- The document outlines the basic concepts of government that emerged from early English documents like the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights, including ordered government, limited government, and representative government. - It then discusses the different types of colonial governments and growing calls for unity among the colonies, culminating in the First and Second Continental Congresses. - Finally, it summarizes the creation of state governments after the Declaration of Independence and the critical period under the Articles of Confederation that led to the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution in 1787.

1. American Government Chapter 2

19. The Critical Period