United States Government Unit 1 Foundations of Government An English Political Heritage English colonists brought with them a heritage of individual freedom amp principals of government that shaped the development of the United States ID: 473326
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Slide1
Ch. 2: Origins of American Government
United States Government
Unit 1: Foundations of GovernmentSlide2
An English Political Heritage
English colonists brought with them a heritage of individual freedom & principals of government that shaped the development of the United States.
The concept of limited government, first introduced in the
Magna Carta (1215)
was an accepted part of the English system.
The
Petition of Right (1628)
severely limited the power of English monarch.
The
English Bill of Rights (1688)
placed limits on the ruler’s power and protected individual freedoms.Slide3
An English Political Heritage
The American colonists also firmly believed in representative government, following the model of Parliament.
The writings and ideas of 17
th
century English philosopher John Locke deeply influenced the American colonists. Slide4
Government in the Colonies
The present system of American government evolved from colonial governments and traditions.
Written plans of government were a key feature of the colonial period.
Representative assemblies elected by the people helped establish the tradition of representative government in America.
The division of colonial government powers among the governor, legislature, and courts helped establish the principle of separation of powers.Slide5
The Colonies on Their Own
Although Britain treated the American colonies as a source of economic benefits, it allowed them limited self-government.
The British government tightened its control over the colonies after the French and Indian wars.
King George III and his ministers made the colonists help pay for the war by levying new taxes on the colonists.Slide6
Colonial Unity
Harsh British policies and taxes helped unite the colonies.
To protest British policies, the colonists sent petitions to the king and also organized committees of correspondence.
The First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia in 1774 debated what the colonies should do about their relationship with Britain.
When the Second
Continental Congress met in
1775, fighting had begun and Congress acted as a central government to carry out the Revolution.Slide7
Independence
A committee of delegates to the Philadelphia Congress, headed by Thomas Jefferson, drafted the Delectation of Independence (DOI) in 1776.Slide8
Independence
Setting forth the principals for the new
nation,
the DOI had three parts:
A
statement of purpose, including a
description of
of
basic human rights.
A list of specific complaints against King George III
A statement of colonists’ determination to separate from Great Britain.
By the end of 1776, 10 states had adopted written constitutions which were based on consent of the governed, limited government, and the protection of individual rights.