Foundations of American Government

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Foundations of American Government

In a world where people were ruled by monarchs from above, the idea of self-government is foreign. Democracy takes practice and wisdom from experience.

The American colonies began developing a democratic tradition during their earliest stages of development. Over 150 years later, the colonists believed their experience was great enough to refuse to recognize the British King.

The American Revolution called for a new type of government with a constitution to guarantee liberty. The ideas and practices that led to the development of the American democratic republic were inspired by the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, and the Protestant Reformation. But the Enlightenment of 17th-century Europe had the biggest impact on the framers of the U.S. Constitution.

Europeans of the 17th century were in touch with many world civilizations, and trade had created a prosperous middle class. The Protestant reformation encouraged free thinkers to question the practices of the Catholic Church, and the printing press spread the new ideas quickly and easily. The time was ripe for Philosophes, promoting democracy and justice through discussions of individual liberty and equality.

Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau were philosophers who believed in democracy. Their ideas encouraged the questioning of absolute monarchs. Montesquieu suggested a separation of powers into branches of government, similar to the system Americans would later adopt.

John Locke had the most influence on the shaping of the United States. He was a 17th century Englishman who redefined the nature of government. According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed. The duty of that government is to protect the natural rights of the people, which Locke believed to include life, liberty, and property. If the government should fail to protect these rights, its citizens have the right to overthrow that government. This idea deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence.

The English political system provided the basis for the revolt of its own American colonies in a document called the Magna Carta, written in 1215. This document established the belief that the monarch's rule was not absolute, and it provided the basis for the later development of Parliament. Over the years, representative government led by a prime minister came to control and eventually replace the king as the real source of power in Britain.

The English Bill of Rights (1688) guaranteed free elections and rights for citizens accused of crime. Although King George III still had some powers in 1776, Britain was already well along on the path of democracy by that time. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison and others took the brave steps of creating a government based on the Enlightenment values of liberty, equality, and a new form of justice.