1. 2.1 INFLUENCES ON AMERICAN COLONIAN GOVERNMENT

2. THE FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY
Democracy is a government in which citizens hold the power to rule.
The earliest foundations of democracy found in Judaism.
In 400 B.C., the Greek city-state of Athens created the world’s first democracy.
They used direct democracy, which is when people govern themselves.

3. THE FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY CONT’D
Today we have a direct democracy.
A government based on representative democracy is called a republic.
In 509 B.C., Rome created the world’s first republic.

4. EARLY ENGLISH INFLUENCES
In 1215, English nobles rose up against the king and forced him to sign the Magna Carta.
This document gave more power to the people and limited the king’s power.
This created limited government, which is the principle that the ruler or a government is not all- powerful. n0

5. EARLY ENGLISH INFLUENCES CONT’D
By by 1300’s England created a legislature or a group of people that make laws called Parliament.
In 1689 the English Bill of Rights was signed.
This document gave Parliament control over the monarchy.

6. INFLUENCE OF THE ENLIGHTMENT
During the Enlightenment in the 1600’s, new ideas had a great effect on political thinking in Europe and the Americas.
Niccolo Machiavelli argued that it is safer for a ruler to be feared to be loved.
Thomas Hobbes believed that an agreement, called a social contract, existed between government and the people.
People agree to give up some freedom & ruled by the government. In return government had to protect the people rights

7. INFLUENCE OF THE ENLIGHTMENT CONT’D
John Locke wrote that all people were born equal with certain God-given rights called natural rights.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought people had the right to decide how they should be governed.
Baron de Montesquieu developed the idea that the power of government should be dived up into branches.
Voltaire believed people should have liberty and supported freedom of religion and trade.

9. THE 1ST COLONIAL GOVERNEMNTS
England founded colonies in America throughout the 1600’s.
A colony is an area of settlement in one place that is controlled by country in another place.
The early colonist brought to America the traditions, beliefs, and changes that had shaped England’s government.

10. JAMESTOWN
The first permanent English in North America in by the Virginia Company.
The merchant company was allowed by King James to send colonist to North America.
In 1619, the colony was allowed to make its own laws.
The people elected burgesses to represent them. The assembly was named the House of Burgesses.

11. THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT
In 1620, Pilgrims sailed to Virginia to seek religious freedom.
Their ship, the Mayflower, landed in Massachusetts.
The men drew up a compact, or written agreement.
They agreed to choose leaders & work together to make laws. They also founded the city of Plymouth.
The signers of the Mayflower Compact established a direct democracy.