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when colonists settled in North America, the idea of limited government was accepted in England.

English nobles forced the king to sign the Magna Carta.

As the time passed the English people came to regard the Magna Carta as a guarantee of limited government.

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After signing the Magna Carta, power struggles between the monarchy and Parliament lasted for more than 400 years.

In 1688 Parliament removed King James II from the throne with little resistance.

In 1689 Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights, which set clear limits on the monarchy. It said:

no absolute rule but rule through reps

Monarchs must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army;

Monarchs cannot interfere with parliamentary elections and debates;

right to petition the government and fair trial with jury

no cruel or unusual punishment

The colonists believed the document applied to them and that they had the same rights as people living in Britain.

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The English system of law had a major influence in the colonies through the work of Sir William Blackstone.

Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England (1766) helped make sense of English common law and was widely followed by the Founders.

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The colonists firmly believed in representative government.

similar to Britain's system in which their Parliament has chambers

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During the late 1600s and 1700s, Europe experienced the Enlightenment.

During the Enlightenment, Europeans challenged the rule of leaders who claimed to have power because of religion and began to consider different ideas about what makes government legitimate.

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes thought that people create a society by entering into a social contract.

According to his theory, people need government to maintain order

In his theory, people give up their individual sovereignty to the government in exchange for the government providing order.

John Locke thought that people have “natural rights,” those rights people have simply because they are human beings.

Those rights were the right to life, liberty, and property.

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Each of the thirteen colonies had its own government consisting of a governor , a legislature, and a court system.

Nine of the thirteen colonies had an established church

The Mayflower Compact that the Pilgrims signed was the first of many colonial plans for self-government

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The French and Indian War and the crowning of King George III changed the relationship between the colonies and Britain

The French and Indian War started from land dispute over land in now western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

George Washington led British troops and fought against the many Native Americans who sided with the French.

Great Britain won the war in 1763 and gained complete control of the eastern third of the continent

Britain was left with a huge debt and made the colonists pay through taxes

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To help pay for the war, the king and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products.

The Stamp Act of 1765  required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards

Britain’s revenue from the colonies increased which led to colonists growing more anger for Britain and political protests began to spread throughout the colonies.

The protests worked but the British passed other laws to replace it.

In response the colonists threw the Boston Tea Party.

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The rough British treatment led to the colonists growing a large sense of community that never occurred before.

By the 1760s most colonists thought of themselves as Americans united by their hostility toward British authority.

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In 1765 nine colonies sent delegates to a meeting in which they sent a petition to the king about taxation without representation.

By 1773, colonists formed groups called committees of correspondence to keep in touch.

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On September 5, 1774, delegates from most colonies met to form the First Continental Congress.

Their main objective was to decide what to do about the relationship with Great Britain.

They finally agreed on an embargo on Britain and agreed to boycott British goods.

The King and British Parliament responded by quickly making situations even more harsh.

April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the first encounter began the Revolutionary War.

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Within three weeks, representatives from all thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress.

They assumed the powers of a central government and chose John Hancock as president.

They put together an army and navy, made plans to issue money, and appointed George Washington as commander of the Continental Army.

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Thomas Paine fought for independence and influenced many colonists with his  pamphlet Common Sense.

Samuel Adams of Boston also influenced many colonists with his essays, letters, and articles on the struggle with the British.

Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress.

The Congress approved Lee’s resolution on July 2 and the colonies officially broke up with Great Britain.

The Congress named a committee of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman to prepare a written declaration of independence.

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In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used naturalist ideas to  explain the colonists’ need for freedom.

It explained why they were angry with the British and why they felt freedom was needed.

The first paragraph, or Preamble, describes the source of the basic rights Americans enjoy.

The second section is a statement of purpose and basic human rights.

The third section of the Declaration lists specific complaints or grievances against the King.

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The First States and the First State Constitutions

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The First States and the First State Constitutions

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One of the most important changes was the transformation of the colonies into states.

10 states had adopted written constitutions.

Most of the new state constitutions contained a bill of rights defining citizens’ personal liberties.