Our Political Beginnings Our Political Beginnings
MAG05 CA TE CH02 0111/7/068:09 AMOur PoliticalBeginningsOur Political BeginningsObjectives You may wish to callstudents’ attention to the objectivesin the Section Preview. The objectivesare reflected in the main headings ofthe section.Bellringer Have students name somebasic human rights and freedoms.Then ask them where they got theirideas about what their rights andfreedoms are. Explain that in thissection, they will learn where colonial Americans got their ideas aboutpeople’s political rights and freedoms.Vocabulary Builder Have studentsexamine each term in the PoliticalDictionary for any word parts thatmight be helpful in remembering theterm’s meaning. Ask them to writea possible meaning and then checktheir results in a dictionary.Lesson PlanTeaching the Main IdeasL3H–SS 12.3.31. Focus Tell students that everynation’s government can trace its rootsto influential political ideas, traditions,and documents. Ask students todiscuss what they know about theroots of American government.2. Instruct Ask students to namethe historical English documentsthat embody the basic concepts ofAmerican government. Then lead adiscussion on those documents andhow well the ideas they containedwere applied in the three types ofAmerican colonies. How did religionhelp shape our political beginnings?3. Close/Reteach Remind students ofthe three basic ideas of governmentand the three types of colonies. Thenhave them list the types and describehow well each one exemplified thethree basic ideas of government.Point-of-Use ResourcesBlock Scheduling with LessonStrategies Activities for Chapter 2 arepresented on p. 20.28Page 28ObjectivesWhy It Matters1. Identify the three basic concepts ofgovernment that influenced governmentin the English colonies.2. Explain the significance of the followinglandmark English documents: the MagnaCarta, the Petition of Right, the EnglishBill of Rights.3. Describe the three types of colonies thatthe English established in North America.Our system of government has itsorigins in the concepts and politicalideas that English colonists broughtwith them when they settled NorthAmerica. The colonies served as aschool for learning about government.The American system of government did notsuddenly spring into being with the signingof the Declaration of Independence in 1776.Nor was it suddenly created by the Framers ofthe Constitution in 1787.The beginnings of what was to become theUnited States can be found in the mid-sixteenthcentury when explorers, traders, and settlersfirst made their way to North America. TheFrench, Dutch, Spanish, Swedes, and otherscontributed to the European domination of thiscontinent—and to the domination of thoseNative Americans who were here for centuriesbefore the first Europeans arrived. It was theEnglish, however, who came in the largestnumbers. And it wasthe English whosoon controlled the13 colonies thatstretched for some1,300 miles alongthe Atlantic coast. English settlers broughtto North America a politicalsystem as well as the skillsneeded to create householditems, such as this carvedHadley chest.PoliticalDictionary limited governmentrepresentative governmentMagna CartaPetition of RightEnglish Bill of RightscharterbicameralproprietaryunicameralBasic Concepts of GovernmentThe earliest English settlers brought with themknowledge of a political system—establishedlaws, customs, practices, and institutions—thathad been developing for centuries.The political system they knew was that ofEngland, of course. But some aspects of thatstructure had come to England from othertimes and places. For example, the concept ofthe rule of law that influenced English politicalideas had roots in the early river civilizationsof Africa and Asia.1 More directly, the ancientRomans who occupied much of England fromA.D. 43 to 410 left behind a legacy of law, religion, and custom to the people. From this richpolitical history, the English colonists broughtto North America three ideas that were toloom large in the shaping of government in theUnited States.1For example, King Hammurabi of Babylonia developed a codifiedsystem of laws known as Hammurabi’s Code around 1750 B.C. Its 282laws covered real estate, trade, and business transactions, as well ascriminal law. The code distinguished between major and minoroffenses, established the state as the authority that would enforce thelaw, and tried to guarantee social justice. Because of the Babylonians’close contact with the Hebrews, many of their laws became part ofthe Hebrew law and thus later a part of the Old Testament of theBible—for example, “An eye for an eye.” The English and the Englishcolonists were familiar with and devoutly attracted to this Biblicalconcept of the rule of law.Block Scheduling StrategiesConsider these forsuggestions to manage extendedCustomizeclass time:MoreAdvancedStudents Organizethe classinto three groups, assigningeachstudentsgroup oneof theresearchfollowingdocuments:Haveconductto investigatethetheMagna roleCarta,Petition ofof theRight,or thechangingof the SpeakerHouse.(YouEnglishof Rights.Have eachgroupspeaker.)researchmaywish Billto assigneach studenta specificitsassigneddocumenttodeterminehowAsk students to summarize their research in itbriefhelpedandshapeideasof orderedreportsthentheleada discussionongovernment,the changinglimited government, and representative governrole.ment. Finally, have groups present their information to the class. Have students create maps of colonial Americaidentifying each colony as royal, proprietary, orcharter. Then ask students to create summaries ofthe types of colonies, identifying the similaritiesand differences between them. Have volunteersshare their summaries with the class. Afterwards,lead a discussion on the three types of colonies.
MAG05 CA TE CH02 011/7/068:09 AMPage 29Chapter2 Section 1Foundations of American Rights12151689Magna Carta121776English Bill of Rights311200241400567160023Trial by juryDue processPrivate property456759 10 11818001791RIGHTS1Virginia Bill of RightsBill of RightsNo cruel punishmentNo excessive bail or finesRight to bear armsRight to petition891011No unreasonablesearches and seizures1289 10 1134567Freedom of speechFreedom of the pressFreedom of religionInterpreting Charts The rights established in these landmark documents were revolutionary in their day. They did not, however, extend to all people when first granted. Over theyears, these rights have influenced systems of government in many countries. How mightthe right to petition, first granted in the English Bill of Rights, prevent abuse ofpower by a monarch? H-SS 12.1.1Ordered GovernmentThose first English colonists saw the need for anorderly regulation of their relationships with oneanother—that is, for government. They createdlocal governments, based on those they hadknown in England. Many of the offices andunits of government they established are stillwith us today: the offices of sheriff, coroner,assessor, and justice of the peace, the grand jury,counties, townships, and several others.Limited GovernmentThe colonists also brought with them the ideathat government is not all-powerful. That is,government is restricted in what it may do, andeach individual has certain rights that government cannot take away.This concept is called limited government, andit was deeply rooted in English belief and practice by the time the first English ships reachedthe Americas. It had been planted in Englandcenturies earlier, and it had been developingthere for nearly 400 years before Jamestownwas settled in 1607.Representative GovernmentThe early English settlers also carried anotherimportant concept to America: representativegovernment. This idea that government shouldserve the will of the people had also been developing in England for centuries. With it had comea growing insistence that the people should havea voice in deciding what government should andshould not do. As with the concept of limitedgovernment, this notion of “government of, by,and for the people” found fertile soil in America,and it flourished here.Reading StrategyGetting the Main IdeaDiscuss with students whether ancientideas can still be valid in the modernworld. Ask them how far back inhistory we might go and still findpolitical ideas that are basic to oursystem of government today. Havestudents look for answers to thisquestion as they read.Background NoteCommon MisconceptionsKing John’s signing of the Magna Cartaat the meadow Runnymede in 1215ranks as one of the most famous eventsin the history of government. But KingJohn never really did sign the document.The reason? He didn’t know how towrite his own name. Instead, themonarch signaled his acceptance of theMagna Carta by placing his seal on it.Point-of-Use ResourcesLandmark English DocumentsThese basic notions of ordered government, oflimited government, and of representativegovernment can be traced to several landmarkdocuments in English history.The Magna CartaA group of determined barons forcedKing John to sign the Magna Carta—the Great Charter—at Runnymedein 1215. Weary of John’s militarycampaigns and heavy taxes, theGuided Reading and Review Unit 1booklet, p. 8 provides students withpractice identifying the main ideasand key terms of this section.Lesson Planner For completelesson planning suggestions, see theLesson Planner booklet, section 1.Political Cartoons See p. 7 ofthe Political Cartoons booklet for acartoon relevant to this section. King John’s conflicts with English noblesled to the signing of the Magna Carta.Critical Thinking Could the basic notionsof ordered, limited, and representativegovernment have developed without thesigning of the Magna Carta? Explain your answer.H-SS 12.1.1Organizing InformationTo make sure students understand the mainpoints of this section, you may wish to use theflowchart graphic organizer to the right.Tell students that a flowchart shows a sequenceof events. Ask students to use the flowchart torecord the sequence of English and colonialpolitical ideas that shaped early Americangovernment.Teaching Tip A template for this graphic organizercan be found in the Section SupportTransparencies, Transparency 4.Answers to . . .Interpreting Charts Possible answer:Through petitioning, people wouldalways have the ability to questionthe monarch’s actions.Critical Thinking Answers will vary;students might suggest that withoutthe basic rights established by theMagna Carta, the idea of restrictedgovernment could not evolve.29
MAG05 CA TE CH02 01Chapter1/7/068:09 AMPage 302 Section 1Make It RelevantStudents Make a DifferenceStanford Pugsley discoveredthat it pays to know the wayyour government works. The16-year-old student from SaltLake City, Utah, found a littleknown 1986 law and used it tobecome a member of his localboard of education.Stan wanted to get involved.He thought that “once kids startgetting interested and not justworrying about their own lives,they’ll get the whole view andmake a difference in the world.”To get his start on making adifference, Stan collected 500signatures of his peers, andrequested appointment to theboard as a nonvoting member.That’s what the law required—and that’s how Stanford Pugsleybecame the first student on theSalt Lake City Board ofEducation.L2Have students create crossword puzzles using the vocabulary terms ofthis section. Using definitions fromthe text, students will create a puzzlethat they can exchange with a classmate. Students should complete apuzzle and return it to the originalcreator for grading.ELLPoint-of-Use ResourcesClose Up on Primary SourcesEnglish Petition of Right (1628),p. 55barons who developed the Magna Carta wereseeking protection against heavy-handed andarbitrary acts by the king.The Magna Carta included such fundamentalrights as trial by jury and due process of law—protection against the arbitrary takingof life, liberty, or property. These protectionsagainst the absolute power of the king wereoriginally intended only for the privilegedclasses. Over time, they became the rights of allEnglish people and were incorporated intoother documents. The Magna Carta established the principle that the power of themonarchy was not absolute.The Petition of RightThe Magna Carta was respected by some monarchs and ignored by others for 400 years. Duringthis time, England’s Parliament, a representativebody with the power to make laws, slowly grewin influence. In 1628, when Charles I askedParliament for more money in taxes, Parliamentrefused until he signed the Petition of Right.The Petition of Right limited the king’s powerin several ways. Most importantly, the documentdemanded that the king no longer imprison orotherwise punish any person but by the lawfuljudgment of his peers, or by the law of the land.It also insisted that the king not impose martiallaw (rule by the military) in time of peace, orrequire homeowners to shelter the king’s troopswithout their consent. In addition, the Petitionstated that no man should be:to make or yield“anycompelledgift, loan, benevolence,tax, or such like charge, without commonconsent by act of parliament.”—X, Petition of RightThe Petition challenged the idea of the divineright of kings, declaring that even a monarchmust obey the law of the land.The Bill of RightsIn 1688, after years of revolt and turmoil,Parliament offered the crown to William andMary of Orange. The events surrounding theirascent to the throne are known in English history as the Glorious Revolution. To preventabuse of power by William and Mary and allfuture monarchs, Parliament, in 1689, drew upa list of provisions to which William and Maryhad to agree.This document, the English Bill of Rights, prohibited a standing army in peacetime, exceptwith the consent of Parliament, and required thatall parliamentary elections be free. In addition,the document declaredthat the pretended power of“suspendingthe laws, or theexecution of laws, by regal authority, withoutconsent of Parliament is illegal . . . .that levying money for or to the use of theCrown . . . without grant of Parliament . . .is illegal . . .that it is the right of the subjects topetition the king . . . and that prosecutionsfor such petitioning are illegal . . .”—English Bill of RightsThe English Bill of Rights also included suchguarantees as the right to a fair trial, and freedomfrom excessive bail and from cruel and unusualpunishment.Our nation has built on, changed, and addedto those ideas and institutions that settlersbrought here from England. Still, much inAmerican government and politics today isbased on these early English ideas.The English ColoniesEngland’s colonies in North America have beendescribed as “13 schools of government.” Thecolonies were the settings in which Americansfirst began to learn the difficult art of government.2The 13 colonies were established separately,over a span of some 125 years. During thatlong period, outlying trading posts and isolated farm settlements developed into organized2The Europeans who came to the Americas brought with themtheir own views of government, but this does not mean that theybrought the idea of government to the Americas. Native Americanshad governments. They had political institutions that worked toaccomplish the goals of the state; they had political leaders; and theyhad policies toward other states.Some Native American political organizations were very complex.For example, five Native American tribes in present-day New YorkState—the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, and Mohawk—formed a confederation known as the Iroquois League. The Leaguewas set up to end conflicts among the tribes, but it was so successful as a form of government that it lasted for over 200 years.Preparing for Standardized TestsHave students read the Primary Sources passages from the English Bill ofRights on this page and then answer the question below.What was Parliament’s primary concern in writing the English Bill of Rights?A To limit the power of the monarchy.B To keep the king from pretending things.C To transfer all power from the monarchy to Parliament.D To make petitioning illegal.30
MAG05 CA TE CH02 011/7/068:09 AMPage 31Chapter2 Section 1L2Have students review the first sectionby creating an outline representingthe important ideas in the section.You may want to provide them withthe beginning of the outline:Our Political BeginningsI. Basic concepts of governmentA. Ordered governmentB. Limited governmentC. Representative governmentLPRnticOceancommunities. The first colony,Virginia, was founded with the firstThe Thirteen Colonies, 1775permanent English settlement inNorth America at Jamestown in1607.3 Georgia was the last to beformed, with the settlement ofMASSACHUSETTSSavannah in 1733.NEWEach of the colonies was born outHAMPSHIREof a particular set of circumstances,Portsmouthand so each had its own character.AlbanyBostonVirginia was originally organized as aNEWRHODEYORKcommercial venture. Its first colonistsISLANDPENNSYLVANIACONNECTICUTwere employees of the VirginiaNew YorkPhiladelphiaCompany, a private trading corporaNEW JERSEYNorthtion. Massachusetts was first settled byNew CastleBaltimorepeople who came to North America inDELAWAREVIRGINIAsearch of greater personal and religiousMARYLANDRichmondfreedom. Georgia was founded largelyaas a haven for debtors, a refuge for thetlNORTHACAROLINAvictims of England’s harsh poor laws.But the differences between andWilmingtonSOUTHRoyal coloniesamong the colonies are really of littleCAROLINAimportance. Of much greater signifiProprietary coloniesGEORGIACharles Towncance is the fact that all of them wereCharter coloniesSavannahshaped by their English origins. Themilesmany similarities among all 13 colonies100 200 3000far outweighed the differences.Each colony was established on theInterpreting Maps Despite the different circumstances surroundingbasis of a charter, a written grant ofthe settlement of each colony, they all shared a common Englishauthority from the king. Over time,background. How were royal colonies governed?these instruments of government led tothe development of three differentwere canceled or withdrawn for a variety ofkinds of colonies: royal, proprietary, and charter.reasons, they became royal colonies.A pattern of government gradually emergedRoyal Coloniesfor each of the royal colonies. The king named aThe royal colonies were subject to the directgovernor to serve as the colony’s chief executive.control of the Crown. On the eve of theA council, also named by the king, served as anAmerican Revolution in 1775, there were eight:advisory body to the royal governor. In time, theNew Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York,governor’s council became the upper house ofNew Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Souththe colonial legislature. It also became the highCarolina, and Georgia.est court in the colony. The lower house of aThe Virginia colony did not enjoy the quickbicameral (two-house) legislature was elected bysuccess its sponsors had promised. So, in 1624,those property owners qualified to vote.4 Itthe king revoked the London Company’s charter, and Virginia became the first royal colony.Later, as the original charters of other colonies43St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest continuously populatedEuropean settlement in what is now the United States. St. Augustinewas founded by Pedro Menéndez in 1565 to establish Spanishauthority in the region.The Virginia legislature held its first meeting in the church atJamestown on July 30, 1619, and was the first representative bodyto meet in the North American English colonies. It was made up ofburgesses—that is, representatives—elected from each settlementin the colony. Virginia called the lower house of its colonial legislaturethe House of Burgesses; South Carolina, the House of Commons;Massachusetts, the House of Representatives.Background NoteA Diverse NationIn 1619, a year before the Mayflowerreached Plymouth, the first Africans inEnglish North America reachedJamestown. They were indentured servants, not slaves, and they numberedabout twenty. At th
Our Political Beginnings 1 Lesson Plan Teaching the Main Ideas H–SS 12.3.3 1. Focus Tell students that every nation’s government can trace its roots to influential political ideas, traditions, and documents.Ask students to discuss what they know about the roots of American government. 2.
Our Political Beginnings Carl Johnson Government. Jenks High School. Basic Concepts of Government The beginnings of American government began as early as the mid sixteenth century French, Dutch, Spanish
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Keywords: Herodotus, Herodotean studies, origins of political philosophy, origins of political theory, early history of political thought, beginnings of Western civilization, contemporary social analysis, Sino-Hellenic studies Otto H. Linderborg, Department of Linguistics and Philolog
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