Early American Government

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• Early American Government

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English Tradition

• American colonists benefited from a developing
  English tradition of ordered, limited, and
  representative government.
• Magna Carta, Petition of Right, and English Bill
  of Rights

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Influences of English Documents
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Early Colonies

• The English established 3 types of colonial
  governments
• Royal colonies, Proprietary colonies, Charter
  colonies
• All provided colonists training in government

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The Coming of Independence

• Great Britain became more involved with the
  colonies in the 1760s
• Restrictive trading acts, new taxes imposed

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First Continental Congress

• 12 of the 13 colonies joined the First
  Continental Congress (Fall 1774) to plan
  opposition to the British policies (Georgia)
• Declaration of Rights, Called for boycott of
  English goods

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Second Continental Congress

• May 1775, Second Continental Congress began
  (Lexington and Concord April 19)
• Became the first government of the United States
  (den of traitors)
• Produced the Declaration of Independence

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State Constitutions

• The newly formed states wrote constitutions that
  would later influence the U.S. Constitution.

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Common Features of State Constitutions
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Articles of Confederation

• To provide a more lasting plan of government, the
  Second Continental Congress created the Articles
  of Confederation

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Articles of Confederation

• There were many weaknesses
• One vote for each state regardless of size
• Congress powerless to collect taxes or duties
• Congress powerless to regulate commerce
• No executive to enforce laws of congress
• No national court system
• Amendment only with consent of all states
• A 9/13 majority to pass all laws
• Articles only a firm league of friendship

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Creating the Constitution

• Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (1787)
  involved delegates from every state but Rhode
  Island

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Virginia Plan

• The Virginia Plan (James Madison)
• Three branches of government
• Bicameral legislature
• National Executive and National Judiciary

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New Jersey Plan

• The New Jersey Plan
• Unicameral Congress
• Equal representation for States of different
  sizes
• More than one federal executive
• National Judiciary

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Compromises

• The Connecticut Compromise
• Delegates agreed on a bicameral Congress, one
  segment with equal representation for States, and
  the other with representation proportionate to
  the States populations.

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Compromises Continued

• The Three-Fifths Compromise
• The Framers decided to count a slave as
  three-fifths of a person when determining the
  population of a State.

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Compromises Continued

• The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
• Congress was forbidden from taxing exported goods
  
• States were prohibited from imposing tariffs on
  goods shipped across state lines

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Ratifying the Constitution

• Federalists promoted the Constitution
• Anti-Federalists opposed it out of fear of strong
  national government and lack of Bill of Rights

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Ratifying the Constitution

• Nine States ratified the
• Constitution by June 21, 1788,
• but the new government
• needed the ratification of the
• large States of New York
• and Virginia.

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Inaugurating the Government

• The new Congress met for the first time on March
  4, 1789.
• On April 30, 1789, George Washington was
  inaugurated as the nations first President