTY • English response = Intolerable Acts AKA Coercive Acts restricting colonists rights and allowing soldiers to search and move into colonists homes

4. 1774 – FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS • Colonists sent 12 delegates (Representatives) to Philadelphia to discuss their concerns. They wanted to establish a sort of government in America to stand up to Britain • Sent a document complaining to King George III and demanding to get their rights back • King George III responded violently • May 1775 – SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS • Some people didn’t think Colonists could win a battle against Britain. Debated long for the best option. During this time Thomas Paine came out with the “Common Sense” Pamphlet where he argued breaking from England was common sense. • Second Continental Congress = First form of Government in the Colonies • Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of independence saying the English Crown was not looking out for the colonists’ best interests. In it they say the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people and that they had the right to overthrow the government for not doing so. • Influenced by John Locke’s “Second Treatise of Government” - It said that a good government is based on a social contract where people agree to give up some of their rights to establish a government and they can overthrow it if it misuses its power.

5. Road to the constitution • Confederation: group of individuals united together for a purpose • Articles of Confederation • Good • States kept power and independence = sovereign • No government telling states what to do • Congress can create military to protect the states • Bad • No way to enforce laws • States could ignore laws • No power to collect taxes to pay government funded occupations • Could only be changed with consent from ALL states • Limited government? NO! absolutely no government, every man for himself mentality • Branches of government? No branches but clearly needed some • Citizens rights? No, not defined in Articles • All or nothing? Not effective method for altering Articles

6. Creating and Ratifying the Constitution • The Virginia Plan: • Established our 3 branches of government • two houses and each state would be represented based on populations. • The New Jersey Plan: • One house • The Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise • 2 Houses: the Senate and the House of Representative • The Senate would have 2 members per state which meant all states had an equal representation • The House of Representatives would represent their states based on population. • The Three-Fifths Compromise: every 5 ensalves persons would count as 3 free persons. • This way, slaves would count toward the population total to gain more representation in the House for the southern states.

7. Constitution was drafted to implement a Federalism • a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states. • Federalists: supported the document • Anti-federalists: felt it gave too much power to the national government; wanted a bill of rights. • The promise of a bill of rights turned the tide and Anti-federalists agreed to the proposed Constitution • Needed 9/13 states approval – In 1788, New Hampshire was the 9th State • The Constitution was now in effect and the 13 independent states were now one nation, the United States of America. • The bill of rights was adopted in 1791, soon after the Ratification of the Constitution.