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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Guarantee of limited government (government’s power was not absolute)
Protecting people from unjust punishment by the government and from the levying of taxes without popular consent -
Colonial Charters
Divided the power of government among the governor, the legislative assembly, and the courts -
Colonial Legislatures
Rejected tradition of the king acting as head of the church
Puritans wanted freedom to organize churches and choose its ministers
Church members elect their government
Each town in Massachusetts elected two members of the general court -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
People have the right to elect the governor, judges, and representatives to make laws -
John Locke
People have “natural rights”
Right to life, liberty, and property
People create a government to protect their natural rights
If that government failed to protect those rights, people were justified in rebelling and changing that government -
English Bill of Rights
Restarted the traditional rights of citizens in trial by jury and abolished the cruelty, fines, and unjust punishment
Set clear limits of royal power -
Enlightenment
Challenged the role of leaders who claimed to have power because of divine rights, or by God-given authority, and began to consider different ideas about what makes government legitimate -
Articles of Confederation
All 13 states ratified or approved articles
No national court system, no president or king
Unicameral or single-chamber legislature
Each state since between two and seven delegates to Congress
Each state’s delicates must vote as a unit
Each state had one vote in Congress
State governments could do everything not mention specifically in the article’s -
Period: to
Federalist Papers vs anti-Federalist Papers
Federalist papers were a series of 85 essays and were published in New York newspapers as a tool to convince readers to adopt the new constitution. Anti-Federalist Papers were a collection of articles, written in opposition to the ratification of the 1787 United States Constitution. -
Period: to
Federalists vs Anti-federalists
Federalists were in favor of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the creation of the federal union with a strong central government. Anti-Federalists were opponents of the U.S. Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. They believed that the Constitution would create a monarchy or limit states’ rights. Both believed citizens had rights that should be protected, believed in American independence and freedom, and agreed to the Bill of Rights as a compromise.