Download Changes and Influence of Democracy

Changes and Influence
of
Democracy
Traditional View: Kings held absolute
power and given power by Divine Right!
New View: People should have a say in
their government (Democracy)
Greece/Rome
• Greece was the First to Develop a
Democracy
• Many Greek tradions are still used today
• The Romans carried on the democratic
traditions and created a Republic- which we
have today in the U.S.
• The Romans made written laws and believed
in equality for its citizens.
Magna Carta (1215)
• King John tried to raise taxes to
pay for war=outraged nobles.
• Document presented to the King by the
English Nobles-guaranteed people
political rights for the 1st time.
• Limited the power of the King
Glorious Revolution (1689)
• English Protestants believed that King James II
wanted to make Catholicism the official religion.
• The English people wanted his Protestant
daughter Mary to succeed him instead of his
Catholic son.
• Parliament withdrew support from King James
and gave the throne to Mary and her husband.
• Parliament now was able to limit the power of the
monarchs= Constitutional Monarchy
English Bill of Rights (1689)
• A list of essential rights of the people.
(ex. free speech)
• It limited the power of the monarchy
and gave the English people a right to
question the King
• This also set an example for the
American colonists to create their own
Bill of Rights.
Enlightenment
•18th century European movement
that stressed reason and thought
•Thinkers tried to make changes in
government, science and religion.
•Thinkers such as Locke, Montesquieu
and Rousseau tried to change the
traditional views of government.
American Revolution &
Declaration of Independence
• America’s struggle for Independence
from Britain (1775-1781)
• Colonists were unfairly taxed: No
taxation w/o representation (Magna
Carta influence)
• Declared Independence in 1776:
document written by Thomas Jefferson
(Locke influence)
U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights
• The U.S. Constitution replaced the
“weak” Articles of Confederation in
1787
• Bill of Rights were added to insure that
states would agree to the new
Constitution
• Bill of Rights: 1st 10 amendments
-examples: freedom of speech, press,
assembly & religion