•What’s in the bag?

The Fight for Democracy & The English Civil War

Chapter 2

• “Power tends to corrupt & absolute power corrupts absolutely”

-Lord Acton 1887

Write your own interpretation down of this quote.

Introduction

• For most written history, democracy & civil rights have not existed

• Some parts of the world still struggle for progress in human rights

• Democracy & civil rights have only resulted from the struggle of many people, including wars, revolution & protests

Tracing Our Roots…• Canada’s progress in

democracy is traced back to England and it’s bloody history

• England fought a civil war, beheaded a king, became a republic & eventually became constitutional monarchy

• Although it was slow, the signing of the MAGNA CARTA in 1215 was pivotal to democracy

Make a prediction…

• Bloody history…What do you think caused the beheading of a King during this time?

THE MAGNA CARTA

• Recognized individual freedoms• Made it so monarchs had to consult with

elected parliament and rule lawfully

• Key Qs…• Why is it important that government rule in a

fair way?• What types of government can be dangerous

to its citizens?

A Slow Fight…

• Even with the Magna Carta, the British people had to continuously fight for its democratic rights.

• Under Queen Elizabeth (a Tudor), the British monarchy accepted the democratic traditions of the people, but after her death, King James VI (a Stuart) came to power and he fought with parliament for control of the country.

• The British people eventually went to war against their King, creating a civil war that would eventually lead Britain to a constitutional monarchy (a democratic country with a King or Queen).

• At the time of Queen Elizabeth’s death, Britain had defeated its major rival (Spain) for control of the world’s oceans and was a wealthy, colonizing nation.

• Britain has always been a “class” society with its peoples belonging to either the Upper, Middle or Lower classes of society.

• Where the Upper classes lived comfortably and the Middle classes worked hard to better themselves financially, the majority of the population were Lower class workers who worked long hours for very little pay.

Why is this important to us?

• Eventually, what is now Canada and the US, would become populated by people who came from the British Isles

• These people brought democratic ways with them and our current system would not be the same without this historical connection

17th Century Great Britain• By Elizabeth I’s death in 1603,

England was becoming a wealthy and powerful nation

• England had became the dominant naval power and its ships could travel anywhere

• They began colonizing (settling and controlling the lands of others) and trading new and exotic items from lands like India, South Africa, and others. This trade greatly enriched the English Economy

• The English population grew rapidly during this time, as did business and agriculture

• Merchants, manufacturers, and landholders experienced huge opportunities – Britain was poised to become a world power

• English society was also becoming divided by classes at this time – Upper Class (king, nobles, high church officials), Middle Class (merchants, manufacturers, landowners), and Lower Class (ordinary workers)

• Whereas the upper and middle class were comfortable and well-off, lower class workers worked long hours for little pay, and living conditions were bleak

• Cities were filled with thousands of unemployed people, who lived mainly on bread and beer – they could rarely afford meat like the middle and upper classes

• New exotic goods from colonies were arriving from all over the world – pineapples, potatoes, coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, furs

• Coffee houses began to spring up – men would meet and discuss politics

• So you can thank the British for Starbucks!

Compare & Discussion

• Write down 4 things that would be very different in your life if you lived in 17th c. England compared to today

• What potential problems can you see with the social stratification that was developing in England during this time?

• How are coffee houses similar/different now?

Assignment

• Complete your title page for Chapter 2• Include:• Your name, block• Full title (p. 13)• Min of 3 pictures related to the chapter• Min of 5 words related to the chapter• Fully coloured with effort• Begin the map