Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

Excerpt from The United States Constitutional Manual: Being a Comprehensive Compendium of the System of Government of the Country; Presenting a View of the General Government, in Its Legislative, Executive and Judicial Departments; And of the Governments of the States, Particularly That of Pennsylvania, And An acquaintance with the political instutions of our country is so important, that it can neither be trite to recommend it as interesting and valuable, nor superfluous to offer new aid for its attainment. Where there is accuracy of information, on such a subject, the attempt ought not to be considered an unworthy one, if in its method it solicits attention, familiarizes useful knowledge, or is, in any way, adapted to the wants of society. The writer would ask that the proposition, in reference to the general subject, contained in the title, and divisions and heads of the work, be considered in connection with its declared purpose and necessary limits. There is no pretention here to the character of a full and extended treatise. The plan and method were required, it is apprehended, in order to present perspicuously the matter furnished, in a form suited for easy reference by all; and as having, besides, the advantage of suggesting to the student or reader a systematic course for pursuing his inquiries on the subject. No one can be more inclined to recommend to all, having an opportunity of acquiring it, a thorough and complete knowledge of the government and constitutional law of our country, to be derived from the many able and profound expositions thereof that arc extant. It will be observed, that the view here given of our system of government is a practical one; exhibiting it as actually existing and in operation, rather than with respect to the theory of it, in the abstract; and showing its powers and duties, as constitutionally ascertained, and administered in practice, rather than the reasons therefor. It is with this design, that the arrangement has been adopted, by which the general subject is treated of, not in the order of the text of the federal constitution, or of those of the States; but under divisions and heads appropriate to the real administration of our government and laws, and which allow of the introduction of a greater amount and variety of information in its natural place. In our complex political system, consisting of a general government, and a number of separate State governments, acting in certain relations to it and to each other, the distinction between the general government and the State governments is of the greatest moment, often being the occasion of questions of much weight and delicacy. It has, therefore, been made an object especially to present this principle, with its relative bearings, throughout the work; and, it is thought, the arrangement by which the subject of the general government and that of the State governments are treated of separately, under distinct heads, is particularly suited to this end. The relations of the States to each other are, also, thus kept in view. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

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Why is today's political life so polarized? This book analyzes the ways in which the divergent apprehensions of both 'compromise' and the 'people' in seventeenth-century England and France became intertwined once again during the American founding, sometimes with bloody results. Looking at key-moments of the founding, from the first Puritan colonies to the beginning of the Civil War, this book offers answers of contemporary relevance. It argues that Americans unknowingly combined two understandings of the people: the early modern idea of a collection of individuals ruled by a majority of wills and the classic understanding of a corporation hierarchically structured and ruled by reason for the common good. Americans were then able to implement the paradigm of the 'people's two bodies'. Whenever the dialectic between the two has been broken, the results had have a major impact on American politics. Born by accident, this American peculiarity has proven to be a long-lasting one.