Chapter II

THE THIRTEEN COMMONWEALTHS. Cessation of hostilities in America 50 Departure of the British troops 51 Washington resigns his command 52 And goes home to Mount Vernon 53 His "legacy" to the American people 54 The next five years were the most critical years in American history 55 Absence of a sentiment of union, and consequent danger of anarchy 56, 57 European statesmen, whether hostile or friendly, had little faith in the stability of the Union 58 False historic analogies 59 Influence of railroad and telegraph upon the perpetuity of the Union 60 Difficulty of travelling a hundred years ago 61 Local jealousies and antipathies, an inheritance from primeval savagery 62, 63 Conservative character of the American Revolution 64 State governments remodelled; assemblies continued from colonial times 65 Origin of the senates in the governor's council of assistants 66 Governors viewed with suspicion 67 Analogies with British institutions 68 The judiciary 69 Restrictions upon suffrage 70 Abolition of primogeniture, entails, and manorial privileges 71 Steps toward the abolition of slavery and the slave-trade 72–75 Progress toward religious freedom 76, 77 Church and state in Virginia 78, 79 Persecution of dissenters 80 Madison and the Religions Freedom Act 81 Temporary overthrow of the church 82 Difficulties in regard to ordination; the case of Mason Weems 83 Ordination of Samuel Seabury by non-jurors at Aberdeen 84 Francis Asbury and the Methodists 85 Presbyterians and Congregationalists 86 Roman Catholics 87 Except in the instance of slavery, all the changes described in this chapter were favourable to the union of the states 88 But while the state governments, in all these changes, are seen working smoothly, we have next to observe, by contrast, the clumsiness and inefficiency of the federal government 89