Constitutional Government in the United States [Paperback]

Woodrow Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2012

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1917. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... VIII PARTY GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED STATES In order to understand the organization and operation of parties in the United States, it is necessary to turn once more to the theory upon which our federal and, for that matter, our state governments, also, were constructed. They were, in their make-up, Whig inventions. At the time our national government was erected, the Whig party in England was engaged in a very notable struggle to curb and regulate the power of the Crown. The struggle had begun long before the revolution which cut our politics asunder from the politics of England, and that revolution itself was only an acute manifestation of the great forces which were at work among thoughtful Englishmen everywhere. The revolution which separated America from England was part of a great Whig contest with the Crown for constitutional liberties. The leaders of that revolution held Whig doctrine; the greater Whig statesmen on the other side of the water recognized them as their allies and gave them their outspoken sympathy, perceiving that they were but fighting a battle which must sooner or later be fought in England, whether with arms or with votes and the more pacific strategy of politics. Every historian now sees that the radical changes made in the government of England during the nineteenth century were quickened and given assurance of success by the changes which had preceded them in America; that the leaders of the American Revolution had but taken precedence of the Whigs at home in bringing government into a new and responsible relationship to the people who were its subjects. The theory of the Whigs in England did not go the length of seeking to destroy the power of the throne. It probably would not have gone that length in America if the throne ha...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This edition of Constitutional Government therefore performs the dual service of returning to print a vital source of modern liberal thought in America, and providing a concise interpretation of Wilson's role in the American tradition."

– Claremont Review of Books

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States during World War I and winner of the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize. At the time of the writing of this book, he was a renowned political scientist and the President of Princeton University. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 74 pages
• Publisher: General Books LLC (January 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0217912265
• ISBN-13: 978-0217912266
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,783,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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