1. U.S. GOVERNMENT 2013-2014.2 A-F The Foundations of American Government

2. Origins of American Government Where do you think our Founding Fathers got their original ideas for American government?

3. Essential Understandings The United States constitutional system incorporates democratic elements that were developed in Athens and Rome. The United States borrowed the following elements: Athens: Direct democracy Rome: Indirect (representative) democracy, republic

4. Other than political models taken from Greece and Rome, what other forms of government represented a model for America’s founders? The United States constitutional system of government incorporated ideas from the Magna Carta, the English Petition of Rights, and the English Bill of Rights.

5. Essential Questions What elements of the Constitution of the United States are derived from the Magna Carta, the English Petition of Rights, and the English Bill of Rights?

6. Essential Knowledge Magna Carta  Limited Power of Government  Fundamental Rights  Trial by jury  Due Process of Law (why are these laws important) English Petition of Rights  Early document supporting the idea that men have rights and establishing the concept of rule of law  Included the basic rights Guarantee of trial by jury Protection against marshal law Protection against quartering of troops Protection of private property English Bill of Rights  Limited Power of the Monarch  No standing army in peacetime  Free elections  Right of Petition  Parliamentary checks on power

7. Shaped by European Political Philosophies Principles of government and law developed by leading European political thinkers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Montesquieu may be found in the Constitution of Virginia, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States.

8. Fundamental Principles laid forth by European thinkers John Locke- primary contribution, the idea of limited government. (we see remnants of this in the Constitution of Virginia, Constitution of the United States, and the Declaration of Independence) Thomas Hobbes / John Locke- Government’s authority comes only from the consent of the governed. (Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States) John Locke Thomas Hobbes

9. Fundamental philosophies from European Thinkers (Continued) Montesquieu- A French political thinker, famous for his idea of separation of powers (Constitution of the United States, Constitution of Virginia) Montesquieu

10. Prior to the foundation of the Republic Essential Understanding- The charters of the Virginia Company of London extended the rights of Englishmen to the colonists. Essential Knowledge- This was significant to the colony of Virginia because The basic rights of Englishmen were guaranteed to the colonists by the charters of the Virginia Company of London. This gave colonists of Virginia legitimacy and established the seeds of independence that would later lead to conflic.

11. So what might the Declaration of Independence look like? The Declaration of Independence is an expression of natural rights philosophies (Locke, Hobbes, Montesquieu, and Rousseau) Natural rights philosophies of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau expressed in the Declaration of Independence - Rousseau believed that all men are equal. - Locke believed that government is based on an agreement between people and their rulers (“social contract”). He felt that people have the right to life, liberty, and property.

12. Putting natural rights (age of Enlightenment) philosophies into use Virginians played key roles in securing individual liberties George Mason Thomas JeffersonJames Madison

13. Essential Questions What roles did George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison play in the adoption of the Bill of Rights?

14. Essential Knowledge George Mason created the Virginia Declaration of Rights:  States that all Virginians should have certain rights, including freedom of religion and the press.  Basis for the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States Thomas Jefferson created the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom:  First time religious freedom was protected by law  States that all people should be free to worship as they please  Basis for the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees religious freedom James Madison “Father of the Constitution:”  Kept detailed notes during the Constitutional Convention  Engineered compromises on the most difficult issues facing the delegates  Authored the “Virginia Plan,” which proposed a federal government of three separate branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) and became the foundation for the structure of the new government.  Authored much of the Bill of Rights

15. Assignment- Foundations of Government You recently won the lottery and had the opportunity to purchase a sizable island (350 square miles, the size of Prince William County). The island has a population of 18,000 inhabitants, participates in trade with other islands, has abundant resources, but the original inhabitants have struggled with adequate laws that can safeguard their property and resources from other islanders. It is up to you and your advisors to select political philosophies from the past, what the United States has used, or ones that you have developed to rule your island. As a founding father (mother) of this island nation it is up to you to lay the political foundations down needed to govern this island. In groups of two and in 1 pages, please lay forth the political foundations of this island nation. Make sure to draw upon philosophies that we have learned or ones that you know about from around the world.

16. Directions: Political Theory Through the Ages (1 paragraph per section) Ancient Contributions- (Athens and Rome), Why were Athens and Rome used as models of government in the early United States? Why do you think our founders chose direct democracy and a republic to base our political system off of? What are the strengths of direct democracy or a republic as opposed to a monarchy such as Britain? English Contributions- Pinpoint aspects of the Magna Carta, English Petition of Rights, and the English Bill of Rights that would be vital to the creation of the American Republic. Which of aspects do you find are most important. If you were an early American leader, which of these aspects would you include in early American law and why? European Political Thinkers Contributions- What enlightenment theories on government did Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Montesquieu produce? How did these three theories influence early American governance? Natural Rights Philosophy Contributions- Describe how Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke’s early writings influenced the formation of the United States. How were theses beliefs shaped by the times when they were produced, and how do these ideas shape the world that we live in today?