1. U.S. government was influenced by English traditions
2.1 Early Influences
U.S. government was influenced by English traditions

2. An English Heritage
There are two main ways that England has influenced our government
1. Limited Government
2. Representative Government

3. Limited Government
Magna Carta- An English document that established limited government in England.
It gave people accused of crimes the right to a trial by their peers
Established the rule of law in which even the rulers must act according to set laws

4. Representative Government
England has Parliament that represents the people, this is similar to our Congress
Overtime Parliament greatly limited the power of the monarchy in England
Two important documents contributed to this the Petition of Right and the English Bill of Rights

5. The Petition of Right
This document limited the monarchy in a number of ways
1. It required that the monarchs get Parliament’s approval before they acted
2. It said monarchs could not imprison people illegally
3. They could not force citizens to house soldiers in their homes
4. Or establish military rule during times of peace

6. The English Bill of Rights
This document established that the monarchy could not rule with out consent of Parliament
It included a right to petition the government without any fear
It also established free parliamentary elections
It forbid the king from maintaining an army without Parliament’s consent

7. Assignment
1. In what two ways has our government been influenced by the British?
2. What protections did the Magna Carta provide for English citizens? Do we have these same protections?
3. What group represents the people of England? What is the American equivalent?
4. Explain the importance of the Petition of Right.
5. How did the English Bill of Rights limit the power of the Monarchy?