English Government

1. English Government

2. Who made the laws? • Legislature – lawmaking body of a government • Parliament – legislative body in Britain

3. In 1215, nobles forced King John to sign this document giving nobles certain rights, especially over land ownership • Showed the king would now have limits to power by guaranteeing no one was above the law • Rule of Law • Viewed as the most important document in the history of government • Established the concept of limited government • Page 768 Magna Carta

4. Magna Carta

5. King Henry III met with nobles regularly • Developed into Parliament or the legislative body for England • Britain moved from an Authoritarian Absolute Monarchy to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy by the late 1300s Parliament

6. 1688 – Parliament removed King James from his position • Showed parliament was the true power of England • 1689 – English Bill of Rights • Gave parliament power to raise taxes, make laws and control the army • Monarch could not suspend Parliamentary laws • Parliament is the TRUE power • Parliament would be elected freely • Free speech & a right to trial were established • Banned cruel & unusual punishment Other Key Events in English Gov’t History

7. Based on precedents (an earlier ruling in a similar situation) • Rests on Court decisions rather than lawmakers Common Law

9. Greatest influence on American government • Philosophy in which reason or ability to think was used as the basis for authority • Examples • Documents: Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights • People: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson The Enlightenment

10. Rule of Law – Magna Carta – no one is above the law • Limited Government – Magna Carta & John Locke– government is not all powerful, it may only do what people have given it to do • Consent of the Governed – John Locke – citizens source of power • Individual rights – John Locke – seen in the Declaration of Independence – protected by the government Principals of American Democracy

11. Representative Government – government represents the wants & needs of citizens • Majority Rule – When differences arise, we will abide by what most people want • Minority Rights – at the same time as going with the majority, we will respect the rights of the minority Principals of American Democracy cont.

12. English philosopher – believed in limited government • Wrote the Second Treatise of Government • Natural Rights • People have certain rights that cannot be taken away • Life, Liberty & Property • His ideas led to the rebirth of democracy • “Whenever Law ends, Tyranny begins.” – Second Treatise of Government • Class Discussion: What do you think he means by this quote? John Locke

13. Helped develop the Social Contract Theory with Jean Jacques Rousseau • Government is bound by contract with its people but people give up absolute freedom • In exchange, the government protects the rights of citizens • The role of government is protect citizens’ rights • If the government is not doing this, the people can redefine their government (EX: vote them out of office) • If the government itself infringes on the rights of people or seriously undermines the people, the people have a right to revolution