第4章

Theirimplacableprejudices，theiruncontrolledpassions，theirvices，andstillmoreperhapstheirsavagevirtues，consignedthemtoinevitabledestruction。TheruinofthesenationsbeganfromthedaywhenEuropeanslandedontheirshores;ithasproceededeversince，andwearenowwitnessingthecompletionofit。TheyseemtohavebeenplacedbyProvidenceamidsttherichesoftheNewWorldtoenjoythemforaseason，andthensurrenderthem。Thosecoasts，soadmirablyadaptedforcommerceandindustry;thosewideanddeeprivers;thatinexhaustiblevalleyoftheMississippi;thewholecontinent，inshort，seemedpreparedtobetheabodeofagreatnation，yetunborn。

Inthatlandthegreatexperimentwastobemade，bycivilizedman，oftheattempttoconstructsocietyuponanewbasis;anditwasthere，forthefirsttime，thattheorieshithertounknown，ordeemedimpracticable，weretoexhibitaspectacleforwhichtheworldhadnotbeenpreparedbythehistoryofthepast。

ChapterII:OriginOfTheAnglo—Americans—PartI

ChapterSummaryUtilityofknowingtheoriginofnationsinordertounderstandtheirsocialconditionandtheirlaws—Americatheonlycountryinwhichthestarting—pointofagreatpeoplehasbeenclearlyobservable—InwhatrespectsallwhoemigratedtoBritishAmericaweresimilar—Inwhattheydiffered—RemarkapplicabletoallEuropeanswhoestablishedthemselvesontheshoresoftheNewWorld—ColonizationofVirginia—ColonizationofNewEngland—OriginalcharacterofthefirstinhabitantsofNewEngland—Theirarrival—Theirfirstlaws—Theirsocialcontract—PenalcodeborrowedfromtheHebrewlegislation—

Religiousfervor—Republicanspirit—Intimateunionofthespiritofreligionwiththespiritofliberty。

OriginOfTheAnglo—Americans，AndItsImportanceInRelationToTheirFutureConditionAfterthebirthofahumanbeinghisearlyyearsareobscurelyspentinthetoilsorpleasuresofchildhood。Ashegrowsuptheworldreceiveshim，whenhismanhoodbegins，andheentersintocontactwithhisfellows。Heisthenstudiedforthefirsttime，anditisimaginedthatthegermofthevicesandthevirtuesofhismatureryearsisthenformed。This，ifIamnotmistaken，isagreaterror。Wemustbeginhigherup;wemustwatchtheinfantinitsmother’sarms;wemustseethefirstimageswhichtheexternalworldcastsuponthedarkmirrorofhismind;thefirstoccurrenceswhichhewitnesses;wemusthearthefirstwordswhichawakenthesleepingpowersofthought，andstandbyhisearliestefforts，ifwewouldunderstandtheprejudices，thehabits，andthepassionswhichwillrulehislife。Theentiremanis，sotospeak，tobeseeninthecradleofthechild。

Thegrowthofnationspresentssomethinganalogoustothis:

theyallbearsomemarksoftheirorigin;andthecircumstanceswhichaccompaniedtheirbirthandcontributedtotheirriseaffectthewholetermoftheirbeing。Ifwewereabletogobacktotheelementsofstates，andtoexaminetheoldestmonumentsoftheirhistory，Idoubtnotthatweshoulddiscovertheprimalcauseoftheprejudices，thehabits，therulingpassions，and，inshort，ofallthatconstituteswhatiscalledthenationalcharacter;weshouldthenfindtheexplanationofcertaincustomswhichnowseematvariancewiththeprevailingmanners;ofsuchlawsasconflictwithestablishedprinciples;andofsuchincoherentopinionsasarehereandtheretobemetwithinsociety，likethosefragmentsofbrokenchainswhichwesometimesseehangingfromthevaultofanedifice，andsupportingnothing。

Thismightexplainthedestiniesofcertainnations，whichseemborneonbyanunknownforcetoendsofwhichtheythemselvesareignorant。Buthithertofactshavebeenwantingtoresearchesofthiskind:thespiritofinquiryhasonlycomeuponcommunitiesintheirlatterdays;andwhentheyatlengthcontemplatedtheirorigin，timehadalreadyobscuredit，orignoranceandprideadorneditwithtruth—concealingfables。

Americaistheonlycountryinwhichithasbeenpossibletowitnessthenaturalandtranquilgrowthofsociety，andwheretheinfluencesexercisedonthefutureconditionofstatesbytheiroriginisclearlydistinguishable。AttheperiodwhenthepeoplesofEuropelandedintheNewWorldtheirnationalcharacteristicswerealreadycompletelyformed;eachofthemhadaphysiognomyofitsown;andastheyhadalreadyattainedthatstageofcivilizationatwhichmenareledtostudythemselves，theyhavetransmittedtousafaithfulpictureoftheiropinions，theirmanners，andtheirlaws。Themenofthesixteenthcenturyarealmostaswellknowntousasourcontemporaries。America，consequently，exhibitsinthebroadlightofdaythephenomenawhichtheignoranceorrudenessofearlieragesconcealsfromourresearches。NearenoughtothetimewhenthestatesofAmericawerefounded，tobeaccuratelyacquaintedwiththeirelements，andsufficientlyremovedfromthatperiodtojudgeofsomeoftheirresults，themenofourowndayseemdestinedtoseefurtherthantheirpredecessorsintotheseriesofhumanevents。

Providencehasgivenusatorchwhichourforefathersdidnotpossess，andhasallowedustodiscernfundamentalcausesinthehistoryoftheworldwhichtheobscurityofthepastconcealedfromthem。IfwecarefullyexaminethesocialandpoliticalstateofAmerica，afterhavingstudieditshistory，weshallremainperfectlyconvincedthatnotanopinion，notacustom，notalaw，Imayevensaynotanevent，isuponrecordwhichtheoriginofthatpeoplewillnotexplain。Thereadersofthisbookwillfindthegermofallthatistofollowinthepresentchapter，andthekeytoalmostthewholework。

Theemigrantswhocame，atdifferentperiodstooccupytheterritorynowcoveredbytheAmericanUniondifferedfromeachotherinmanyrespects;theiraimwasnotthesame，andtheygovernedthemselvesondifferentprinciples。Thesemenhad，however，certainfeaturesincommon，andtheywereallplacedinananalogoussituation。Thetieoflanguageisperhapsthestrongestandthemostdurablethatcanunitemankind。Alltheemigrantsspokethesametongue;theywerealloffsetsfromthesamepeople。Borninacountrywhichhadbeenagitatedforcenturiesbythestrugglesoffaction，andinwhichallpartieshadbeenobligedintheirturntoplacethemselvesundertheprotectionofthelaws，theirpoliticaleducationhadbeenperfectedinthisrudeschool，andtheyweremoreconversantwiththenotionsofrightandtheprinciplesoftruefreedomthanthegreaterpartoftheirEuropeancontemporaries。Attheperiodoftheirfirstemigrationstheparishsystem，thatfruitfulgermoffreeinstitutions，wasdeeplyrootedinthehabitsoftheEnglish;andwithitthedoctrineofthesovereigntyofthepeoplehadbeenintroducedintothebosomofthemonarchyoftheHouseofTudor。

ThereligiousquarrelswhichhaveagitatedtheChristianworldwerethenrife。Englandhadplungedintotheneworderofthingswithheadlongvehemence。Thecharacterofitsinhabitants，whichhadalwaysbeensedateandreflective，becameargumentativeandaustere。Generalinformationhadbeenincreasedbyintellectualdebate，andthemindhadreceivedadeepercultivation。Whilstreligionwasthetopicofdiscussion，themoralsofthepeoplewerereformed。AllthesenationalfeaturesaremoreorlessdiscoverableinthephysiognomyofthoseadventurerswhocametoseekanewhomeontheoppositeshoresoftheAtlantic。

Anotherremark，towhichweshallhereafterhaveoccasiontorecur，isapplicablenotonlytotheEnglish，buttotheFrench，theSpaniards，andalltheEuropeanswhosuccessivelyestablishedthemselvesintheNewWorld。AlltheseEuropeancoloniescontainedtheelements，ifnotthedevelopment，ofacompletedemocracy。Twocausesledtothisresult。Itmaysafelybeadvanced，thatonleavingthemother—countrytheemigrantshadingeneralnonotionofsuperiorityoveroneanother。Thehappyandthepowerfuldonotgointoexile，andtherearenosurerguaranteesofequalityamongmenthanpovertyandmisfortune。Ithappened，however，onseveraloccasions，thatpersonsofrankweredriventoAmericabypoliticalandreligiousquarrels。Lawsweremadetoestablishagradationofranks;butitwassoonfoundthatthesoilofAmericawasopposedtoaterritorialaristocracy。Tobringthatrefractorylandintocultivation，theconstantandinterestedexertionsoftheownerhimselfwerenecessary;andwhenthegroundwasprepared，itsproducewasfoundtobeinsufficienttoenrichamasterandafarmeratthesametime。Thelandwasthennaturallybrokenupintosmallportions，whichtheproprietorcultivatedforhimself。Landisthebasisofanaristocracy，whichclingstothesoilthatsupportsit;foritisnotbyprivilegesalone，norbybirth，butbylandedpropertyhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration，thatanaristocracyisconstituted。Anationmaypresentimmensefortunesandextremewretchedness，butunlessthosefortunesareterritorialthereisnoaristocracy，butsimplytheclassoftherichandthatofthepoor。

AlltheBritishcolonieshadthenagreatdegreeofsimilarityattheepochoftheirsettlement。Allofthem，fromtheirfirstbeginning，seemeddestinedtowitnessthegrowth，notofthearistocraticlibertyoftheirmother—country，butofthatfreedomofthemiddleandlowerordersofwhichthehistoryoftheworldhadasyetfurnishednocompleteexample。

Inthisgeneraluniformityseveralstrikingdifferenceswerehoweverdiscernible，whichitisnecessarytopointout。TwobranchesmaybedistinguishedintheAnglo—Americanfamily，whichhavehithertogrownupwithoutentirelycommingling;theoneintheSouth，theotherintheNorth。

VirginiareceivedthefirstEnglishcolony;theemigrantstookpossessionofitin1607。TheideathatminesofgoldandsilverarethesourcesofnationalwealthwasatthattimesingularlyprevalentinEurope;afataldelusion，whichhasdonemoretoimpoverishthenationswhichadoptedit，andhascostmorelivesinAmerica，thantheunitedinfluenceofwarandbadlaws。ThemensenttoVirginia*awereseekersofgold，adventurers，withoutresourcesandwithoutcharacter，whoseturbulentandrestlessspiritendangeredtheinfantcolony，*bandrendereditsprogressuncertain。Theartisansandagriculturistsarrivedafterwards;and，althoughtheywereamoremoralandorderlyraceofmen，theywereinnowiseabovetheleveloftheinferiorclassesinEngland。*cNoloftyconceptions，nointellectualsystem，directedthefoundationofthesenewsettlements。Thecolonywasscarcelyestablishedwhenslaverywasintroduced，*dandthiswasthemaincircumstancewhichhasexercisedsoprodigiousaninfluenceonthecharacter，thelaws，andallthefutureprospectsoftheSouth。Slavery，asweshallafterwardsshow，dishonorslabor;itintroducesidlenessintosociety，andwithidleness，ignoranceandpride，luxuryanddistress。Itenervatesthepowersofthemind，andbenumbstheactivityofman。Theinfluenceofslavery，unitedtotheEnglishcharacter，explainsthemannersandthesocialconditionoftheSouthernStates。

[Footnotea:ThechartergrantedbytheCrownofEnglandin1609

stipulated，amongstotherconditions，thattheadventurersshouldpaytotheCrownafifthoftheproduceofallgoldandsilvermines。SeeMarshall’s"LifeofWashington，"vol。i。pp。18—66。]

[Footnoteb:Alargeportionoftheadventurers，saysStith（"HistoryofVirginia"），wereunprincipledyoungmenoffamily，whomtheirparentsweregladtoshipoff，dischargedservants，fraudulentbankrupts，ordebauchees;andothersofthesameclass，peoplemoreapttopillageanddestroythantoassistthesettlement，weretheseditiouschiefs，whoeasilyledthisbandintoeverykindofextravaganceandexcess。SeeforthehistoryofVirginiathefollowingworks:—

"HistoryofVirginia，fromtheFirstSettlementsintheyear1624，"bySmith。

"HistoryofVirginia，"byWilliamStith。

"HistoryofVirginia，fromtheEarliestPeriod，"byBeverley。]

[Footnotec:ItwasnottillsometimelaterthatacertainnumberofrichEnglishcapitalistscametofixthemselvesinthecolony。]

[Footnoted:Slaverywasintroducedabouttheyear1620byaDutchvesselwhichlandedtwentynegroesonthebanksoftheriverJames。SeeChalmer。]

IntheNorth，thesameEnglishfoundationwasmodifiedbythemostoppositeshadesofcharacter;andhereImaybeallowedtoenterintosomedetails。ThetwoorthreemainideaswhichconstitutethebasisofthesocialtheoryoftheUnitedStateswerefirstcombinedintheNorthernEnglishcolonies，moregenerallydenominatedtheStatesofNewEngland。*eTheprinciplesofNewEnglandspreadatfirsttotheneighboringstates;theythenpassedsuccessivelytothemoredistantones;

andatlengththeyimbuedthewholeConfederation。TheynowextendtheirinfluencebeyonditslimitsoverthewholeAmericanworld。ThecivilizationofNewEnglandhasbeenlikeabeaconlituponahill，which，afterithasdiffuseditswarmtharound，tingesthedistanthorizonwithitsglow。

[Footnotee:TheStatesofNewEnglandarethosesituatedtotheeastoftheHudson;theyarenowsixinnumber:1，Connecticut;

2，RhodeIsland;3，Massachusetts;4，Vermont;5，NewHampshire;

6，Maine。]

ThefoundationofNewEnglandwasanovelspectacle，andallthecircumstancesattendingitweresingularandoriginal。Thelargemajorityofcolonieshavebeenfirstinhabitedeitherbymenwithouteducationandwithoutresources，drivenbytheirpovertyandtheirmisconductfromthelandwhichgavethembirth，orbyspeculatorsandadventurersgreedyofgain。Somesettlementscannotevenboastsohonorableanorigin;St。Domingowasfoundedbybuccaneers;andthecriminalcourtsofEnglandoriginallysuppliedthepopulationofAustralia。

ThesettlerswhoestablishedthemselvesontheshoresofNewEnglandallbelongedtothemoreindependentclassesoftheirnativecountry。TheiruniononthesoilofAmericaatoncepresentedthesingularphenomenonofasocietycontainingneitherlordsnorcommonpeople，neitherrichnorpoor。Thesemenpossessed，inproportiontotheirnumber，agreatermassofintelligencethanistobefoundinanyEuropeannationofourowntime。All，withoutasingleexception，hadreceivedagoodeducation，andmanyofthemwereknowninEuropefortheirtalentsandtheiracquirements。Theothercolonieshadbeenfoundedbyadventurerswithoutfamily;theemigrantsofNewEnglandbroughtwiththemthebestelementsoforderandmorality—theylandedinthedesertaccompaniedbytheirwivesandchildren。Butwhatmostespeciallydistinguishedthemwastheaimoftheirundertaking。Theyhadnotbeenobligedbynecessitytoleavetheircountry;thesocialpositiontheyabandonedwasonetoberegretted，andtheirmeansofsubsistencewerecertain。

NordidtheycrosstheAtlantictoimprovetheirsituationortoincreasetheirwealth;thecallwhichsummonedthemfromthecomfortsoftheirhomeswaspurelyintellectual;andinfacingtheinevitablesufferingsofexiletheirobjectwasthetriumphofanidea。

Theemigrants，or，astheydeservedlystyledthemselves，thePilgrims，belongedtothatEnglishsecttheausterityofwhoseprincipleshadacquiredforthemthenameofPuritans。

Puritanismwasnotmerelyareligiousdoctrine，butitcorrespondedinmanypointswiththemostabsolutedemocraticandrepublicantheories。Itwasthistendencywhichhadarouseditsmostdangerousadversaries。PersecutedbytheGovernmentofthemother—country，anddisgustedbythehabitsofasocietyopposedtotherigoroftheirownprinciples，thePuritanswentforthtoseeksomerudeandunfrequentedpartoftheworld，wheretheycouldliveaccordingtotheirownopinions，andworshipGodinfreedom。

Afewquotationswillthrowmorelightuponthespiritofthesepiousadventuresthanallwecansayofthem。NathanielMorton，*fthehistorianofthefirstyearsofthesettlement，thusopenshissubject:

[Footnotef:"NewEngland’sMemorial，"p。13;Boston，1826。Seealso"Hutchinson’sHistory，"vol。ii。p。440。]

"GentleReader，—Ihaveforsomelengthoftimelookeduponitasadutyincumbent，especiallyontheimmediatesuccessorsofthosethathavehadsolargeexperienceofthosemanymemorableandsignaldemonstrationsofGod’sgoodness，viz。，thefirstbeginnersofthisPlantationinNewEngland，tocommittowritinghisgraciousdispensationsonthatbehalf;havingsomanyinducementsthereunto，notonelyotherwisebutsoplentifullyintheSacredScriptures:thatso，whatwehaveseen，andwhatourfathershavetoldus（Psalmlxxviii。3，4），wemaynothidefromourchildren，showingtothegenerationstocomethepraisesoftheLord;thatespeciallytheseedofAbrahamhisservant，andthechildrenofJacobhischosen（Psalmcv。5，6），mayrememberhismarvellousworksinthebeginningandprogressoftheplantingofNewEngland，hiswondersandthejudgmentsofhismouth;howthatGodbroughtavineintothiswilderness;thathecastouttheheathen，andplantedit;thathemaderoomforitandcausedittotakedeeproot;anditfilledtheland（Psalmlxxx。8，9）。Andnotonelyso，butalsothathehathguidedhispeoplebyhisstrengthtohisholyhabitationandplantedtheminthemountainofhisinheritanceinrespectofpreciousGospelenjoyments:andthatasespeciallyGodmayhavethegloryofalluntowhomitismostdue;soalsosomeraysofglorymayreachthenamesofthoseblessedSaintsthatwerethemaininstrumentsandthebeginningofthishappyenterprise。"

Itisimpossibletoreadthisopeningparagraphwithoutaninvoluntaryfeelingofreligiousawe;itbreathestheverysavorofGospelantiquity。Thesincerityoftheauthorheightenshispoweroflanguage。ThebandwhichtohiseyeswasamerepartyofadventurersgoneforthtoseektheirfortunebeyondseasappearstothereaderasthegermofagreatnationwaftedbyProvidencetoapredestinedshore。

Theauthorthuscontinueshisnarrativeofthedepartureofthefirstpilgrims:—

"SotheyleftthatgoodlyandpleasantcityofLeyden，*gwhichhadbeentheirresting—placeforaboveelevenyears;buttheyknewthattheywerepilgrimsandstrangersherebelow，andlookednotmuchonthesethings，butlifteduptheireyestoHeaven，theirdearestcountry，whereGodhathpreparedforthemacity（Heb。xi。16），andthereinquietedtheirspirits。WhentheycametoDelfs—Haventheyfoundtheshipandallthingsready;

andsuchoftheirfriendsascouldnotcomewiththemfollowedafterthem，andsundrycamefromAmsterdamtoseethemshipt，andtotaketheirleavesofthem。Onenightwasspentwithlittlesleepwiththemost，butwithfriendlyentertainmentandChristiandiscourse，andotherrealexpressionsoftrueChristianlove。Thenextdaytheywentonboard，andtheirfriendswiththem，wheretrulydolefulwasthesightofthatsadandmournfulparting，tohearwhatsighsandsobsandprayersdidsoundamongstthem;whattearsdidgushfromeveryeye，andpithyspeechespiercedeachother’sheart，thatsundryoftheDutchstrangersthatstoodontheKeyasspectatorscouldnotrefrainfromtears。Butthetide（whichstaysfornoman）callingthemaway，thatwerethuslothtodepart，theirReverendPastorfallingdownonhisknees，andtheyallwithhim，withwaterycheekscommendedthemwithmostferventprayersuntotheLordandhisblessing;andthen，withmutualembracesandmanytearstheytooktheirleavesoneofanother，whichprovedtobethelastleavetomanyofthem。"

[Footnoteg:Theemigrantswere，forthemostpart，godlyChristiansfromtheNorthofEngland，whohadquittedtheirnativecountrybecausetheywere"studiousofreformation，andenteredintocovenanttowalkwithoneanotheraccordingtotheprimitivepatternoftheWordofGod。"TheyemigratedtoHolland，andsettledinthecityofLeydenin1610，wheretheyabode，beinglovinglyrespectedbytheDutch，formanyyears:theyleftitin1620forseveralreasons，thelastofwhichwas，thattheirposteritywouldinafewgenerationsbecomeDutch，andsolosetheirinterestintheEnglishnation;theybeingdesirousrathertoenlargeHisMajesty’sdominions，andtoliveundertheirnaturalprince。—Translator’sNote。]

Theemigrantswereabout150innumber，includingthewomenandthechildren。TheirobjectwastoplantacolonyontheshoresoftheHudson;butafterhavingbeendrivenaboutforsometimeintheAtlanticOcean，theywereforcedtolandonthataridcoastofNewEnglandwhichisnowthesiteofthetownofPlymouth。Therockisstillshownonwhichthepilgrimsdisembarked。*h[Footnoteh:ThisrockisbecomeanobjectofvenerationintheUnitedStates。IhaveseenbitsofitcarefullypreservedinseveraltownsoftheUnion。Doesnotthissufficientlyshowhowentirelyallhumanpowerandgreatnessisinthesoulofman？

Hereisastonewhichthefeetofafewoutcastspressedforaninstant，andthisstonebecomesfamous;itistreasuredbyagreatnation，itsverydustissharedasarelic:andwhatisbecomeofthegatewaysofathousandpalaces？]

"Butbeforewepasson，"continuesourhistorian，"letthereaderwithmemakeapauseandseriouslyconsiderthispoorpeople’spresentcondition，themoretoberaiseduptoadmirationofGod’sgoodnesstowardsthemintheirpreservation:

forbeingnowpassedthevastocean，andaseaoftroublesbeforetheminexpectation，theyhadnownofriendstowelcomethem，noinnstoentertainorrefreshthem，nohouses，ormuchlesstownstorepairuntotoseekforsuccour:andfortheseasonitwaswinter，andtheythatknowthewintersofthecountryknowthemtobesharpandviolent，subjecttocruelandfiercestorms，dangeroustotraveltoknownplaces，muchmoretosearchunknowncoasts。Besides，whatcouldtheyseebutahideousanddesolatewilderness，fullofwildebeasts，andwildemen？andwhatmultitudesofthemtherewere，theythenknewnot:forwhichwaysoevertheyturnedtheireyes（saveupwardtoHeaven）theycouldhavebutlittlesolaceorcontentinrespectofanyoutwardobject;forsummerbeingended，allthingsstandinappearancewithaweather—beatenface，andthewholecountryfullofwoodsandthickets，representedawildandsavagehew;iftheylookedbehindthem，therewasthemightyoceanwhichtheyhadpassed，andwasnowasamainbarorgulphtoseparatethemfromallthecivilpartsoftheworld。"

ItmustnotbeimaginedthatthepietyofthePuritanswasofamerelyspeculativekind，orthatittooknocognizanceofthecourseofworldlyaffairs。Puritanism，asIhavealreadyremarked，wasscarcelylessapoliticalthanareligiousdoctrine。NosoonerhadtheemigrantslandedonthebarrencoastdescribedbyNathanielMortonthanitwastheirfirstcaretoconstituteasociety，bypassingthefollowingAct:

"InthenameofGod。Amen。We，whosenamesareunderwritten，theloyalsubjectsofourdreadSovereignLordKingJames，etc。，etc。，HavingundertakenforthegloryofGod，andadvancementoftheChristianFaith，andthehonourofourKingandcountry，avoyagetoplantthefirstcolonyinthenorthernpartsofVirginia;Dobythesepresentssolemnlyandmutually，inthepresenceofGodandoneanother，covenantandcombineourselvestogetherintoacivilbodypolitick，forourbetterorderingandpreservation，andfurtheranceoftheendsaforesaid:

andbyvirtuehereofdoenact，constituteandframesuchjustandequallaws，ordinances，acts，constitutions，andofficers，fromtimetotime，asshallbethoughtmostmeetandconvenientforthegeneralgoodoftheColony:untowhichwepromiseallduesubmissionandobedience，"etc。*i[Footnotei:TheemigrantswhofoundedtheStateofRhodeIslandin1638，thosewholandedatNewHavenin1637，thefirstsettlersinConnecticutin1639，andthefoundersofProvidencein1640，beganinlikemannerbydrawingupasocialcontract，whichwasaccededtobyalltheinterestedparties。See"Pitkin’sHistory，"pp。42and47。]

Thishappenedin1620，andfromthattimeforwardstheemigrationwenton。ThereligiousandpoliticalpassionswhichravagedtheBritishEmpireduringthewholereignofCharlesI

drovefreshcrowdsofsectarianseveryyeartotheshoresofAmerica。InEnglandthestrongholdofPuritanismwasinthemiddleclasses，anditwasfromthemiddleclassesthatthemajorityoftheemigrantscame。ThepopulationofNewEnglandincreasedrapidly;andwhilstthehierarchyofrankdespoticallyclassedtheinhabitantsofthemother—country，thecolonycontinuedtopresentthenovelspectacleofacommunityhomogeneousinallitsparts。Ademocracy，moreperfectthananywhichantiquityhaddreamtof，startedinfullsizeandpanoplyfromthemidstofanancientfeudalsociety。

ChapterII:OriginOfTheAnglo—Americans—PartII

TheEnglishGovernmentwasnotdissatisfiedwithanemigrationwhichremovedtheelementsoffreshdiscordandoffurtherrevolutions。Onthecontrary，everythingwasdonetoencourageit，andgreatexertionsweremadetomitigatethehardshipsofthosewhosoughtashelterfromtherigoroftheircountry’slawsonthesoilofAmerica。ItseemedasifNewEnglandwasaregiongivenuptothedreamsoffancyandtheunrestrainedexperimentsofinnovators。

TheEnglishcolonies（andthisisoneofthemaincausesoftheirprosperity）havealwaysenjoyedmoreinternalfreedomandmorepoliticalindependencethanthecoloniesofothernations;

butthisprincipleoflibertywasnowheremoreextensivelyappliedthanintheStatesofNewEngland。

ItwasgenerallyallowedatthatperiodthattheterritoriesoftheNewWorldbelongedtothatEuropeannationwhichhadbeenthefirsttodiscoverthem。NearlythewholecoastofNorthAmericathusbecameaBritishpossessiontowardstheendofthesixteenthcentury。ThemeansusedbytheEnglishGovernmenttopeoplethesenewdomainswereofseveralkinds;theKingsometimesappointedagovernorofhisownchoice，whoruledaportionoftheNewWorldinthenameandundertheimmediateordersoftheCrown;*jthisisthecolonialsystemadoptedbyothercountriesofEurope。SometimesgrantsofcertaintractsweremadebytheCrowntoanindividualortoacompany，*kinwhichcaseallthecivilandpoliticalpowerfellintothehandsofoneormorepersons，who，undertheinspectionandcontroloftheCrown，soldthelandsandgovernedtheinhabitants。Lastly，athirdsystemconsistedinallowingacertainnumberofemigrantstoconstituteapoliticalsocietyundertheprotectionofthemother—country，andtogovernthemselvesinwhateverwasnotcontrarytoherlaws。Thismodeofcolonization，soremarkablyfavorabletoliberty，wasonlyadoptedinNewEngland。

*l[Footnotej:ThiswasthecaseintheStateofNewYork。]

[Footnotek:Maryland，theCarolinas，Pennsylvania，andNewJerseywereinthissituation。See"Pitkin’sHistory，"vol。i。

pp。11—31。]

[Footnotel:Seetheworkentitled"HistoricalCollectionofStatePapersandotherauthenticDocumentsintendedasmaterialsforaHistoryoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica，byEbenezerHasard。Philadelphia，1792，"foragreatnumberofdocumentsrelatingtothecommencementofthecolonies，whicharevaluablefromtheircontentsandtheirauthenticity:amongstthemarethevariouschartersgrantedbytheKingofEngland，andthefirstactsofthelocalgovernments。

SeealsotheanalysisofallthesechartersgivenbyMr。

Story，JudgeoftheSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates，intheIntroductiontohis"CommentaryontheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates。"Itresultsfromthesedocumentsthattheprinciplesofrepresentativegovernmentandtheexternalformsofpoliticallibertywereintroducedintoallthecoloniesattheirorigin。

TheseprinciplesweremorefullyacteduponintheNorththanintheSouth，buttheyexistedeverywhere。]

In1628*macharterofthiskindwasgrantedbyCharlesI

totheemigrantswhowenttoformthecolonyofMassachusetts。

But，ingeneral，charterswerenotgiventothecoloniesofNewEnglandtilltheyhadacquiredacertainexistence。Plymouth，Providence，NewHaven，theStateofConnecticut，andthatofRhodeIsland*nwerefoundedwithouttheco—operationandalmostwithouttheknowledgeofthemother—country。Thenewsettlersdidnotderivetheirincorporationfromtheseatoftheempire，althoughtheydidnotdenyitssupremacy;theyconstitutedasocietyoftheirownaccord，anditwasnottillthirtyorfortyyearsafterwards，underCharlesII。thattheirexistencewaslegallyrecognizedbyaroyalcharter。

[Footnotem:See"Pitkin’sHistory，"p，35。Seethe"HistoryoftheColonyofMassachusettsBay，"byHutchinson，vol。i。p。9。]

[Footnoten:See"Pitkin’sHistory，"pp。42，47。]

ThisfrequentlyrendersitsitdifficulttodetectthelinkwhichconnectedtheemigrantswiththelandoftheirforefathersinstudyingtheearliesthistoricalandlegislativerecordsofNewEngland。Theyexercisedtherightsofsovereignty;theynamedtheirmagistrates，concludedpeaceordeclaredwar，madepoliceregulations，andenactedlawsasiftheirallegiancewasdueonlytoGod。*oNothingcanbemorecuriousand，atthesametimemoreinstructive，thanthelegislationofthatperiod;itistherethatthesolutionofthegreatsocialproblemwhichtheUnitedStatesnowpresenttotheworldistobefound。

[Footnoteo:TheinhabitantsofMassachusettshaddeviatedfromtheformswhicharepreservedinthecriminalandcivilprocedureofEngland;in1650thedecreesofjusticewerenotyetheadedbytheroyalstyle。SeeHutchinson，vol。i。p。452。]

Amongstthesedocumentsweshallnotice，asespeciallycharacteristic，thecodeoflawspromulgatedbythelittleStateofConnecticutin1650。*pThelegislatorsofConnecticut*qbeginwiththepenallaws，and，strangetosay，theyborrowtheirprovisionsfromthetextofHolyWrit。"WhosoevershallworshipanyotherGodthantheLord，"saysthepreambleoftheCode，"shallsurelybeputtodeath。"Thisisfollowedbytenortwelveenactmentsofthesamekind，copiedverbatimfromthebooksofExodus，Leviticus，andDeuteronomy。Blasphemy，sorcery，adultery，*randrapewerepunishedwithdeath;anoutrageofferedbyasontohisparentswastobeexpiatedbythesamepenalty。Thelegislationofarudeandhalf—civilizedpeoplewasthusappliedtoanenlightenedandmoralcommunity。Theconsequencewasthatthepunishmentofdeathwasnevermorefrequentlyprescribedbythestatute，andnevermorerarelyenforcedtowardstheguilty。

[Footnotep:Codeof1650，p。28;Hartford，1830。]

[Footnoteq:Seealsoin"Hutchinson’sHistory，"vol。i。pp。435，456，theanalysisofthepenalcodeadoptedin1648bytheColonyofMassachusetts:thiscodeisdrawnuponthesameprinciplesasthatofConnecticut。]

[Footnoter:AdulterywasalsopunishedwithdeathbythelawofMassachusetts:andHutchinson，vol。i。p。441，saysthatseveralpersonsactuallysufferedforthiscrime。Hequotesacuriousanecdoteonthissubject，whichoccurredintheyear1663。A

marriedwomanhadhadcriminalintercoursewithayoungman;herhusbanddied，andshemarriedthelover。Severalyearshadelapsed，whenthepublicbegantosuspectthepreviousintercourseofthiscouple:theywerethrownintoprison，putupontrial，andverynarrowlyescapedcapitalpunishment。]

Thechiefcareofthelegislators，inthisbodyofpenallaws，wasthemaintenanceoforderlyconductandgoodmoralsinthecommunity:theyconstantlyinvadedthedomainofconscience，andtherewasscarcelyasinwhichwasnotsubjecttomagisterialcensure。Thereaderisawareoftherigorwithwhichtheselawspunishedrapeandadultery;intercoursebetweenunmarriedpersonswaslikewiseseverelyrepressed。Thejudgewasempoweredtoinflictapecuniarypenalty，awhipping，ormarriage*sonthemisdemeanants;andiftherecordsoftheoldcourtsofNewHavenmaybebelieved，prosecutionsofthiskindwerenotunfrequent。