Government in the Colonies The Mayflower compact was the very first example of government in the colonies. When the settlers arrived in America they soon realized that they would need a form of government. On November 11, 1620 forty one english colonists sat down and wrote the Mayflower compact on the ship. This was a very important moment in our country's history, if this did not happen we would not have our country today. Abusive British Treatment In the seventeen hundreds the British were in debt because of wars they fought in the past. The war that they were needing to pay off was the French and Indian war that was fought against the French in America. So when the the British were under pressure to reduce high taxes at home they …show more content…
turned to the colonies and began to increase taxes on the American Colonists. They were using the colonies as a source of revenue so that the citizens in Britain would not get upset. The first tax they added to the colonies was in 1765 called the Stamp Act. When the British introduced this tax they thought is was very reasonable and would not upset the colonists. What the british did not realize is that this broke the natural rights of philosophy which was the consent of the governed. Before this the colonists had very little trouble with the British government but this act would change the way the colonists were governed. The colonists believed that the could be governed by their own people. This began the common phrase “no taxation without representation” because the colonists believed that their voice should be represented in the British government. After this the colonist began to rally, calling themselves the Sons of Liberty. They began to come together and try to resist the control of the British government. With colonist rioting about the Stamp Act and how it was unfair that the colonies voices were not being represented the British government needed to do something. So they released the Quartering Acts. This act forced colonists to allow British soldiers into their homes and for them to take care of them. This went against the petition of rights. This further inflamed the colonists. Then in 1773 the British government enforced an act called the Tea Act. This act came about as a way to show the colonies that the British government can and would tax the colonies. But all that this did was make the colonist even more mad and lead to the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was when American colonist threw all of the tea overboard in the harbor as a protest against the Tea Act. After the Boston Tea Party the British were so angry that they released another set of acts that were called the Intolerable Acts. These acts closed the Boston harbor which meant that there would be no trade allowed there. Also they began to limit Massachusetts government by giving more power to the royal governor, limiting town meetings, bringing in massive amounts of British troops to the colonies, and weakening the courts. This angered the colonist and lead the to writing the Declaration of Independence. With all of the abusive treatment by the British happening the colonies needed to do something about it.
So in the fall of 1774 twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to a meeting that was in Philadelphia to figure out what they would do about the British Government. This meeting was called the first continental congress. During the meeting the representatives from the colonies each decided to have their own ban on trade with the British to try to get the British government to change their policies with the colonies. But soon after the meeting British officials ordered officers to arrest some of the main colonists leading the meeting in Massachusetts because they said it was an irresponsible act of defiance against the government. This just pushed the colonists closer to declaring war against the British because they were failing to protect their rights. With this many people wanting to declare war on the British. colonist began to form militias called Minute Men, which were men that would be ready in a minutes notice if the British were going to …show more content…
attack. Then on April 19, 1775 war broke out when British troops tried to march to Concord where minutemen had their arms and ammunition. Luckily the colonist were warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes who rode on horseback telling everyone that the British were coming. Then later on that day when the British soldiers and minutemen met between Concord and Lexington war broke out which was later called “the shot heard around the world”. In the summer of 1775 the second Continental Congress was called to discuss important matters in the colonies. The calling for a second Continental Congress was due to the fighting with the British, a need for independence, and the idea of forming a national government. During this meeting they focused on whether or not to separate from Great Britain because many thought the British government was failing to protect the citizens rights. Then on June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee introduced two propositions to the second Continental Congress, one was for independence and the other was a form of government for the colonies. From what he introduced came the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was a written announcement that would inform everyone that the colonies would no longer be a part of the British empire. The colonies felt like they were being governed incorrectly so they made the decision to leave so that they could control themselves. The declaration was the summary of all the complaints against the British and how they were treating the colonies. It also says to the king that they believed that everyone has their own rights and not just the rulers. The Declaration of Independence states all of the complaints that the colonies had with the British government and how they were being ruled. One complaint that they had was people's rights are not rights given by a ruler they are rights that are given by God and no government can take away those rights. The colonists also stated that they had an agreement with the king, they would follow him if he would protect their rights and they believed that he was failing to do so. They also said that when a government becomes destructive they would have the right to leave or form a new government. The king was no longer protecting their rights and was committing tyranny against the colonies. The last point that they made was that they had the right to leave and that they would create their own government for themselves. ] Articles of Confederation When the second continental congress made the articles of confederation they made very large mistakes in the government but also fixed many issues the colonists had. One issue that they had was there was a fear of a strong national government, so the founders decided that they would create a weaker national government so that the most of the work would be held in the states. Also they made it so that no state would have a larger say than the other. They did this by only giving each state one vote. The reason that they did this is because with the varying populations there was a fear that some states would have a much larger say than the others in the national government. These actions also produced many consequences that would later hurt the state and the national governments. One issue that they had is that the national government had no money and no way to get it. The congress had no power to tax so the national government had no source of income. Also the national government had no power over the people or the states, the states were only ones who could who could govern their citizens so this meant that if the national government made a recommendation and the states did not obey they would have no way to reinforce their rules. Another issue they had was that there was no way to enforce national trade agreements. Even though congress could regulate trade with other nations they had no power to regulate trade within the states. This allowed other states to make unfair competition for trade between states. The final problem that the articles had is the states would fail to protect their citizens right to property. What was happening is the representatives would form into groups which lead to a majority rule, and allowed them to control the vote and not protect the minority's rights. Constitutional Convention After realizing all of the issues that were in the articles of confederation the founders realized that they needed to make many changes. So, in 1787 they called for a Constitutional Convention to discuss changing the articles or even getting rid of them. The meeting was called in Philadelphia and states each sent representatives. The main reason that the convention was called is that they needed to discuss issues that were happening at the time. The main issue that they were looking to fix is what to do about the Articles of Confederation. On one side there were people that just wanted to fix the problems in the article, but most wanted them to be done away with and a whole new constitution to be written. After discussing this the founders eventually agreed to just make a brand new constitution. Even before the founders all decided to draft a new constitution many of the delegates already decided that they were going to have to make a new one. James Madison had already made a plan for the new constitution and this plan was called the Virginia plan. The key part in the Virginia plan was a strong central government. This scared people because under the articles there was a very weak national government and the states were very strong. Under the Virginia plan there would be 3 branches the legislative, executive, and judicial in the national government. The legislative branch would have two houses, the House of Representatives and a Senate. What caused some issues was arguments over the amount of representatives. This plan stated that the houses number would be affected by the population, which meant the larger states would have a much larger say. There was a second plan during the convention also. This plan was called the New Jersey plan, this plan leaned towards helping the smaller states and did not change the articles very much. In this plan they would only have one house and now would have the power to collect money from the states. Also they would solve the issue of trade within the states by giving congress the power to regulate trade in the states. The executive branch in this plan would have many members and be able to administer national laws, hire other executive officials, and have control over the military. A judicial branch would also be involved and would do things like decide cases with treaties involved, trade, and collecting taxes. Both of these plans had good and bad ideas so the founding fathers decided to take the good parts from both, but since the New Jersey plan was introduced later on many of the delegates had already decided that there needed to be a stronger central government.
The vote on what plan to use was on June nineteenth. Even though the New Jersey plan was supported the Virginia plan got the majority and continued to be the main idea in forming the new constitution. The main issues that they had to compromise on were the how the amount of representatives should be decided and how much power the national government should have. After the convention the federalists, the people who wanted the ratification of the constitution, wrote the a paper called the Federalist Papers. This article helped explain the reasons for the changes and why they needed to ratify them. The writers of these article were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. If it wasn’t for them writing these articles the people would not have ratified the constitution and we would not have the government we have
today. After the constitution was finally ratified the new system of government was finally in place. They decided to have a capital city which is where the national government is located. Today the capital is Washington D.C. George Washington was the first president and set the standard for all of the upcoming presidents. Now elections are every four years and our president is Barrack Obama. The number of representatives is now determined by congress and the population of your state but there can be only 435 total. For the senators there is a limit of 2 per state, which means there are 100 senators. One of the deals that they made during the convention is they had to make a bill of rights, the bill of rights contains amendments to make the constitution more clear and lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. Originally there were 10 amendments but currently there are 27
The Mayflower is the story about 102 religious rebels who travel across the Atlantic ocean on a voyage that would change the course of history as we know it. This book is named after the ship that brought these settlers to America. This review attempts to answer the following questions: Is the author objective or biased about the evidence presented? Does the author contribute anything new about the life of the pilgrims? What are some of the limitations of the Author. This review is necessary to be able to understand what the Author is trying to communicate how this story impacts the creation of what would become the United States of America.
The leaders of the anti-Federalists were Patrick Henry from Virginia, George Mason from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee from Virginia, James Monroe from Virginia, George Clinton from New York, Samuel Adams from Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry from Massachusetts, Luther Martin from Maryland, and Samuel Chase from Maryland. The anti-Federalist leaders were men who had their careers and reputations already established. The anti-Federalists were the losers in the Constitution debate. They had accepted their defeat very well. They did not attempt to create problems and start fights or wars. Instead some leaders became well-known leaders in the government. James Monroe was the fifth president. George Clinton, along with Elbridge Gerry became vice presidents. Samuel Chase was in the Supreme Court. The anti-Federalists brought awareness to the subject matter of giving more power to the government and how dangerous it could be. They thought the Constitution could be improved with a bill of rights. They brought awareness to why our government needed to include a bill of rights. They wanted one to protect the rights of the people and the states. The anti-Federalists found the ratification process unreliable. They were correct because the Articles of Confederation stated it being
American history is so much more interesting now than it was when I was growing up! I have just finished reading Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. First of all, I was surprised to see a book on this summers New York Times Best Seller List about a subject so long ago. I would have thought the story about the Pilgrims had been told enough times no one would bother writing another book. Philbrick has written an enlightening account of the 17th century events that shaped our country. It was a story that is well written and enjoyable to read.
The Federalist papers were for the constitution being ratified. They were written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. They consisted of 85 articles and essays. Most of them were published between 1787 and 1788 although; the author’s names were kept a secret until 1818. Hamilton decided to sign the papers “Publius” to keep his name anonymous. Hamilton was the first to publish an essay and soon picked Madison and Jay to assist him. To their surprise, the Federalist papers influenced many of the New York people to vote for having the constitution ratified. On the contrary, the Anti-Federalist papers did not agree entirely with the new Constitution. They were written by many different authors. Although, some of the more popular Anti-Federalists were Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Sam Adams, etc. They were also 85 Anti-Federalist papers. Much like the federalist papers, they Anti-Federalists adopted the name “Brutus”.
After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Great Britain had nearly gone bankrupt paying for the war. The British thought it was only logical to start new taxes against the colonists. After all, to the British, they had fought the war in the name of the colonies and in what they believed was in their best interest. Many different types of taxes came and went to help pay for the debt. Over time, the
From 1787-1790 the development of the American Constitution was a battle between two opposing political philosophies. America’s best political minds gathered in Philadelphia and other cities in the Northeast in order to find common ground in a governmental structure. The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists had both some political thoughts that agreed as well as some political thoughts that disagreed. However, both parties would compromise and ultimately come together.
The Mayflower Compact, signed by some of the earliest settlers of Virginia including John Carter in 1620 was an example of early self-governance in that they established a “frame such just and equall laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices..for the generall good of the Colonie.” They had left Great Britain with the intention to care for themselves and govern themselves. The Mayflower Compact is one of the earliest examples of people coming together to govern themselves and take control of their future and well-being as a colony without Great Britain. Many others followed suit after them in a manner very similar.4
...rader. Committees operating under rules set by the newly created Continental Association enforced a boycott on good from British. The Congress pledged to support Massachusetts if an attack were to happen; meaning all of the colonies would become involved. The American Revolutionary War began at Lexington and Concord a year after congress gave Massachusetts this pledge." it was not immediately clear to British, and even to many Americans, that the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord were the first battles of war." (Brinkley, 128) Colonists prepared a militia, organizing small, armed groups ready for quick action as Minute Men, ready for an open rebellion. At the same time the military governor of Massachusetts began fortifying Boston, despite the discussions underway in Parliament, the Massachusetts military, marched on Concord, where militia supplies were stored.
The Constitution, when first introduced, set the stage for much controversy in the United States. The two major parties in this battle were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, such as James Madison, were in favor of ratifying the Constitution. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, such as Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, were against ratification. Each party has their own beliefs on why or why not this document should or should not be passed. These beliefs are displayed in the following articles: Patrick Henry's "Virginia Should Reject the Constitution," Richard Henry Lee's "The Constitution Will Encourage Aristocracy," James Madison's "Federalist Paper No. 10," and "The Letters to Brutus." In these documents, many aspects of the Constitution, good and bad, are discussed. Although the Federalists and Anti-Federalists had very conflicting views, many common principals are discussed throughout their essays. The preservation of liberty and the effects of human nature are two aspects of these similarities. Although the similarities exist, they represent and support either the views of the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists.
Federalists such as Hamilton supported ratification. But Anti-Federalists, who feared that the document gave too much power to the federal government, worked to convince the states to reject it. Hamilton believed that the ratification was necessary because giving more power to the central government was essential for the nation's survival. In The Federalist Papers Hamilton sets the stage for those that would follow, entitling that "The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty." The essay...
Next came the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws passed by Great Britain to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and to strengthen British control over the Colonies. The Patriots viewed the Acts as a violation of the rights of Massachusetts, and in September 1774 they organized the First Continental Congress to organize a protest. As tensions grew, the American Revolutionary War officially commenced in April 1775.
The Federalist Papers 10 & 51 were essays which helped persuade the citizens of the United States to vote for the federal Constitution. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay used pseudonyms as their names to convince the public. Those who were skeptical of voting for a government, which had many different major powers, were reassured by the founding fathers in their speeches and conventions throughout the U.S.
The Mayflower Compact was signed on November 11, 1620 on board the vessel Mayflower. The Mayflower Compact was signed by forty-one men on board the ship. The main person responsible for this was William Bradford. He said the reason for writing this is he was afraid of mutiny, and another reason was he thought they needed a form of self-government. This document was the first colonial agreement that formed a government by consent of the governed. The compact gave the settlers a plan to frame and enact laws for the general good of the organized settlement.
The first proposals to this new plan were the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan called for a separation of powers among the government’s three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Some states proposed this idea and came up with the New Jersey Plan, which called for all of the states to have equal representation from Congress. In order to move forward from the deadlock of the two proposals, the Connecticut Compromise was enacted. This decided that legislature would be bicameral, which meant that there would be two houses: one would have equal representation and one would be based on state population. This unified the states under a federal system. To this day, there are three types of Fe...
Throughout the years there has been many ways to reassure and keep others happy. The Mayflower Compact is one of the United States foundational documents of great historical significance, it contains literary elements with other important U.S. foundational documents in later centuries. The Preamble to the Constitution is one of the country’s foundational documents, igniting a signal of freedom both to the nation and the world. Last, The Star Spangled Banner is a historical poem that is used for the United States. The themes that the Preamble to the Constitution has in common with the Mayflower Compact and The Star Spangled Banner is unity, freedom, and peace.