Volumes III, IV, and V of Winsor's _Narrative and Critical History of America_, 8 vols., contain excellent monographs upon the founding, history and nature of government of the various colonies. Doyle's two volumes, entitled _The English Colonies in America_, present an exhaustive study of the American colonies from an European point of view. A handy digest of this work is contained in his small _History of the United States_, published as one of the volumes in "Freeman's Historical Course for Schools." Lodge's _Short History of the English Colonies in America_ is chiefly devoted to colonial social life. In the preparation of the chapter upon Colonial Governments, we have obtained the most assistance from the first volume of Story's _Commentaries upon the Constitution_. Pages 15 to 50 of Hannis Taylor's _Origin and Growth of the English Constitution_ are important. Fiske's _Beginnings of New England_ is an extremely interesting description of the early history of a single section. Steps Toward Union and Independence. See especially Story's _Commentaries_; Frothingham's _Rise of the Republic of the United States_; Scott's _Development of Constitutional Liberty in the English Colonies in America_; Fiske's _Critical Period of American History_; and A.B. Hart's _Formation of the Union_, 1763-1829, to appear in the series, "Epochs of American History." For the Albany plan of union see Franklin's _Life and Letters_, Vol. 4. For an account of the causes leading to revolution written from an essentially English standpoint, see Lecky's _History of England in the Eighteenth Century_, Vol. IV. Articles of Confederation. Best upon this subject are: Curtis' _History of the Constitution_; Marshall's _Life of Washington_; Bancroft's _History of the United States_; and Winsor's _Narrative and Critical History of America_, Vol. VII, article _The Confederation_ by the Editor. See also _Secret Journals of Congress_, and authorities cited above. Constitutional Convention and the Adoption of the Constitution. See authorities cited above, and J.A. Jameson's _Treatise on Constitutional Conventions_. The official sources of information are: the meagre _Journal, Acts, and Proceedings of the Convention_; and Elliot's _Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution_, * * * * _together with the Journal of the Federal Convention_, the last volume of which contains Madison's notes of _Debates in the Federal Convention_, frequently called _The Madison Papers_. The Constitution.