POLS 1101: Lecture 2

Political culture in early America

Magna Carta (1215)

• Established that nobody is above the law

• Placed limits on kings authority

The Enlightenment

• Rejected traditional ideas like monarchy and religion

• Freedom of expression/ religion

• Separation of powers

English Bill of Rights (1689)

• Glorious Revolution (Dominion of New England)

• Limits on royal power

• Rulers must govern according to law rather than divine right

• Inspired by Locke

House of Burgesses (1619)

• First representative body in the colonies

• Modeled after parliament

Mayflower Compact (1620)

• First written framework for self-government in North America

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

• First written constitution in the Americas

Maryland Act of Toleration (1649)

• First law in North America requiring religious tolerance, only applied to christians

Salutary neglect

• Colonies left with loose oversight

• Lasted until end of French and Indian war (1763)

Proclamation of 1763

• Prohibited settlement west of Appalachian Mountains

Somerset v Stewart

• Judicial decision in 1772 which prohibited the transport of James Somerset, an enslaved African, forcibly out of England

First Continental Congress (1774)

• The only colony that did not attend was Georgia

• Issued the Declaration of Rights and Grievances

• Loyal to the Crown but denied Parliament's right to tax

Second Continental Congress (1775-1781)

• Became the de facto government for the Colonies until 1781

• Olive Branch Petition

• Battle of Bunker Hill

• Common Sense by Thomas Paine: First major writing to make the case for independence

• Lee Resolution, also known as "The Resolution for Independence”

• Voted in favor of the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776

• Voted in favor of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776

Articles of Confederation

• Established a weak government that prioritized the sovereignty of the individual states/ colonies

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

• Provided a method of adding new states and made slavery illegal in the Northwest Territory

Weaknesses of the Articles

• No power to tax

• Lack of funds

• Could not regulate trade or enforce laws

• Dependent on states for troops

• Amendments required unanimous approval

• Economic instability: Worthless currency, “not worth a continental”

• State tariffs

Shays' Rebellion

• Armed uprising in Western Massachusetts

• Conflict between farmers and merchants regarding taxes and debt collection

• Shays and others faced debtor's prison

• Discontent resulted in a violent mob

• Tried to shut down courts

• Rebellion put down by the Massachusetts militia

• Articles lacked power to address the crisis

Annapolis Convention

• Meet to reverse the protectionist trade barriers among states

• Turned to problems with the articles

• Only five states had Commissioners (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia)

• Convention was a failure but set up

  the Constitutional Convention

Constitutional Convention

▪ Initial purpose was to revise the Articles

▪ Shay’s Rebellion

▪ Annapolis Convention

▪ James Madison unofficially set the agenda

▪ Elected George Washington as President of the Convention

▪ Convention proceedings would be secret

▪ The Virginia Plan was introduced

▪ Strong Opposition

▪ Lack of preparation by opponents

▪ Virginia Plan moved forward

Virginia Plan

• Bicameral Legislature (Had federal negative – veto state laws )

• Representation Based on Population

• Strong Single Executive

• National Judiciary With Broad Authority

• Strong National Government With Broad Powers

New Jersey Plan

• Unicameral Legislature

• Representation Based on States

• Weak Plural Executive

• Single Court With Limited Authority

• Weak National Government with Limited Powers

The Connecticut Compromise

• New Government Would Have a Bicameral Legislature (Congress)

• Each State Would Have Two Members of the Upper House (Senate)

• Elected By The State Legislatures

• The Lower House Would Be Determined By Population (House of Representatives)

• Census every ten years to determine population

• Elected By Popular Vote

• 3/5ths Compromise

Slave Trade Clause

• Push to end the Transatlantic Slave Trade

• Postponed issue for twenty years (1808)

• Fugitive Slave Clause

• Required the return of escaped enslaved people to their enslavers

• Allowed for the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850