Ja.26/03/55 PREFACE. HE title under which the first edition of this wOLK THE wor appeared, namely, "A History of Political Parties in the United States," was found to be inapt, as not properly indicating the nature of the subject-matter, and as causing the work to be confused with ephemeral campaign “histories. It has therefore been determined to call it what it is a Political History of the United States. In working over this volume the author has arrived at two important conclusions that unwise financial legislation was primarily responsible for the dangerous position of the country at the close of the War of 1812, and that the public opinion of the North with reference to the negro prior to 1830 differed but little from that of the South, the greater readiness to free him in the former section having been due to the fact that if freed he would live at the South. To give the facts that led to these conclusions their proper setting necessitated a recasting of the entire book. The author wishes to make grateful acknowledg ment of the kindness of Mr. Henry Adams in putting at his disposal copies of important French manuscripts. He is also especially indebted to Mr. Theodore F. Neu, who has read the proof of the book and to whose great intelligence and rare insight many improvements in its form are due. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, March 5, 1902. |