Roots of American Democracy

First Permanent American Colony

• Jamestown, Virginia.• Many colonists in America practiced a

different religion than the official religion of England, making them know as religious dissenters.

Early signs of Democracy in the Colonies

• Mayflower Compact: System of direct democracy, directly influenced system on New England Town meetings in which citizens discussed and voted on important issues.

• House of Burgesses: First representative assembly in Virginia.

English Abuse Power

• English began taxing American colonies heavily to pay for war debts.

• After the Stamp Act – which placed a heavy tax on newspapers and legal documents – colonists began to boycott English goods.

• Colonists had no representation in Parliament to oppose the taxes, so they greatly resented them.

English Abuse Power

• Pass coercive acts after Boston Tea Party – intended to “coerce” colonists into falling in line.

• Known to colonists as “Intolerable acts.”

Declaration of Independence

• Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson• Influenced largely by enlightenment views on

government.• “The power of government should be derived

from the consent of the governed.”

Revolution

Articles of Confederation

• Created to unite the 13 colonies against England for the revolutionary war.

• Set up a unicameral legislature in which each state had 1 vote.

• Allowed central government to control the Army and deal with foreign countries on it’s behalf.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• Lack of Power and Money.– Congress had no power to collect taxes.– Congress had no power to regulate trade.– Congress had no power to enforce its laws.

• Lack of Central Power• No single leader or group directed government policy.• No national court system existed.

• Inflexible• Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states.• The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13

states.

Articles of Confederation Fail

• The colonists did not grant their new central government the power to tax because of their negative experience with Great Britain.

• Basically…the articles of confederation failed because it did not grant the government enough power. If a state didn’t want to follow a law there was no consequence.

Debt Under the A.O.C.

• Unable to collect taxes, congress under the A.O.C. had borrowed money to pay for the revolutionary war.

Lack of Security Under Articles of Confederation

• Shay’s rebellion, an uprising of 1,200 farmers against heavy state taxes, showed that a stronger central force to keep security may be needed in the future.

Setting up a New Constitution – 4 Compromises

1. “The Great Compromise:” counting representation in Congress.

2. The Three-Fifths compromise: how to count slaves towards a states’ population.

3. The Bill of Rights: protecting individual liberties.

4. Electoral College: the presidential election process.

Setting Up a New Constitution

Virginia Plan• Bicameral Legislature• Representation in both

houses based on states’ population.

• Large states favored this plan.

New Jersey Plan• Unicameral Legislature• Equal representation for all

states.• Small states favored this

plan.

The Great Compromise

• Bicameral Legislature.• House of Representatives – Representation

based on states’ population.• Senate – Representation equal for all states.

(2 Senators)

Three-Fifths Compromise

• Northern states did not have many slaves and did not want them counted towards a states population (and therefore representation in Congress).

• Southern states had a lot of slaves and wanted them counted toward their population, even though slaves could not vote and were considered property.

• Eventually the compromise was that 3/5 of all slaves would count towards a states population.

Federalists v. Anti-Federalists

Federalists • Supported a strong national

government.• Many wealthy land-owners

who wanted a strong government to protect their property.

• Believed the Articles of Confederation showed the need for a stronger national government.

Anti-Federalists • Believed a strong national

government would infringe on the liberties won in the revolution.

• Were skeptical of the system, believed it favored wealthy land-owners over the common people.

• Declared they would not ratify constitution without a bill of rights.

The Federalist Papers

• A collection of essays written in support of the constitution (and a strong national government) while it was under debate.

• Published anonymously, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.

• Argued that a strong national government that properly protected individual liberty and the security of the people could be created.

Bill of Rights(First 10 Amendments to the Constitution)

Electoral College

• Debate over whether president should be directly elected or chosen by the national congress.

• Compromise became the state legislatures voting for the president.