When our nation’s Founders met, they drew inspiration from … · 2016-11-27 · exchange for their loyalty, tax payments, and promises of mili-tary support. The Magna Carta King

Paul A. Souders/CORBIS

Sequencing Events Study Foldable Make this foldable to help you sequencethe events that led to the creation of our American democratic system.

Step 1 Fold two sheets of paperin half from top to bottom.

Reading andWriting As youread the chapter,sequence theevents that led tothe writing of theDeclaration ofIndependence andthe formation ofAmerica’s firstgovernment bywriting a date andevent on each partof the time line.

Step 3 Fold the four pieces in halffrom top to bottom.

26 ▲

When our nation’s Founders met, they drew inspirationfrom ancient Greece and Rome and Great Britain.Contact a local historical society to learn more about your community’s founders and history.

To learn more about the roots of American democracy,view the Democracy in Action electronic field trip 1:Independence Hall.

Cut alongfold lines.

Step 2 Turn the papers and cut eachin half.

Piecesof tape

Step 4 Tape the ends of the piecestogether (overlapping the edges veryslightly) to make an accordion time line.

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota

Chapter Overview Visit the CivicsToday Web site at civ.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 2 to preview chapterinformation.

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/govciv/civics2003/content.php4/925/1

North Wind Picture Archives

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

English settlers in theAmerican colonies estab-lished traditions of repre-sentative governmentthat they had learned inEngland.

Key Terms

monarch, legislature,Parliament, precedent,common law, colony,charter, compact

Reading Strategy

Organizing InformationAs you read, complete aweb diagram like the onebelow by listing the fea-tures of English law thatthe colonists brought withthem to America.

Read to Learn

• What were the Englishtraditions of limited and representative government?

• How did colonists transplant English ideas of government to America?

Our EnglishHeritage

SECTION

While framing the Articles of Confederation, the delegates used all that they knewto create a document that could and would beapproved by the states. Despite his desire to be free from the laws of Great Britain, John Dickinsonrecognized the value of those laws. In praise of Britain’s laws, he wrote that “no nation has existedthat ever so perfectly united those distant extremes,private security of life, liberty, and property, withexertion of public force . . . or so happily blendedtogether arms, arts, science, commerce, andagriculture.” Dickinson later urged his fellowdelegates, in the spirit of moderation, to ratify the Constitution even if it wasn’t perfect.

Influences From England’s

Early GovernmentMany of the rights that American citizens enjoy today can be

traced back to the political and legal traditions of England.WhenEnglish people began settling here in the 1600s, they broughtwith them a history of limited and representative government.

For centuries before the first English people arrived inAmerica, England was ruled by a monarch—a king or queen.However, noble families also had considerable power. Themonarch gave them ownership and control of vast lands inexchange for their loyalty, tax payments, and promises of mili-tary support.

The Magna Carta King John, who inherited the throne in 1199, treated the

nobles harshly. They rebelled in 1215 and forced the king tosign an agreement called the Magna Carta (Latin for “GreatCharter”).This document protected the nobles’ privileges andupheld their authority. It also granted certain rights to all land-holders—rights that eventually came to apply to all Englishpeople. These rights included equal treatment under the lawand trial by one’s peers.

28 Chapter 2 Roots of American Democracy

EnglishGovernment

Heritage

John Dickinson

The Magna Carta was a contract thatlimited the power of the monarch by guar-anteeing that no one would be above thelaw, not even the king or queen. ; See the

Appendix to read this document.

Parliament Henry III, the king who followed John,

met fairly regularly with a group of noblesand church officials, who advised the kingand helped govern the realm. Over theyears, the group grew in size and power,expanding to include representatives of thecommon people. By the late 1300s, thegroup had developed into a legislature—alawmaking body—known as Parliament.

For the next few centuries, the Englishmonarch cooperated with Parliament. Inthe mid-1600s, however, serious powerstruggles began. Eventually, in 1688, Par-liament removed King James II from thethrone and invited his daughter Mary andher husband William to rule instead. Indoing so, Parliament demonstrated that itwas now stronger than the monarch.

This peaceful transfer of power, knownas the Glorious Revolution, changed theidea of government in England. From thattime on, no ruler would have more powerthan the legislature.

To clarify the new relationship, Parlia-ment drew up the English Bill of Rights in 1689. This document stated that the

monarch could not sus-pend Parliament’s

laws; the monarchalso could notcreate special

courts, impose taxes, or raise an army with-out Parliament’s consent. The Bill of Rightsalso declared that members of Parliamentwould be freely elected and be guaranteedfree speech during meetings, that every citi-zen would have the right to a fair trial byjury in court cases, and that cruel andunusual punishments would be banned.

Common Law In its earliest days, England had no

written laws. People developed rules to liveby, however, and these customs came tohave the force of law. In addition, as a sys-tem of courts arose, the courts’ decisionsbecame the basis of a body of law. Whenjudges were asked to decide a case, theywould look for a precedent, or a ruling inan earlier case that was similar. If someonewere accused of trespassing, for example,the judge would see if anyone had everfaced a similar charge and what the out-come had been. The judge would thenmake a consistent ruling.

(t)North Wind Picture Archives, (b)Bettmann Archive

Chapter 2 Roots of American Democracy 29

Seal of Williamand Mary

Magna Carta The English nobles forced KingJohn to sign the Magna Carta. Why did thenobles draw up the Magna Carta?

This system of law, based on precedentand customs, is known as common law. Itrests on court decisions rather than regula-tions written by lawmakers.

England’s system of common lawcame about without being planned.Because it worked well, this system of lawhas remained in place to this day. Ourown laws about property, contracts, andpersonal injury are based on English common law.

Evaluating Why was theEnglish Bill of Rights important to English citizens?

Bringing the English

Heritage to AmericaIn the 1600s and 1700s, England was

busy establishing colonies in America. Acolony is a group of people in one place whoare ruled by a parent country elsewhere.

Although the early colonists made theirlives far from home, they remained loyalsubjects of England, with a strong sense ofEnglish political traditions. They acceptedcommon law and believed that the rulerwas not above the law. They also expectedto have a voice in government and otherbasic rights.

The Virginia House of Burgesses The first permanent English settlement

in North America was Jamestown, in whatis now the state of Virginia. Jamestown wasfounded in 1607 by the Virginia Company,a group of merchants from London, with acharter from King James I. A charter is awritten document granting land and theauthority to set up colonial governments.The Virginia Company’s charter also prom-ised the colonists “all liberties . . . as if theyhad been abiding and born within this ourRealm of England.”

At first the Jamestown colony was man-aged by a governor and council appointedby the Virginia Company. In 1619, however,the colonists chose two representatives fromeach county to meet with the governor andhis council. These 22 men were calledburgesses, and they formed the House ofBurgesses, the first representative assembly,or legislature, in the English colonies. TheHouse of Burgesses had little power, but itmarked the beginning of self-government incolonial America.

In 1624 King Charles I canceled theVirginia Company’s charter and madeVirginia a “royal colony,” a colony thatwould be controlled by the crown.The king

Sources of American Law

COMMON LAW

Made by judges in the process ofresolving cases, this law is sometimescalled case law. It was brought toAmerica from English courts.

EQUITY LAW

This law is a system of rules thatresolves disputes on the basisof fairness. It was developed in theking’s courts in England and mergedwith common law in America.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

America’s fundamental and mostimportant source of law was writtenin 1787 and has been changed by27 amendments.

STATUTORY LAW

This law is made by legislatures at thenational, state, and local levels. It isbased on the Roman practice of writingdown the laws of their senate.

There are many kinds of law. This chartdescribes four sources of Americanlaw. Of these four bodies of law, whichdo you think is growing fastest today?

House of the Delegates, State Capitol, Richmond VA


appointed a new governor, but he allowedthe House of Burgesses to continue as anelected legislature.

The Mayflower Compact In 1620, shortly after the House of Bur-

gesses was formed, a new group ofcolonists, known as the Pilgrims, arrived inAmerica. They built a settlement calledPlymouth hundreds of miles north ofVirginia. Today this area is in the state ofMassachusetts, a part of New England.

Even before their ship, the Mayflower,reached America, the Plymouth colonistsrealized they needed rules to govern them-selves if they were to survive in a new land.They drew up a written plan for govern-ment. Forty-one of the men aboard signedthe Mayflower Compact. ; See the Appendix

to read this document.

A compact is an agreement, or con-tract, among a group of people. TheMayflower Compact stated that the govern-ment would make “just and equal laws . . .for the general good of the colony.” Thesigners pledged to obey those laws. Thecompact set up a direct democracy, in

which all men would vote, and the majoritywould rule. (As was common at this time,only adult males were permitted to vote.)

The Mayflower Compact established atradition of direct democracy that you canstill see in New England today.Throughoutthe colonial period—and in New Englandtoday—citizens met at town meetings todiscuss and vote on important issues.

Explaining How was theMayflower Compact an example of directdemocracy?

Early Colonial GovernmentsThe success of the Jamestown and

Plymouth colonies led to the formation of other settlements in America. By 1733,13 English colonies stretched fromMassachusetts in the north to Georgia in thesouth. Following the examples of the Houseof Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact,each new colony set up its own government.

Although there were differences amongthem, there were many similarities as well.Each colony had a governor, who was eitherelected by the colonists or appointed by the

House of BurgessesRepresentatives ofthe people ofJamestown met asthe House ofBurgesses to dealwith problems likehunger, disease, andattacks by NativeAmericans. Why was the House ofBurgesses importantin American history?

(t)Private Collection, (b)Jeff Albertson/Stock Boston

English king. Each colonyalso had a legislature, withrepresentatives elected bythe free adult males. Manyof the colonial legislatureswere modeled after theEnglish Parliament.

As years passed, thecolonial governments tookon more power and respon-sibility while the king andParliament were preoccu-pied with matters at home inGreat Britain (the countrywas renamed in 1707 whenEngland unified with Scot-land). The colonists inAmerica soon grew used to

making their own decisions. They builttowns and roads. They organized their ownchurches, schools, hospitals, and fire depart-ments. They built a thriving economy andfelt comfortable solving problems withouthelp from Britain.

Concluding Why did theAmerican colonists grow used to making theirown decisions?


Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Using all of the fol-lowing terms, write completesentences that relate toEngland’s political legacy to theUnited States: monarch, legisla-ture, Parliament, precedent, com-mon law, colony, charter,compact.

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Explain What is the historical

significance of Virginia’s Houseof Burgesses?

3. Summarize What did theMayflower Compact do?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions Explainthe significance of the GloriousRevolution.

5. Determining Cause and EffectExplain the reasons for and theeffects of the English Bill ofRights by completing a graphicorganizer like the one below.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Identify Review the four sourcesof American law in the chart onpage 30. What is equity law andwhere did it come from?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Reasonsfor: English

Bill ofRights

Effect onEnglishGovernment:

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Use Primary Sources Read the

Mayflower Compact. How manymen signed it? When and wheredid they sign it? What ideas doyou see in the compact that alsoexist in the government of theUnited States?

Mayflower CompactTompkins H. Mattesonpainted Signing the Compacton Board the Mayflower.Colonists on board theMayflower signed the agree-ment to set up a civilgovernment and obey itslaws. Why do you think thecolonists felt they neededto draw up the MayflowerCompact?

Colonial-era quill pen

(t)North Wind Picture Archives, (b)Culver Pictures

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

When Great Britainattempted to exert tightercontrol over the Americancolonies, the colonists,who were used to runningtheir own affairs, resistedand eventually declaredindependence.

Key Terms

mercantilism, boycott,repeal, delegate,independence

Reading Strategy

Cause and Effect As youread, complete a chartlike the one below byexplaining how thecolonists responded to British actions.

Read to Learn

• How did the British gov-ernment try to tightencontrol over itsAmerican colonies?

• How did Americancolonists resist andreject the British crackdown?

The Birth of a DemocraticNation

SECTION

Some people in Pennsylvania did notwant Charles Thomson to be a delegate to theFirst Continental Congress. Thomson had activelyand publicly resisted Britain’s attempts to controlthe North American colonies. On the first day ofassembly, however, the Congress unanimouslyelected Thomson as secretary. He served in thatpost through the duration of the ContinentalCongresses—from 1774 through 1789.Thomson is the little-known designer ofthe Great Seal of the United States.

Colonial Resistance

and RebellionThe First Continental Congress assembled because

Americans began to demand more rights. Why did Americansdemand more rights? Separated from Great Britain by morethan 3,000 miles (5,556 km) of vast ocean and left largely totheir own devices, the American colonists gained valuableexperience in self-government. They took on more power andresponsibility. They learned how to manage their own affairs,and they liked having local control. By the mid-1700s, how-ever, the British government began to tighten its grasp on theAmerican colonies.

After 1760, when George III took the throne, the Britishadopted a policy called mercantilism in which they tried tosqueeze as much wealth as possible out of the British coloniesin America and from other colonies around the world.Mercantilism is the theory that a country should sell moregoods to other countries than it buys. For mercantilism to besuccessful, Great Britain needed the colonies to be a source ofcheap, raw materials. Parliament required the Americancolonies to sell raw materials, such as cotton and lumber, toGreat Britain at low prices.The colonists also had to buy Britishproducts at high prices. As a result, colonial businesses suffered.


British Colonists’ Actions Responses

CharlesThomson


The situation worsened after 1763.Great Britain had fought a long, costly waragainst France—the French and IndianWar—winning French territory in NorthAmerica. To cover the costs of ruling thesenew lands and to pay off its heavy war debts,Britain placed steep taxes on the Americancolonies. In 1765, for example, Parliamentpassed the Stamp Act, which requiredcolonists to attach expensive tax stamps toall newspapers and legal documents.

The colonists resented the British taxes.Because they had no representatives inParliament, as people living in GreatBritain did, the colonists believed thatParliament had no right to tax them. Theysummed up their feelings with the slogan“No taxation without representation!”

In protest, many colonists decided toboycott, or refuse to buy, British goods.Rebellious colonists began using homespuncloth and drinking coffee instead of Britishtea. The boycott had its intended effect;Parliament agreed to repeal, or cancel, theStamp Act and other taxes.

Parliament, however, soon passed newtax laws to replace the Stamp Act. Thesame day it repealed the Stamp Act,Parliament passed the Declaratory Act of1766, which stated that Parliament hadthe right to tax and make decisions for theAmerican colonies “in all cases.” Then, in1767, Parliament passed a set of laws thatcame to be known as the Townshend Acts.These laws levied new taxes on goodsimported to the colonies. The taxed goodsincluded basic items, like glass, tea, paper,and lead, that the colonists neededbecause they did not produce them. Thesenew laws further angered the colonists.The colonists responded by bringing backthe boycott that they had used against theStamp Act.

Relations between Great Britain andthe colonists worsened. In 1773 Parliamentpassed another measure. The Tea Act gavethe British East India Company the right toship tea to the colonies without payingmost of the taxes usually placed on tea.Theact also allowed the company to bypasscolonial merchants and sell tea directly toshopkeepers at low prices. This made theEast India Company tea cheaper than anyother tea in the colonies, giving the Britishcompany a very favorable advantage overcolonial merchants.

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

GA

SC

NC

VA

PA

NYMA

NH

MA

MD DE

CT

RI

NJ

0 100 200 miles

0 100 200 kilometers

Albers Equal-Area Projection

N

E

S

W

Cattle

Fish

Furs

Grain

Indigo

Iron

Lumber

Rice

Rum

Ships

Tobacco

Whales

Products

The English Colonies

The locations of the different English coloniesinfluenced the way of life in each colony.Whereas the economy of the New EnglandColonies depended on fishing and shipbuilding,the Southern Colonies grew rice and tobacco.What were the 13 English colonies and whatwere their main products?

(l)The Library of Congress, (r)Peabody-Essex Museum, Salem MA


Colonists immediately condemned theact as just another attempt to crush theirliberty. Colonists blocked all East IndiaCompany ships from colonial ports, withthe exception of the ships that arrived at theBoston port.

In 1773 a group of colonists dressed asNative Americans dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. Thecolonists did this to protest further taxes on tea. In reaction to this protest, known as the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passedthe Coercive Acts, which Americanscalled the Intolerable Acts. These laws

restricted the colonists’ rights, includingthe right to trial by jury. The IntolerableActs also allowed British soldiers to search,and even move into, colonists’ homes.

Movement Toward

IndependenceThe colonial governments banded

together to fight the Intolerable Acts. InSeptember 1774, 12 of the colonies sentdelegates, or representatives, to Phila-delphia to discuss their concerns. Theserepresentatives—from every colony exceptGeorgia—wanted to establish a politicalbody to represent American interests andchallenge British control.

The First Continental Congress The meeting in Philadelphia, known as

the First Continental Congress, lasted sevenweeks. During that time, the delegates senta document to King George III demanding

Boston TeaParty Protestorsin Boston destroya ship’s cargo ofEast Indian tea.What do youthink was thepurpose of theBoston TeaParty?

Independence DayAlthough we celebrate American independence on July 4th, the officialvote actually took place on July 2,1776. After much discussion, on July 4, the Congress voted to acceptthe final version of the Declaration.Not every representative signed the document. Many didn’t sign untilAugust 2, and some never signed the document at all.

that the rights of the colonists be restored.They also made plans to extend the boycottof British goods.When the Congress ended,the delegates vowed to hold another meet-ing if their demands were not met by thefollowing year.

King George responded with force. InApril 1775, two battles between British andcolonial soldiers took place in Massachusettsat Lexington and Concord. These becamethe first battles of the Revolutionary War.Until this time, most colonists still thoughtof themselves as loyal subjects of GreatBritain. Now, with British soldiers shootingat Americans, many colonists began to ques-tion their attachment to Britain. Peoplebegan talking about independence, or self-reliance and freedom from outside control.

The Second Continental Congress In May 1775, colonial leaders convened

the Second Continental Congress in Phila-delphia. Not every member of the Congressfavored independence. Some believed thecolonists could never win a war against GreatBritain. Others were still loyal to their homecountry. The Congress spent many monthsdebating over the best course of action.

Meanwhile, support for independencegrew. In January of 1776, an Americancolonist named Thomas Paine inspiredmany other colonists by publishing a pam-phlet titled Common Sense. In it Painecalled for complete independence fromBritain. He argued that it was simply “com-mon sense” to stop following the “royalbrute,” King George III. Paine called thecolonists’ actions a struggle for freedom.

See the American History Primary Source

Document Library CD-ROM for the complete document.

By 1776 more than half of the delegatesof the Second Continental Congress agreedwith Paine that the colonies must breakaway from Britain.

Explaining Why didcolonists gather at the Second ContinentalCongress?

The Declaration of

IndependenceThe Congress, acting now as a govern-

ment for the colonies, appointed a commit-tee to write a document that would officiallyannounce the independence of the UnitedStates. Thomas Jefferson, however, didalmost all the work. His draft of theDeclaration of Independence explained whythe United States of America should be afree nation.

The Declaration argued that the Britishgovernment did not look after the interests ofthe colonists.The authors included a long list

(l)Bettmann/CORBIS, (r)Michael Nicholson/CORBIS

Thinking About Independence ThomasPaine’s Common Sense persuaded manycolonists to break away from Great Britain.How did Paine refer to King George III in hispamphlet? Why do you think he did this?


The Library of Virginia


of abuses by King George III and called hima “Tyrant . . . unfit to be the Ruler of a freePeople.” The document was much morethan a list of complaints, though.

Democratic Ideals The second paragraph of the Decla-

ration of Independence set forth thecolonists’ beliefs about the rights of indi-viduals. It said:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are createdequal, that they are endowed bytheir Creator with certainunalienable Rights, that amongthese are Life, Liberty, and thepursuit of Happiness.”

The paragraph went on to say:

“That to secure these rights,Governments are instituted amongMen, deriving their just powers fromthe consent of the governed, thatwhenever any Form of Governmentbecomes destructive of these ends,it is the Right of the People to alteror abolish it, and to institute newGovernment. . . .”

See the American History Primary SourceDocument Library CD-ROM for the completedocument.

In other words, the purpose of govern-ment is to protect the rights of the people.Moreover, government is based on theconsent of the people.The people are enti-tled to change or overthrow a governmentif it disregards their rights or their will.

These ideas were not new.The thinkingof Thomas Jefferson and his fellowAmericans was particularly influenced by John Locke, a seventeenth-centuryEnglish philosopher. In his Second Treatise of

Government, published in 1690, Lockewrote that good government is based on asocial contract between the people and therulers.The people agree to give up some oftheir freedom and abide by the decisions oftheir government. In return, the govern-ment promises to protect the lives, prop-erty, and liberty of the people. If thegovernment misuses its power, the people

Thomas Jefferson(1743–1826)Thomas Jefferson disliked pub-lic life. “I had rather be shut upin a very modest cottage, withmy books, my family and a fewold friends,” he once wrote.

Jefferson had the wealthand social standing to live ashe wished. His mother, JaneRandolph Jefferson, belongedto one of Virginia’s leadingfamilies. His father, Peter Jefferson, was asuccessful surveyor, explorer, and tobaccoplanter. However, abuses of power by theBritish pulled Jefferson from his beloved homeat Monticello, Virginia, and launched him intoa lifelong political career.

Jefferson held a variety of public offices.They included representative to the VirginiaHouse of Burgesses, governor of Virginia,member of the Continental Congress, U.S.minister to France, secretary of state, vicepresident, and president of the United States.Yet, when writing the words for his tombstone,Jefferson mentioned none of these offices.Instead he wrote simply:

Here was Buried Thomas Jefferson,Author of the Declaration ofIndependence, of the Statute of Virginiafor Religious Freedom and Father of theUniversity of Virginia.

The Library of Congress



1. Key Terms Write complete sen-tences that include each pair ofterms below.boycott, repeal;

delegates, independence

Reviewing Main Ideas 2. Explain Why did Great Britain

raise taxes on the Americancolonists after 1763? Whateffect did this have on thecolonists?

3. Identify What British legislationprompted colonists to hold theFirst Continental Congress?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Inferences Assume therole of a British government offi-cial in 1774, and write a pressrelease explaining why theCoercive Acts were necessary.

5. Categorizing Information In aweb diagram like the one below,list the ideas of governmentfound in the Declaration ofIndependence.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Interpret Reexamine the politicalcartoon on this page. What dothe labels or initials represent?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

should rebel. Locke also wrote that all peo-ple should equally enjoy the rights to life,liberty, and property.

An Uncertain Future The Second Continental Congress

approved the Declaration of Independence,with a few changes, on July 4, 1776. TheAmerican colonies were now independent

states—at least in theory. True freedom,though, would not come until the warended and Great Britain officially recog-nized the United States as a rightfully inde-pendent nation.

Summarizing According tothe Declaration of Independence, what is thepurpose of government?

Ideas in Declarationof Independence

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Use Primary Sources Read the

Declaration of Natural Rights inthe Declaration of Independence(second, third, and fourth para-graphs on page 44). Select whatyou think is the single mostimportant idea and explain howthat idea affects your life today.

Analyzing Visuals Thisimage was created in the1750s by Benjamin Franklin,who is considered the fatherof political cartooning inAmerica. Why do you thinkFranklin chose to depict thesnake in several piecesinstead of as a connectedwhole?

Mark Burnett

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

In 1777, the SecondContinental Congressdrafted the Articles ofConfederation, therebycreating a weak nationalgovernment. By 1780, all13 of the original stateshad written constitutions.

Key Terms

constitution, bicameral,confederation, ratify,amend

Reading Strategy

Comparing andContrasting InformationAs you read, create andcomplete a chart similarto the one below, listingfeatures of state constitu-tions and the Articles ofConfederation.

Read to Learn

• How did the originalstates fashion theirconstitutions?

• Why were the Articlesof Confederation ineffective?

The Nation’s FirstGovernments

SECTION

Josiah Martin, the royal governor, ruled thecolony of North Carolina with authority granted tohim by the British king. However, Martin grewmore and more nervous as the Americancolonists discussed independence and protestedagainst what they called corrupt colonialgovernment. On July 15, 1775, the coloniststook action, and Martin was forced to flee withhis family. He made it to safety aboard theBritish warship Cruizer. Martin was to be thelast royal governor of North Carolina.

Early State ConstitutionsEven before the Declaration of Independence was signed,

American colonists discussed the possibility of independence,and American leaders began preparing new state constitutionsto replace the old colonial charters. As royal governors likeJosiah Martin worried about their futures, some Americans sawthe need for a central government that would unify andstrengthen the 13 states.

In January 1776, New Hampshire became the first colonyto organize as a state and craft a detailed, written plan for gov-ernment, or constitution. By 1780 the other former colonieshad followed suit.

The new state constitutions set up similar systems of gov-ernment. Each state had a legislature to create laws, and mostof these legislatures were bicameral, like the EnglishParliament; that is, they were divided into two parts, or houses.The members of each house of state legislatures were chosenby different methods. Each state also had a governor, who waselected either by the legislature or by the citizens. The gover-nor’s job was to carry out the laws. Finally, each state hadjudges and courts to interpret the laws—to decide what thelaws meant and how they applied to each new situation.

Most state constitutions included a bill of rights, guaran-teeing certain basic freedoms and legal protections to thestate’s citizens. Some of these rights, such as trial by jury and

Coat of arms forking of England


State Articles ofConstitutions Confederation

Eric P. Newman


protection of personal property, can betraced back to the Magna Carta and theEnglish Bill of Rights.

The Massachusetts Constitution In 1780 Massachusetts became the

last of the original 13 states to draw up itsconstitution. The document, the only onestill in effect today, was unusual in threenotable ways.

First, instead of making the legislaturesupreme, as most of the other states did,Massachusetts distributed power moreevenly among the legislature, the governor’soffice, and the courts. Second, the governorand the courts were given the authority to check the legislature. Third, theMassachusetts constitution was created notby the legislature but through a special con-vention of delegates elected for that pur-pose. The document was then approved bya vote of the state’s citizens.

The Massachusetts constitution wouldlater become an important model for theU.S. Constitution, our country’s frameworkfor government. At the time, however, thestates had loosely unified under a differentframework of government called the Articlesof Confederation.

Describing What were thebasic characteristics of governments thatmost states created?

The Articles of ConfederationAlthough each state was well prepared

and eager to govern itself when indepen-dence was declared, a state could not dosome things on its own. It could not raiseand maintain a large army, for example,and Americans realized that 13 small, sepa-rate forces would be no match for themighty British army. Americans realizedthat if they wanted to win the war withGreat Britain, they needed a single, strongarmy under central control.

For this and other reasons, the SecondContinental Congress made plans for aunion of the states. In 1777 the Congressdetailed these plans in a document called theArticles of Confederation, the first con-stitution of the United States of America.

A confederation is a group of individ-uals—or, in this instance, individual stategovernments—who band together for acommon purpose. The Articles of Confed-eration established a system for coopera-tion, or “league of friendship,” amongindependent states.

The Articles set up a one-house legisla-ture in which each state had one vote. ThisCongress was the only government bodywith control over the army and authority todeal with foreign countries on behalf of thestates.These central powers were quite lim-ited, though.

Five-shillingnote fromMassachusetts,1782

Customs DutiesCustoms duties, or taxes on imports, formed alarge portion of government revenue for theUnited States during its early years. Today,customs duties account for only about 1 percentof total government revenues. Speculate on themost important sources of government revenuetoday. Save your ideas for review as you readother chapters in this book.

As a result oftheir bad experi-ences with theBritish govern-ment, the 13states refused togive the Con-gress two impor-tant powers. It

had no power to enforce its laws and nopower to tax. The Articles allowed theCongress to ask the states for money but notto demand it. The Congress could not, infact, require the states to do anything.

Weaknesses of the Articles By 1781 all 13 states had ratified, or

approved, the Articles of Confederation.Within the next few years, however, itbecame clear that the Articles had someserious problems.

To begin with, the Congress could notpass a law unless 9 states voted in favor ofit. Any attempt to amend, or change, theArticles required a unanimous vote of all 13 states. These strict voting requirementsmade it difficult for the Congress to accom-plish anything.

Even when the Congress managed topass laws, it could not enforce them. Unlikethe state constitutions, the Articles did notprovide for a governor or for courts. If astate decided to ignore a law, the Congresscould do nothing about it.

A Shaky National GovernmentDespite its weaknesses, the Confed-

eration Congress was able to win theRevolutionary War. A peace agreementwith Great Britain, called the Treaty ofParis, was signed in 1783.

Independence, however, did not putan end to America’s struggles. For one thing, the country faced serious finan-cial troubles. Unable to collect taxes, the

Congress had borrowed money to pay forthe Revolutionary War against GreatBritain. It had run up a debt that wouldtake years to repay.

The state governments had also falleninto deep debt. They taxed their citizensheavily as a result, driving many farmersout of business and sparking widespreadresentment. The states also taxed goodsfrom other states and foreign countries,hurting trade.The Confederation Congresshad no power to remedy these problems.

Weaknesses of theArticles of Confederation

LACK OF POWER AND MONEY

Congress had no power to collecttaxes.Congress had no power to regulatetrade.Congress had no power to enforceits laws.

RULES TOO RIGID

Congress could not pass laws withoutthe approval of 9 states.The Articles could not be changedwithout the agreement of all 13 states.

LACK OF CENTRAL POWER

No single leader or group directedgovernment policy.No national court system existed.

Picture Research Consultants


The Articles did not servethe needs of the new nation.Why was it so difficult topass laws under the Articlesof Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation

Student Web Activity Visitciv.glencoe.com and click onStudent Web Activities—Chapter 2 to learn moreabout our nation’s first government.

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Mark Burnett



1. Key Terms Write a paragraphrelated to early governments inthe United States using all ofthe terms listed below.constitution, bicameral,confederation, ratify, amend

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Identify What was the first writ-

ten constitution of the UnitedStates?

3. Contrast How did the Mass-achusetts state constitution(1780) differ from most of theother state constitutions?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions Why doyou think most early state con-stitutions made the legislaturesupreme?

5. Categorizing Information On agraphic organizer like the onebelow, list the needs for theArticles of Confederation as well as its weaknesses.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Infer Review the weaknesses ofthe Articles on page 41. Why didCongress have to borrow moneyto pay federal expenses, therebygoing into debt?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Even worse, it could do nothing aboutthe public’s insecurity. Americans feared thatthe government could not protect their safetyor their property. During 1786 and 1787,riots broke out in several states. DanielShays, a farmer who like many Americanshad fallen into debt because of heavy state

taxes, led one of the most alarming distur-bances. When Massachusetts courts threat-ened to take his farm away as payment for hisdebts, Shays felt the state had no right to punish him for a problem the state hadcreated. Many other people agreed. Shaysled an armed uprising of about 1,200Massachusetts farmers on a federal arsenal.Although the rebellion, known as Shays’sRebellion, was quickly stopped, it sent awake-up call through the country.

Many political leaders, merchants, andothers were already arguing for a strongernational government. As George Washingtonwrote,

“I do not conceive we can exist longas a nation without having lodgedsomewhere a power, which willpervade the whole Union.”

In 1787, 12 of the states sent delegatesto a meeting in Philadelphia to revise theArticles of Confederation.

Explaining Why didAmericans decide to revise the Articles ofConfederation?

Shays’s RebellionDaniel Shays led a rebel-lion against high taxesthat forced farmers intodebt. What need did therebellion make clear tothe states?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Research Search your local

newspaper for an article aboutfederal taxes or regulations. Howmight this story be different ifthe U.S. government still oper-ated under the Articles?

Articles of Confederation

Need forArticles:

Weaknessesof Articles:


Critical Thinking

Why Learn This Skill?You missed the school basketball game lastweek and want to know how well the teamplayed. How will you find out? You probablywould ask a schoolmate who went to the game.You might also ask a student from the oppos-ing team’s school. Their accounts would be on-the-scene, eyewitness accounts known asprimary sources, but they may differ. Primarysources provide different perspectives about anevent or issue.

Learning the SkillTo analyze primary sources, follow these steps:• First determine if the information at hand is

a primary or a secondary source. On-the-scene and eyewitness accounts are primarysources. Accounts prepared by persons whomay have researched an event at a latertime are secondary sources.

• Determine the identity of the person givingthe account.

• Identify the person’s purpose for creatingthe account.

• Look for information that may be based on theauthor’s opinion rather than factual evidence.

• Draw conclusions about the reliability of thesource material.

Practicing the SkillIn December 1777, during the RevolutionaryWar, General George Washington wrote a letterfrom his camp at Valley Forge to the ContinentalCongress. Read the excerpt below and answerthe following questions.

Yesterday afternoon . . . I order’d thetroops to be in readiness, . . . but . . . themen were unable to stir on [account] ofprovision, . . . Soap, vinegar and otherarticles allowed by Congress we see noneof . . . the first indeed we now have little[use for due to] few men having morethan one shirt, many only a [portion] ofone, and some none at all . . . men nowin camp [are] unfit for duty because theyare bare foot and otherwise naked . . .numbers are [made unfit] on [account ofscarce] blankets, being obliged to set upall night by fires, instead of taking com-fortable rest in a natural way . . . I muchdoubt the practicability of holding thearmy together much longer.

Why did Washington write to theContinental Congress?Is Washington’s letter a primary or sec-ondary source?How do you think the letter might haveinfluenced the Continental Congress?

3

2

1

Practice key skills with Glencoe’sSkillbuilder Interactive WorkbookCD-ROM, Level 1.

Analyzing Primary Sources

Select a primary source account from aprinted news article. Use the steps you havelearned to analyze it. Bring the article to classto share your conclusions with your classmates.

Applying the Skill

file photo

Continental currency

impel force

endowed provided

despotism unlimited power

usurpations unjust uses of power

In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimousDeclaration of the thirteen united States ofAmerica,

[Preamble]When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for

one people to dissolve the political bands which have connectedthem with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth,the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and ofNature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions ofmankind requires that they should declare the causes which impelthem to the separation.

[Declaration of Natural Rights]We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalien-able Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit ofHappiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted amongMen, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive ofthese ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, andto institute new Government, laying its foundation on such princi-ples and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seemmost likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed,will dictate that Governments long established should not bechanged for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experi-ence hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, whileevils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing theforms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train ofabuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Objectevinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it istheir right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and toprovide new Guards for their future security.

[List of Grievances]Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such

is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their formerSystems of Government. The history of the present King of GreatBritain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having

44

What It MeansThe Preamble The Declarationof Independence has four parts.The Preamble explains why theContinental Congress drew upthe Declaration.

What It MeansNatural Rights The second part,the Declaration of Natural Rights,lists the rights of the citizens. It goes on to explain that, in arepublic, people form a govern-ment to protect their rights.

What It MeansList of Grievances The third partof the Declaration lists thecolonists’ complaints against theBritish government. Notice thatKing George III is singled out forblame.

relinquish give upinestimable priceless

annihilation destruction

convulsions violent disturbances

Naturalization ofForeigners process by whichforeign-born persons becomecitizens

tenure term

in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over theseStates. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome andnecessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate andpressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till hisAssent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterlyneglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation oflarge districts of people, unless those people would relinquish theright of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable tothem and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual,uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their PublicRecords, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliancewith his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for oppos-ing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to causeothers to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable ofAnnihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exer-cise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dan-gers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States;for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization ofForeigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrationshither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing hisAssent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for thetenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of theirsalaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hitherswarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out theirsubstance.

He has kept among us,in times of peace, StandingArmies without theConsent of our legislature.

He has affected to ren-der the Military independ-ent of and superior to theCivil Power.

He has combined withothers to subject us to ajurisdiction foreign to our constitution, andunacknowledged by ourlaws; giving his Assent to their acts of pretendedlegislation:

For quartering largebodies of troops among us:

quartering lodging

CORBIS

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for anyMurders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of theseStates:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended

offences:For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbour-

ing Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, andenlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example andfit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into theseColonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuableLaws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of ourGovernments:

For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring themselvesinvested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of hisProtection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt ourtowns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenar-ies to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, alreadybegun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleledin the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of acivilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on thehigh Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the execu-tioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by theirHands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and hasendeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merci-less Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistin-guished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned forRedress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions havebeen answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose characteris thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit tobe the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren.We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legis-lature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We havereminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settle-ment here. We have appealed to their native justice and magna-nimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our commonkindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitablyinterrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have beendeaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, there-fore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation,and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, inPeace Friends.

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render make

abdicated given up

perfidy violation of trust

insurrections rebellions

petitioned for redress askedformally for a correction of

wrongs

unwarrantable jurisdictionunjustified authority

consanguinity originating fromthe same ancestor

[Resolution of Independence by the United States]

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States ofAmerica, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to theSupreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do,in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of theseColonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Coloniesare, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that theyare Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that allpolitical connection between them and the State of Great Britain, isand ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and IndependentStates, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contractAlliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Thingswhich Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance onthe Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to eachother our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Bettmann/CORBIS

John HancockPresident from Massachusetts

GeorgiaButton GwinnettLyman HallGeorge Walton

North CarolinaWilliam HooperJoseph Hewes John Penn

South CarolinaEdward RutledgeThomas Heyward, Jr.Thomas Lynch, Jr.Arthur Middleton

MarylandSamuel ChaseWilliam PacaThomas StoneCharles Carroll

of Carrollton

VirginiaGeorge WytheRichard Henry LeeThomas JeffersonBenjamin HarrisonThomas Nelson, Jr.Francis Lightfoot LeeCarter Braxton

PennsylvaniaRobert MorrisBenjamin RushBenjamin FranklinJohn MortonGeorge ClymerJames SmithGeorge TaylorJames WilsonGeorge Ross

DelawareCaesar RodneyGeorge ReadThomas McKean

New YorkWilliam FloydPhilip LivingstonFrancis LewisLewis Morris

New JerseyRichard StocktonJohn WitherspoonFrancis HopkinsonJohn HartAbraham Clark

New HampshireJosiah BartlettWilliam WhippleMatthew Thornton

MassachusettsSamuel AdamsJohn AdamsRobert Treat PaineElbridge Gerry

Rhode IslandStephen HopkinsWilliam Ellery

ConnecticutSamuel HuntingtonWilliam WilliamsOliver WolcottRoger Sherman

rectitude rightness

What It MeansResolution of IndependenceThe final section declares thatthe colonies are “Free andIndependent States” with thefull power to make war, to formalliances, and to trade withother countries.

What It MeansSigners of the Declaration Thesigners, as representatives of theAmerican people, declared thecolonies independent from GreatBritain. Most members signedthe document on August 2, 1776.

Reviewing Key TermsWrite the chapter term that matches eachdefinition below.

1. the refusal to purchase certain goods

2. a written plan of government signed by thecolonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts

3. a legislature consisting of two parts, orhouses

4. the English legislature

5. the document that explained why the UnitedStates should be a free nation

6. the agreement that King John of England wasforced to sign in 1215, which limited thepower of the monarch

7. to change

8. a court ruling in an earlier case

9. to cancel

10. the first written constitution of the UnitedStates

Reviewing Main Ideas11. What principle of English government did the

Glorious Revolution establish?

12. What is a system of law based on precedentand customs called?

13. What is historically significant aboutVirginia’s House of Burgesses?

14. What changed the relationship between GreatBritain and the American colonies after1763?

15. How did colonists react to the Stamp Act in1765?

16. What were the Intolerable Acts and how didcolonists react to them?

17. How did the first Massachusetts state consti-tution differ from most other state constitu-tions of the time?

18. Why were the Articles of Confederation impor-tant? What were the primary weaknesses ofthe Articles of Confederation?

Section 1

• The Magna Carta limited the power of themonarch.

• By the late 1300s, Parliament had growninto the lawmaking body of England.

Section 2

• Although American colonists had learned tomanage their own affairs, the Britishgovernment tightened its control over thecolonies in the mid-1700s.

• Great Britain did thisby enforcing steeptaxes on the colonists,which the colonistsprotested.

Section 3

• The first constitutions of the Americanstates set up a legislature, a governor, and court systems. Most included a bill of rights.

• By 1781 all 13 stateshad ratified the Articlesof Confederation. Thefirst government of theUnited States, set upby the Articles ofConfederation, hadlimited powers.

Using Your Foldables Study OrganizerCreate a matching quiz of about 10questions using your foldable. Tradequizzes with a classmate and see howyou do on your classmate’s quiz.

48(t)file photo, (b)Picture Research Consultants


Critical Thinking19. Analyzing Information The Articles of

Confederation denied Congress the power tocollect taxes. Could a government survivetoday without this power? Why or why not?

20. Determining Cause and Effect Analyze the effects of British actions against thecolonists by completing a graphic organizerlike the one below.

Practicing Skills 21. Analyzing Primary Sources Read the

Declaration of Independence on pages44–47. State the main idea of the docu-ment. Then list at least five details thatsupport the main idea.

Economics Activity22. One response of the colonists to the Stamp

Act was a boycott of certain British goods.Boycotts can be an effective economicweapon when used by groups to influencegovernment policy. Find an example of atwentieth-century boycott. What were thegoals of the organizers? How successfulwas the boycott?

Analyzing Visuals23. This painting from

the 1770s usessymbols to repre-sent the nation.What does thewoman represent?What is she step-ping on? What do all the symbols represent?

24. The United States was born out of a protestmovement against the British government.Research recent protest movements with aclassmate. Compare the tactics of thecolonists to the tactics used by recent protestors.

Technology Activity25. Use the Internet to research the constitu-

tions of the original 13 states. Create andfill out a table in a word processing docu-ment with five columns labeled State, Dateof First Constitution, Date of CurrentConstitution, Number of Constitutions, andNumber of Amendments.

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Civics Today Web site atciv.glencoe.com and click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 2 to prepare for the chapter test.

Stamp Act

Intolerable Acts

Lexington & Concord

Effects

Boltin Picture Library

StandardizedTest Practice

Directions: Choose the bestanswer to the following question.

Many of the early state constitutionsincluded a bill of rights. What was thepurpose of these bills of rights? F to set up three branches of governmentG to guarantee certain basic freedoms

and rights to citizensH to guarantee the power of the legislatureJ to declare independence from Great

Britain

Test-Taking TipRead the question carefully. If you do notimmediately recognize the correct answer,then eliminate answers that you know are

incorrect and narrow your choices.

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Documents

When our nation’s Founders met, they drew inspiration from … · 2016-11-27 · exchange for their loyalty, tax payments, and promises of mili-tary support. The Magna Carta King