The Roots of American

Democracy

EQ: How does the past affect our

country today?
6 Ideas from the Past that Influence the US

3-Rule of Law
4-Justice & Morality 2-Republic
1-Democracy 6-Citizen’s Rights 5-Equality
 Europe’s History Impacts the Colonies
• 3 Ideas from Europe that affect the Colonies:
1. The Renaissance: Was at the end of the Dark
Ages when things got better in Europe “the
rebirth of Greek & Roman Ideas”
2. The Reformation: People in Europe began to
have religious questions, & seek for religious
freedom (Martin Luther) –division in Christianity
3. The Enlightenment: People started to use
logical thinking to solve problems, they used
scientific reasoning (scientific method), the ideas
of democracy (govt by the people), rule of law,
etc…
6 Concepts of Social Studies:

1-Culture 2-Economics 4-Geography

Government

6-History 5-Religion
Key Events…before we became a Nation
• Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in 1492
• By 1607 Jamestown first permanent English
settlement
• 1620 Pilgrims founded a colony at Plymouth
Rock “New England”
• By the 1700s the English colonies were well
established
• England & France were in competition for
colonies in the 1700s
European Countries Take Over the World
The Origins of Democracy-Ancient Europe
• Democracy is an idea that started in the city-states of
ancient Greece
• What is democracy?
• When the people have a say in their govt, when the
people have the power to choose
• The Romans came along after the Greeks, but they
took Greek ideas and made them even better
• The Romans used the idea of democracy to form a
republic with a senate (or group of citizens who were
voted into office to lead the country)
• A republic is a country where people elect other people
to make their laws & represent them
 Republic
-vs-
Democracy
The Impact of the Enlightenment on Americans
• Americans like Benjamin Franklin used the ideas of
famous “thinkers” of the Enlightenment:
• Hobbes: Political philosophy (king is not above
the law)
• Locke: Natural Rights (rights we are all born
with)
• Voltaire: People should have civil liberties
• Rousseau: Social contract “the people should
have the power”
• Montesquieu: The powers of govt should be
separate
 Democracy & Education
• Democracy is freedom, choice, & the power to
be heard
• We live in a democratic society, where “we the
people” have a chance to participate in govt, and
society
• In order to be free, people need to know what is
available and what life is all about (they need to
be educated)
• In order to be free, and to have a functioning
society, so we must study the past, and learn
from it, or we are doomed to repeat it
 If you only have two Discussion Thoughts...
real choices when you
vote for President, is What is
that really democracy? freedom, how
did we get it,
If we live in a free how do we
country, where anyone
keep it, what is
can grow up to be
president, then why have it worth, and
all presidents been white, can it be taken
protestant, males? away?
Direct Democracy -vs- Representative Democracy

Direct Democracy is a Today in the US, we use

Greco-Roman idea that Representative Democracy
every person in a society where the people vote in a
should help make every leader who make the
decision decisions for us
 What Affects Your Life?
• We are all individuals who are affected by things around us:
What makes us who we are…
• Families/friends
• Where we live
• Education (what school we go to)
• Religious beliefs
• Entertainment (movies, music, books, hobbies)
• Travel-The places we go
• Economy & Govt
• Job (Places we work)
• These are the kinds of things we will study about people from
the past (The time period that people live in effects those
people)