1.4 Chapter Summary: Origins of Government

1.4 Chapter Summary: Origins of Government

Philosophy of the Enlightenment

• During the 1600s and 1700s, political philosophers began to focus on the role of the people in government. 

• These new ideas became the basis of the American system. 

• Four key ideas shaped the structure of the American government.

The Four key ideas:

• Natural Law/Rights

• Social Contract

• Separation of Powers

• Rule of Law

Natural Law/Rights

• John Locke believed in what he called the natural law. 

• All people are born with certain rights that cannot be taken away: the rights to life, liberty, and property.

• He believed government was necessary to protect those rights and prevent people from hurting one another.

Social Contract

• Locke also believed that governments are created voluntarily through the consent (permission) of the people. 

• The people choose to allow others to have authority over them because they believe government will protect them and their liberties.

• The colonies rebelled against Britain because they believed Britain had broken its social contract. 

• According to Locke if the government did not protect the rights and liberties of the people; the people had the right to rebel.

Separation of Powers

• Baron de Montesquieu argued that government's power should be limited to protect people's liberties.

• He proposed a limited government in which powers are separated into different branches; where each branch has the ability to limit one another’s powers.

• The U.S. government utilizes the principle of separation of powers. The power to create laws was given to the legislative branch, the power to enforce laws was given to the executive branch, and the power to interpret laws was given to the judicial branch.

• Each branch provides checks on the other branches so no one branch can become too powerful.

Rule of Law

• Rule of law is a method of governing in where everyone is bound equally by the same laws. There are three main parts.

• 1) Citizens can only be prosecuted for acts clearly prohibited by law.

• 2) No individual or group is above the law. Government officials and institutions cannot violate the law.

• 3) Laws must be fair and moral. This ensures that institutions and government officials use fair procedures and apply the law consistently. It also protects citizens from unfair treatment.

• Decisions by judges or lawmakers can be criticized and appealed.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

Rule of law is a method of governing where the laws don't apply to government officials.

• True, The system is unequal.

• False, Rule of law means the laws apply equally to everyone.

Multiple Choice

Who was the philosopher that proposed the idea of separation of powers in order to protect people's liberty?

• Thomas Hobbes

• John Locke

• Baron de Montesquieu

• Thomas Jefferson

Multiple Choice

Who was the philosopher that believed in the idea of natural law or natural rights?

• John Locke

• Thomas Hobbes

• Baron de Montesquieu

• King George

Documents That Shaped a Nation

• The Constitution is the document that lays out the structure and functions of the American government.

• The first paragraph of the Constitution is known as the Preamble.

• The American Constitution is a combination of British political ideals and those that the colonists developed. Four key documents influenced the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble.

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The Preamble 

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

• The Preamble sets forth the overall goals and purposes of the government created by the Constitution.

• It begins with the phrase “We the People.” This means that the government depends on the people for its power and that it exists to serve them (think social contract).

• The rest of the Preamble states the government’s various responsibilities to protect its people.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

The Constitution is the document that lays out the structure and functions of the American government.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the Preamble of the Constitution?

• The Preamble lays out the structure and functions of the American government

• The Preamble listed all of the colonists' grievances and reasons for independence

• The Preamble sets forth the overall goals and purposes of the government

• The Preamble limited the rights of American Citizens.

The Magna Carta

• In the 1200s, England was ruled by a king. However, much of the land was owned by the nobility or barons

• The king could not effectively rule without their support, and the barons wanted their rights protected.

• In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta. The king agreed to honor the rights of the English nobility and the nobility pledged loyalty to the king.

• The Magna Carta only protected the rights of the nobility but it laid the foundations for ideas of consent of the governed and the rule of law.

• The Magna Carta signified the first time in European history when a law was created that limited the power of the king.

English Bill of Rights

• In 1689 England passaged of the English Bill of Rights.

  
  

• Although it left the monarchy in place, this document created the first limited government.

• It placed restrictions on the power of the monarchy and clearly laid out the powers of Parliament.

• The Bill of Rights also established free elections and regular meetings of Parliament.

• Parliament as established in the English Bill of Rights influenced how colonial governments functioned. All of the powers given to Parliament were included in the U.S. Constitution.

Multiple Choice

What was the importance of both the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights?

• Both documents LIMITED the power of the Monarchy and government.

• Both documents INCREASED the power of the Monarchy and government.

• Both documents LIMITED the rights of citizens

• Both documents abolished (got rid of) the Monoarchy

Mayflower Compact

• In Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, the colonists aboard the Mayflower signed an agreement about how they would govern their new colony. 

• The Mayflower Compact was one of the first written government documents in what would become the United States. 

• Other colonies adopted these principles, and they became the defining beliefs of all the colonies.

Common Sense

• In 1776, Thomas Paine, was the first person to publicly argue for independence. He did this in a pamphlet called Common Sense, which was sold throughout the colonies.

• Paine drew on key ideas of the Enlightenment, and argued that Britain’s rule over the colonies was no longer valid because the king had lost the consent of the colonists to govern (think John Locke and the Social Contract).

• He argued in favor of a representative government, stating that the British Parliament did not represent the colonies because they had no direct vote on the laws that it passed.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

Thomas Paine, was the first person to publicly argue for independence in a pamphlet called Common Sense. His argument for independence was based on key principles of the Scientific Revolution such as Heliocentrism.

• True, the Scientific Revolution played a key role in the American Independence movement.

• False, Paine's argument was based on principals of the Enlightenment such as the social contract.

The Declaration of Independence 

• Written in 1776, the Declaration of Independence is both a protest against British policies and a statement of American political beliefs.

• The document, written by Thomas Jefferson was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke and his beliefs Natural rights and the social contract. 

• The Declaration of Independence listed all of the colonists’ grievances and reasons for independence.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke and his beliefs Natural rights and the social contract.

• True. It was.

• False, Thomas Hobbes believed in natural rights.

The French and Indian War

• Between 1754 and 1763, Great Britain and France were at war. Great Britain won and France lost almost all of its American land, and Britain greatly expanded its territory. 

• The war was expensive for Britain so to pay for the war, Parliament decided to tax the colonists, arguing that the war benefitted them.

• After the war, King George issued the Proclamation of 1763, which stopped British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was designed to prevent war with Native Americans. This decision angered the colonists who had fought for this new land.

British Taxes

•  Parliament passed several taxes between 1764 and 1766: The Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts, which taxed items such as lead, paper, paint, and tea. 

• Some of these taxes were new, while others were increased or enforced more strictly than they had been. 

• In each case, the colonists were not given a chance to debate or vote on the tax.

British Taxes

• Britain always had laws imposing taxes on the colonists. However, for most of colonial history, they were not strictly enforced. Also, smuggling was common before the French and Indian War because of relaxed policies.

• Parliament also passed the Quartering Act, which required colonists to provide food, transportation, and shelter for British troops living in the colonies. To Britain, this made sense: the soldiers were there to help the colonists. To the colonists, this seemed like an unfair burden.

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Multiple Choice

What event led to Britain increasing taxes and its economic control over the American Colonies?

• The Proclamation of 1763

• The Sugar Act

• The French and Indian War

• The Boston Tea Party

Multiple Choice

True or False?

Britain always had laws imposing taxes on the colonists. However, for most of colonial history, they were not strictly enforced. Also, smuggling was common before the French and Indian War because of relaxed policies.

• True. There had always been taxes but they were not strictly enforced.

• False. All of the taxes were new and very strictly enforced.

Colonial Protest

• Colonists boycotted and refused to pay the taxes in protest. Representatives from each of the colonies gathered to create a petition to the king for the repeal of the stamp tax. 

• While this was successful, Parliament was less willing to repeal the Townshend Acts. The colonists organized protests, wrote petitions, and even resorted to physical violence against tax collectors.

• In 1770, Parliament repealed the taxes.

Colonial Protest

• The colonists were not happy to pay the new taxes, but that was not the only reason for the protest.

• The taxes were passed without consent from the colonists.

• In the minds of many Americans, this was a violation of the principles of representative government and the rule of law.

• Colonists did not have a representative in Parliament to speak on their behalf.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

One major objection by colonists to the new taxes was that they were passed without their consent -a violation of their rights because colonists did not have a representative in Parliament to speak on their behalf.

• True

• False

British Response

• Parliament sent troops to Boston to quiet the anti-tax protests. This led to more tension between troops and colonists. In 1770, troops and colonists clashed. This became known as the Boston Massacre.

• In 1773, Parliament passed a new tax on tea. In protest, a group of colonists in Boston boarded a British ship and dumped tons of tea into the water. This became known as the Boston Tea Party.

• To punish protests in Boston, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts. These laws restricted trade, shut down Boston Harbor, and replaced the local government with a British military government.

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Colonists Unite

• The Intolerable Acts encouraged more protest from colonists. In 1774, the First Continental Congress, gathered to make a plan of protest.

• They argued that the British government was violating their natural rights by forcing them to house troops and taxing them without representation.

• The Congress also organized a boycott of British goods and sent several petitions to the king. In 1775, fighting broke out between British troops and local militias in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord.

• One year later the Continental Congress met again and issued the Declaration of Independence.

Multiple Choice

Why did Parliament send troops to Boston in 1770?

• To stop the French From Attacking

• To quiet the anti-tax protests

• To free Boston from the rebels

• To drive out the Native Americans

Multiple Choice

What happened as a result of Parliament sending troops to Boston in 1770?

• They won the war

• The colonists paid their taxes

• The Boston Massacre

• The French Left Boston

Multiple Choice

Because of the Tea tax the colonists dumped tons of tea into Boston harbor in 1773. What was this event called?

• The Boston Massacre

• The Battle of Concorde

• The Battle of Lexington

• The Boston Tea Party

STOP HERE. THIS IS THE END OF LESSON 1

Lesson 2 Starts here

Forms of Government

Forms of Authoritarian Government

• Governments in which one person or a small group of people hold all of the power are called authoritarian governments. In these governments, the individual leader or leaders have ultimate authority, not the law. 

• There are three main types of authoritarian governments: monarchy oligarchy, and autocracy.

Monarchy

• This form of government has a single ruler called a monarch (King/Queen). The monarch has unlimited power that is passed down through the family.

• Monarchs typically claim a divine right to rule, meaning their authority is granted by the society’s deity. 

• Until the Renaissance, almost all monarchies were absolute monarchies, where the ruler held unlimited power.

• Today, most monarchies are constitutional monarchies. The power of the monarch is limited by a written or unwritten constitution. 

• As Enlightenment ideas became more widespread citizens were less willing to accept the idea of divine right and a monarch’s right to absolute power.

Oligarchy

• In an oligarchy, a small group of people hold unlimited power. 

• Typically, this group is comprised of an aristocracy and controls the vast majority of the state’s wealth and land.

• Today, oligarchies are ruled by small groups of wealthy individuals who may own large businesses.

• Medieval oligarchies were ruled by landowning nobility. 

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Autocracy

• Like in a monarchy, one individual holds all power in an autocracy. However, that individual generally seizes power rather than inheriting it. The leader’s authority comes not from divine right but from force and fear. This type of government is also called a dictatorship.

• To protect their power, autocratic rulers usually limit the freedom and rights of the people they rule. They also use propaganda to make the people love the leader.

• Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and North Korea, are examples of autocratic governments.

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Socialism and Communism

• Socialism is a political and economic system in which the government control most resources and property. 

• The purpose of this system is to distribute the profits of a society’s production equally among the people.

• Communism is a type of socialism in which the government controls all aspects of the economy. 

• To make sure the state’s wealth is divided equally, individuals are told what jobs to do and even where they can live.

• Socialism and communism require a centralized management system and typically lead to an authoritarian government.

Multiple Choice

Who holds all of the power in an Authoritarian Government ?

• The People

• The Government leader or leaders

Multiple Choice

In an Blank , a small group of people hold unlimited power.

• Oligarchy

• Democracy

• Dictatorship

• Republic

Multiple Choice

Which form of government is most similar to an autocracy?

• Republic

• Confederation

• Democracy

• Absolute Monoarchy

Forms of Democracy

• A government in which the people empower the government to set policies is called a democracy.

• In democracies, individual citizens have the right to vote. 

• There are two types of democracies: direct and representative (indirect).

Direct Democracy

• In this form of government, all citizens in the state vote directly on any new law or rule. 

• Laws generally pass with a majority vote.

• Direct democracy usually only works for small groups because it requires participation by all.

• The most famous direct democracy in history was the city of Athens.

Representative Democracy or Republic (Indirect) 

• In this form of government, also called a republican government, citizens elect people to make laws and set policies. These elected leaders are supposed to represent the interests of the rest of the citizens.

• Representative democracy is more practical for larger states, like the United States.

• Elected leaders do not always agree with the voters and can make decisions that do not align with voters’ interests. If leaders do this too often, citizens will vote to remove them from power.

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Multiple Choice

What are the two types of Democracy?

• Direct and Covert

• Direct and Centralized

• Centralized and Totalitarian

• Direct and Indirect

Systems of Representative Democracy

• Representative, or indirect, democracies have governments that exercise political power on behalf of the people using elected representatives. 

Confederal Government

• A confederal or confederate government is a government in which most power is dispersed among individual states.

  The individual states form a loose alliance, called a confederation.

• The central government is responsible only for issues that affect the states as a group, like national defense.

• The United States was originally a confederation. The states held almost all of the power, and the central government was very weak.

Federal Government

• A federal government, or federation, is a government in which power is shared between the central government and the regional governments.

• In a federation, the member states have some sovereign powers, the central government has some sovereign powers, and other powers are held by both.

• The United States currently has a federal government. The states hold many sovereign powers like education and commerce within the state.

• The national government holds powers that affect the nation as a whole like printing money or declaring war but some powers are shared between the two.

Multiple Choice

In which system of government is most of power held by the individual states?

• Federal Government

• Dictatorship

• Confederal Government

• Monarchy

Multiple Choice

What system of government does the United States currently use?

• Confederal

• Federal

Presidential Government

• In a presidential government, the powers to write laws and to enforce laws are separated into two branches: the legislative and the executive.

• The United States is a presidential government. The executive branch is headed by the president, and the legislative branch is made up of the two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

• A presidential government prevents any one individual or group from getting too much power. However, decision making can be slow or even stopped by the checks each branch places on the other.

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Parliamentary Government

• In a parliamentary government, the power to write laws and enforce laws in combined into one governing body called the parliament. 

• The parliament is made up of elected officials who usually represent a number of different political parties.

• The majority party has the most influence in decision making, and political parties often form alliances to make a majority.

• A parliamentary government is led by a prime minister who is chosen by the majority party.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

One major difference between presidential and parliamentary governments is In a presidential government, the powers to write laws and to enforce laws are separated into two branches unlike in a parliamentary government, where the power to write laws and enforce laws in combined into one governing body.

• True

• False