Origins of American Government

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• Origins of American Government
• Am. Govt. Ch.2

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• Our Political Beginnings
• A. Basic Concept of Government
• 1) Ordered Govt. colonists from
  England saw the orderly regulation of their
  relationships with one another.
• 2) Limited Govt. colonists brought with
  them the idea that govt. should not be
  all-powerful.
• 3) Representative Govt. colonists
  believed that govt. should serve the will
  of the people

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• B. Landmark English Documents
• 1) Magna Carta established the
  principle of limited gov. and fundamental
  rights of English citizens.
• 2) The Petition of Right limited the
  monarchs authority and elevated the power
  of Parliament while extending the rights
  of the individual.
• 3) The Bill of Rights redefined the
  rights of Parliament and the rights of
  individuals.

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• C. Government in Colonies
• 1) Royal Colonies subject to the
  control of the crown and run by appointed
  governors, who were advised by councils.
• 2) Proprietary Colonies owned by wealthy
  individuals who appointed governors, who
  were advised by councils.
• 3) Charter Colonies governed by the
  colonists themselves through elected
  governors, who were advised by councils.

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• The Coming of Independence
• Royal Control
• Control of the colonies was relaxed because of
  the distance from England to America.
• Each colonial legislature assumed broad lawmaking
  powers.
• After 1760, Parliament imposed new taxes
  provoked colonial protest of no taxation without
  representation!

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• B. Growing Colonial Unity
• 1) Early Attempts 1600s some colonies
  banded together temporarily to defend
  themselves, but the need passed and unity
  failed.
• 2) The Albany Plan Franklins Albany of
  Union called for annual meeting to deal with
  issues of common concern, but the
  colonial governments turned down the
  plan.
• 3) The Stamp Act Congress harsh tax and
  trade policies caused colonists to meet
  to denounce the practices and to organize
  boycotts and other act of protest.

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• C. The First Continental Congress
• 1) Intolerable Acts (1774) caused
  colonists to send delegates to a
  meeting to discuss matters and to make
  plans for action.
• 2) Congress sent a Declaration of
  Rights to the King, protesting taxes
  and restrictions.
• D. The Second Continental Congress
• 1) Congress met again (1775), but now
  the revolution had begun.

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• 2) Congress organized a govt. and established an
  army, led by George Washington.
• 3) Congress served as govt until the Articles of
  Confederation went into effect.
• 4) Congress was unicameral, exercising both
  legislative and executive powers.

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• E. Declaration of Independence
• 1) The Declaration announced the
  independence of the United States from
  Great Britain and listed the reasons for
  rebellion.
• 2) The Declaration proclaimed equality
  and rights of people.
• F. The First State Governments
• 1) Most States wrote and adopted their own
  constitutions.

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• G. Common Features of New States
• 1) Popular Sovereignty the States govt
  existed by the consent of the governed.
• 2. Limited Gov. the power of the
  States govt were restricted.
• 3) Civil Rights and Liberties each new
  state govt was organized with independent
  branches of govt.

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• III. The Critical Period
• A. The First National Constitution
• 1) The Articles of Conf. formed a
  confederation among the States.
• 2) Govt Structure Govt under the
  Articles was a unicameral legislature with
  no executive or judiciary.
• 3) Powers of Congress most powers
  related to common defense.
• 4) State Obligations States agreed to
  accept several obligations to the central
  govt but retained many powers of govt
  for themselves.

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• 5) Weakness the govt lacked the power
  to tax, or to regulate trade between the
  States, and had no power to make the States
  obey the Articles.
• B. The Critical Period, the 1780s
• 1) Disputes among the States highlighted
  the need for a stronger, more effective
  National Govt
• 2) Economic chaos also resulted from a
  weak central govt
• C. The Meetings at Mount Vernon and Annapolis
• 1) majority of States called for a
  convention Philadelphia to improve the
  Articles of Conf.

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• 2) This meeting became the Constitutional
  Convention.