Babylonians develop system of

government-write Hammurabi’s code

The Bible:• Hebrews are freed from

slavery by Cyrus the Great

• Hebrew prophets

developed the idea of all

people being equal,

created in the image of

God.

• The idea caring for the

weaker members of society.

• Wrote Torah, discussing

issues of human worth and

equality

The ancient Greeks and Romans were the first civilizations in history to create governments based on Democracy

DEMOS = PEOPLEKRATIA = RULE

• Athens created a direct democracy in 508 B.C.

• Rome later developed an indirect democratic system.

Romans write down constitutional

principles on Twelve Tablets

Catholic Church redefines power and

authority

The Magna Carta

• British Document

• King John forced to recognize his

power was limited by the Barons

• First step toward limited government

John ruled England from 1199 to 1216. He faced the following problems:

1. He quarrelled with the Pope about how to run the Church.

2. John went to war twice against the French king. He lost almost all the land that his father had gained in France!

3. John raised taxes in England to pay for the wars. This upset his BARONS! He ordered them to pay far more tax than earlier kings had done!

How did Barons strike back?

• In 1214 many barons rebelled against John.

• In 1215 the barons forced John to grant a charter,

which was the first time anyone had expected an

English king to obey a set of rules.

King John

The Magna Carta

I, King John, accept that I have to govern according to the law.So I agree:

1. Not to imprison nobles without trial

2. That trials must be in courts; not held in secret by me

3. To have fair taxation for the nobles

4. To let freemen travel wherever they like

5. Not to interfere in Church matters

6. Not to seize crops without paying for them

…. and lot more things too!!

It was his lifelong conviction that what was needed to regenerate Europe was sound learning applied frankly and fearlessly to the administration of public affairs in Church and State.

Wrote “In Praise of Folly” Believed strongly in human rights,

equality, and human freedom "laid the egg that Luther hatched“ Contemporary of Martin Luther and

Machiavelli

Luther leads reformation of Catholic Church, nailed 95 Theses to door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany

His letter to the Pope entitled “Freedom of a Christian”, which is what finally got him excommunicated (thrown out of the Church), stated that "there is no basic difference in status and dignity ... between laymen and priests, princes and bishops, religious and secular. Before God all are equal.”

Theologian, pastor and political reformer during Protestant Reformation

Calvin takes reformation further Founded Geneva, Switzerland, to be

a self-governing theocracy Believed in public education,

support for the poor, predestination, free will, individual responsibility and equality

Calvinists in France called Huguenots, in Scotland called Presbyterians, in England and the American colonies called Puritans

The Mayflower Compact was the first self-governing document of

Plymouth Colony. It was written by English Calvinist colonists

(Puritans), later known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the

Atlantic aboard the Mayflower. They were a separatist group seeking

freedom of religion to practice Christianity according to their own

determination and not the will of the English Church. It was signed on

November 11, 1620 by 41 of the ship's one hundred and two

passengers,in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod

The Mayflower Compact

Meanwhile, back in ENGLAND, English

Revolution is starting. The Petition of

Right sets out specific liberties that the

king is prohibited from infringing. It was

passed by Parliament in May 1628, in

response to abuses by the King, and

agreed to by Charles I

1. taxes can be levied only by Parliament

2. martial law can’t be imposed in time

of peace

3. prisoners may challenge their

imprisonment through the writ of

habeas corpus.

4. ban on the housing of troops is

reflected in the Third Amendment to

the United States Constitution.

The Petition of Right

The Bill of RightsPassed by Parliament in December 1689,

signed by William and Mary, protected

English Citizens, it defined certain rights to

which subjects and permanent residents of a

constitutional monarchy were thought to be

entitled in the late 17th century.

1. subjects' right to petition the monarch

2. the right to bear arms

3. restates requirements of the Crown to seek

the consent of the people, as represented in

parliament

Gave colonists a shared

national religious experience

Preachers felt that people

needed to be concerned with

inner emotions as opposed to

outward religious behavior

People in New England could

read and interrupt the Bible

on their own

Puritan Minister who

used raw emotional

sermons to reach all

classes of colonists

Preached that “good

works” and “godly lives”

would bring you

salvation

Birth of deep religious

convictions in the

colonies

New churches built to

accommodate new

members

Colleges founded to

train new ministers

Encouraged ideas of

equality and right to

challenge authority

Birth of charity and

charitable

organizations

Spread of ideas of

self-government

A movement in the

1700’s that rejected

traditional ways of life

and looked for a more

rational and scientific

way to explain the

world we live in

It was an emphasis on

the sciences and reason

to explain things

Generally we are good and our environment influences us

The use of science and reason could answer life’s mysteries

Science and reason could also answer man’s questions concerning government and himself

Great surge of literacy

in the colonies

Newspapers and book

publications increase

Schools are

synonymous with new

towns and villages

Deism, God is the great

clock maker

People are born with

natural rights

Government has an

obligation to protect

those natural rights

Kings have no right to

govern people,

people empower

government

John Locke 1632-1704• Life, Liberty and Property

• The right to alter or abolish

Baron de Montesquieu 1712-1778• separation of powers

Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1689-1755• Social contract

• Consent of the governed

Voltaire 1694-1778• freedom

Born in Boston, Massachusetts

Educated at Harvard

Enters politics after he fails in his business

venture

Serves in both the 1st and 2nd Continental

Congresses

A leading political organizer against the

British in the colonies

He is a leader in the Boston Tea Party and

of the Sons of Liberty

At the Boston Massacre it

is believed that he

played a major hand in

inciting the Sons of

Liberty to antagonize

British troops

He will sign the

Declaration of

Independence

Born in Boston,

Massachusetts leaves

school to help father in

his business as a

soapmaker

Printer in Philadelphia

and later an editor for the

Pennsylvania Gazette

Writes Poor Richard’s Almanac which

becomes popular for it’s American proverbs

Scientist, writer, businessmen, statesman,

publisher, represented American

Enlightenment and inventor

Responsible for helping get the French to join

the colonies against the British

A Virginia plantation owner

He will write many political

pamphlets that criticize British

policies in the colonies

Served in the Virginia House of

Burgesses several terms

He will attend both Continental Congresses

He will write the Declaration of Independence in 1776

He is the third President

Educated at Harvard Delegate from Massachusetts to

the Continental Congress On the Declaration writing

committee with Thomas Jefferson Not a popular leader like his

second cousin, Samuel Adams. Instead, his influence emerged through his work as a constitutional lawyer and his intense analysis of historical examples

The second President of the United States (1797–1801)

We can call George Washington the

Poster Child of the Revolution.

Commander in Chief of the Continental

Army

1st President of the United States

Presided over Committee to write

Constitution

English Quaker who

arrives in the colonies in

1775

Writes Common Sense in

1776 , a political pamphlet

that criticizes the British

monarch, supports colonial

rebellion and justifies

starting a new government

Common Sense will

push colonies to rebel

Writes American Crisis,

which inspires colonial

soldiers to continue

fighting against the

British

Having been instrumental in the drafting

of the Constitution, he is called Father of

the Constitution.

Wrote the Bill of Rights

4th President