C H A P T E R 2 , S E C T I O N 1

OUR POLITICAL BEGINNINGS

MORNING WORK

•Name some basic human rights and freedoms. Where did you learn about them? Who taught you?

FOUNDATION TO BUILD ON

• The English had examples, too……..• The Romans had a

code of laws-43 BCE-410 CE• King Hammurabi of

Babylonia-Hammurabi’s Code-1772 BCE

• Hammurabi’s Code

3 BASIC CONCEPTS OF GOVERNMENT

• 1. Ordered Government• English colonists

established governments with:• Sheriff• Coroner• Assessor• Justice of the peace• Grand jury• Counties• Townships

All with roots in England!

3 BASIC CONCEPTS OF GOVERNMENT2. Limited Government

This is: government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has certain rights that government cannot take away

3 BASIC CONCEPTS OF GOVERNMENT

3. Representative Government-system of govt in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections

THE ENGLISH COLONIES

Virginia-1st permanent English colony-Jamestown-1607

Last-Georgia-1733

JAMESTOWN

• America the Story of Us: Life in Jamestown - YouTube

THE ENGLISH COLONIES

Each colony establishedon the basis of a charter

A written grant of authority from the king

3 kinds of colonies emerged:

Royal colonies

Proprietary colonies

Charter colonies

Let’s look at each of these……

ROYAL COLONIES

• Subject to the direct control of the Crown

• Virginia was the first

• A pattern of govt emerged

• The king named a governor to serve as the colony’s chief executive

• A council was named by the king to serve as advisors to the governor

ROYAL COLONIES CONTD

• The council became the UPPER house of the colonial BICAMERAL (two-house) legislature

• The lower house was elected by those property owners qualified to vote

• The governor appointed judges

• Laws passed by the legislature had to be approved by the king and the governor

THE PROPRIETARY COLONIES• Organized by a proprietor, a person to whom

the king had granted land

• The land could be settled & governed much as the owner chose.

• Examples:• Maryland was granted to Lord Baltimore

(1632)• Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn

(1681)• Delaware to William Penn (1682)

ACTIVITY

• Read the Maryland Toleration Act, 1649

PROPRIETARY COLONIES CONTD

•Govts much like those in the royal colonies

• Exception-the governor was appointed by the proprietor

•Maryland & Delaware-legislatures were bicameral but in Pennsylvania, the legislature was unicameral

THE CHARTER COLONIES• Based on charters granted to the colonists themselves

• Governors were elected by the white, male property owners in each colony

• Laws made by the bicameral legislature were NOT subject to the governor’s veto, nor was the Crown’s approval needed.

• So, most governmental matters were handled by the colonists.

ORIGINS OF THE 3 BASIC CONCEPTS

•Magna Carta -1215 – YouTube

• The Magna Carta included fundamental rights like trial by jury & due process of law

• Established the principle that the power of the monarchy was NOT absolute.