ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

The English Colonies

The 13 North American colonies formed separately over 125 years

1st – Virginia in 1607 Last – Georgia in 1733 Each colony was unique, and formed out

of different sets of circumstances Each had a charter – written grant of

authority (permission to govern) from the king

3 Types of Colonies

1. Royal Colonies2. Proprietary

Colonies3. Charter Colonies

1. Royal Colonies

Controlled by the British crown (King) King appointed a governor to run the

colony A council appointed by the king served as

advisors to the governor Had a bicameral legislature = 2 houses

Upper house = the governor’s advisors. Lower house = elected by property owners

who could vote

2. Proprietary Colonies

Organized by a proprietor (business owner) who had been given a grant by the king

Proprietor appointed the governor to run the colony

Most colonies were either Royal or Proprietary, or both at some point in time.

3. Charter colonies

charter: a written document given to a colony granting it the right to govern.

The charter colonies had more freedom to govern than others

Governor elected by male landowners 3 colonies: Rhode Island, Connecticut,

and Massachusetts Bay

Colonial Self-Government

The pilgrims landed with no charter with rules or instructions on how to govern

So they drew up a social contract Mayflower Compact (1620)

Pilgrims agreed to follow the rules in order to survive

Laid out rules of the colony Signed by 41 of the original 101 passengers

Colonial Self-Govt (cont.) Virginia House of Burgesses

(1619)First representative assembly (legislature) in the North American colonies

Met at a church in Jamestown, 1x per year

Governor was appointed by officials in London

Governor appointed his own 6-man council

Other 15 members of the legislature were elected by landowners

Colonial Self-Govt (Cont.)

Britain = 3,000 mi (2 month boat ride) away

Before 1760, Britain did not concern itself much with the colonies

Colonies got used to self-government Very few taxes collected from the

colonies by the king They could even control the royal

governors – Colonial legislatures had the “power of the

purse”

Things change: 1760

1760: King George III takes the throne

England is at war over foreign territories (French and Indian War)

Many colonists fought for Britain in this war

Britain’s colonial policies

French-Indian War (aka 7 Years War) cost Britain lots of money

To pay its debts, Britain turned to the colonies Enforced existing policies Imposed new taxes

Colonists objected: “no taxation without representation”

Stamp Act of 1765

Required that all legal documents and public documents (ex. Contracts, newspapers) have a stamp on it.

The stamp cost money, which went directly to the British government

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

9 colonies sent delegates (representatives) to the Stamp Act Congress in New York

Wrote a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” to King George

*1st time colonies joined forces and opposed the British government**

Result: Stamp Act was repealed, but… Parliament continued to impose new laws and

taxes on the colonies Colonists began to boycott British products

Rising Conflict: The Boston Tea Party (1773)

Organized Resistance

Samuel Adams formed the Committees of Correspondence in 1772

Provided information network among anti-British groups

Organized protests, militias, boycotts

First Continental Congress

Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774 to punish the colonists

Sept. 5, 1774: 56 delegates met in Philadelphia

All colonies represented except GA Met for nearly 2 months Sent a Declaration of Rights protesting

Britain’s colonial policies to King George III

Called for all colonies to stop trade with Britain until the taxes were repealed

Second Continental Congress

British government responded to 1st CC with stricter measures and refusal to compromise

Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775

All colonies sent representatives Revolutionary War had already

begun **1st government of U.S.,

lasted 5 yrs**

In other words…

No more kings!

The Declaration of Independence

1 year into the Revolution, Congress nominated a committee of 5 to draft their declaration of independence – Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger

Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson, the youngest, did most of the writing

He was greatly influenced by John Locke’s social contract philosophy

Social Contract Revisited

Major Concepts1. Popular

sovereignty2. Limited

government3. Individual rights4. Equality of men5. People only

consent to government to protect life, liberty, and property

Justification for the American

Revolution1. King George

violated the social contract by violating life, liberty, property of colonists

2. When the contract is violated, the people have the obligation to revolt

Articles of Confederation “Each state retains its

sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.”

In other words… Our 1st try at a

Constitution Set up a confederacy Weak central government

Government Structure Under The Articles of Confederation

Only one branch of government: Legislative Legislature = Congress Congress was unicameral (one house)

No executive or judicial branch Each state had 1 vote, regardless of size

or population 1 member was chosen to be the presiding

officer (chairman) each year Congress appointed civil officers (ex.

Postmaster)

Who’s got the power?

The states! Congress could only… Borrow Money Organize a Post Office Make/Sign Treaties Declare War Establish army/navy Control of Western Territories

Weaknesses of the Articles

No separation of powers No chief executive Congress did not have power to tax Congress did not have power to regulate

trade No national currency No national court system Unanimous approval required for

amendments 9/13 majority state approval required to

pass laws

It wasn’t all bad…. (Achievements of Articles)

Peace treaty with Britain

Country doubled in size

The Critical Period (1780s) Weak central government led to

unrest Congress had no way to pay war debts States ignored their promises to the

national government Printed their own $$ Formed their own armies Taxed goods from other states Some states banned trade with others

The whole country was in an economic depression

Shays’ Rebellion

Shays’ Rebellion Background

Daniel Shays Poor farm hand Fought in the Revolution, but was never paid

There was widespread resentment toward Massachusetts government Refused to issue paper money Foreclosing on citizens for repayment of debts All men in government were wealthy property

owners

Shays’ Rebellion

Shays organized 700 armed farmers and marched on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts The rebellions multiplied in Massachusetts and

spread to nearby states To counter the insurgency, the

government drew up a Riot Act Several rebels were put on trial and sentenced

to death

**The country’s continued

lack of $$ and increased

violence and unrest led to a call for a stronger national

government**