Beginnings of Govt. in America
Mayflower Compact- signed by 41 men on Mayflower
- based on the idea of a covenant, an agreement
- supplanted by an official agreement 1 year later with the king's sanction
- needed to counter mutinous talk on board ship b/c some wanted to go to Virginia rather than stay in New England
Social contract =
Beginnings of Govt. in America
Social contract = government is formed by the consent of the governed
- Foundational principle of American govt
- Opposed Divine Right of Kings =
Beginnings of Govt. in America
Social contract = government is formed by the consent of the governed
- Foundational principle of American govt
- Opposed Divine Right of Kings = belief that since God ordains kings, they are accountable only to God and cannot be questioned or removed from power
Puritans
John Winthrop & a “City on a Hill” Congregationalism =
Puritans
Congregationalism = type of church govt in which members of the church elect their leaders such as elders & the pastor (rather than having such positions filled by appointment by a bishop or other denominational office.)
Civil Govt was based on this election approach in Mass.; governors & magistrates were elected in each town
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut: first written constitution in America
Education in the Colonies
What was the purpose of education in the early colonies?
Education in the Colonies
What was the purpose of education in the early colonies?
- so people could read the Bible & the laws of the land First college?
Education in the Colonies
What was the purposed of education in the early colonies?
- so people could read the Bible & the laws of the land First college? Harvard, 1636
Note: Lost its Christian vision by 1800 Other Ivy League schools originally founded to preserve
Christian education and to equip ministers & missionaries
Influence of the Church
Great Awakening: What was it?
Influence of the Church
Great Awakening: What was it?A revival that began in 1734 Preachers?
Influence of the Church
Great Awakening: What was it?A revival that began in 1734 Preachers?
- Jonathan Edwards
- George Whitefield Results?
Influence of the Church
Great Awakening: What was it?A revival that began in 1734 Preachers?
- Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield Results?
- big increase in church attendance
- missionary outreach to frontier & Indians
- many colleges founded to educate ministers
- united the views of colonists into an American viewpoint
- many parsons supported the American Revolution
Important Figures: Witherspoon
John Witherspoon - Served on many committees of the Continental Congress
- Trained many leaders at Princeton, including James Madison
- Taught about important political figures such as Locke & Montesquieu
How has influence of Church changed in America?
Once-strong denominations have lost their Biblical focus Society is largely antagonistic toward Biblical standards Secular humanism has replaced Christianity as the guide
to morality & values God, prayer, and Bibles are largely forbidden in public
schools
So what did Christianity give to America?
Contributions of the Church to America
Personal Liberty- individual liberty is a legacy of Protestant Reformation
- every believer stands along before God with no need of a human priest to intervene; each man can know God personally – one of our inalienable rights, the right of liberty
- monopoly of the Roman Catholic Church & the various state churches was broken
Church Contributions cont.
Tradition of Dissent- American immigrants came here to escape religious &
political oppression in Europe
- They protested the abuse & concentration of power in the church & state (moral dissent)
Biblical Influence on American society- Biblical standards formed the basis of America's education,
courts & local govts.
- Revivals such as Great Awakening affected all aspects of colonial life
- Believers were active in all aspects of life & thus strongly influenced America's founding
Self-Government in the Colonies
1619 House of Burgesses est. in Virginia Based mostly on English law characterized by:
Self-Government in the Colonies
1619 House of Burgesses est. in Virginia Based mostly on English law characterized by:
- limited govt
- all equal before the law
- basic rights are protected
- strong colonial legislatures
- benign neglect on part of British govt
Reasons for War of Independence
Why did the colonists rebel against England?
Reasons for War of Independence
Why did the colonists rebel against England?“No taxation without representation” tells only half the story Colonists didn't want to lose their freedom of self-govt Taxes were lower in colonies than in England & actually
increased 10 fold after the revolution Authority of the colonies was being undermined by
England They feared that loss of political freedom would lead to
loss of religious freedom
Lead-up to American Revolution
What events led to increased tension in the colonies?
Lead-up to American Revolution
What events led to increased tension in the colonies?
- Large debt from French & Indian War 1760
- King George took throne in 1760 wanting to be a strong king
- Stamp Act 1765 & other taxes & trade restrictions
- British set up a peacetime army in colonies who had to feed & house the troops
- Colonists resented military & economic intrusions into their self-govt
More Tensions
- Boston Massacre 1770
Do you know who defended the British soldiers?
- Boston Tea Party 1773
- Intolerable Acts 1774 closed Boston Harbor, nullified MA charter of govt & allowed quartering of soldiers in private homes
- Quebec Act 1774 encouraged spread of Roman Catholicism & took over Canadian govt
- First Continental Congress, Sept. 1774, Philadelphia issued Declaration of Grievances to the king & declared their political rights as Americans
Even More Tensions
Lexington & Concord 1775 Second Continental Congress 1775-89 Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
Who was on the committee that wrote it?
Declaration of Independence
Lexington & Concord 1775 Second Continental Congress 1775-89 Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
Who was on the committee that wrote it?
- Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson
Who did most of the writing?
Declaration of Independence
Lexington & Concord 1775 Second Continental Congress 1775-89 Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
Who was on the committee that wrote it?
- Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson
Who did most of the writing?
Thomas Jefferson, only 33 at the time Approved on July 4, signed on August 2
Philosophy behind the D of I
Age of Enlightenment- natural laws as seen in the Bible & in creation govern the
universe & govts as well
- John Locke's social contract theory: When govt threatens people's natural rights it is reasonable & necessary for them to change their govt Rights & liberty are gifts from God not the king/govt People are sovereign – the state functions with their
approval, not the other way around Govt exists to protect rights & property of the people,
not those of the the king
More Influences on the Founders
Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws 1748 Govts should be divided into three branches, executive,
legislative & judicial; This separation of powers needed to keep govt in check
Opposed to slavery Civil laws are necessary b/c man does not obey God's
law
Deism: God set universe in motion & doesn't intervene supernaturally
George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights 1776
The Declaration of Independence
Paragraph 1 Summary:
The Declaration of Independence
Paragraph 1 Summary:- Introduction: When a people needs to break their political
bonds with their mother country, they need to give their reasons.
Paragraph 2: What are those reasons?
The Declaration of Independence
Paragraph 1 Summary:- Introduction: When a people needs to break their political
bonds with their mother country, they need to give their reasons.
Paragraph 2 Summary: All men are created equal All men have certain inalienable rights including the right to
life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness Inalienable = ? Pursuit of happiness = ?
The Declaration of Independence
Paragraph 1 Summary:- Introduction: When a people needs to break their political
bonds with their mother country, they need to give their reasons.
Paragraph 2 Summary: All men are created equal All men have certain inalienable rights including the right to
life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness
inalienable = unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor
pursuit of happiness = ?
More on the D of I
pursuit of happiness = “When Jefferson spoke of pursuing happiness, he had nothing vague or private in mind. He meant a public happiness which is measurable; which is, indeed, the test and justification of any government.” - Gary Wills
- Pursuit of happiness is not the same as property. This is an important difference from Bastiat. Property cannot be guaranteed as a right b/c not everyone owns property.
- See also p. 40 of Declaration Statesmanship for a good explanation: Property is not the only thing we can labor for. Happiness entails more than property or wealth. According to the Founders, it refers to the virtuous life, the good life in the classical sense. The Greeks called it arete.
Pursuit of Happiness
According to the United States, the pursuit of happiness is defined as: "...one of the "unalienable rights" of people enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, along with "life" and "liberty." "The right to pursue any lawful business or vocation, in any manner not inconsistent with the equal rights of others, which may increase their prosperity or develop their faculties, so as to give them their highest enjoyment." Butchers' Co. v. Crescent City Co., 111 U.S. 746, 757, (1884.)"
See this link for more about this phrase and what it meant to the Founders: http://hnn.us/articles/46460.html
D of I cont.
Paragraph 2 Cont: Govts are instituted to secure & protect these rights These govts derive their authority from the consent of the
people (social contract) The people therefore have a right & even a duty to change
or abolish their govt when it abuses their rights Such rebellion should not be lightly done but only upon
severe provocation The British king has tried to institute tyranny over the
colonies so that they now need to throw off his rule
The King's Abuses
Any comments on these? Do you agree that these facts justify the D of I? Would they have been enough to cause you to sign the
document? Note that the signers understood they were risking their
life, liberty & pursuit of happiness when they signed the document. Some of them did lose their property, families, and/or their lives during the revolution.
Was the American Revolution justified? What about Romans 13:1-7?
