The Development of US Democracy

The Development of US Democracy

Objective In this lesson, you will

Government Through the Middle Ages The phrase "modern democracy" refers to the fact that we practice a modern version of a very

_______ form of government.

Ancient Greece Because of Athens's _________ size, its citizens were able to participate directly in decision

making through the Athenian ________________, which was open to all Athens citizens. This

system is an example of ____________ democracy, in which citizens _________ directly on all of

the decisions of the government. Ancient Rome In 27 BC, Rome established a ___________________ democracy known as the Roman Republic.

Many of the elements of the government of the Roman Republic were adapted by the founding

fathers and are still used by democratic governments today, including the ________________

system of government, the idea of _________ and balances, the separation of powers, __________,

and a system of codified laws. Feudalism Kings or powerful lords granted tracts of land, called _________, to nobles

who were loyal to them. In return, these lords, known as ___________,

promised to provide

___________ to fight for their lord when necessary.

On each fief, daily life centered around the __________, a self-sufficient agricultural community.

Serfs, the peasants who ____________ the manor's land, gave their labor and most of their

produce to their lord in exchange for use of the land and protection from ___________ by

invaders. The Magna Carta

One of the first attempts at defining individual __________ occurred in England through a document

known as the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was the first document to establish the principle that

leaders, even _________, were not above the ______. It also established the right to a speedy

__________ and the right of the Great Council (which represented the nobility) to approve

___________ proposed by the monarchy. The principles of the Magna Carta directly influenced the

US ___________________ and the Bill of Rights.

The Enlightenment The period known as the Enlightenment profoundly affected the ___________________ of

government in the United States. During the Enlightenment, philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes,

John Locke, and Charles-Louis Montesquieu began formulating theories that undermined the idea

that the king received ________________ from ________. These men and other Enlightenment

philosophers strongly influenced the _______________

Fathers' ideas about liberty, natural __________, the social contract, and ____________ sovereignty.

Thomas Hobbes

(1588−1679)

Hobbes believed that, for the purpose of maintaining order, people

naturally give up certain rights to a government in a social

_____________. Hobbes stated that without this contract "the natural

state of men, before they were joined in society, was a _______, and not

simply, but a war of all against all." Hobbes believed that the only

________ for such a war was the creation of a strong government with

almost ______________ power. He believed people would freely give

up their right to govern themselves in order to know peace.

John Locke (1632−1704)

Locke argued in his book Two Treatises of Government that in the

prehistoric state of nature, people had possessed natural

___________ and that the only reason for the existence of a

government was to ________________ those rights.

Locke argued (in his Second Treatise) that the people had the right—in

some cases, the ________________—to overthrow a tyranny (an

absolute and unjust government) that ________________ their natural

rights.

The second attempt at defining individual rights occurred following the

_______________ __________________ of 1688 in England. Before William and

Mary took the throne from King James II, they had to sign the English Bill of Rights,

which took away many ______________ of the monarchy. The English Bill of

Rights expressed the idea that English subjects had certain

_______________ rights that no government could arbitrarily take away.

Colonial and Revolutionary America Upon arriving in the New World, the English settlers immediately began to set up governments,

building upon the political traditions of their home country.

Colonial Governments In some of the colonies, those who had ______________ the foundation of the colony

determined the structure of government. In other colonies, however, the settlers themselves

______________ how they would govern their new home.

Charles-L ouis Montesqui eu (1689−175 5)

The eighteenth-century French philosopher Montesquieu

developed the political theory known as ________________ of

powers in a book called De l'Esprit des Lois ( On the Spirit of the

Laws ).

Montesquieu believed that when you separate the tasks of

government into different branches, those branches then have the

power to __________ each other.

Sir William Blackstone (1723−1780)

William Blackstone was an English judge who is best known for his

book Commentaries on the Laws of England . Within Commentaries ,

Blackstone advocated for the traditional definition of

______________ law. ______________ law is the idea that all

people are held to the _________ interpretation of the law as defined

by previous judicial rulings (also known as __________________).

For instance, even before landing in the New World, the Pilgrims signed the _________________

Compact, agreeing to abide by laws that they would create themselves, establishing the concept

of ______________ of the governed early in the colonial experience. This contributed to the

creation of America’s representative democracy.

Mercantilism The American colonies played an important role in the ____________ Empire, increasing the

Empire's wealth through mercantilism. Mercantilism was an _______________ ___________

popular from 1500 to 1800 in which nations encouraged ___________ as a means of collecting

_________ and silver. The American colonies supplied many important products to England,

including fur, ________, sugar, cotton, tobacco, and ___________ (a plant used to make blue dye).

In return, the colonists were expected to import manufactured and processed __________ such as

iron products and _______.

French and Indian War England's struggle with _____________ for dominance in North

America

culminated in the French and Indian War. The war was a turning point in

the relationship between the colonies and the __________. After its

victory, England took possession of huge _________ of French territory.

The new king of England, George III, decided that the new situation

demanded closer ____________ over the colonies. Changes in Imperial Policy King George III and Parliament decided that the colonists should bear some of the __________ of

protecting and administering the vast area acquired from ___________ following the French and

Indian War. Parliament passed several new _________ that shifted some of the _____________

costs to the colonies themselves. One of these new taxes, the ___________ Act of 1765, required that

all printed materials be stamped to indicate that a special tax had been _________.

The Crown also pursued its mercantilist policies more actively by instituting a new tea

_________________, while at the same time enforcing __________ regulations more strictly. Until

the French and Indian War, _________________ to British rule was nearly nonexistent. The

Crown's attempts to redefine its relationship with the colonies, however, triggered an __________

reaction from the colonists, who felt that their traditional right to a say in taxation policies was being

_____________ away.

Colonial Grievances Against the Crown "No taxation without ____________________!" was the rallying cry for

those who opposed the new policies. In the face of widespread protests by

colonists, Parliament ______________ the Stamp Act in 1766 but kept the

tax on tea in place. In doing so, Parliament declared explicitly that it still had

the __________ to tax the colonies.

As a result of the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the following acts: • Boston Port Act • Administration of Justice Act • Quartering Act • Quebec Act

The Continental Congress decided to boycott all goods imported from Great Britain beginning December 1, 1774. This measure meant to ensure Parliament’s cooperation in repealing what had become known as the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were an attempt by Parliament to limit patriot radicalism in the land known as New England.

Summary How did the French and Indian War lead eventually inspire the colonists to form the first Continental Congress?