Beginnings of American Government OUR POLITICAL BEGINNINGS DAY
Beginnings of American Government OUR POLITICAL BEGINNINGS DAY 1
Starter �Imagine a society in which everyone has complete freedom and no laws restrict behavior. What would happen? Would there be complete chaos?
Starter �If you believe it would be chaos, you agree with the founders of American government – Franklin, Adams, Washington, and Jefferson. �While they agreed that people should have freedom, at the same time they knew that complete freedom would lead to disorder. �A compromise would have to be reached: a balance between liberty and order.
Objective �Students will be able to Identify the three basic concepts of government that influenced the American colonies; and 2. Understand the influence of the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, and English Bill of Rights on American ideas about government and freedom 1. �Standards: GC. 5 -6, GC. 34, GC. 42
Origins of U. S. Government Questions What do you know about the times in which the Constitution was written? Write T (True), F (False), or NS (Not sure) for each statement below. 1. ____ Each of the thirteen colonies had its own legislature that enacted laws. 2. ____ In the mid-1700 s, Great Britain’s parliament took little part in the local affairs of the colonies. 3. ____ In the 1760 s, Great Britain’s harsh tax and trade policies fanned colonial resentment.
Questions Continued 4. ____ The Declaration of Independence outlined the colonial grievances against Great Britain. 5. ____ The colonies adopted constitutions after the Declaration of Independence was signed. 6. ____ The Articles of Confederation set up the first National Government after independence. 7. ____ Government under the Articles of Confederation had no executive or judiciary branches. 8. ____ The Articles of Confederation gave the Congress no power to tax. 9. ____ Slavery was an important issue at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. 1 0. All Framers were satisfied with the compromises that resulted in the new Constitution.
Intro �Because America was first a part of colonial Britain, the English political system profoundly influenced the colonists. �The English colonists brought with them to America the rights they had known as British citizens. These rights evolved over many centuries. �Theses colonists understood three key English ideas about government:
Ordered Government �The first idea was that of ordered government, where local governments should be divided into units and ruled by officers according to law. Many of the offices and units of government they established are with us today: sheriff, justice of the peace, grand jury, counties.
Limited Government �The second idea, of limited government, means that government is restricted in what it may do (i. e. , it is not all-powerful), and every individual has certain rights that government cannot take away. This idea was first set down in the Magna Carta in 1215.
Representative Government �The third idea, of representative government, means that government should serve the will of the people – elected officials are held accountable to the people who elected them. The first meetings of Parliament took place in the 1200 s.
English Government �The English tradition of government grew from three landmark documents: Magna Carta (1215) – limited the power of the king; protected right of trial by jury and due process of law (only for nobles); Petition of Right (1628) – King could not impose military rule in times of peace; banned the king from imprisoning people without first following the law (extended to commoners); English Bill of Rights (1689) – right to a fair and speedy trial; free elections; freedom from cruel and unusual punishment. �The U. S. has built upon, changed, and added to these ideas brought from Great Britain.
Activity �Historical Documents: Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, and English bill of Rights readings and questions
Questions 1. The colonists wanted a(n) _____ government that could not take away basic individual rights. 2. A ____ government gives people a say in government decisions.
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