the fathers of the constitution-第6章

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ulated　immense　sums　of　money　in　gold　and　silver　coin；　which　had　the　effect　of　driving　out　of　circulation　the　wretched　paper　currency　which　had　till　then　prevailed。　Immense　quantities　of　British　and　French　goods　were　soon　imported：　our　people　imbibed　a　taste　for　foreign　fashions　and　luxury；　and　in　the　course　of　two　or　three　years；　from　the　close　of　the　war；　such　an　entire　change　had　taken　place　in　the　habits　and　manners　of　our　inhabitants；　that　it　almost　appeared　as　if　we　had　suddenly　become　a　different　nation。　The　staid　and　sober　habits　of　our　ancestors；　with　their　plain　home…manufactured　clothing；　were　suddenly　laid　aside；　and　European　goods　of　fine　quality　adopted　in　their　stead。　Fine　rues；　powdered　heads；　silks　and　scarlets；　decorated　the　men；　while　the　most　costly　silks；　satins；　chintzes；　calicoes；　muslins；　etc。；　etc。；　decorated　our　females。　Nor　was　their　diet　less　expensive；　for　superb　plate；　foreign　spirits；　wines；　etc。；　etc。；　sparkled　on　the　sideboards　of　many　farmers。　The　natural　result　of　this　change　of　the　habits　and　customs　of　the　peoplethis　aping　of　European　manners　and　morals；　was　to　suddenly　drain　our　country　of　its　circulating　specie；　and　as　a　necessary　consequence；　the　people　ran　in　debt；　times　became　difficult；　and　money　hard　to　raise。*　*　Samuel　Kercheval；　〃History　of　the　Valley　of　Virginia；〃　1833；　pp。　199…200。

The　situation　was　serious；　and　yet　it　was　not　as　dangerous　or　even　as　critical　as　it　has　generally　been　represented；　because　the　fundamental　bases　of　American　prosperity　were　untouched。　The　way　by　which　Americans　could　meet　the　emergency　and　recover　from　the　hard　times　was　fairly　evident　first　to　economize；　and　then　to　find　new　outlets　for　their　industrial　energies。　But　the　process　of　adjustment　was　slow　and　painful。　There　were　not　a　few　persons　in　the　United　States　who　were　even　disposed　to　regret　that　Americans　were　not　safely　under　British　protection　and　prospering　with　Great　Britain；　instead　of　suffering　in　political　isolation。

CHAPTER　III。　THE　CONFEDERATION　When　peace　came　in　1783　there　were　in　the　United　States　approximately　three　million　people；　who　were　spread　over　the　whole　Atlantic　coast　from　Maine　to　Georgia　and　back　into　the　interior　as　far　as　the　Alleghany　Mountains；　and　a　relatively　small　number　of　settlers　had　crossed　the　mountain　barrier。　About　twenty　per　cent　of　the　population；　or　some　six　hundred　thousand；　were　negro　slaves。　There　was　also　a　large　alien　element　of　foreign　birth　or　descent；　poor　when　they　arrived　in　America；　and；　although　they　had　been　able　to　raise　themselves　to　a　position　of　comparative　comfort；　life　among　them　was　still　crude　and　rough。　Many　of　the　people　were　poorly　educated　and　lacking　in　cultivation　and　refinement　and　in　a　knowledge　of　the　usages　of　good　society。　Not　only　were　they　looked　down　upon　by　other　nations　of　the　world；　there　was　within　the　United　States　itself　a　relatively　small　upper　class　inclined　to　regard　the　mass　of　the　people　as　of　an　inferior　order。　Thus；　while　forces　were　at　work　favorable　to　democracy；　the　gentry　remained　in　control　of　affairs　after　the　Revolution；　although　their　numbers　were　reduced　by　the　emigration　of　the　Loyalists　and　their　power　was　lessened。　The　explanation　of　this　aristocratic　control　may　be　found　in　the　fact　that　the　generation　of　the　Revolution　had　been　accustomed　to　monarchy　and　to　an　upper　class　and　that　the　people　were　wont　to　take　their　ideas　and　to　accept　suggestions　from　their　betters　without　question　or　murmur。　This　deferential　attitude　is　attested　by　the　indifference　of　citizens　to　the　right　of　voting。　In　our　own　day；　before　the　great　extension　of　woman　suffrage；　the　number　of　persons　voting　approximated　twenty　per　cent　of　the　population；　but　after　the　Revolution　less　than　five　per　cent　of　the　white　population　voted。　There　were　many　limitations　upon　the　exercise　of　the　suffrage；　but　the　small　number　of　voters　was　only　partially　due　to　these　restrictions；　for　in　later　years；　without　any　radical　change　in　suffrage　qualifications；　the　proportion　of　citizens　who　voted　steadily　increased。　The　fact　is　that　many　of　the　people　did　not　care　to　vote。　Why　should　they；　when　they　were　only　registering　the　will　or　the　wishes　of　their　superiors？　But　among　the　relatively　small　number　who　constituted　the　governing　class　there　was　a　high　standard　of　intelligence。　Popular　magazines　were　unheard　of　and　newspapers　were　infrequent；　so　that　men　depended　largely　upon　correspondence　and　personal　intercourse　for　the　interchange　of　ideas。　There　was　time；　however；　for　careful　reading　of　the　few　available　books；　there　was　time　for　thought；　for　writing；　for　discussion；　and　for　social　intercourse。　It　hardly　seems　too　much　to　say；　therefore；　that　there　was　seldom；　if　ever；　a　people…certainly　never　a　people　scattered　over　so　wide　a　territory…who　knew　so　much　about　government　as　did　this　controlling　element　of　the　people　of　the　United　States。　The　practical　character；　as　well　as　the　political　genius；　of　the　Americans　was　never　shown　to　better　advantage　than　at　the　outbreak　of　the　Revolution；　when　the　quarrel　with　the　mother　country　was　manifesting　itself　in　the　conflict　between　the　Governors；　and　other　appointed　agents　of　the　Crown；　and　the　popularly　elected　houses　of　the　colonial　legislatures。　When　the　Crown　resorted　to　dissolving　the　legislatures；　the　revolting　colonists　kept　up　and　observed　the　forms　of　government。　When　the　legislature　was　prevented　from　meeting；　the　members　would　come　together　and　call　themselves　a　congress　or　a　convention；　and；　instead　of　adopting　laws　or　orders；　would　issue　what　were　really　nothing　more　than　recommendations；　but　which　they　expected　would　be　obeyed　by　their　supporters。　To　enforce　these　recommendations　extra…legal　committees；　generally　backed　by　public　opinion　and　sometimes　concretely　supported　by　an　organized　〃mob；〃　would　meet　in　towns　and　counties　and　would　be　often　effectively　centralized　where　the　opponents　of　the　British　policy　were　in　control。　In　several　of　the　colonies　the　want　of　orderly　government　became　so　serious　that；　in　1775；　the　Continental　Congress　advised　them　to　form　temporary　governments　until　the　trouble　with　Great　Britain　had　been　settled。　When　independence　was　declared　Congress　recommended　to　all　the　States　that　they　should　adopt　governments　of　their　own。　In　accordance　with　that　recommendation；　in　the　course　of　a　very　few　years　each　State　established　an　independent　government　and　adopted　a　written　constitution。　It　was　a　time　when　men　believed　in　the　social　contract　or　the　〃compact　theory　of　the　state；〃　that　states　originated　through　agreement；　as　the　case　might　be；　between　king　and　nobles；　between　king　and　people；　or　among　the　people　themselves。　In　support　of　this　doctrine　no　less　an　authority　than　the　Bible　was　often　quoted；　such　a　passage　for　example　as　II　Samuel　v；　3：　〃So　all　the　elders　of　Israel　came　to　the　King　to　Hebron；　and　King　David　made　a　covenant　with　them　in　Hebron　before　the　Lord；　and　they　anointed　David　King　over　Israel。〃　As　a　philosophical　speculation　to　explain　why　people　were　governed　or　consented　to　be　governed；　this　theory　went　back　at　least　to　the　Greeks；　and　doubtless　much　earlier；　and；　though　of　some　significance　in　medieval　thought；　it　became　of　greater　importance　in　British　political　philosophy；　especially　through　the　works　of　Thomas　Hobbes　and　John　Locke。　A　very　practical　application　of　the　compact　theory　was　made　in　the　English　Revolution　of　1688；　when　in　order　to　avoid　the　embarrassment　of　deposing　the　king；　the　convention　of　the　Parliament　adopted　the　resolution：　〃That　King　James　the　Second；　having　endeavored　to　subvert　the　Constitution　of　the　Kingdom；　by　breaking　the　original　Contract　between　King　and　People；　and　having；　by　the　advice　of　Jesuits；　and　other　wicked　persons；　violated　the　fundamental　Laws；　and　withdrawn　himself　out　of　this　Kingdom；　has　abdicated　the　Government；　and　that　the　throne　is　hereby　vacant。〃　These　theories　were　developed　by　Jean　Jacques　Rousseau　in　his　〃Contrat　Social〃a　book　so　attractively　written　that　it　eclipsed　all　other　works　upon　the　subject　and　resulted　in　his　being　regarded　as　the　author　of　the　doctrineand　through　him　they　spread　all　over　Europe。　Conditions　in　America　did　more　than　lend　color　to　pale　speculation；　they　seemed　to　take