Lesson 2 Fall 2024 PDF

Lesson 2  Reasons for Independence Why are the colonists seeking independence? ___________________________ Political reasons Lack of representation in parliament (see pg. 34). Economic reasons _____________________________ Taxation; England took all profits with...

Lesson 2  Reasons for Independence Why are the colonists seeking independence? ___________________________ Political reasons Lack of representation in parliament (see pg. 34). Economic reasons _____________________________ Taxation; England took all profits with regards to trade (see pgs. 34-36). Cultural reasons ____________________________ Illegitimacy of government (see pg. 36). Two Ideas on How Government works… Divine Right of Kings __________________________ Social Contract ____________________________ The dominate theory of gov. at the The new prospective of gov. at time the time Power is held by the monarch Power is held by the people Power is given by nature Power is given by God (natural rights) Government is formed by divine Government is formed by right; king is God’s representative consent of the people on earth The people retain considerable No power is retained by the people power Revolution against the king was a Citizen can revolt and form a new government sin against God The Influence of John Locke The American revolutionary generation drew many of its ideas from the English philosopher John Locke ________________________________ (1632–1704). The most significant contributions of Locke, a seventeenth- century English philosopher, were his ideas regarding the relationship between government and natural rights, which life were believed to be God-given rights to_______________, liberty ___________________, and property ________________________________ (see pgs. 32-33). The Influence of John Locke Locke proposed that people sacrificed a small portion of their freedom and consented to be ruled in exchange for the government’s protection of their lives, liberty, and property. Locke called this implicit agreement between a people and their government the social contract _____________________________________. Furthermore, should government deprive people of their rights by abusing the power given to it, the contract was broken, and the people were no longer bound by its terms. The people could thus withdraw their consent to obey and form another government for their protection (see pg. 33).  What Is The Declaration of Independence? Declaration of Independence The _____________________________________ is a political document that dissolved the colonial ties between the United States and Britain (see pg. 36). It justified what makes government legitimate. unalienable rights (aka natural People have_______________________________ rights) that cannot be established nor taken away by governments. citizens It created the notion of ____________________ – people who can claim rights against the government. King George III It blamed ________________________________ for breaking the social contract and listed grievances. The Declaration was viewed as a declaration of treason ___________________ against the British (and against God). The Founders justified independence based on Locke’s ________________________ philosophy. What Is The Articles of Confederation? What Was Our First Attempt at a Constitution? (see pg. 37). The first US Constitution was the Articles of Confederation ___________________________________________ of 1777 (ratified in 1781). States viewed themselves as independent nations _______________________________________. States wanted to retain sovereignty ________________________________. Did not want a full union but instead referred to their relationship as a “firm league of friendship” ______________________________________________. What Is The Articles of Confederation? What type of government was established under the AOC? confederation A ________________________________ is a form of government in which all the power lies with the local units rather than the central unit. Meaning the national government only had power the states allowed it to have (see pg. 37). What did the national government look like? One branch ________________________________ – Congress - each state equal vote had an__________________________. 9 13 It took ________ out of _________ states to pass laws. unanimous It took ___________________________ agreement to pass amendments.  What Is The Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation proved to be too weak! Congress did NOT have the power to...(see pg. 38). Draft soldiers _______________________ Tax citizens _______________________ Regulate _______________________ interstate commerce Establish a central monetary _______________________ system The Constitutional Convention What Was The Constitutional Convention? (see pg. 40). Philadelphia, May to September 1787 Time/Place: _____________________________________ Purpose: Address the problems of the weak central government _________________________________________________ that existed under the Articles of Confederation. Delegation: 55 attendees 39 signed the document. States Represented: 12 of the 13 states were represented Rhode Island (________________________________ refused to attend). Result: An entirely new Constitution to replace the AOC. Division at the Constitutional Convention Federalist _____________________________ Anti-Federalist _____________________________ Generally, from larger states Generally, from small states Wanted a stronger National Preferred a weaker national Government (but still limited) government (wanted states to have more power) Mostly representative of larger Mostly representative of smaller states states Sought a federal system of Wanted a system like a government where power would be confederation; believed a stronger shared between states and the national government would run over national government small states Supported the Virginia Plan Supported the New Jersey Plan (See pgs. 41-42) (See pgs. 41-42) Comparison (see pgs. 41-42) _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _______________________________ Ratification of the Constitution Ratification (see pg. 47-50). Federalists Because the constitution favored the wants of the______________________, the Anti- Federalists were reluctant to ratify the document. Written under a pen name, Publius, “the people.” to convince states to ratify the Constitution John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison set out to author 85 newspaper editorials published to support the Constitution called the Federalist Papers ___________________________________________(see pg. 51). Nevertheless, the Antifederalists Papers are just as intriguing to read, as many of their concerns regarding the size and scope of government have come to fruition! (see pg. 49). Rhode Island Notice which state was LAST to ratify the constitution... ______________________ (see pg. 50). Father of the Constitution, James Madison James Madison (Father of the Constitution) said to harness human nature as it is, not as it should be. (People are self- interested, greedy, and ambitions). Government should be created using internal mechanisms based on human nature to prevent the corruption of power. Separation of powers _______________________________________________ is the division of the government vertically into branches: legislative, executive, and judicial (see pg. 44). Checks and balances _______________________________________________ is the idea that each branch of government has just enough power over the others that their jealously will guard against the overreach of the others (see pg. 44). Federalism _______________________________________________ _ is the division of power between the federal and state governments (see pg. 46).  Federalism ________________________ Enumerated Powers Congressional powers specifically stated in the constitution; Article 1 Section 8 (see pg. 46). ________________________ Concurrent Powers Powers shared by federal and state. 10 ______________________ th Amendment Powers reserved for the states (see pg. 46). What were the Anti-Federalist so afraid of? What were the Anti-Federalist so afraid of? Necessary and Proper Clause The __________________________________________ is the constitutional authorization for Congress to make any law required enumerated powers to carry out its_________________________________. This clause is often believed to give the national government too much power and thus serving as a tool to diminish the power of the states (see pg. 46). Supremacy Clause The __________________________________of the Constitution says that the Constitution itself and all national laws made under it supreme law of the land are the_________________________________________. If a national law clashes with state law, national law will almost always win given if the federal government chooses to implement it (see pg. 46). Amending the Constitution Amending the Constitution (see pgs. 54- 55). Amendments to the constitution are rare because of the complexity of the process and the need to get everyone on board. 27 The Constitution has only been amended 10 ____________ times. _______ of those were added immediately 1 and are known as the Bill of Rights. _____ exist to repeal another (18 prohibition of alcohol and 21 its repeal).