Starting point: The British Colonial System Americans decided to break away from the colonial system because they were not willing to accept high taxes introduced into the colonies (the introduction of unfair taxes) They materialized this will by the Declaration of Independence (1776) wrote by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the SCC second continental congress The first written constitution of the new republic was the articles of confederation (adopted in November 1777) Note: The central government did not have enough power under the Articles of Confederation. State government were more powerful than central government.
The Second Founding
The articles of confederation did not give the central government enough power. As a result it was weak not only in internal affairs but also in international relations. To solve this problem, Americans adopted a new constitution in 1789 Steps toward the Second Founding The Annapolis Convention (1786) The constitutional convention (1787) The Bill of Rights (1791) (the first ten amendments of the US Constitution) The constitution
The major principles
Separation of power Federalism Bicameralism (two chambers) Checks and balances
The major branch
Legislative branch Executive branch Judicial branch Thinking critically about liberty, equality and democracy Democracy does not mean that we are equal Liberty does not mean that we are equal but it reduces the inequality in one important way