Chapter 2 Notes

Origins of American Government

Essential Question: How does the Constitution reflect the times in which it was written? (not grammatically)

Section 1Our Political Beginnings
Basic Concepts of Government
The English colonists in America brought with them three main concepts:
The need for an ordered social system, or governmentsheriffs office, justice of the peace.
The idea of limited government, that is, that government should not be all-powerful.
The concept of representative governmenta government that serves the will of the people.
Important English Documents
The way our government works today can be traced to important documents in history:

The Thirteen Colonies
There were three types of colonies in North America: royal, proprietary, and charter.
The royal colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy
NH, MA, NY, NJ, VA, NC, SC, GA (8 of the 13)
King named the governor, council was named (by the king) as an advisory body to the governor, bi-cameral
two houseslegislature that was elected by property owners qualified to vote. Laws passed had to be approved
by the governor and the king.
The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed proprietary colonies.
MA, PA, DE
Organized by the proprietor, similar governments to the royal colonies, with the exception that the proprietor
appointed the governor. Pennsylvania had a unicameral legislature.
The charter colonies were mostly self-governed, and their charters were granted to the colonists.
CT, RI, MA-(revoked then became a charter)
Both RI and Ct were self-governing, governors were elected yearly by white male property owners, laws were
made by the bicameral legislature and were not able to be vetoed by the governor and did not need approval
from the king. The charter colonies had the most freedoms.
Section 2The Coming of Independence

British Colonial Policies
Until the mid-1700s, the colonies were allowed a great deal of freedom in their governments by the English
monarchy.
In 1760, King George III imposed new taxes and laws on the coloniststaxation without representation.
The colonists started a confederation, proposed an annual congress, and began to rebel.
Growing Colonial Unity
Early Attempts
In 1643, several New England settlements formed the New England Confederation.
A confederation is a joining of several groups for a common purpose.
The Albany Plan
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union, in which an annual congress of delegates
(representatives) from each of the 13 colonies would be formed.
The Stamp Act Congress
In 1765, a group of colonies sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in New York.
These delegates prepared the Declaration of Rights and Grievances against British policies and sent it to the
king.
The Continental Congresses
First Continental Congress
The colonists sent a Declaration of Rights to King George III.
The delegates urged each of the colonies to refuse all trade with England until British tax and trade regulations
were repealed, or recalled.
Second Continental Congress
In 1775, each of the 13 colonies sent representatives to this gathering in Philadelphia.
The Second Continental Congress served as the first government of the United States from 1776 to 1781.
Sent the Declaration of Independence
Government during the Revolutionary Warnot an official government until the Articles of Confederation
American Independence
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Between 1776 and 1777, most of the States adopted constitutions instead of charters.
Common Features of State Constitutions
Civil Rights and
Liberties
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Separation of Powers
and Checks and
Balances
Common Features of State Constitutions












Section 3The Critical Period

The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation established a firm league of friendship among the States.
Powers
Congress was given the power to declare war, borrow money, build a navy, deal with national finance issues,
and settle disputes among the States.
Obligations
The States promised to provide funds, obey Congress, and to respect the laws of the other States. Most other
powers were retained by each State.

The principle of popular sovereignty was the basis for every new State
constitution. That principle says that government can exist and function only
with the consent of the governed. The people hold power and the people are
sovereign.
The concept of limited government was a major feature of each State
constitution. The powers delegated to government were granted reluctantly
and hedged with many restrictions.
In every State it was made clear that the sovereign people held certain rights
that the government must respect at all times. Seven of the new
constitutions contained a bill of rights, setting out the unalienable rights
held by the people.
The powers granted to the new State governments were purposely divided
among three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch was
given powers with which to check (restrain the actions of) the other
branches of the government.
The states were bickering with each other, made agreements with foreign governments without the approval of
congress. Additionally they taxed other states goods or banned trade and this caused economics chaos in the states.
This culminated with Shays Rebellion.
A Call for a Stronger Government
Representatives from Maryland and Virginia met at Mount Vernon, Virginia, in 1785 to discuss trade issues.
The meeting was so successful that the Virginia General Assembly requested a meeting of all thirteen States,
which eventually became the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Section 4Creating the Constitution

Framers of the Constitution








Rhode Island did not send delegates

Different Constitutional Plans

The Virginia PlanMadisons plan
Three branches of government
Bicameral legislaturepopulation or financial supportpopular election and from a list of names given by the
state legislatures
National Executive and National Judiciary
The New Jersey PlanPattersons plan
Unicameral Congress
Equal representation for States of different sizes
More than one federal executive
Federal judiciary appointed by the federal executive

Constitutional Compromises

The Connecticut Compromise
Delegates agreed on a bicameral Congress, one segment with equal representation for States, and the
other with representation proportionate to the States populations.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Framers decided to count a slave as three-fifths of a person when determining the population of a
State.
The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
Congress was forbidden from taxing exported goods, and was not allowed to act on the slave trade for
20 years.
Influences on and Reactions to the New Constitution
Influences
The Framers were familiar with the political writings of their time, such as works by Jean Jacques Rousseau and
John Locke.
They also were seasoned, variously, by the Second Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation and
experiences with their own State governments.
Reactions
When the Constitution was complete, the Framers opinions of their work varied. Some were disappointed, like
George Mason of Virginia, who opposed the Constitution until his death in 1792.
Most agreed with Ben Franklins thoughts when he said,
From such an assembly [of fallible men] can a perfect production be expected? Itastonishes me, Sir, to find
this system approaching so near to perfection as it does
Section 5Ratifying the Constitution
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The Constitution was very controversial at first, with some groups supporting it, and others attacking it.
Federalists thought that the Articles of Confederation were weak, and argued for the ratification of the
Constitution.
Anti-Federalists objected to the Constitution for many reasons, including the strong central government and the
lack of a bill of rights.
The Constitution is Ratified
Nine States ratified the Constitution by June 21, 1788, but the new government needed the ratification of the
large States of New York and Virginia.
Great debates were held in both States, with Virginia ratifying the Constitution June 25, 1788.
New Yorks ratification was hard fought. Supporters of the Constitution published a series of essays known as
The Federalist.
Inaugurating the Government
The new Congress met for the first time on March 4, 1789 in Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, New
York.
Congress finally attained a quorum (majority) on April 6 and counted the electoral votes. Congress found that
George Washington had been unanimously elected President and John Adams was Vice President (large
majority). Washington was inaugurated on April 30 as the first President of the United States. Washington D.C.
was not the capital until 1800.