Copy and Answer in Notebooks:
- What three basic early English concepts of government influence the settlers in the New World?
- Explain how the Magna Carta, Petition of the Right, and English Bill of Rights reflect the ideal of Limited Government. Answer in at least one well developed paragraph.
- Explain how the writing of Hobbs, Locke and Montesquieu affect our concept of government. Answer in at least one well developed paragraph.
Opening question:
· What political, economic, and social factors contributed to instability during The Critical Period?
The Critical Period
The Articles of Confederation loosely united the thirteen states under the authority of a single-house Congress, with no separate judicial or executive branch. While the Congress established a process for settling western territory and negotiated commercial treaties, the problems of a weak central government soon became apparent. Difficulties with foreign powers arose from Congress’s inability to collect taxes, enforce treaties, or regulate trade. Conflicts at home involved interstate trade, a weak currency, and a large national debt. In Massachusetts, Shays’s Rebellion caused some Americans to worry that their property rights were at risk because the government was too weak. As citizens deplored the acts of lawlessness, many people began to call for a stronger central government.
Shay's Rebellion
An uprising led by a former militia officer, Daniel Shays, which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786. Shays's followers protested the foreclosures of farms for debt and briefly succeeded in shutting down the court system. Although the rebellion was easily overcome, it persuaded conservatives of the need for a strong national government and contributed to the movement to draft the Constitution.
Define:
Arsenal
Confederation
Currency
Dire
Federal
Instigator
Insurrection
Propaganda
Comprehension Questions for video:
1. Daniel Shays felt that he had the right to be protected from debt and decline. Why
did he believe the government was obligated to provide this protection?
2. Do you think it was significant that Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary war
veteran?
3. What were the major complaints of Shays and his followers? What do you think
they saw as the goals of the rebellion? Did these goals change over time?
us10_constitution.ppt |