Chapter 2: Constructing a Government: The Founding and the Constitution
No Taxation without Representation
•
People of every nation tend to glorify their own history
•
Governments encourage a heroic view of the nation’s past as a way of promoting national
pride/unity
•
1
st
principle of politics is that all political behavior has a purpose
First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
•
American revolution and the constitution were expressions of a struggle among economic
and political forces within the colonies
•
There were 5 sectors that were imp in colonial politics
o
New England merchants (elite)
o
Southern planters (elite)
o
Royalists—holders of royal land, offices, & patents (elite)
o
Shopkeepers, artisans, laborers
o
Small farmers
•
Groups were in conflict over issues of taxation, trade, and commerce
•
After 1750 british tax/trade policies split the colonial elite
o
Permitted radicals to expand their political influence
o
set motion that culminated to the US revolution
British Taxes and Colonial Interests
•
beg in 1750s debts/problems faced the british gov
o
needed to find new revenue sources
Colonies
o
1760s they imposed new most taxes
stamp/sugar act greatly affected merchants and southern planters
•
sought to organize opposition to the new taxes
•
“No taxation w/o representation”
•
Organized demonstration
•
Boycotted
•
Forced the crown to abolish most taxes
o
Despite efforts to amend it was hard to end the political strife
•
radicals asserted that the British were unjust
o
began to advocate end of British rule
•
Collective Action
colonists required strong leaders to resolve differences and organize
resistance to British authority
Political Strife and the Radicalizing of the Colonists
•
Boston Tea Party 1773
o
Decisive importance in American history
o
Merchants wanted British to rescind the tea act
o
They still didn’t seek independence
o
Radicals wanted to provoke British to alienate colonists to pave way for rebellion
Purpose of the Boston tea party
succeeded
o
Set into motion cycle of provocations that led to the first continental congress
o
Colonists began to consider the possibility of independence from British rule
The Declaration of Independence
•
Written by Jefferson
•
Adopted by the second continental congress
•
Asserted that the “unalienable rights” could not be abridged by governments
o
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
•
Despite differences of interest it identified and focused on problems, grievances, and
principals that might unify colonial groups
This
preview
has intentionally blurred sections.
Sign up to view the full version.
•
An attempt to forge national unity
The Articles of Confederation
•
America’s first written constitution
•
Adopted by the continental congress in 1777 & lasted till 1789
•
Concerned with limiting the powers of the central gov—Congress
•
No executive branch
•
States had the only right to execute laws
•
Congress had very little power
•
Each state had one vote
•
Powers of Congress
o
Declare war and make peace
o

This is the end of the preview.
Sign up
to
access the rest of the document.
- Fall '08
- LOWI
- Government, national gov, new gov, legit/effective national gov, Liberate national gov
-
Click to edit the document details