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Document 1 |
By 1215, thanks to years of unsuccessful foreign policies and heavy taxation demands, England’s King John was facing down a possible rebellion by the country’s powerful barons. Under duress, he agreed to a charter of liberties known as the Magna Carta (or Great Charter) that would place him and all of England’s future sovereigns within a rule of law. Though it was not initially successful, the document was reissued (with alterations) in 1216, 1217 and 1225, and eventually served as the foundation for the English system of common law. Later generations of Englishmen would celebrate the Magna Carta as a symbol of freedom from oppression, as would the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, who in 1776 looked to the charter as a historical precedent for asserting their liberty from the English crown. |
Based on Document 1, what was the Magna Carta? _______________________________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Document 2 |
The Virginia House of Burgesses was a representative assembly in colonial Virginia, which was an outgrowth of the first elective governing body in a British overseas possession, the General Assembly of Virginia. The General Assembly was established by Gov. George Yeardley at Jamestown on July 30, 1619. It included the governor himself and a council—all appointed by the colonial proprietor (the Virginia Company)—along with two elected burgesses (delegates) from each of the colony’s 11 settlements. The assembly met in Jamestown until 1700, when meetings were moved to Williamsburg, the newly established capital of colonial Virginia. |
Based on Document 2, what was the Virginia House of Burgesses? _________________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Document 3 |
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower. When Pilgrims and other settlers set out on the ship for America in 1620, they intended to lay anchor in northern Virginia. But after treacherous shoals and storms drove their ship off course, the settlers landed in Massachusetts instead, near Cape Cod, outside of Virginia’s jurisdiction. Knowing life without laws could prove catastrophic, colonist leaders created the Mayflower Compact to ensure a functioning social structure would prevail. |
Based on Document 3, what was the Mayflower Compact? ________________________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Document 4 |
The Fundamental Orders were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on January 14, 1639 O.S. (January 24, 1639 N.S.)The fundamental orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. They wanted the government to have access to the open ocean for trading. The Orders have the features of a written constitution and are considered by one author to be the first written Constitution in the Western tradition, although the Mayflower Compact has an equal claim 19 years before. |
Based on Document 4, what were the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut? _________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Document 5 |
The English Bill of Rights was an act signed into law in 1689 by William III and Mary II, who became co-rulers in England after the overthrow of King James II. The bill outlined specific constitutional and civil rights and ultimately gave Parliament power over the monarchy. Many experts regard the English Bill of Rights as the primary law that set the stage for a constitutional monarchy in England. It’s also credited as being an inspiration for the U.S. Bill of Rights. |
Based on Document 5, what was the English Bill of Rights? ________________________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Document 6 |
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. On July 10, 1754, representatives from seven of the British North American colonies adopted the plan. Although never carried out, the Albany Plan was the first important proposal to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. |
Based on Document 6, what was the Albany Plan of Union? _______________________________________
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How do you think this influenced our Founding Fathers? ________________________________________
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Watch with this question in mind: what influence does this document have on us today. (It won't tell you the answer. You have to listen and apply what you heard to our government today.)
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1. In colonial America, the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the writings of John Locke contributed to the
(1) diversity of religious beliefs among the colonists
(2) political ideals and practices of the colonists
(3) economic relationships between the colonists and the mother country
(4) demands of colonists to end the slave trade and the practice of slavery
2. The Mayflower Compact (1620) and the Virginia House of Burgesses (1619) are early examples of
(1) restrictions on religious freedom
(2) steps toward representative government
(3) resistance to British rule
(4) economic systems in the colonies
3. Which heading best completes the partial outline below?
(1) Early Colonial Documents (3) Contributions of the Enlightenment
(2) Limits on Representative Government (4) Foundations of American Democracy
4. Which heading best completes the partial outline below?
(1) British System of National Government in North America
(2) Colonial Responses to the Practice of Salutary Neglect
(3) British Attempts to Control Colonial Governments
(4) Colonial Efforts at Self-Government