Origins of the Constitution
1. WARM UP
2. BRITISH GOVERNMENT
3. THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
4. THE ENLIGHTENMENT
WARMUP
The framers of the Constitution had designed a republic, a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives. The Constitution outlined a new government that would be strong. At the same time, it protected people from excessive power in government. It also prevented any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT
In 1215, King John of England signed the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta contained two basic ideas that helped to shape both British and American government. First, it stated that English nobles had certain rights—rights that were later extended to other classes of people as well. These included rights to private property and the right to trial by jury.
Second, the Magna Carta forced the king to recognize that even English monarchs had to obey the law. King John agreed not to raise taxes without first consulting the Great Council of nobles and church officials. Eventually, the Great Council grew into the representative legislature known as the British Parliament. Parliament consisted of two sections: a House of Lords and a House of Commons.
In 1689, the English Bill of Rights went further in limiting the king and protecting the rights of citizens. The document said that elections for Parliament should be held regularly. It restated the right to a trial by jury, while protecting people from excessive fines and and cruel or unjust punishment. It allowed citizens to bear arms. It also outlined the right of habeas corpus -- the idea that no person could be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime.
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Americans enjoyed a long tradition of representative government. The Virginia colonists set up the first representative legislature, the House of Burgesses. Eventually, each British colony elected its own legislature.
A Constitutional Tradition: Americans were also used to relying on written documents that clearly identified the powers and limits of government. The Mayflower Compact, written in 1620, was the first document of self-government in North America. Each of the 13 colonies had a written charter granted by the monarch or by Parliament. The Revolutionary Era: The framers of the Constitution also drew on their own experiences. The Founding Fathers bitterly remembered their complaints against the English king. In writing the Constitution, they sought to prevent such abuses.
For example, the Declaration of Independence accused the king of placing military power above civilian authority. The Constitution made the elected President “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy … and of the militia of the several states.” The Declaration protested that the king had made judges “dependent on his will alone.” The Constitution set up a court system independent of the President and legislature.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Enlightenment thinkers believed that people could improve society through the use of reason. Many of the Constitution's framers had read the works of Enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke and the Baron de Montesquieu
In 1690, John Locke published Two Treatises of Government. In it, he stated two important ideas. First, Locke declared that all people had natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Second, he suggested that government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled. The ruler must enforce the laws and protect the people. If a ruler violates the people's natural rights, the people have a right to rebel.
Locke's ideas were popular among Americans. The framers of the Constitution wanted to protect people's natural rights and limit the power of government. They saw the Constitution as a contract between the people and their government.
In 1748, the French thinker Baron de Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws. He urged that the power of government be divided among three separate branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This idea, known as the separation of powers, was designed to keep any person or group from gaining too much power.
The powers of government, he said, should be clearly defined. This would prevent individuals or groups from using government power for their own purposes.
Origins of the Constitution
Kevin Hogan
Created on October 30, 2025
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Decisions and Behaviors in the Workplace
View
Tangram Game
View
Process Flow: Corporate Recruitment
View
Weekly Corporate Challenge
View
Wellbeing and Healthy Routines
View
Match the Verbs in Spanish: Present and Past
View
Planets Sorting Game
Explore all templates
Transcript
Origins of the Constitution
1. WARM UP
2. BRITISH GOVERNMENT
3. THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
4. THE ENLIGHTENMENT
WARMUP
The framers of the Constitution had designed a republic, a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives. The Constitution outlined a new government that would be strong. At the same time, it protected people from excessive power in government. It also prevented any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT
In 1215, King John of England signed the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta contained two basic ideas that helped to shape both British and American government. First, it stated that English nobles had certain rights—rights that were later extended to other classes of people as well. These included rights to private property and the right to trial by jury. Second, the Magna Carta forced the king to recognize that even English monarchs had to obey the law. King John agreed not to raise taxes without first consulting the Great Council of nobles and church officials. Eventually, the Great Council grew into the representative legislature known as the British Parliament. Parliament consisted of two sections: a House of Lords and a House of Commons. In 1689, the English Bill of Rights went further in limiting the king and protecting the rights of citizens. The document said that elections for Parliament should be held regularly. It restated the right to a trial by jury, while protecting people from excessive fines and and cruel or unjust punishment. It allowed citizens to bear arms. It also outlined the right of habeas corpus -- the idea that no person could be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime.
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Americans enjoyed a long tradition of representative government. The Virginia colonists set up the first representative legislature, the House of Burgesses. Eventually, each British colony elected its own legislature. A Constitutional Tradition: Americans were also used to relying on written documents that clearly identified the powers and limits of government. The Mayflower Compact, written in 1620, was the first document of self-government in North America. Each of the 13 colonies had a written charter granted by the monarch or by Parliament. The Revolutionary Era: The framers of the Constitution also drew on their own experiences. The Founding Fathers bitterly remembered their complaints against the English king. In writing the Constitution, they sought to prevent such abuses. For example, the Declaration of Independence accused the king of placing military power above civilian authority. The Constitution made the elected President “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy … and of the militia of the several states.” The Declaration protested that the king had made judges “dependent on his will alone.” The Constitution set up a court system independent of the President and legislature.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Enlightenment thinkers believed that people could improve society through the use of reason. Many of the Constitution's framers had read the works of Enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke and the Baron de Montesquieu In 1690, John Locke published Two Treatises of Government. In it, he stated two important ideas. First, Locke declared that all people had natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Second, he suggested that government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled. The ruler must enforce the laws and protect the people. If a ruler violates the people's natural rights, the people have a right to rebel. Locke's ideas were popular among Americans. The framers of the Constitution wanted to protect people's natural rights and limit the power of government. They saw the Constitution as a contract between the people and their government. In 1748, the French thinker Baron de Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws. He urged that the power of government be divided among three separate branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This idea, known as the separation of powers, was designed to keep any person or group from gaining too much power. The powers of government, he said, should be clearly defined. This would prevent individuals or groups from using government power for their own purposes.