American Government

Unit 1

SSCG1 and 2

Introduction

• What is government and what is its purpose?

– Government is the institution that allows a society to make and enforce public policies

– Every government has three basic types of power. These include the legislative power to make laws, the executive power to enforce laws, and the judicial power to interpret laws and settle disputes.

Basic Types of Government

• In a dictatorship, all powers are held by one person or group.

• In a democracy, authority lies with the people.

• The U.S. government gives executive power to the President, legislative power to Congress, and judicial power to the Supreme Court.

The State

• States are the main unit of government in the world today.

– There are more than 200 states, varying greatly in size, population, and power.

– A state is not strictly the same thing as a nation (which refers to large groups of people) or a country (which refers to a particular region).

• Every state has four basic characteristics: population, territory, sovereignty, and a government.

Population and Territory

• Every state has a population, whether large or small, diverse or homogeneous.– China (right) has a

large population that is reflected in its landscape.

• A state must have territory, land with known and recognized boundaries.

Sovereignty and Government

• Every state has sovereignty, the absolute power within its own territory to decide domestic and foreign policies.

• Each state has a government, a political organization to make and enforce its policies.

Origins of the State

• Many theories have been developed to explain the origins of the state.

• These include the force theory, the evolutionary theory, the divine right theory, and the social contract theory.

• The force theory holds that an individual or group claims control over a territory and forces the population to submit.

• The state then becomes sovereign and those in control form a government.

The Force Theory

• The evolutionary theory says that a population formed out of primitive families.

• The heads of these families became the government.

• When these families settled in one territory and claimed it as their own, they became a sovereign state.

Evolutionary Theory

• The divine right theory holds that God created the state, making it sovereign.

• The government is made up of those chosen by God to rule a certain territory. The population must obey their ruler.

Divine Right Theory

• Checkpoint: What is the Social Contract Theory?– The social contract theory was

developed by philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau and has had the greatest influence on United States government.

– This theory holds that the people chose to give the state enough power to promote the well-being of everyone and that all political power comes from the will of the people.

Social Contract Theory

Thomas Hobbes

• Famous Work: Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes• Beliefs:

–Natural state of man is war

–People are inherently bad and incapable of governing themselves

– Strong central government needed to keep order

• Supported absolute monarchy

– Supported a social contract

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Social Contract

• The social contract is not between the citizens and the ruling power.

• It is a contract citizens make with each other to accept the rule of central authority.

• The minority accepts the majority decision.

• A society so united forms a single body, a commonwealth, a leviathan.

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The Sovereign and Citizens• Rights of the sovereign or absolute central

authority:– Enforcement of Law

– Legislative power

– Judicial power

• Sovereign is not subject to the laws.

• Citizens retain certain “inalienable rights” or “retained rights” and are considered equal under the law

John Locke• Famous Work: Two Treatises on

GovernmentLocke’s message: All government is limited in its powers and exists only by the consent of the governed. All people are born free.

John Locke’s Beliefs• Social Contract Theory – individuals

are willing to give up some of their rights in order to form a necessary government

• Natural Rights – rights that are given to all by God and can never be taken away even by a government (life, liberty, and property)

• Purpose of Government – to protect these rights

• Governmental Power – comes from the consent of the governed (who can get rid of the governments they do not approve)

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Locke’s “State of Nature”• Contrasted with Hobbes’ view. He believed people

were inherently good and capable of governing themselves. He supported democracy instead of an absolute monarchy.

• The state of nature is a state of perfect freedom and equality.

• The world was never without political or social structure. Political and social structure arise naturally with humankind.

• People “… living together according to reason, without a common superior on earth with authority to judge between them, is properly the state of nature.”

John Locke

• Greatly inspired Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Can you think of any passages from the Declaration of Independence that sounds like Locke?

Montesquieu

• Famous Work: The Spirit of Laws

Montesquieu

• Beliefs:

–Government should include separation of powers:• Legislative Branch – Makes laws

• Executive Branch – Enforces laws

• Judicial Branch – Interprets laws

Separation of Power

U.S. Separation of Power

Introduction

• What ideas and traditions influenced government in the English Colonies?– English customs and ideas about government,

including:• The idea of ordered government• The principle of limited government• The principle of representative government

– English historical documents, including:• The Magna Carta• The Petition of Right• The English Bill of Rights

Key Political Concepts

• Ordered government– Local governments should be divided into units and ruled

by officers according to law.

• Limited government– Individual citizens have basic rights– There are limits on government power

• Representative government– Government should serve the will of the people. In other

words, people should have a say in what the government does or does not do.

The Magna Carta

• Signed by King John in 1215

• Created by English barons to put limits on the once absolute power of the King.

– Guaranteed certain fundamental rights for the privileged, such as trial by jury and due process of law. Over time, these rights were extended to all English people.

The Petition of Right

• The Petition of Right was signed by King Charles I in 1628.

– Banned the king from imprisoning or punishing people without first following the laws of the land.

– Kept the king from declaring military rule in times of peace or making people house soldiers.

– Required the consent of Parliament for taxation.

The English Bill of Rights

• Checkpoint: What were the limitations set by the English Bill of Rights?

– The English Bill of Rights was drawn up by Parliament in 1689 to prevent the abuse of

power by all future monarchs.• Required the consent of Parliament for taxation

and suspension of laws.

• Promised the right to a fair trial, and to petition the monarchy to correct injustices.

This led to the American concept of Limited Government

• Government may only do those things the people have given it the power to do.

– Government must obey the law (this is called rule of law).

– Much of the Constitution spells out limits on the power of the government.

American Rights

• This chart compares the rights guaranteed by the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights with the freedoms listed in the Virginia Bill of Rights and the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.

The Thirteen Colonies

• The colonies were established over a span of 125 years.– Virginia was the first colony, founded in 1607. – Georgia was the last, formed in 1733.

• The similarities among the colonies ultimately outweighed their differences.

• Each colony was established on the basis of a charter granted by the king.– These charters granted some governing authority to the

colonies and kept some for the king.

Three Types of Colonies

• Royal colonies were directly controlled by the king.

• Proprietary colonies were run by a proprietor chosen by the king.

• Charter colonies were run mainly by elected legislatures and were the most independent.

– How many royal colonies were left at this time? How were royal colonies and charter colonies different?

Introduction

• What events and ideas led to American independence?

– Unpopular British colonial policies, such as taxation without representation.

– Growing political unity among the colonies.

– Colonial protests against British policies.

– British efforts to punish some colonies for showing independence.

– Fighting between colonists and British soldiers.

British Policies Change

• Checkpoint: How did Britain’s dealings with the colonies change? When did they change?

– After King George III came to power in 1760, British policies changed.

– Parliament expanded and enforced laws to control colonial trade.

– Parliament passed new taxes to pay for British troops stationed in North America.

• Colonists had no say in these policies and protested “taxation without representation.”

• British leaders ignored these complaints.

Early Efforts at Unity

• Early efforts to unite the colonies failed.

– Benjamin Franklin’s proposed Albany Plan of Union in 1754 would have created a colonial congress, but was rejected by the colonies.

• In 1765, Britain passed the Stamp Act.

– This law required a stamp to be bought for all legal documents and newspapers.

The Stamp Act Congress

• Nine colonies responded by forming the Stamp Act Congress in New York.

– They sent a Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the king. This was the first unified colonial protest.

– Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.

Tensions Grow

• New laws continued to anger colonists.– They responded with

boycotts and violence

• Colonists created Committees of Correspondence to organize resistance.

• Events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party raised tensions.

First Continental Congress

• Met in Philadelphia in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts

• Included delegates from every colony but Georgia. Among

them were John Adams, George Washington, and John Jay.

– Sent a Declaration of Rights to King George that protested

Britain’s colonial policies.

– Urged colonists to boycott trade with England until hated laws

were repealed.

– Gained the support of all 13 colonial legislatures and called for a

second Congress to meet the following May.

Second Continental Congress

• Met in Philadelphia in 1775

• Every colony sent delegates. John Hancock was chosen president of the Congress.

• The Battles of Lexington and Concord had already been fought and the Revolutionary War begun.

• A continental army was created and George Washington was made commander-in-chief.

Second Continental Congress, cont.

• This Congress became America’s first national government, from 1776-1781.

– It had legislative and executive powers.

– During the war, it raised a military, printed and borrowed money, and made foreign treaties.

– Benjamin Franklin (right) was a leading member.

Breaking from Britain

• Congress resolved to break away from Britain in 1776.

– Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson were named to write a proclamation of independence.

– The delegates declared independence on July 2, 1776 and adopted the Declaration on July 4.

Declaration of Independence

• Checkpoint: What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

– The Declaration severed ties with Great Britain and created a unique nation

• No political system had ever been formed on the principles of equality, human rights, and representative government that derived its authority from the will of the people.

Declaration of Independence• Established by the Second Continental

Congress

• Written by Thomas Jefferson who borrowed many ideas from John Locke

• Was intended to be a declaration to the world not just England (in hopes of gaining allies)

• Written so that others would sympathize with the colonies

• Gave the philosophical and legal reasons for independence from Britain

Making Connections

• Read the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence.

• What similarities did you notice in the Declaration of Independence and the basic beliefs of the Social Contract theorists?

• How was the Declaration of Independence used as a persuasive argument?

Treaty of Paris (1783)

• Ended the American Revolution

• U.S. was granted its independence and gained control of the lands east of the Mississippi River

Articles of Confederation: The first Constitution of the U.S.

• were written during the American Revolution

• reflected the fear of a strong national government

• gave states more power than the national government

• left the U.S. vulnerable to foreign aggression and attack

• kept the U.S. on the verge of collapse

Weaknesses of the Articles

• Only a “firm league of friendship” among States

• Only one vote for each State, regardless of size

• Congress powerless to levy taxes or duties

• Congress powerless to regulate commerce

• No executive power to enforce acts of Congress

• No national court system

• Amendments required the consent of all States

• A 9/13 majority required to pass laws.

Shays’ Rebellion

• In 1786, former revolutionary officer, Daniel Shays led an armed uprising of farmers protesting the economic problems in the U.S. that the Confederation Congress lacked the power to fix.

• State troops finally ended the rebellion after rebels attacked state courts and a federal arsenal. Shays fled to Vermont.

Stronger Government

• The call went out for a stronger, more effective central government.

– In 1785, Maryland and Virginia settled a trade dispute after meeting at George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon.

– In 1786, Virginia called for all the states to meet to discuss trade issues.

– Five states attended the resulting meeting at Annapolis, Maryland.

– These delegates called for another meeting, this one in Philadelphia in 1787. Congress eventually gave its support for this meeting held to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Key Terms

• government: the institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies

• legislative power: the power to make laws

• executive power: the power to enforce and administer laws

• judicial power: the power to interpret laws

• dictatorship: a government in which all power rests with an individual or small group

Key Terms

• democracy: a government in which supreme authority rests with the people

• state: a body of people, living in a defined territory, with a government that can make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority

• sovereign: to have supreme and absolute power within a territory

• divine right: the theory that governments gain their authority from the will of God

Key Terms

• limited government: the idea that government is restricted in what it may do and that every individual has certain rights that government cannot remove

• representative government: the idea that government should both serve and be guided by the will of the people

• Magna Carta: the Great Charter signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the English king and guaranteed certain fundamental rights

Key Terms, cont.• Petition of Right: a document signed in 1628 that

required the English king to obey the law of the land and increased the influence of Parliament

• English Bill of Rights: a document signed in 1689 that required free elections and guaranteed many basic rights, such as due process and trial by jury, to all English citizens

• rule of law: the principle that government and its officers must always obey the laws of the land

• Articles of Confederation: the agreement, effective in 1781, that established the first central government of the United States