1. America's Political Beginnings
The English colonies are going to fall into three of the following caterarogies. Many of their theories are going to come from their experiences and relationship with the British government:
Ordered Government:
Used what they knew from England.
For example these governments would have institution that could also be found in England during this time.
Shariff
Justice of the Peace
Coroner
Grand Hury
Assessor
Township
Limited Government
The idea that government was not all-powerful
Another English Idea ( will see how this idea form through different documents we are looking at during class today)
Representative Government
The thought that the government served the will of the people

2. The Road to Independence
Colonial Period & The Colonial Mindset:
Organized government into institutions and introduced roles
Limited Government
Government is NOT all powerful.
Representative Government
Government serves will of the people
King George Takes the British Throne in 1760:
Introduces new taxes & more taxes imposed on the colonies.
Colonists feel as if they are being mistreated by the crown.
No taxation without representation-We want a voice in our government!!
Colonists begin to protest, organize resistance movements, etc. (Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party).
Before 1760
Parliament took little part in the management of the colonies
Technology colonist were governed from London but since it was so far away colonist used a measure of self-governing .
Left matters of colonial administration almost entirely to the crown.
Legislative assumed lawmaking powers
Colonial Unity
Many new England settlement joined in orde r to form an defense against the Native American.
An early attempt in trying to unify colonist was first tried in 1643 to form a conferdeship
Dissolved in 1684
George III
Begins to rule the colonies firmly
Come to the throne in 1760
restrictive trade acts
new taxes
Colonist felt they were being treated badly
The Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act of 1765
Law required the use of tax stamps on all documents (legal)
Taxation without Representation
Created the Declaration of rights and Grievances against the policies and send to the king
All colonist except for Georgia sent delegates to NY for the stamp act Congress
Parliament repealed the stamp Act but new laws still came
Boycotts against English goods and mob violence
Boston Massacre (March 5th 1770)
Protests multipled
Organized resistance formed
Boston Tea Party (December 16th 1773)
The First Continental Congress
Delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia in September 5th 1774 for the first continental congress
1774 Parliament passed the intolerable acts in response to the troubles in Boston
Discussed the situation
Sent the declaration of rights to the crown protesting the colonial politics
The Second Continental Congress
British government refused to compromise
Second continental congress met in Philadelphia in may 10th 1775
Revolutionary war had began
All 13 colonies sent representatives
Hancock chosen as president
Army created and Georgia Washington appointed commander in chief
First national Government
The second continental congress became the first national government.
Served as the government for 5 years
No continental base
Exercised both the legislative and executive power.
Declaration of Independence
Benjamin Franklin
Written by
John Adams
Roger Sherman
Robert Livingsten
Signed July 4th 1776
Thomas Jefferson
Proclaimed existence of a new nation
2/3 of the document talks about what lead to the revolution

3. Enlightenment Philosophers
John Locke was a 17th century English writer. Locke believed that people can live in the state of nature-that is without any ruler as long as people had enough food and protection.
The human desire for self-preservation will lead people to form governments. Therefore people entered into a Social Contract.
Government is based on an agreement between people and their rulers. He felt that people have the right to life, liberty, and property.
In order to give up absolute freedom for protection, the people formed governments to limit certain freedoms in order for government to protect their natural rights, or rights given to us by god.
John Locke

4. Government, was necessary to restrain humanity’s bestial tendencies because life without government was but a state of nature.
State of Nature: A place without written, enforceable rules. A place without government.
Without government people would live like animals- foraging for food, stealing and killing when necessary.
To escape the horrors of the natural state to protect their lives, people must give up certain rights to government.
Without government Hobbes warned life would be Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.
Thomas Hobbes

5. Rousseau's most important work is The Social Contract, he claimed that the state of nature was a primitive condition without law or morality, which human beings left for the benefits and necessity of cooperation.
According to Rousseau, by joining together into civil society through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural right, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free.
This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others-All men are created equal.
Jean Jacques Rousseau

6. Baron De Montesquieu who wrote the Spirit of the Laws adopted Hobbes's and Locke’s theory of the Social Contract.
He argued that the best form of government is one that fits best with the “peculiar character of its people.”
His most critical contribution was his theory about liberty which held that government power was best when divided into branches of government such as a legislative, executive and judicial.
Baron De Montesquieu

7. After the pamphlet Common Sense a plan was developed to declare Independence.
Congress named a committee of Five; Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston to prepare a proclamation.
Many delegates had serious doubts about the wisdom of declaring a separation and continuing a war
On July 4th 1776 the Declaration was signed