Part One, American Government and U.S. Constitution

Lesson 2:	Ruler's Law vs. People's Law

Name: _______________________

The Founder's Monumental Problem

Structuring a Government with All the Power in the People

Reading Assignment:	The 5000 Year Leap: (pages 9-33)

Lesson 2 objectives: You should be able to:

1. List at least 5 of the 11 Characteristics of "Ruler's Law" given in The 5000 Year Leap? (page 11-12)

a. Force, violence, conquest is how authority is almost always accomplished.

b. People are always considered subjects of the "king."

c. The entire country is considered the property of the ruler.

d. Unalienable rights? Not usually: "The king giveth and the king taketh away!"

e. The ruler issues edicts, next he interprets the law and then enforces it: Tyranny.

2. Anglo -Saxon Common Law is also referred to as Peoples Law.

3. List at least 5 of the 9 Characteristics of "People's Law" ? (13-14)

a.	They considered themselves a commonwealth of freeman.

b.	Every decision and selection of leaders had to be by consensus of the people, preferably by a full consensus, and not just a majority.

c.	Power was dispersed among the people and never allowed to concentrate in any one person or group.

d.	They were organized into small manageable groups where every adult had a

voice and a vote.

e.	The system of justice was structured on the basis of severe punishment unless there was ... reparation to the wronged person. There were four crimes against the whole of the people [to be punished] 1 treason 2 cowardice, 3 desertion and 4 homosexuality. These were considered capital offenses [no reparation was acceptable]

4. Fill in the following Chart from The 5000 Year Leap. (P 14.)

Ruler's	People's	No

Law	Law	Law

__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__

\ / /\	Anarchy

\ All power in the Rulers / / \ National level

\ / / \ Provincial or State Level

\ / / \ Municipal level

\ / / \ Family level

\ / / \ Individual level

\ / / \

All power in the

People

4.What 2 civilizations were admired most by the fathers of our nation for their system of law? (pp. 15-16)

A. Anglo– Saxon Common Law

B. People's Law of Ancient Israel.

5. How were these two civilizations memorialized in America? What 3 men recommended these? (17-18)

A. The Great Seal of the US

B. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin