English Quest for Self-Government World History (Monday, February 6th, 2012)

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions

• Nations that achieve self-government usually obtain that power from the existing political and economic institutions.

• What doctrine did the Magna Carta solidify in 1215?

• Why is the Petition of Right an important document in the English quest for self-government?

• What were the causes and results of the English Civil War?

• Does the Restoration represent a failure in self-government?

• Why is the Glorious Revolution a continuation of the English Civil War and yet something different as well?

• How did the Reform Bill advance the English quest for self-government?

Vocabulary of Instruction

• Freedom

• Self-government

• Political Revolution

• Rule of Law

• Equality Before the Law

• Rights

• Responsibilities

• Political Systems

• Secularism

• Individualism

• Enlightenment

• Historical Points of Reference

Background Information (1)

• The Magna Carta was truly what got the ball rolling toward the British evolution of self-government.

• The Magna Carta is often considered the “foundation of our liberties”.

• While the Magna Carta did secure some freedoms such as rights of widows and wards, its main focus was on the barons and their rights to hold courts and to approve such things as taxes before the King could levy them.

• The Magna Carta was the barons’ most memorable accomplishment.

• It served to guarantee the freedom of the church, fair taxation, controls over imprisonment (habeas corpus), and the right of merchants to come and go freely.

Background Information (2)

• The Magna Carta has two key points:

1. It established the rule of law.

2. It enabled the development of the ideas of the right to due process.

• The Magna Carta included several clauses (61) that all dealt with the fair and equal treatment of nobles and knights.

• The whole point of the Magna Carta was to basically have all the “rules” written down.........Sort of like Hammurabi’s Code.

• One major fact about the Magna Carta was that it officially limited the King of England’s power and removed the title of “Absolute Monarch”.

• This gave the English commoners a way to establish a system of fair and equal treatment of themselves over time.

Background Information (3)

• Soon, institutions such as Parliament were created that would begin to play a significant role in English self-government.

• The three most significant events in English history that lead to this concept of “self-government” were as follows....

1. The Petition of Rights.

2. The English Civil War.

3. The Glorious Revolution.

The Petition of Rights

• The Petition of Rights limited the power of the monarch to raise taxes without the approval of Parliament.

• Also, it gave all men the right to a court trial if accused of committing a crime.

The English Civil War & The Glorious Revolution

• The English Civil War led to political struggles between the monarch and Parliament.

• Parliament won a short-lived victory (as the monarch would be restored to power in eleven years).

• However, the restored absolute monarch was also short lived as the Glorious Revolution removed the Catholic James II from the throne and replaced him with the king of the Parliament’s choosing.

Background Information (4)

• The final steps toward self-government were the Reform Bills of 1832, 1867, and 1884.

• These bills (also known as “acts”) expanded the right to vote to adult, working class men of Great Britain.

• This enabled the average man the right to vote for their ruler.

• Britain was starting to look more and more democratic at this point!

Engage

• Limited Government

• What does it mean to have limits?

• Do you think that our government here in the US is limited?

• What document(s) provide support to your response?

• Democracy

• The US is obviously very democratic. We as Americans feel a strong sense of pride toward our democratic way(s) of life.

• Do you feel that this is the best form of govenment? Why or why not?

Engage • Liberty

• How can having too much liberty (or freedom) be a bad thing?

• Rights • What is the difference between a right and a privilege?

• Do you think that a right can be earned? What about a priviledge?

• Do you think that the idea of “Universal Human Rights” is just? Why or why not?

• How could the topics introduced during Unit 6 have impacted the evolution of society that we are learning about today? (Enlightenmen ideals, natural laws, natural rights, humanism, etc...).

Explore

• Why is the Magna Carta such a big deal?!?

• It’s just a piece of paper.....

Explore

• Well, is not our US Bill of Rights “just a piece of paper”?!?

• Doesn’t this “piece of paper” ensure every American citizen’s rights?

• Doesn’t this “piece of paper” protect each American citizen against the power of a potentially harmful federal government?

• Doesn’t this “piece of paper” make America what it is.....

Explain

• Let me make one thing very clear...

• The Magna Carta has as much to do with our individual liberties in America as the US Bill of Rights does.

• If not for the revolution caused by this “Magna Carta”, self-government might have never developed.

• If this document had not limited the power(s) of the so-called “absolute monarch”, perhaps we would all still have to answer to a British king and pay heavy taxes to a government that we have never seen.

• This document, though originally designed to aid the nobles and knights, has aided the development of democracy world-wide.

For Tomorrow

• Be sure that you check my website this afternoon/evening or even tomorrow before school so that you can get the necessary materials for class.

• We are going to be learning more about the birth and development of self-government tomorrow.

• We are going to be taking “Cornell Notes”, so be sure to have your school materials!!!!!!

• We all need to start coming to school prepared for success, so be sure to do your job tonight!