Chapter 2 Quiz History
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
A set of laws that limited the power of government and gave all free men the right to choose people to serve as judges. The Massachusetts Body of Liberty was the first code of law in New England, protected the individual rights of citizens in the Bay colony. Each of the 13 colonies was established by charter, an agreement whereby the English king gave settlers the right to establish a colony. Each charter guaranteed colonists the "rights of Englishmen".
Shay's Rebellion
A small band of Massachusetts farmers rebelled at the prospect of losing their land. Led by Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays, the farmers attacked courthouses to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms. A state militia scattered Shays and his angry mob. It showed just how weak the Confederation Congress was, and it hastened moves to revise the Articles of Confederation.
Second Continental Congress
After the Lexington Concord, this Congress met in Philadelphia. Representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies attended. One of the Congress's first actions was to organize the ragtag militia around Boston into an official Continental Army. Delegates then made George Washington its commander. The Congress sent George III the Olive Branch Petition, a the delegates pledged continuing loyalty and begged the king to ask Parliament to repeal the new measures. He refused to read the Petition.
Enlightenment Thinkers
Also wrote about economic and civic liberties. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations and Voltaire.
Colonial Protests/ Boston Massacre
British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonial protestors in Boston, killing five people called the Boston Massacre. Resistance groups began to organize, often in secret. They protested against British policies they deemed unfair to the colonies. Samuel Adams formed the Committees of Correspondence to inform other colonies of events in Boston.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Colonial hostilities was Parliament's fault. Independence was the only common sense course of action for the colonists to take. That new world would take the form of a republican government, in which people governed themselves through democratically elected representatives.
The Declaration of Independence
Congress appointed a committee of five to write a formal statement justifying the move for independence. The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and a Virginian named Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote most of the document in little more than two weeks.
State Constitutions
Each of the 13 newly independent states had adopted its own written constitution. They each included: self-government, separation of powers, limited government, and individual rights.
Proprietary Colony
England established 3 types of colonies in North America: proprietary, royal, and charter. A proprietary colony was based on a grant of land by the English monarch to a proprietor, an individual or a group who financed the start of the colony. The proprietor represented the Crown and could appoint all officials and make laws for the colony. Nine colonies started as proprietary colonies.
Petition of Right
England's legislature made King Charles I sign the Petition of Right. The document required monarchs to obtain Parliament's approval before levying new taxes. It also said that monarchs could not unlawfully imprison people, force citizens to house soldiers in their homes, or establish military rule during times of peace. The Petition of Right was part of an extended conflict between Charles and Parliament. The conflict erupted into the English Civil War, in which an army raised by Parliament defeated Charles and his supporters.
Bicameral
England's tradition of representative government dates back to the eleventh century, when a council of religious leaders and nobles formed to advise the king. The king's advisory council evolved into a bicameral, or two chamber, legislature called Parliament. Nobles composed the upper house, or House of Lords. Lesser officials and local representatives participated in the House of Commons, the lower house. As a representative assembly, Parliament worked to limit the power of the English monarchs.
Magna Carta
English nobles forced King John yo sign Magna Carta, or "The Great Charter." Weakened by military losses in France and in desperate need of funds, John demanded that nobles pay more taxes. The nobles rebelled. They forces John to sign Magna Carta, the document they had drawn up. Magna Carta was a significant move from the "rule of man" to the "rule of law." By signing this document, King John conceded that even kings and queens had to obey English laws. The document also outlined a number of individual rights that the king could not violate. For example, the king was no loner to levy taxes without approval from the nobles. The document also guaranteed people accused of crimes the right to a trial by a jury of their peers. The original purpose of Magna Carta was to protect the rights of the nobles, but the rights protected by Magna Carta would be extended to most of the English people.
First Continental Congress
Every colony except Georgia sent delegates to this in Philadelphia. The delegates sent George III a document known as the Declaration and Resolves, demanding a repeal of the Intolerable Acts, an end to British military occupation, and the power of the colonies to impose their own tax laws. Congress also called for a boycott of British goods, until its demands were met. The British rejected the colonists' demands.
Revise of the Articles of Confederation
GW invited representatives from Virginia and Maryland to his home at Mount Vernon, to discuss resolving a trade dispute between the 2 states. James Madison then organized a larger meeting at Annapolis, Maryland (because the first meeting was so successful), to discuss regulating trade between all of the states. The poor attendance led to call for another meeting about strengthening the Articles of Confederation, it would be held in Philadelphia. Hamilton called on states to send delegates to discuss trade and all matters necessary. Then Madison set up a meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation.
Thomas Jefferson
His declaration states that people have "unalienable" rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that no one can take away because they are granted this by God. If a government disregards the rights of its people, then the people have a legitimate right to change their government.
William Blackstone
How to use the law to protect people's natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
Machiavelli
In his book, Machiavelli put forth a theory of a republic based on civic virtue. He argued that a republic could survive only so long as its citizens actively participated in government and put the good of the republic before their own needs. For a republic to thrive, it had to represent the interests of three levels of society: the monarch(the one), the aristocracy (the few), and the people (the many). His views helped undermine the idea that a monarch's power was God given, one of the basic beliefs underlying feudalism.
Charles de Montesquieu
In his book, he argued that government power had to be divided between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. He called this the separation of powers.
James II
James, Charles's brother, took the throne after he was beheaded. James II's promotion of his faith, Roman Catholicism, led to renewed conflicts between Crown and Parliament. Most of the English were Protestants and, fearing the king would impose the Catholic religion on the country, Parliament launched a rebellion. Long story short, Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary (James' daughter and son in law).
English Bill of Rights
No longer would monarchs be able to enact laws, raise taxes, or keep an army without Parliament's consent. The document also guaranteed Parliament the privilege of free speech and gave all people protection from cruel and unusual punishment. The Glorious Revolution was over.
Charter Colonies
Operated under charters agreed to the colony and the king. Enjoyed the most independence from the Crown. Rhode Island and Connecticut were the only charters. Each had an elected legislature that made laws for the colony and appointed the colony's governor.
Stamp Act
Parliament's first attempt to tax the colonists directly. Required a government tax stamp on paper goods and all legal documents, including contracts and licenses. Infuriated colonists. The Sons of Liberty protest tried intimidating the stamp agents out of office. Colonies sent a petition to the king that declared their loyalty but voiced a strong protest.
Republicanism
Refers to a broad set of ideas about representative government.
New England Confederation
Step towards colonial unity came with this, when the Plymouth, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, and New Haven colonies formed this. Their common purpose was to defend against threats from Native Americans and nearby Dutch colonies.
Debt
The British emerged victorious in the French and Indian War. But the war left Great Britain with massive debts. Parliament looked to the colonists as a source of revenue. Parliament enforced trade restrictions that benefitted Britain. With the Sugar Act, Parliament imposed a series of taxes designed to alleviate Britain's debt. The colonists had no representation in Parliament, and they resented being taxed without their consent.
Judeo-Christian Influences
The Framers political thinking was influenced this religious heritage. These religions see the law and individual rights as being of divine origin.
Enlightenment Thinkers
The Framers were particularly taken with Enlightenment idea about people possessing natural rights to life, liberty, and property. They were equally influenced by the idea of a social contract, put forth by John Locke and Rousseau.
Iroquois Confederation
The French and Indian War spurred a new drive toward unity in the colonies. The war pitted the British against the French in a struggle for control over the North American continent. As fighting raged on the colonies' western frontier, Great Britain urged its colonies to sign a treaty with the Iroquois Confederation, a powerful alliance of 6 Native American nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Had a constitution and a council of leaders.
Intolerable Acts
The laws closed Boston Harbor, ended all forms of self-rule in Massachusetts, and called for the quartering of British troops in private homes.
Articles of Confederation
The nation's first constitution. Before it could go into force, it had to be ratified, or formally approved by all of the states. Guarded state powers by creating a weak national government. One house Congress, in which each state had one vote. To pass any major legislature 9 states had to agree. Any change to the Articles required approval from all of the states of the 13 states.
Northwest Ordinance
The ordinance established a plan for settling the Northwest Territory. This territory included the disputed western lands that had delayed ratification of the Articles. Created a system for admitting new states to the Union. It banned slavery in the territory. Also included a bill of rights.
The Glorious Revolution
The result of this was the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in England. It set clear limits on royal authority and shifted power to Parliament.
Cons of Articles
They placed limits on Congress that kept it from effectively enforcing its laws and policies. The Articles denied Congress the power to tax. Congress could ask the states for money, but the states often refused. Made it difficult to raise money for a national army. Congress can not raise the money that the nation had borrowed during the Revolution, nor pay the soldiers who fought. Lacked the authority to regulate trade between the states. States refused to accept the currencies of other states.
Albany Plan of Union
To gain the support of the Iroquois in the fight against the French, the northern colonies invited Iroquois leaders to a meeting in Albany, NY. At the meeting, Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan, the Albany Plan of Union. The plan called for a council of representatives appointed by the colonial assemblies and a president general appointed by the king. The council would have the power to control trade, raise armies, build settlements, and equip fleets.
Virginia Declaration of Rights
Was inspired by John Locke's view of the social contract theory. Written mostly by George Mason, the Virginia Declaration proclaimed "all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights" that cannot be denied.
Royal Colonies
Were directly controlled by the king through an appointed governor. Each royal colony had a 2 house legislature. Members of the lower house were elected, but the king appointed members to the upper house.
Boston Tea Party
When Parliament gave all rights to the American tea trade to one British company, the East India Company, Adams and other colonists reacted by staging this. A group of colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans, boarded 3 British ships and dumped the ships tea cargo overboard into Boston Harbor.