Chapter 2

THE THIRTEEN COMMONWEALTHS.

Cessation of hostilities in America 50

Departure of the British troops 51

Washington resigns his command 52

And goes home to Mount Vernon 53

His "legacy" to the American people 54

The next five years were the most critical years in American history 55

Absence of a sentiment of union, and consequent danger of anarchy 56, 57

European statesmen, whether hostile or friendly, had little faith in the stability of the Union 58

False historic analogies 59

Influence of railroad and telegraph upon the perpetuity of the Union 60

Difficulty of travelling a hundred years ago 61

Local jealousies and antipathies, an inheritance from primeval savagery 62, 63

Conservative character of the American Revolution 64

State governments remodelled; assemblies continued from colonial times 65

Origin of the senates in the governor's council of assistants 66

Governors viewed with suspicion 67

Analogies with British institutions 68

The judiciary 69

Restrictions upon suffrage 70

Abolition of primogeniture, entails, and manorial privileges 71

Steps toward the abolition of slavery and the slave-trade 72-75

Progress toward religious freedom 76, 77

Church and state in Virginia 78, 79

Persecution of dissenters 80

Madison and the Religions Freedom Act 81

Temporary overthrow of the church 82

Difficulties in regard to ordination; the case of Mason Weems 83

Ordination of Samuel Seabury by non-jurors at Aberdeen 84

Francis Asbury and the Methodists 85

Presbyterians and Congregationalists 86

Roman Catholics 87

Except in the instance of slavery, all the changes described in this chapter were favourable to the union of the states 88

But while the state governments, in all these changes, are seen working smoothly, we have next to observe, by contrast, the clumsiness and inefficiency of the federal government 89