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1500 BCE
Moses
In the Old Testament Moses received the ten commandments.
Moses called for everyone to be treated equally and for all laws to apply to everyone equally, Including kings. He sets forth rules for a fair trial. -
600 BCE
Old Testament
The ten commandment was like a covenant, (an ancient Jewish term) meaning a special king of agreement between people and God, this influenced the colonial governments forming & contributed to our constitutional structure. -
100
New Testament
Biblical idea of covenant (meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure.).
Limited Gov. & Representative Gov. -
1215
The Magna Carta
Unfair taxation & cruel treatment of prisoners.
Forced King John to recognize their rights and sign Magna Carta.
This protected the people from unjust punishment by the government and from the levying of taxes without popular consent. -
The 13 English Colonies
A governor, legislative body, & a court system.
British believed that all colonists owed allegiance to the monarch.
Many people, including women and the enslaved, could not vote.
9 of 13 colonies had an official or established church, and many colonists remained intolerant of religious dissent.
Colonial governments established practices that later became a key part of the nation’s system of government
2 Foundations -
The Mayflower Compact
A written contract that the pilgrims governed themselves by.
Huge influence on government and Constitution. -
The Constitution of Connecticut
Huge influence on the Founders of America. -
The English Bill of Rights
Parliament passed this bill that put limits on monarchy. This influence was felt directly in the American colonies.
¨No taxation without representation.¨ -
The House of Lords
The members of the upper chamber. First sons of noble families and later members who inherited their positions. -
The House of Commons
Members of the lower chamber.
These people were often younger sons of noble families or wealthy commoners. US house of representatives is in the lower chamber. -
The Enlightenment
Intellectual movement.
A group of philosophers including John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire, sought to apply the rights of scientific inquiry to study human society. They developed rational laws to describe social behavior and applied their finding in support of human rights (natural rights) and liberal economic theories. -
The French & Indian War
A struggle between French and British over lands in what is now western Pennsylvania and Ohio led to the start of the war in 1763.
This left Britain in huge debt.
British wanted colonists to pay that debt. -
The Stamp Act
King George the third, levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products.
imposed the first direct tax on the colonists required them to pay a tax of legal documents, pamphlets, and even playing cards. Many colonists didn´t pay for british goods anymore. -
The English Common Law
Used in the courts of england.
Common law and its commentaries is based on custom, usages, and general principles found in court decisions that serve as precedents to be applied to situations not covered by statutory law. Social contract
Natural Right of Man
Unalienable RIghts -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor.
the Boston Parliament finally passed the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts and closed Boston Harbor. -
The First Continental Congress
delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia for the Congress. They were trying to decide what to do about the relationship with Great Britain.
They imposed an embargo to prohibit trade with England and agreed to boycott British goods. King wanted to fight back, British Redcoats clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord.This skirmish was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
The Second Continental Congress
delegates from all thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775.
immediately assumed powers of a central government.
They declared independence, & On July 4, 1776 the Congress approved the final draft of the declaration. First signed by J. Hancock in big writing. -
The Declaration of Independene
This is one of most famous documents in world history. It stirred the hearts of American colonists. No government before in world history had been founded on the principles of human liberty and consent of the governed.
Preamble
Statement of Purpose and basic human rights
A List of Specific Complaints or Grievances against King George III
The Conclusion -
The Articles of Confederation
The plan didn’t go into ineffective immediately because it had to be approved by all thirteen states.
By March 1781, all thirteen states had ratified, or approved the Articles.
simple, central and natural gov.
