Political Foundations

1. Political Foundations Lecture Notes

2. Theories of Government • Evolution Theory: • The heads of families became the government. • Force Theory: • An strong individual or group claimed control over a territory and forced the population to submit.

3. Theories of Government • Divine Right Theory: • God created the state. The government is made up of those chosen by God. The population must obey their ruler. • Social Contract Theory: • People gave up some power and liberty to a government in order to secure safety of life, liberty, and property..

4. There are 4 purposes of government • In this class, we’ll call it JOPS • JUDGE • ORDER • PROTECT • SERVE

5. Theories of Government • Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan, published in 1651 • People once lived in a “State of Nature” • Imaginary time before governments formed • People lived without laws or other restraints. • The result was a war of “every man against every man.”

6. Theories of Government John Locke 1634-1702 • People have “Natural Rights” • Life, Liberty, Property • Government is a “Social Contract”

7. Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679 • All individuals in nature equal • Pessimistic about humans • State of constant war • Give up “natural rights” to an absolute authority • No divine authority • No right to revolt; no role for religion in governing

8. John Locke 1632-1704 • Humans are basically good • Believed in natural rights from birth: life, liberty, and property • State exists to preserve life, liberty and property • Constitutional gov’t, consent of the governed • People have right to revolt if gov’t doesn’t provide those rights • Constitutional monarchy

9. Montesquieu 1689-1755 • People are fearful-driven to form societies • Society leads to war • Separation of powers in government: executive, legislative, judicial to keep each other in check • Favored constitutional monarchy • Anti- slavery

10. Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712-1788 • People are good, belief in “general will” of people • People corrupted by society • People improved by returning to nature • Social Contract needs to involve “the whole community” • People are the sovereign • Direct democracy, no separation of powers, people • People can’t revolt against the state because they are the state

11. Voltaire 1694-1778 • Supporter of social reform,civil liberties, freedom of religion and free trade. • Satirical works to criticize Catholic church and the French institutions. • Establishment of a constitutional monarchy. • Distrusted democracy, “the idiocy of the masses”.

12. The Sugar Act: 1764 • After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Great Britain had alot of debt. • Wanted to charge the colonies for “protection.” • The Sugar Act: • British government reduced previous import tax on sugar, but applied it to more goods, and increased enforcement. • Little protest within the colonies.

13. The Stamp Act: 1765 • Direct tax on the colonies and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. • Legal documents, magazines, playing cards, newspapers • Colonists said that there was no military need • No soldiers in colonies • Native Americans not an issue • “No taxation without representation”

14. The Townshend Acts: 1767 • With the repeal of the Stamp Act, money is needed for "defraying the expenses" of administering the colonies in America • Imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies.  • Viewed as abuse of power • Led to Boston Massacre 1770

15. The Tea Act: 1773 • England’s Parliament passes the “Tea Act”in an effort to help boost revenue for the East India Trading Company. • Taxes on tea $$$ • Many colonial merchants refused to accept tea shipments in protest • Boston Tea Party • December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard.

16. The Intolerable Acts: Punishment for the Boston Tea Party

17. 1st Continental Congress • The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from Sept. 5 to Oct. 26, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Acts.  Representatives attended from all the colonies except Georgia.    • The Congress voted to cut off colonial trade with Great Britain unless Parliament abolished the Intolerable Acts.  It approved resolutions advising the colonies to begin training their citizens for war.   • They also attempted to define America's rights, place limits on Parliament's power, and agree on tactics for resisting the aggressive acts of the English Government. 

18. Actions Taken • Congress created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, to oppose the British. • They appointed General George Washington as commander- in-chief the following day. • On July 8, 1775, they extended the Olive Branch Petition to the crown as an attempt at reconciliation. (King George III refused to receive it.) • Silas Deane was sent to France as a minister (ambassador) of the Congress. • American ports were reopened in defiance of the Navigation Acts. • Most importantly, in July 1776, they declared independence.

19. Declaration of Independence & Locke • Self-Government: practicing of political independence by citizens. • Natural Rights: basic rights that no individual or government can deny. • Common Good: the good of a community or larger group.