Roots of Representative Government

NOTES IN RED

Some Reasons for Growth of Representative Government

Distance from England Colonists accustomed to English traditions and

Parliament Already Self-Governing

How Religion and Virtue Contributed to the Growth of Representative

Government

Religious Freedom one of the reasons they came

Religious groups created communities that were self-governed

Penn Colony was experiment in the possibility of equality and the involvement of citizens in government

Thomas Hooker- - Puritan Reverend from Connecticut. - Influenced the FOC: 1st written Constitution - Believed in democracy, limited government, and consent of the governed

William Penn- -Should be able to live according to your religious beliefs

Important “Fathers” of Freedom

Important “Fathers” of Freedom

John Locke- personal liberty can

coexist with political order.

Consent is the basis for government. Government is a social contract that can

be modified at any time. Legislative and executive branches of

government. Unalienable rights: life, liberty, protection of

property

William Blackstone- -Religious Tolerance. -Self-Defense (2nd amendment). -Natural Rights

Charles de Montesquieu- -added the judiciary to Locke's executive and legislative (3 branches). -Believed that education is necessary for a republic.

William Bradford

-Self-government-Majority rules

Important “Fathers” of Freedom

Mayflower Compact

1620 Social Contract Established Idea of Self-Government and

Majority Rule

Virginia House of Burgesses

1619 First Representative Assembly Began to safeguard individual rights

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1638 First Written Constitution in the Colonies People had right to elect Governors, Judges,

Legislatures Written by the people and written down

Magna Carta

• Limited the Power of the King

• Protected the people

English Bill of Rights• Basis for the American Bill of Rights

• Established Free Elections

• Ruler Could Not Cancel Laws or Impose Taxes

• No Excessive Fines or Punishments