The Rise and Growth of American Politics: A Sketch of Constitutional Development

430 Pages·1900·17.992 MB·English

by  Henry Jones Ford

THE RISE AND GROWTH OF
AMERICAN POLITICS
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rHE RISE AND GROWTH OF
AMERICAN POLITICS
A
Sketch of Constitutional Development
BY
HENRY JONES FORD
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd.
I9OO
All rights reserved
Copyright, 1898,
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped October,1898. Reprinted August,
1900.
J.S.Cushing&Co.-Berwick&Smith
NorwoodMass.U.S.A.
PREFACE
The purpose of this work is to tell the story of
our politics so as to explain their nature and inter-
pret their characteristics. Consideration of ques-
tions of public policy or of party issues does not
enter into the plan, and they are. referred to only
as they have affected the formation of political
structure but in this respect their influence has
;
been so continuous that the work presents a view
of our political history from colonial times to the
present day. The object, however, has been to
give an explanation of causes rather than a narra-
tive of events, so that the reader may understand
the actual system of government under which
we
live.
Our politics do not become intelligible until
they are viewed as an offshoot from English poli-
tics, and the growth of the variety is studied with
regard to the characteristics of the stock. This is
the method pursued in the present work, with
results which, I hope, will show the operation of
principles of order and progress,
H. F.
J.
Pittsburgh, Penn.