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439 BCE
The Assembly
The first form of government was located in Athens, Greece and was called the Assembly. The Assembly made important decisions about Athens and is made up of a group of citizens. Each citizen has the right to give a speech about any topic and the right to vote by raising their hands. -
1210
Monarchy
In England, the form of government was a monarchy, which is a country is ran by a king, queen, or emperor. However, the monarchy made some people very angry so the Magna Carta was signed and limited the monarchy's power. Eventually, England had elected representatives in the government and they were responsible for making laws. -
Mayflower Compact
English colonists landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts where they went to be free and practice their own religion. In Plymouth, the Mayflower leaders wrote a plan of government called the Mayflower Compact. This said that the colonists were in charge of making laws for the good of the community. -
The Declaration of Independence
After the American colonies declared independence, a group of leaders got together to draft the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration of Independence it states that people have rights the government must protect, the complaints the colonies had against the king, and that the colonies are declaring their independence from England. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation created a government of loosely organized independent states, which is called the Congress. This did not give the government enough power and caused issues that led to the Constitutional Convention where the three branches were created. -
The United States Constitution
State representatives met in Pennsylvania to write a new plan of government for the United States called the United States Constitution. In the Constitution it is stated that the people have the power to govern, no longer giving power to a king. -
The Three Branches
The three branches of government are: the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The job of the Legislative Branch is to make the laws. This is also were Congress is, which is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The job of the Executive Branch is to enforce the laws. The job of the Judicial Branch is to interpret the laws, this is where the Supreme Court is. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is composed of 10 amendments to the constitution that protects some of the rights of people, such as the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to gather. However, African American people and women were still not included in any of the amendments. -
African American's Rights
After the Civil War, the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were changed to give ALL people of color the same rights as those who are white. -
Women's RIghts
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought long and hard for women to have the same rights as men in the United States. Finally, the 19th amendment was added to the constitution which gave women equal rights as men. -
Today
Today, in 2019, we are ran by a republican government. We vote every four years for our President and vote periodically for the Senate and Congress members.