-
384 BCE
The Ideas of Aristotle
Aristotle, a native from Greece and Plato's student, creates many works that have been influential throughout history. His works had a great impact in American politics, as the Founding Fathers considered his ideas when drafting the constitution. Aristotle despised democracy, which is reflected in the American constitution through the established system of representation rather than a direct democracy. -
May 3, 1469
The Ideas of Hobbes and Machiavelli
Machiavelli (1469) and Hobbes (1588) were realists- their legacy in the American constitution is that of creating checks and balances so that no faction or man could abuse or retain power for longer than expected. The Founding Fathers had a realist view of humanity, specifically when it came to money and power. The Government then is created to protect the population from its own "evil nature," which is procured in the form of a social contract. -
The Ideas of Locke
Locke was one of the most influential philosophers for the declaration of independence and the creation of the American constitution. His work "Two Treatises of Government" is considered the Bible of Liberalism. He advocated for the need of law, and for all humans being equal and independent. He also proposed that all humans were endowed with natural rights to liberty, property, and life. This was later changed by the founding fathers to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
Townshend Acts-The English Parliament Imposes New Taxes
Due to struggles in England, as well as the French and Indian War costs, the colonies are demanded to pay duties on imported goods such as tea, glass, paint, paper, among others. Measures are also taken to actively practice colony control through the enforcement of trade regulations. This was a problem because colonies have been mostly left to their own devices up to this point, so it created a lot of discontentment among colonists. -
The Boston Massacre
British troops were deployed to help British officials enforce the new taxation, which had been met with resistance from the colonists. The troops, confronted by a mob of citizens, fired at them and killed five men. The act was condemned as a massacre by patriots, spurring protests against British abuse. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonial patriots board three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea as a form of protests against the new taxation, and against their lack of representation in Parliament. -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia with several delegates representing most colonies. There is a strong force advocating for independence from Britain -
Declaration of Independence
A committee composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston drafted a document that was adopted by Congress on July 4th, called the Declaration of Independence. This document was influenced by the ideas of John Locke -
The Articles of Confederation
The first attempt at a constitution, the Articles of Confederation established a government dominated by the states. The Articles established a national legislature with one house, and each state had a vote. There were no president or national court, which was an intentional action to prevent falling under tyrannical control, as the colonies shad been under British rule. There were many problems that led this system to fail, leading to a new constitution being drafted -
The American Constitution
Locke's ideas of limited government and consent of the governed where some of the pillars to the Constitution, as well as the "Natural Rights" of people. After the failed Articles of Confederation, a postwar depression (from fighting Britain), and Shay's rebellion, a stronger government was needed. The Madisonian Model established the framework for the government, and thanks to the opposition a Bill of Rights was later added.
