Unit 1 - Foundations of American Government

Chapter 2   Origins of American Government

Chapter Objectives

• Identify the three basic concepts of government that influenced government in the English colonies.
• Explain the significance of the following English documents: the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights.
• Explain how Britain's colonial policies contributed to the growth of self-government in the colonies.
• Analyze the ideas in the Declaration of Independence.
• Describe the structure of the government set up under the Articles of Confederation
• Describe how a growing need for a stronger national government led to plans for a Constitutional Convention.
• Identify the Framers of the Constitution and how the delegates organized the proceedings at the Philadelphia Convention.
• Identify some of the sources from which the Framers of the Constitution drew inspiration.
• Describe the delegates reaction to the Constitution as they completed their work.