THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: ITS CONSTITUTION, TENDENCIES, AND DESTINY. BY O. A. BROWNSON, LL. D. NEW YORK: P. O'SHEA, 104 BLEECKER STREET. 1866. Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1865, By P. O'SHEA, In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. TO THE HON. GEORGE BANCROFT, THE ERUDITE, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND ELOQUENT Historian of the United States, THIS FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO SET FORTH THE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT, AND TO EXPLAIN AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, IN MEMORY OF OLD FRIENDSHIP, AND AS A SLIGHT HOMAGE TO GENIUS, ABILITY, PATRIOTISM, PRIVATE WORTH, AND PUBLIC SERVICE, BY THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER II. GOVERNMENT 15 CHAPTER III. ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT 26 CHAPTER IV. ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT--Continued 43 CHAPTER V. ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT--Continued 71 CHAPTER VI. ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT--Concluded 106 CHAPTER VII. CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT 136 CHAPTER VIII. CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT--Concluded 166 CHAPTER IX. THE UNITED STATES 192 CHAPTER X. CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 218 CHAPTER XI. THE CONSTITUTION--Continued 244 CHAPTER XII. SECESSION 277 CHAPTER XIII. RECONSTRUCTION 309 CHAPTER XIV. POLITICAL TENDENCIES 348 CHAPTER XV. DESTINY--POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS 392 PREFACE. In the volume which, with much diffidence, is here offered to the public, I have given, as far as I have considered it worth giving, my whole thought in a connected form on the nature, necessity, extent, authority, origin, ground, and constitution of government, and the unity, nationality, constitution, tendencies, and destiny of the American Republic. Many of the points treated have been from time to time discussed or touched upon, and many of the views have been presented, in my previous writings; but this work is newly and independently written from beginning to end, and is as complete on the topics treated as I have been able to make it.