Chapter 7 Section 3 Ideas Behind the Constitution

The Lessons of Rome’s Republic When the founding fathers (people who laid the foundation for our American government) were writing the Constitution, they looked to several places for examples of how to organize their government. The founding fathers had long before decided that we wanted to create a republic (a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives.) The delegates to the convention looked at many different documents, governments, and ideas when writing the Constitution. They studied ancient Rome because Rome had been a republic.

I say, order in the court, y’all! They also looked at English Government. Even though they had broken away from England, they still valued some of the laws and traditions. I say, order in the court, y’all!

Get your representative government just the way you ordered! The founding fathers also looked at representative governments that the Untied States had created like the House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact. We also got ideas from our own documents like the Declaration of Independence. House of Burgesses Get your representative government just the way you ordered!

British Influences 1. Magna Carta – 1215 Limited king’s power Allowed for elected government 2. English Bill of Rights – 1689 trial by jury, the right to bear arms, habeas corpus: no prison without charges.

The also drew from Enlightenment thinkers and used philosophy to create the Constitution. In the end, the new system of government found the Constitution was not quite like anything that had come before it! The end … or is it?!

President – elected leader Precedent – example, model, guide…showing how things are done.