The Foundations of American Government Created By Mrs. Glickman-Bowes The Foundations of the American system of Democracy can be found in four key documents: the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Aim: We are going to begin learning about the major documents in history that were the foundation of our American Government.

Magna Carter (1215) Magna Carta was the most significant early influence on the historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law in the English speaking world. Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, including the United States Constitution. Many clauses were renewed throughout the Middle Ages and continued to be renewed as late as the 18th century. By the second half of the 19th century, however, most clauses in their original form had been repealed from English Law

The Mayflower Compact The Pilgrims, a religious group from England, set sail for America on the ship Mayflower. They hoped to start a colony where they could worship as they pleased. On board the Mayflower, the Pilgrims created a plan for how they would govern themselves in the new colony. They agreed to live under a common government, with laws and officials that they chose themselves in the new colony. Their agreement became known as the Mayflower Compact. It set up a model for the rule of law and representative government in the British colonies. 1620

The Declaration of Independence About 150 years after the Mayflower Compact, British colonies became involved in a disagreement with the British government. The British Parliament had decided that the colonists should pay more taxes to Great Britain. When the colonists protested against these taxes fighting broke out. Representatives of the colonists met in Philadelphia and decided to break away from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson and others formed a committee to write an explanation to the world of why colonists should be independent. This explanation was known as the Declaration of Independence. It was issued on July 4, It laid the foundation for the nations future government. It explained that the purpose of government should be to serve the people and protect their rights. It stated that, “all men are created equal.” 1776

onofindependence/

Time Line

The US Constitution After independence each former colony became a separate state. The 13 new states formed an association under the Articles of Confederation. Articles of Confederation- This was too weak to protect the nation from invasion by foreign countries so…… They met again in Philadelphia in 1787 to deal with the problems and decided to write a new constitution. A constitution is – a written plan of government The US Constitution- set up our national government with a President, Congress and a Supreme Court. It also spelled out the exact powers of the new national government and its relationships with government.

The US Constitution To make the government as strong as possible the authors of the constitution divided power between the central government and the states. The delegates also divided the powers assigned to the central government into three branches Legislative, Executive, Judicial Each branch was given the power to CHECK the others, so that no single branch could become too powerful. By breaking up the powers, the authors of the Constitution felt they could increase the power of the national government without threatening individual liberties.

US Constitution (Notes) After independence, each colony became a separate state. They drafted a document called the Articles of Confederation, but it was too weak. Representatives met again in 1787 to deal with problems and decided to write a new constitution. The US Constitution set up our nation government (federal) with a president (executive), a Congress (legislative) and a supreme court (judicial). Powers of government are separated into three powers. Each branch is given the power to check the others, so that no single branch could become too powerful.

The Bill of Rights Was proposed by the first Congress with many important protections of individual rights against government abuse. It was added to the Constitution in 1791 in the form of 10 amendments to the Constitution. The First Amendment guarantees that Congress cannot pass any law taking away our freedom of religion, free speech, free press, and freedom of assembly (to gather peacefully). These freedoms are necessary to our individual happiness and the workings of democracy. They give people the right to criticize government actions. “Due process of law”- those who have been accused of a crime have the right to a fair trial and a lawyer before freedoms can be taken away.

The Organization of the American Government Our government is set up by the US Constitution. Constitution limits powers of our government. Early New York- There was the League of Five Nations. This was set up by the Iroquois tribes of NY. It was to deal common problems. This was said to have set up our Constitution where power is shared between the national (federal) government and the state governments. Division of Powers is called Federalism

Federal Government Deals with matters that affect the whole country. For Example: The federal government provides for our nations defense by maintaining an army and a navy. State Government Deals with matters within their own state. For example: What is to be taught in schools. In both the federal and the state governments, power is further divided among the three branches. Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.