Building a New Society:

1
Building a New Society

• Government and US History

2
The Enlightenment

• Reason replacing ignorance, superstition, and
  tyranny.
• Scientific Method-Test all assumptions or
  hypotheses
• New Technologies
• Market Economics-Capitalism
• The people of the nation are sovereign.
• Possibly, the creation of the United States was
  the culminating event of the Enlightenment!

3
An introduction to the enlightenment.
4
A British Heritage
King John The Magna Carta 1215

• Limited government
• Self-government
• Representative government
• Two-chambered- (1) House of Lords
• House of Commons (2)
• The system of common law
• The Rights of the Englishmen

5
Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan. Did he have much
faith in man?
"Life is nasty, cruel, and brutish!"
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Absolute Monarch?
7
The ideas of thinkers such as

• John Locke natural rights to life, liberty,
  and property.
• took Hobbes Social Contract theory a step
  further
• man had the right to overthrow his govt. when
  his rights were no longer being upheld.
  (contract!)

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Taking it one step further
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Whom else influenced our founding fathers?

• Baron de Montesquieu
• The idea of separation of powers
• the legislative
• the executive
• the judiciary

Primary Source Reading
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Whom else influenced our founding fathers?

• Rousseau
• All men being equal
• Neither bad
• Nor good
• Corrupted by society

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What did the contributors promote?
12
How far should one bend if the social contract is
being broken?
What original plan for self-government is being
signed here?
13
Compare and contrast Locke and Hobbes
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Colonial Foundations (the economy)
The Atlantic Slave Trade
15
Colonial Foundations (the economy)Mercantilism
A Nation's Prosperity the supply of gold
bullion.
Navigation Act of 1660
Navigation Act of 1651
Export more to obtain more gold
Import less to avoid losing gold
Trade Restrictions
16
The Road to Revolution The Burdens of the New
Empire

• The British government decides to dominate
• They end salutary neglect
• The effect of French Indian War
• They try to take greater control over North
  America
• to minimize costs
• to increase revenue

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The Road to Revolution The Stamp Act Crisis of
1765

• A tax on
• Legal documents
• Permits
• Contracts
• Newspapers
• Wills
• Pamphlets
• Playing cards

In addition, a Sugar Act was passed smugglers no
longer tried in colonial courts!
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Did the colonists really want to break away from
England? Should they?
Go to clip, Reluctant Revolutionaries and The
Stamp Act readings (sheg)
19
The Boston Massacre (1770) The Boston Tea Party
(1773)
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Response to Boston is to tighten control
Cartoon of America being raped by the British
following the 1774 Coercive, or
Intolerable Acts. It stripped Mass. of self
government!
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Where was this all going?

• No taxation without representation
• Townshend Acts, Quartering Act
• First Continental Congress
• Common Sense
• by Thomas Paine

Carpenters Hall
22
Thomas Paine and Common Sense
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Second Continental Congress (1775)

• Though fighting had broken out
• Recognized the Continental Army
• George Washington as Commander

Yankee Doodle
The Story of Us Rebels min.22-37
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FYIThe penalty for treason

• The penalty for treason was to be hanged, cut
  down while still alive, disemboweled and forced
  to watch your organs burned before your eyes,
  then beheaded and quartered. The widows of such
  traitors would be deprived of their estates and
  their children subject to a life of opprobrium.

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The Declaration of Independence

• Ideas especially from Locke
• Was a call to revolution, but became the basis
  for our Constitution
• 1) Statement of purp.
• 2) Greivences
• 3) Resolution

Three parts
USH Go to Matrix of Excerpts Activity
26
What went into the Declaration?
27
A declaration is made
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The Articles of Confederation

• first govt. of U.S.
• VERY weak federal gov
• League of friendship
• Characteristics
• Unicameral Congress
• No executive
• No federal courts
• One delegate EACH

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Did the Articles of Confederation succeed?
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Why did the Articles fail?

• Weaknesses
• Too weak of a national govt.
• Congress had no power to tax!
• No regulation of trade
• Nine states to pass laws
• Changing the Articles required ALL
• Main issue No money, no power
• Leads to Shayss Rebellion

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What two groups began to emerge?

• The Federalists
• They included Madison, Hamilton, Jay, (from VA)
• Wealthy, aristocratic
• bankers, had property
• Afraid of tyranny of
• the majority
• Strong central govt.

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How did this influence our govt?

• They wanted a Republic promoting the public
  good (not the same as democracy).
• Protection of minority rights (themselves!).
• Authority through chosen representatives
• The Roman Republic as a basis

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Opposing Group

• Anti-Federalists
• Included Jefferson,
• Patrick Henry, Mason
• Newly emerging
• Middle-class, small
• farmers, shopkeepers
• the common man
• Feared a strong
• national govt.

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How were our founders influenced by Ancient Rome?
35
Activity

• CP Civics Federalist vs. Antifederalist slogans
• US History Compromises of the Constitution
• AP US Government Three-Step Interview.
• Question Who were right on opinions of the
  Constitution? Federalists, Antifederalists, or
  neither? Why?
• (Each partner plays interviewer and interviewee)