Government Chapter 2
📘 Origins of American Government – Detailed Notes
Section 1: Our Political Beginnings
Objectives
Identify the three basic concepts of government that influenced the English colonies.
Explain the significance of the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, and English Bill of Rights.
Describe the three types of colonies established in North America.
Why It Matters
U.S. government has roots in English political traditions.
Colonies became a school for learning self-government.
The American system evolved over time, not suddenly in 1776 or 1787.
Basic Concepts of Government
English colonists brought political traditions from England:
Ordered Government
Need for order and regulation of relationships.
Borrowed from England: sheriff, coroner, assessor, justice of the peace, grand jury, counties, townships.
Limited Government
Government is not all-powerful.
Each person has rights government cannot take away.
Rooted in centuries of English tradition.
Representative Government
Government serves the will of the people.
People should have a voice in government decisions.
Early form of democracy: “government of, by, and for the people.”
Landmark English Documents
Magna Carta (1215)
Signed at Runnymede by King John under barons’ pressure.
Protected against arbitrary rule by the king.
Guaranteed:
Trial by jury
Due process of law
Protection of life, liberty, property
Established principle: monarchy’s power is not absolute.
Petition of Right (1628)
Parliament forced Charles I to sign.
Limited king’s powers:
No imprisonment without lawful judgment.
No martial law in peacetime.
No quartering of troops without consent.
No taxation without Parliament’s approval.
Challenged divine right of kings → even monarchs must follow the law.
English Bill of Rights (1689)
Result of Glorious Revolution (William & Mary of Orange).
Provisions:
No standing army in peacetime without Parliament.
Free parliamentary elections.
No suspension of laws by king.
No taxation without Parliament.
Right to petition the king.
Fair trial, no excessive bail, no cruel/unusual punishment.
Many rights influenced later U.S. Bill of Rights.
The English Colonies
Colonies developed over 125 years (1607–1733).
Shared English traditions despite differences.
Examples:
Virginia (1607) – commercial venture.
Massachusetts – religious freedom.
Georgia (1733) – haven for debtors.
Types of Colonies
Royal Colonies (8 by 1775)
Direct control by Crown.
Governor appointed by king.
Bicameral legislature: upper house (king’s council) + elected lower house.
Examples: Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, etc.
Source of resentment → royal governors often ruled harshly.
Proprietary Colonies (3)
Land granted to proprietors.
Proprietor appointed governor.
Maryland & Delaware = bicameral legislature.
Pennsylvania = unicameral legislature.
Charter Colonies (2)
Connecticut & Rhode Island.
Self-governing; governors elected by white, male property owners.
Bicameral legislatures.
Crown approval rarely required.
Charters so liberal they became state constitutions after independence.
Section 2: The Coming of Independence
Objectives
Explain how British policies led to colonial self-government.
Identify steps leading to colonial unity.
Compare First & Second Continental Congresses.
Analyze ideas in the Declaration of Independence.
Describe first state constitutions & their common features.
Why It Matters
British colonial policies → resentment → Revolution.
Early state constitutions shaped the system of government we have today.
Britain’s Colonial Policies
Colonies governed separately through Privy Council & Board of Trade.
Parliament mostly ignored colonies until mid-1700s.
Colonies enjoyed self-government due to distance from Britain.
Colonial legislatures gained power (esp. power of the purse).
Change under George III (1760)
Britain tightened control: enforced trade laws, imposed new taxes.
Colonists protested: “taxation without representation.”
French & Indian War ended (1763), so colonists saw no need for British troops.
Britain’s refusal to compromise → pushed colonies toward revolt.
Steps Toward Unity
Early Attempts
New England Confederation (1643–1684): defense league among colonies.
William Penn’s Plan (1696): proposed trade & defense cooperation (ignored).
Albany Plan of Union (1754)
Proposed by Benjamin Franklin.
Annual congress of colonial delegates.
Powers: raise military/naval forces, regulate trade, tax, collect duties.
Rejected by colonies and Crown (too radical).
Stamp Act Congress (1765)
9 colonies met in New York.
Issued Declaration of Rights and Grievances protesting taxes.
First joint colonial action against Britain.
Boycotts & Protests
Colonists boycotted British goods.
Boston Massacre (1770): British troops killed 5 colonists.
Boston Tea Party (1773): protest against tea monopoly.
Committees of Correspondence (1772+): coordinated resistance.
Continental Congresses
First Continental Congress (1774)
Delegates from 12 colonies (not Georgia).
Sent Declaration of Rights to King George III.
Called for boycotts of British goods.
Agreed to meet again if demands ignored.
Second Continental Congress (1775)
Met after battles at Lexington & Concord.
Became first U.S. national government (1775–1781).
Created Continental Army (George Washington as commander).
Drafted Declaration of Independence (1776).
📘 Origins of American Government – Study Guide (Part 2)
The Second Continental Congress as Government (1776–1781)
Functioned as the nation’s government until Articles of Confederation took effect (March 1, 1781).
Powers & Actions:
Fought the Revolutionary War.
Raised armies & a navy.
Borrowed money & bought supplies.
Created a monetary system.
Made treaties with foreign powers.
Structure:
Unicameral Congress (one house).
Each colony/state = one vote.
Legislative + executive powers combined.
Executive functions handled by committees.
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Break with Britain
Proposed by Richard Henry Lee (VA) on June 7, 1776:
“That these United Colonies are… free and independent States.”Committee of Five: Franklin, Adams, Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson.
Main Author: Thomas Jefferson.
Timeline:
July 2: Lee’s resolution adopted.
July 4: Declaration formally adopted.
Core Ideas
First paragraph = announced independence.
2/3 of document = list of grievances (“repeated injuries and usurpations”).
Heart of the Declaration:
Natural rights: Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness.
Governments derive power from consent of the governed.
If government becomes destructive, people may alter/abolish it.
Outcome
Colonies became free & independent States.
56 signers pledged:
“our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
The First State Constitutions (1776–1780)
Early Adoption
New Hampshire (Jan 1776): first to replace royal charter.
South Carolina (March 1776): followed soon after.
May 1776: Congress urged all colonies to form new governments.
Massachusetts (1780): oldest written constitution still in effect.
Drafting
Written constitutions = fundamental laws.
Created by conventions or assemblies.
Often submitted to voters for ratification (e.g., Massachusetts).
Common Features
Popular Sovereignty – government exists only with consent of governed; people are sovereign.
Limited Government – powers given reluctantly, restricted by rules.
Civil Rights & Liberties – included protections such as trial by jury, freedom of press, religion, etc. (7 states included a bill of rights).
Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances – divided powers among executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Other Characteristics
State governors had little power (reaction against royal governors).
Legislatures held most authority.
Short elective terms (1–2 years).
Voting rights limited: mostly adult white male property owners.
The Articles of Confederation (1777–1781)
Background
Proposed alongside independence (Lee’s resolution).
Drafted over 17 months; adopted Nov. 15, 1777.
Required ratification by all 13 states:
Delaware (1779), Maryland (1781, last to ratify).
Effective: March 1, 1781.
Structure of Government
“Firm league of friendship.”
Unicameral Congress = only body.
Each state = 1 vote (regardless of size/wealth).
No executive or judicial branch (handled by committees).
Congress elected a presiding officer each year (not a president).
Powers of Congress
Declare war & peace.
Make treaties, send/receive ambassadors.
Borrow money, set up currency system.
Establish post offices.
Build navy, request troops from states.
Set standards of weights & measures.
Settle disputes between states.
Obligations of States
Provide funds & troops when requested.
Treat citizens of other states fairly.
Honor public acts & judicial proceedings of other states.
Surrender fugitives.
Allow free travel & trade between states.
Weaknesses
No power to tax (relied on state contributions).
No power to regulate trade (foreign or interstate).
No executive branch to enforce laws.
No national courts to resolve disputes.
Amendments required all 13 states’ approval (impossible).
Needed 9/13 states to pass laws.
Articles described only a loose friendship, not a strong union.
The Critical Period (1780s)
Problems After the Revolution
Treaty of Paris signed (1783), but new nation faced economic & political chaos.
States:
Fought among themselves.
Made foreign treaties independently.
Raised their own armies.
Taxed/banned trade with each other.
Printed worthless money.
National government too weak to intervene.
Shays’ Rebellion (1786–87)
Led by Daniel Shays (Revolutionary War officer).
Farmers rebelled against debt & foreclosures in Massachusetts.
Attacked courts & attempted to seize federal arsenal at Springfield.
Rebellion crushed, but showed weakness of government.
Steps Toward a Stronger Government
Mount Vernon Conference (1785)
Virginia & Maryland resolved trade disputes at Washington’s home.
Success encouraged a wider meeting.
Annapolis Convention (1786)
Only 5 states attended.
Called for Philadelphia Convention (1787) to revise Articles.
Toward the Constitutional Convention
By Feb. 1787, 7 states had appointed delegates.
Feb. 21, 1787: Congress endorsed a meeting in Philadelphia.
Purpose: revise Articles of Confederation.
This became the Constitutional Convention.
The Constitutional Convention (1787)
Final Draft
Committee of Style and Arrangement (headed by Gouverneur Morris) gave the Constitution its final form.
September 17, 1787 → Convention approved final draft.
39 delegates signed.
Franklin’s Closing Remarks
Acknowledged the Constitution was imperfect, but better than any alternative.
Urged unity: “It astonishes me… to find this system approaching so near to perfection.”
Compared the sun on Washington’s chair to a rising sun → symbolizing hope for the new nation.
Delegates Who Refused to Sign
Edmund Randolph (VA) – later supported ratification, became first Attorney General.
Elbridge Gerry (MA) – later Vice President under Madison.
George Mason (VA) – opposed until his death (1792).
George Read (DE) signed for himself and for absent colleague John Dickinson.
Key Issues and Compromises at the Convention
Virginia Plan (Large State Plan)
Drafted by James Madison.
Strong national government with 3 branches.
Bicameral legislature: both houses based on population.
Favored larger states.
New Jersey Plan (Small State Plan)
Proposed by William Paterson.
Unicameral legislature with equal representation (1 state = 1 vote).
Favored smaller states.
Connecticut (Great) Compromise
Bicameral Congress:
House of Representatives → based on population.
Senate → equal representation (2 per state).
Resolved conflict between large & small states.
Other Compromises
Three-Fifths Compromise:
Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for population & taxation.
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise:
Congress could regulate interstate & foreign trade.
No export taxes.
Slave trade could not be touched for 20 years (until 1808).
Sources of Influence
British tradition: Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights.
Colonial experience: charters, legislatures, Articles of Confederation.
Enlightenment thinkers: Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu.
State constitutions: bills of rights, separation of powers.
Ratification of the Constitution
Article VII
Constitution would go into effect when 9 of 13 states ratified.
Avoided the impossible requirement of unanimity under Articles of Confederation.
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Federalists (for ratification):
Leaders: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay.
Argued Articles were weak; strong central gov’t was needed.
Wrote The Federalist Papers (85 essays, under name Publius).
Anti-Federalists (against ratification):
Leaders: Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Samuel Adams, John Hancock.
Criticisms:
Constitution gave too much power to central gov’t.
No mention of God.
No Bill of Rights protecting liberties.
States denied power to issue money.
State Ratification Votes
➡ Narrow margins in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York show how controversial the Constitution was.
➡ Final holdouts: North Carolina (1789) and Rhode Island (1790).
Inaugurating the New Government
Sept. 13, 1788 → Confederation Congress set up new government schedule:
Jan 1789: states choose electors.
Feb 1789: electors vote.
Mar 4, 1789: new government begins.
New York City chosen as temporary capital.
George Washington unanimously elected President.
John Adams became Vice President.
April 30, 1789 → Washington inaugurated at Federal Hall, NYC.