Section 1: Our Political Beginnings

sscg:1a Basic concepts of Government: – Ordered Government: Colonists believed in

the need for an ordered social system, or government.

– Limited Government: that is, that government should not be all-powerful

– Representative Government: that serves the will of the people.

Ordered Government:Limited and

RepresentativeGovernment: -Colonists created local offices based on what

they knew

E.g.. Sheriff, coroner, JoP, counties, etc…-Not all powerful, can’t take away human rights

Jamestown in 1607-serve the will of the people,

a government of the people by the people

Landmark English Documents:

The Magna Carta:King John signed in 1215 at Runnymede limiting his power to tax

The Petition of Right: King Charles I in 1628- Asked for money to fund his wars. Kings had abused the MC

The Bill of Rights: 1688, William and Mary of Orange, to quiet a revolution in England. It provided the people many of the rights in our Bill of Rights

Documents Leading to Independence

Landmark English Documents:

The Magna Carta-1215: Principle of limited government- establishes trial by jury(6th), Due process(5th &14th) and rule of law

The Petition of Right-1628: Principles of limited government and popular sovereignty- no cruel or unusual punishment (8th), trial by jury(6th), no martial law in peacetime, no quartering of troops (2nd)

The English Bill of Rights-1689: no standing army in peacetime, free elections, right to petition (1st), right to a fair trial (5th), no taxation without representation, no cruel or unusual punishment (8th)

English Colonies: The Three Types of

Colonies: -There were 13 to begin with Jamestown Va.-1607 was the first and Georgia-1733 was the last. Establish on trade religion and as a debtor colony

Royal, controlled by the king and proprietary A person granted the land by

the king charter, self governing- in partnership with

the king

Section 2: The Coming of Independence

“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall hang

separately.” Benjamin Franklin speech at the Second Continental Congress.

Sscg:2a,2bWarm-up: Interpret this quote by Benjamin Franklin. Use prior knowledge of what you know about our struggles with England to answer.

British Colonial Policies

Until the mid-1700s, the colonies were allowed a lot of freedom and were allowed to be self governed

1760, King George III imposed harsh taxes and laws on the colonists.

colonists started a confederation, proposed an annual congress, and began to rebel.

Colonies Unite

1643, the New England Confederation is formed for protection from the natives.

In 1754, Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union, an annual congress of delegates (representatives) from each of the 13 colonies would be to meet and discuss issues

1765, the Stamp Act Congress meets in New York to draft a Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the king about the unfair taxes

The Continental Congresses

First Continental Congress

Urged colonists to boycott goods from Eng.

They wanted taxes and trade restrictions repealed

Second Continental Congress

1775, 13 colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia

served as the first government of the United States from 1776 to 1781.

American Independence

July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson