Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Constitutional History of the American People 1776-1850, Vol. 1 of 2
This work contains the evidence of changes and, it is believed, of progress - in the ideas and opinions which the American people have held respecting the principles, the organization, and the administration of their civil institutions. It is a record of the evolution of government in this country since the Revolution, and it rests upon authorities hitherto almost entirely disregarded. Constitutional history is the history of a constitu ency, which, consciously or unconsciously, is ever striving to promote its own welfare. A constitu tional history deals primarily with persons, not with documents. Laws and constitutions, written or unwritten, are the evidence of the efforts of a constituency to secure its ends. The develop ment of constitutional government consists, essen tially, in the definite limitation of authority, in order to accomplish purposes either implied or specified. These purposes are constant demands upon the constituency, but the means adjudged reasonable or necessary for securing them are as constantly changing. The process is from things to persons; it is progressive because it is dynamic.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
