Excerpt from The History of Political Theory and Party Organization in the United States A comparative study of the development of political theory and party organization will disclose the unique field occupied by the United States for such investigation. Here, as in no other country, the conditions for such development exist. A rich territory of inexhaustible resources, a population composed of the great middle classes with an instinct for self-government, a spirit of democracy pervading all ranks, a jealousy for the freedom of thought and speech, an insistence on the worship of God in accordance with the individual conscience, render the United States the best possible field for such growth. In this work only those events are noted which bear upon the growth of political theory and party government. These events are marshaled so as to show a rational development, with little regard to chronological arrangement, but with special reference to logical sequence. Only such parts of the party platforms are noticed as will assist in the better understanding of this interesting field in American history. To add vitality to the subject, distinguished leaders are brought forward, such as Hamilton, Jefferson, Marshall, Webster, and Calhoun. In this part of the work no attempt is made at detailed biography, the object being simply to point out some facts in the lives of these statesmen which explain their position as representative men of their times. This use of the personal element in studying American politics through men who stand out from among their fellows, will, I believe, give the work added interest for both teacher and pupil, and for the general reader. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.