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1. Roots of American GovernmentBy: Shirley Lombardi
The
Constitution
Rome
Enlightenment American
Experience
English
Tradition
Magna
Carta
English
Bill of
Rights
Ancient
Greece
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2. The
Constitution
Ancient
Greece
2

3. Athens, Greece
• Home of world’s first direct democracy –
a form of government in which laws are made
directly by the citizens
*An example is colonial town meetings and
voting on local issues
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4. The
Constitution
Rome
Ancient
Greece
4

5. Roman Example
• Constitutional Convention delegates wanted
to create a republic –
a government in which citizens rule themselves
through elected representatives
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6. Virtues
(moral goodness; righteousness)
• Independence and public service of its
citizens were admired by Americans.
• Romans served in public office out of
devotion to the republic, not for money.
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7. BEWARE!
• Roman citizens lost their feelings of
independence and devotion to the republic.
• Rome became a dictatorship ( a government
in which one person or small group holds
complete authority)
• Without knowledgeable and devoted
citizens, a republic will die.
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8. The
Constitution
Rome
English
Traditions
Magna
Carta
Ancient
Greece
8

9. Magna Carta’s First Basic Idea
• The monarchs had to obey the law.
* Our presidents must obey the law.
• The “Great Council” had to be consulted
before the monarchs could raise taxes (the
Great Council became Parliament).
*We have Congress, which is very similar to
the British Parliament which acts to
limit/check the president’s powers
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10. Second Basic Idea: Rights of
Citizens
• The Magna Carta stated certain rights
given to English nobles, among them were:
1. Rights to private property
2. Rights to a trial by jury
*These rights were later given to other
citizens as well.
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11. The
Constitution
Rome
English
Traditions
Magna
Carta
English
Bill of
Rights
Ancient
Greece
11

12. English Bill of Rights
• Elections to Parliament should be held on a
regular basis.
• Maintained the right to a trial by jury
• Allowed citizens the right to bear arms
• Supported the right of habeas corpus (the
idea that no person could be held in prison
unless first being charged with a specific
crime)
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13. The
Constitution
Rome
English
Traditions
Magna
Carta
English
Bill of
Rights
American
Experience
Ancient
Greece
13

14. • Representative Government in America:
- Birthplace was Virginia’s House of Burgesses
(colonists elected burgesses to
represent them)
• Reliance on written documents
- Mayflower Compact
- Colonial charters issued by the
king or Parliament
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15. The
Constitution
Rome
English
Traditions
Magna
Carta
English
Bill of
Rights
American
Experience
Enlightenment
15

16. John Locke
• Believed all people had natural rights to life,
liberty, and property
• Suggested the government is an agreement
between the ruler and the ruled
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17. Baron de Montesquieu
• Suggested three separate branches of
government:
1. Legislative – make laws
2. Executive – enforce laws
3. Judicial – interpret meaning
of laws
• Separation of Powers: dividing government
power among legislative, executive and judicial
branches (checks and balances =guard against
tyranny)
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18. Personal Experience/Constitution
• President was made “Commander in Chief
of the Army and Navy. . . and of the militia
of the several states.”
• A court system was created to be
independent of the President and legislature.
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19. “As we say at sea, huzza for the new world
and farewell to the old one!”
- John Adams
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