constitutional foundations - colonial history

salutary neglect

• developed ideas of self-rule, gov’t laws, legislature - colonies got used to self-rule; distant authority should not have any right to rule them; emergence of localized gov’t; only legitimate form of gov’t was one directly related to the people

• by 1750 - colonies made their own laws, created their own courts, taxed themselves, direct representation

french and indian war

• british imperialism

• sugar act, quartering act, stamp act, townshend act, tea acts..

• no taxation w/o representation (colonies)

• virtual v. actual representation (british)

• civil rights and liberties

declaration of independence

• written july 1776 by thomas jefferson

• john locke’s theory of natural rights

• list of grievances

john locke’s theory of natural rights

• all people have natural rights; life liberty, and property (estates)

• people choose to leave the state of nature and form governments in order to protect those rights - consent to the governed - popular sovereignty

• governments that became abusive to those ends can be altered or abolished - limits the power of the gov’t and the right to revolution

list of grievances

• proof that the king of england abused rights

• justification for the right to revolution