chapter 2 American government objectives

explain the significance of three landmark English documents

Magna Carta- the power of the king is not absolute.The Petition of Rights- challenged the idea of the Divine Right of Kings and that even monarch must obey the law.The English Bill of Rights- to prevent abuse of power by all future monarchs. were all documents that challenged the Kings and gave importance to the colonist and their rights outside of Engliind

explain why the weakness of the articles led to a crucial. for the country in the 1780s

Many powers were missing from Congress. Congress couldn't...-tax: it could only raise money by borrowing and asking the states for funds which resulted in debt unable to be pay back-regulate trade between states-change Articles without consent from all 13 state legislatures Without a stable central government, the states began to bicker and become suspicious of one another, sometimes creating violence.

summarize the common features of the first state constitution and how they were related to documents such as the declaration of Independence the articles of confederation and the United States Constitution

the American Revolution sought to preserve proved to create a government under the Articles of Confederation that could not keep law and order. But the failure of the initial experiment helped the founders to find a more perfect balance between liberty and order in the Constitution they produced in 1787.

describe the three types of colonies that the English to stablished in the American colonies and why they're different types of government where significant

.royal colonies: subject to direct control of the crown proprietary colonies: organized by the person to whom the king granted the land to charter colonies: king grants a charter to a group/company There were three types or systems of government used within Colonial Government of the 13 Colonies. The names of these different types of government were Royal, Charter and Proprietary.

examine the conventions major debates and compromises

Connecticut Compromise: helped support central government, composed 2 house legislature, equally represented Three-Fifth Compromise: free persons were counted as 1 person, slaves were considered 3/5 of a person Compromise on interstate and foreign trade: Congress was forbid to tax export of goods and act on slave trade

identify the opposing sides in the fight for ratification and describe the major arguments for and against the proposed Constitution

Federalists and Anti-Federalists Federalists thought the Articles were too weak, think that only a strong national government can overcome the difficulties of the Republic faces, liberties that could be included in a Bill of Rights are covered in the States Constitutions. Anti-Federalists thought there should be a Bill of Rights, the national government would be given too much power, the states would no longer have the power to print money.

identify the farmers and the individuals principles and ideas that influence them and how they organized the Philadelphia convention and their contributions to the creation of the United States Constitution

Framers of the Constitution1) Group of delegates who attended the Philadelphia Convention in 1787.Organization and Procedures1) Rule of secrecy2) Write a new constitution instead of revising the Articles of Confederation delegates who attended the Philadelphia Convention, organized to create a new constitution. The sources from which the Framers of the Constitution drew inspiration was the political writings of John Locke, British tradition, and Colonial experiences

describe how a growing need for a stronger national government led to plans for a constitutional convention

Maryland and Virginia met to discuss commerce and navigation over the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, it was so successful that the Virginia General Assembly called for a meeting of all the states to consider and regulate a plan for regulating commerce, ended up becoming the Constitutional Convention, but switched gears and resulted in the creation of an entirely new form of government

explain how Britain's colonial policies contributed to the growth of self-government in the colonies

Since the colonies were being governed by Britain almost 3,000 miles away, they quickly became used to self-government because messages from Britain would take nearly two months to get to the colonies. Each colonial legislature began to assume broad lawmaking powers and act almost as self-governed colonies.

examine the debates and compromises that impacted the creation of the declaration of Independence and its major ideas including those of unalienable rights the social contract theory and the right of resistance to illegitimate government

The Declaration of Independence states the basic rights of the American citizen. No political system had ever been based on the idea that people should rule instead of being ruled, or that every person was created equal/had certain unalienable rights. Also, it was considered groundbreaking because it was founded on the concept of "consent of the governed" instead of divine right or tradition for exercising power. From this document, the US was born and the 13 colonies became free and independent states. Analyze the ideas in the Declaration of Independence. -popular sovereignty: government only exists by consent of the governed-limited government: government is restricted in what it may do, each individual has rights that government cannot take away-civil rights and liberties: in every state, it was made clear that the sovereign people held certain rightsthat government had to respect at all times-separation of powers: executive, legislative, and judicial branch-checks and balances: all branches could restrain the actions of one another

identify the major steps that led to growing feelings of colonial unity

The New England Confederation was one of the early steps to achieving colonial unity. The goal was to "establish a league of friendship". Also, Albany Plan of Union, which was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754, aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, etc., was turned down by colonies and Crown.

compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey plans for the new government

Virginia Plan: called for three branches of government, representation for each house was based on population, made officers to take oath to support the Union New Jersey Plan: called for unicameral government, added limited power to tax and trade, called for federal government of more than one person

consider the ways that the colonists organized against the British policies as well as the contributions of significant individuals including Thomas Jefferson Samuel Adams John Adams Rodger Sherman John j in George Washington

bc of growing tensions between colonists and England 1.) first continental congress was held. most of the delegates did not want independence. Declaration of rights sent to King George ||| protesting Britain's treatment of the colonies. urged boycott of all english goods. 2.)second continental congress meets after revolutionary war begins. was the first gov of the US. Congress had both legislative &a executive powers

describe the debates and impact the creation of the articles of confederation the structure of the government set up under the articles and how the government was influenced by the ideas people and historical documents

one:the amount of money each state should pay into a common treasury.the northern states proposed that the sum should be in proportion to a states total population, and should include slaves but not untaxed native americans. the southern states objected to this because they consider slaves to be property.two:voting power of the states in Congress. The plan was each state gets one vote.

Articles of Confederation completed

plan of government adopted by the continental congress after the american revolution;established's firm league of friendship" among the states, but allowed few important powers to the central government on november 15, 1777 the Articles of Confederation were approved to govern the 13 states of America. A firm league of friendship was established among the states while each state kept its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right... not expressly delegated to the untied states they came together for "their common defense, the security of liberties, and their mutual and general welfare..." ratification

identify how constitutional government in the United States was influenced by key ideas that were developed over centuries in England and elsewhere

shifted allegiances away from absolute authority, whether religious or political, to more skeptical and optimistic attitudes about human nature, religion and politics. In the American context, thinkers such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin invented and adopted revolutionary ideas about scientific rationality, religious toleration and experimental political organization—ideas that would have far-reaching effects on the development of the fledgling nation.