What Is Government
What Is Government
What Is Government
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• Roman Empire
– Provided stability for Western Europe
– Collapsed in 476 A.D.
– Left chaos and no form of government
– Previously tribal people
– Includes entire Mediterranean basin: Iraq, Iran, turkey, Spain, up oto
England
• Roman Empire
– Western Europe
– Some form of government was necessary
– Monarchy became the common form of government
– Provided varying degrees of stability but led to other problems.
– Anarchy does not last. Someone WILL set up power.
– Gov. expands until it is beat back, expands again = cycle
• English Reformation
– King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547)– wanted divorce from Catherine of
Aragon to marry Ann Boleyn
– Pope (head of the Church) – denied divorce
– Henry VIII broke the Church of England from the Roman Catholic
Church.
– Named himself head of the Church of England.
– “Established” the Church of England.
Review
• Purpose for government?
• Fall of Rome
• Rise of feudalism and divine right of kings
• Loss of monarchical power
• Church of England splits from Catholic Church
• Dissatisfaction with Church of England
• Enlightenment
Declaration of Independence
• “We hold these truths to be self-evident,
– that all men are created equal,
– that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights,
– that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
– That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among
men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed.”
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is
the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Articles of Confederation
• First government of the United States
• Weak central government
• States retained most authority
• Not very workable or efficient
• John Hansen was the 1st President according to Articles
• Division of Powers
Why did the States retain the bulk of the authority under the Articles of
Confederation?
– The people did not want to return a strong, centralized Gov. as in
Britain.
– Fear of Strong Central Government
– The Articles made the national Congress weak on purpose. Having just
won independence from Britain, many Americans feared that creating
a strong federal government with too much authority over the states
would only replace King George III with another tyrant. Instead, they
envisioned Congress to be a supervisory body that would tie the
states loosely for the common good. The early United States was thus
a confederation of nearly independent states, not the solid federation
with a strong government that it is today. The states were in many
ways like individual countries bound together to keep Britain at bay.
– Americans were especially afraid of federal taxes. Remembering the
“No taxation without representation!” cry from the Colonial era, they
stipulated that only the individual states could levy taxes. This system
proved to be a completely ineffective way of bankrolling a federal
government, and in fact, many of the states refused to pay their fair
share. Most years, in fact, the Congress received less than a third of
what it asked for from the states. Moreover, Congress had been
granted no rights to control interstate commerce. States were thus
given a free hand to draft conflicting and confusing laws that made
cross-border trade difficult.
– The money became the standard U.S. currency during the war, but
when hard times hit and inflation skyrocketed, these Continental
dollars became worthless. Many Americans, especially soldiers, small
business owners, and farmers, were hit hard. Congress requested that
the states increase taxes to help pay for a new national currency, but
most states refused and instead printed their own paper money. This,
too, succumbed to inflation, and by the end of the war, Americans had
fistfuls of worthless money.
– Western land disputes
• History of Colonies
– Different geography and climate led to variations in culture. (North
could not grow stuff & did not need slaves.)
– Colonies COMPETED amongst each other.
– States (colonies) became accustomed to governing themselves
– Just as they were attempting to gain independence from Britain, they
were not anxious to become subordinate to another central
government
• Constitutional Convention 1787
• Delegates met in Philadelphia tasked with developing and proposing
amendments to the already existing Articles of Confederation.
• Instead drafted an entirely new document.
• The Articles of Confederation provided a framework for government that left
the vast majority of the political power with the states.
• People feared a strong central government and several states were hesitant
in adopting the proposed Constitution.
Constitution
• Ratified 1789
• An attempt to provide for balanced power
– History of government usurping authority (Britain)
– History of states holding too much authority and making central
government unworkable.
• Bill of Rights 1791
God gives unalienable rights to men, and the government is set up to protect those
rights.