United States Government: Democracy in Action

Chapter 2: The Origins of American Government

Chapter Overviews

[logo] Essential Question
How did the critical period of the Revolution and the early years of the republic define our basic government institutions?

Section 1 The Colonial Period
Two basic principles are key to English political thought: limited government and representative government. The seeds for the idea of limited government first appeared in the Magna Carta of 1215. In 1689, Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights, which set clear limits on the monarch. John Locke's Enlightenment ideas introduced a social contract that existed between government and the people it served. English colonists brought their ideas about government to the American colonies. Each of the thirteen colonies wrote a constitution, elected representatives to a legislature, and separated the powers of the executive and legislative branches.

Section 2 Uniting for Independence
The colonists grew accustomed to governing themselves. After the British won the costly French and Indian War, however, King George III levied taxes on goods purchased in the colonies. The colonists protested. In retaliation, Parliament harshly reduced the rights of colonists. Colonial leaders began to work together to take political action against British oppression. The first battle of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1775, and delegates at the Second Continental Congress assumed the powers of the central government. On July 4, 1776, the colonies broke from British rule after signing the Declaration of Independence.

Section 3 The Articles of Confederation
By 1781, all states had ratified the Articles of Confederation, which created a “league of friendship” among the 13 states rather than a strong central government. Each state thought of itself as sovereign. The Articles created an ineffective national government, which was highlighted after Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts. Without money or the ability to impose taxes, the Confederation Congress could not maintain an army for the defense of the states. A growing number of Americans were ready to agree to a strong national government.

Section 4 The Constitutional Convention
In May 1787, delegates at the Constitutional Convention began the daunting task of revising the Articles of Confederation. They eventually agreed to abandon the former government and start fresh. Over the summer, the delegates bitterly debated the question of representation in Congress. Finally, a compromise was reached that formed a bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives based on population, and the Senate with two members from each state. Other compromises allowed counting three-fifths of enslaved persons for purposes of House representation and taxes, banning the slave trade in 1808, giving Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and using the Electoral College system to elect the president. After fervent debates between Federalists who favored the plan and Anti-Federalists who opposed it, the Constitution went into effect on June 21, 1788. George Washington was sworn in as the first president on April 30, 1789. The first session of Congress approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The states ratified 10 of them in 1791, and these became known as the Bill of Rights.

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