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Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Our Political Beginnings. Basic Concepts of Govt. Ordered Govt: first English colonies saw a need for govt Created local govts Based on those in England Many of those offices established are still with us today Sheriff Coroner Assessor Justice of the peace Grand jury

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Chapter 2

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  1. Chapter 2 Our Political Beginnings

  2. Basic Concepts of Govt • Ordered Govt: first English colonies saw a need for govt • Created local govts • Based on those in England • Many of those offices established are still with us today • Sheriff • Coroner • Assessor • Justice of the peace • Grand jury • Coutnies • Townships • Limited Govt • Idea that govt is not all powerful • Each individual has certain rights • Limited govt

  3. Representative Govt • Representative Govt: the idea that govt should serve the will of the people • People should have a voice in deciding what govt should and should not do

  4. Landmark English Documents • Basic notions of ordered govt, of limited govt, and of representative govt can be traced to several landmark documents

  5. Magna Carta • A group of determined barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta “The Great Charter” • The barons were seeking protection against John’s heavy-handed and arbitrary acts • Included fundamental rights as trial by jury and due process of law • Protections of life, liberty, or property • Protections against absolute power • Originally only intended for the privileged classes • Overall became rights of all English people • THE MAGNA CARTA ESTABLISHED THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE POWER OF THE MONARCHY WAS NOT ABSOLUTE!

  6. The Petition of Right • Magna Carta was respected by some and ignored by others for 400 years • Parliament slowly grew in influence • In 1628, when Charles I asked Parliament for more money in taxes, Parliament refused and signed the Petition of Right. • Limited the King’s power in several ways • Demanded that the king no longer imprison or otherwise punish any person but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land

  7. Petition of Right Cont. • Insisted that the king no impose martial law (rule by the military) in time of peace, or require homeowners to shelter the king’s troops without their consent. • The petition challenged the divine right of Kings • Declaring that even a monarch must obey the law of the land.

  8. Bill of Rights • In 1688, after years of revolt and turmoil, Parliament offered the crown to William and Mary of Orange. • Events surrounding their ascent to the throne are known as the Glorious Revolution • To prevent abuse of power by William and Mary and all future monarchs, Parliament, in 1689, drew up a list of provisions to which William and mary had to agree. • English Bill of Rights

  9. English Bill of Rights Cont. • Prohibited a standing army in peacetime, ecept with the consent of the Parliament, and required that all parliamentary elections be free • Also included the right to fair trial, and freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment

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