Roots of American Democracy First Permanent American Colony

Roots of American Democracy

First Permanent American Colony • Jamestown, Virginia. • Many colonists in America practiced a different religion than the official religion of England, making them know as religious dissenters.

Early signs of Democracy in the Colonies • Mayflower Compact: System of direct democracy, directly influenced system on New England Town meetings in which citizens discussed and voted on important issues. • House of Burgesses: First representative assembly in Virginia.

English Abuse Power • English began taxing American colonies heavily to pay for war debts. • After the Stamp Act – which placed a heavy tax on newspapers and legal documents – colonists began to boycott English goods. • Colonists had no representation in Parliament to oppose the taxes, so they greatly resented them.

English Abuse Power • Pass coercive acts after Boston Tea Party – intended to “coerce” colonists into falling in line. • Known to colonists as “Intolerable acts. ”

Declaration of Independence • Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson • Influenced largely by enlightenment views on government. • “The power of government should be derived from the consent of the governed. ”

Revolution

Articles of Confederation • Created to unite the 13 colonies against England for the revolutionary war. • Set up a unicameral legislature in which each state had 1 vote. • Allowed central government to control the Army and deal with foreign countries on it’s behalf.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation • Lack of Power and Money. – Congress had no power to collect taxes. – Congress had no power to regulate trade. – Congress had no power to enforce its laws. • Lack of Central Power • No single leader or group directed government policy. • No national court system existed. • Inflexible • Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states. • The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states.

Articles of Confederation Fail • The colonists did not grant their new central government the power to tax because of their negative experience with Great Britain. • Basically…the articles of confederation failed because it did not grant the government enough power. If a state didn’t want to follow a law there was no consequence.

Debt Under the A. O. C. • Unable to collect taxes, congress under the A. O. C. had borrowed money to pay for the revolutionary war.

Lack of Security Under Articles of Confederation • Shay’s rebellion, an uprising of 1, 200 farmers against heavy state taxes, showed that a stronger central force to keep security may be needed in the future.

Setting up a New Constitution – 4 Compromises 1. “The Great Compromise: ” counting representation in Congress. 2. The Three-Fifths compromise: how to count slaves towards a states’ population. 3. The Bill of Rights: protecting individual liberties. 4. Electoral College: the presidential election process.

Setting Up a New Constitution Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan • Bicameral Legislature • Representation in both houses based on states’ population. • Large states favored this plan. • Unicameral Legislature • Equal representation for all states. • Small states favored this plan.

The Great Compromise • Bicameral Legislature. • House of Representatives – Representation based on states’ population. • Senate – Representation equal for all states. (2 Senators)

Three-Fifths Compromise • Northern states did not have many slaves and did not want them counted towards a states population (and therefore representation in Congress). • Southern states had a lot of slaves and wanted them counted toward their population, even though slaves could not vote and were considered property. • Eventually the compromise was that 3/5 of all slaves would count towards a states population.

Federalists v. Anti-Federalists • Supported a strong national government. • Many wealthy land-owners who wanted a strong government to protect their property. • Believed the Articles of Confederation showed the need for a stronger national government. Anti-Federalists • Believed a strong national government would infringe on the liberties won in the revolution. • Were skeptical of the system, believed it favored wealthy land-owners over the common people. • Declared they would not ratify constitution without a bill of rights.

The Federalist Papers • A collection of essays written in support of the constitution (and a strong national government) while it was under debate. • Published anonymously, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. • Argued that a strong national government that properly protected individual liberty and the security of the people could be created.

Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments to the Constitution)

Electoral College • Debate over whether president should be directly elected or chosen by the national congress. • Compromise became the state legislatures voting for the president.