Ancient Civilizations

1. Ancient Civilizations Citizenship in Rome was important. In the Roman republic there was an official list of citizens. Citizenship conferred rights and responsibilities. For example, the Roman army was made up of citizen-soldiers. Roman citizens often made good soldiers because they were brought up to value loyalty, courage, and respect for authority. Rome developed one system of law that applied to citizens and another law system for non-citizens. Among the people Rome conquered, Rome gave the highly prized right of full citizenship to a few privileged groups, while other conquered people became partial citizens. In the Greek city-state of Athens, the idea of democracy first took root. Although many were excluded from the democratic process, citizens could gather and directly make important government decisions. ROME=REPUBLIC=REPRESENTATIVE GREECE=DEMOCRACY=EVERYONE VOTES

2. The Magna Carta and the English bill of rights King John ruled England from 1199 to 1216. During his troubled reign, he found himself in conflict with England’s feudal barons. The nobles especially resented John’s attempts to tax them heavily. In 1215, the barons forced John to sign the Magna Carta, or Great Charter. Most of this document was intended to protect the rights of the barons. However, over time, the document came to guarantee some basic rights of English citizens. More importantly, however, the Magna Carta limits the power of the monarch. It includes clauses that protected the rights of all free Englishmen and some clauses that applied even to women. When the colonists came to North America, they brought with them these ideas. The Magna Carta granted rights mainly to nobles, gave the Great Council the right to tax, and protected citizens from arbitrary arrest. The Bill of Rights expanded these protections, placing additional limits on monarchs and bringing them under the law. It gave members of Parliament the right of free speech and the power to deny funds to the monarch. It also forbade cruel and unusual punishment of any citizen

3. The Mayflower Compact The ship called the Mayflower was supposed to take its passengers to start a settlement on the Hudson River. Storms blew the Mayflower off course, and he ship landed in Massachusetts after a long and difficult journey. When the passengers realized they had landed outside the region covered buy their charter, they created a compact to indicate their intention to form a government and obey laws for the good of the colony. The Mayflower Compact was intended to be a temporary instrument of government while colonists wanted for the kings permission to start a colony outside the area they were supposed to settle. The Mayflower Compact is the first document in which colonists set up their own government. It is regarded as the precursor to the Declaration of Independence. “doe by these presents solemnly & mutualy in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine our selves togeather into a civil body politick; for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by vertuehearof to enacte, constitute, and frame, shuch just & equalllawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete & convenient for the generall good of the Colonie: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

4. John Locke In 1690, John Locke published, Two Treatises on Government. In this influential work, Locke argued that people have certain natural rights, that is rights to belong to every human being from birth. These rights included, life, liberty, and property. According to Locke, these rights are inalienable, meaning that they cannot be taken away. Locke challenged the idea of divine right. Divine right is the belief that monarchs get their authority to rule directly from God. According to this belief, any rights that people come to them fro the monarch. Buy contrast, Locke stated that natural rights come from God. He argued that people formed government in order to protect their rights. They give up some individual freedoms by trying to safeguard the rights of the community. Locke’s reasoning led to a startling conclusion. Because government exist to protect the rights of the people, if a monarch violates those rights, the people have the right to overthrow the monarch. This idea would later shape the founding of the United States.

5. Peter Zenger The colonists expected to enjoy the traditional rights of English subjects. A notable court case in 1735 helped establish another important right. This was freedom of the press, the right of journalists to publish the truth without restriction or penalty. John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, was arrested for printing a series of articles that criticized the governor. Zenger was charged with libel, or publishing statements that damage a person’s reputation. Under modern American law, statements must be untrue in order to be considered libel. However, English law at the time punished writing that criticized the government- even if the statements were true. At Zenger's trial, Zenger’s lawyer admitted that Zenger had printed the statements against the governor, however he argued that the articles Zenger published were based on fact and therefore could not be considered libel. The jury found Zenger not guilty of Libel. The Zenger case later helped established a fundamental principle. A democracy depends on well-informed citizens. Therefore, the press has a right and responsibility to keep the public informed of the truth.

6. Baron de Montesquieu A French thinker, the Baron de Montesquieu, influenced American ideas. In his 1748 book, the Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu argued that the powers of government should be clearly defined and limited. Furthermore, he favored separation of powers, or division of the power of government into separate branches. Separation of powers, he said, protects the rights of people because it keeps any individual or group from gaining too much power. Montesquieu suggested that government should be divided into three branches: a legislative branch to make laws, an executive branch to enforce laws, and a judicial branch to make judgments based on law. “There would be an end to everything, were the same man or same body…to exercise those three powers, that of enacting laws, that of executing the public resolutions and of trying the cases of individuals.”

7. Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin began his youth helping his brother James compose pamphlets and set type, which was grueling work. He sell their products in the streets. In 1765, Franklin was caught by surprise by America's overwhelming opposition to the Stamp Act. His testimony before Parliament helped persuade the members to repeal the law. He started wondering if America should break free of England. Franklin, though he had many friends in England, was growing sick of the corruption he saw all around him in politics and royal circles. Franklin, who had proposed a plan for united colonies in 1754, now would earnestly start working toward that goal. Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and worked on a committee of five that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Though much of the writing is Thomas Jefferson's, much of the contribution is Franklin's. In 1776 Franklin signed the Declaration, and afterward sailed to France as an ambassador to the Court of Louis XVI. In part via Franklin's popularity, the government of France signed a Treaty of Alliance with the Americans in 1778. Franklin also helped secure loans and persuade the French they were doing the right thing. Franklin was on hand to sign the Treaty of Paris in 1783, after the Americans had won the Revolution. As a man in his late seventies, Franklin returned to America and became President of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution. One of his last public acts was writing an anti-slavery treatise in 1789.

8. Influences of American Government

9. Recipe for a Government Create a “RECIPE FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT” based on the documents, people, and civilizations from the adjoining page. Your recipe must have 10 ingredients, and 5 step-by-step instructions for creating a government. One picture is required and 4 colors for decorating.

10. Roman Empire SaladIngredients:1 Ambitious General (Julius Caesar)100 SenatorsBarbarian enemies1 Large Mixing European Continent1 Angry Nephew (Octavius)1 scared populationThousands of trained soldiers1 Conspiracy29 Knives1 Prideful Senator (Cassius)1. In the Large Mixing European Continent add the Barbarian enemies to the scared population and the 100 Senators.2. After letting them mix for about 10 years it will begin to boil - add the Ambitious General and the Thousands of trained soldiers. These will calm the mixture and stop the boiling.3. After stewing for a few months you will have 1 Prideful Senator.4. Take the Prideful Senator out and mix it with 1 Conspiracy and 29 knives.5. After letting that new mixture sit for awhile mix it back in with the rest of the ingredients.6. At this point the Ambitious General will be completely dissolved into the mixture, you are almost done!7. Add the Angry Nephew to the dish.8. The Angry Nephew will mix with the thousands of trained soldiers to dissolve the remaining ingredients. While all the flavors will mix together the Angry Nephew will be the strongest spice. Inside your Large Mixing European Continent you will be left with a Roman Empire Salad! I did not do our current unit because it would GIVE IT AWAY!