FOURTEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1841-1845. The Whig

Party in Power. Its disagreement with President

Tyler. Success of the Democrats, and Annexation

of Texas,

CHAPTER XVI.

FIFTEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1845-1849. The Demo-

cratic Party in power. War with Mexico. The Sla-

very Question revived as to territory acquired from

Mexico. The Wilmot Proviso. The Formation of

the Free Soil Party. The Whig Party evades the

Slavery Question,

CHAPTER XVII.

SIXTEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1849-1853. The Whig

Party in power. Adoption of Squatter Sovereignty

by the Democrats. California. The Compromise of

1850. Its acceptance by the Whig Convention,

CHAPTER XVIII.

xi

133

140

149

. 159

SEVENTEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1853-1857. The Demo-

cratic Party in power. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill,

and the Repeal of the Compromise of 1820. Divi-

sion of the Whig party. Rise of the Republican and

the American Parties. Kansas,

CHAPTER XIX.

EIGHTEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1857-1861. The Dred

Scott Decision, and its Consequences. Southern

167

Democrats reject Squatter Sovereignty. Division of

the Democratic Party. Success of the Republicans.

Secession, Conciliation, and attempted Compromise, 179

CHAPTER XX.

NINETEENTH ADMINISTRATION, 1861-1865. The Repub-

lican Party in Power. Civil War. Loose Construc-

tionist Measures. The Democratic Party opposes the

War and is defeated. Abolition of Slavery,

CHAPTER XXI.

. 197

TWENTIETH ADMINISTRATION, 1865-1869. Return of

the seceding States to the Union. Reconstruction.

Disagreement between Congress and the President.

The Democratic Party opposes Reconstruction by
Congress and is defeated,

CHAPTER XXII.

TWENTY-FIRST ADMINISTRATION, 1869-1873. Recon-

struction by Congress accomplished, and the results

of the War finally accepted by the Democratic Party.

The "Liberal Movement." Success of the Republi-

can Party,

CHAPTER XXIII.

TWENTY-SECOND ADMINISTRATION, 1873-1877. Disturb-

ances in the South. The enforcement of Reconstruc-

tion. The disputed Presidential Election of 1876,

CHAPTER XXIV.

TWENTY-THIRD ADMINISTRATION, 1877-1881.

207

220

234

Ques-

tions of Currency and Financial Legislation. The
condition of the Civil Service,

TWENTY-FOURTH ADMINISTRATION, 1881-1885. The

249

CHAPTER XXV.

Democratic Party in Power.

Civil Service.

Scramble for Office.

The Pendleton Act, .

259

CHAPTER XXVI.

TWENTY-FIFTH ADMINISTRATION, 1885-1889. The Re-

publican Party in Power. Civil Service Commis-

sion. Tariff-reform made a party issue. Growth of

Corporations. Knights of Labor,

325

APPENDIX D. Summary of Popular and Electoral Votes

in Presidential Elections, 1789-1888,

APPENDIX E. Population of the Sections, 1790-1860, . 333

APPENDIX F. Congressional Representation of the Sec-

tions, 1790-1860,

334

APPENDIX G. The Sections in 1870, 1880 and 1890, 335

APPENDIX H. Cabinet Officers of the Administrations,

INDEX,

337

347

~

(1775-1781)

INTRODUCTION.

1. THE government of the United States, in its original form (in 1777), was an extreme Democracy, whose controlling principle was the complete independence of separate communities. Those who opposed its change to a Representative Republic (in 1787) were generally distinguished afterwards by a desire that the Constitution then adopted should be construed or interpreted strictly according to its terms, and that ingenious interpretations of its provisions should not give the Federal Government any further stretch of power. The party which was thus founded, and which has retained the name of Democratic-Republican even to our own day, has therefore usually been called the Strict Constructionist party.

2. On the other hand the successive parties which have opposed the Strict Constructionist view, and have endeavored to carry the government still further from its originally extreme democratic form, have generally been distinguished by a desire that