THE ADOPTION OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

onists were victorious; the royal troops boarded their ships and sailed back to England, and the United States of America, free, independent and self-governing, assumed its station among the sovereign nations of the earth.

71. The Colonies become States.-During the war the colonies were joined together in a loose federal government under the Articles of Confederation. This form of government proved defective; it lacked "a supreme executive, a supreme legislative and a supreme judiciary." In 1787 a "more perfect union " was formed by the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees the rights of the States and the rights of the citizen. The colonies became States, with written constitutions in which the familiar idea of a tripartite government was carefully followed. The colony of New Hampshire was the first to form a State government in 1775, before the Declaration of Independence. Most of the State governments were formed about the time of the Declaration. Thus it came about that the struggle for political rights in colonial America led to our independence and to the organization of our government in a dual form-the government of the States and the government of the United States. Henceforth government in America is to be a "government of the people, by the people and for the people."

"Liberty is in her new home. Strong hands will subdue the wilderness, and brave hearts will establish an empire extending from the frozen regions of the North to the sunny climes of the South, from the stormy Atlantic to the peaceful Pacific. Through hardship, suffering and sacrifice, the great republic of the Western world shall rise to become a peer among the nations. Its starry flag shall be the emblem of the world's best hope, for to it the oppressed of all the earth shall turn with longing eyes, and beneath it there shall be peace and plenty, and the recognition of the rights of men."

Government, of the People, by the People, for the People.-LINCOLN.

The village, or township, is the only association which is so perfectly natural that wherever a number of men are collected it seems to constitute itself. -DE TOCQUEVILLE.

To the people we come sooner or later; it is upon their wisdom and self-restraint that the stability of the most cunningly devised scheme of government will in the last resort depend.-BRYCE.

Not lightly fall beyond recall

The written scrolls a breath can float;
The crowning fact, the kingliest act

Of freedom is the freeman's vote.-WHITTIER.

THE PEOPLE

CHAPTER V.

AND THEIR HOME AFFAIRS.-HOW

THE PEOPLE GOVERN THEMSELVES.

72. By the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, and the formation of a National and State governments, the colonist became a citizen. Both the Federal constitution and the State constitutions provided for a government of three departments, legislative, executive and judicial, and placed the whole power of government in the hands of the people themselves. Frequent changes, the result of experience, have been made in the forms and methods of local government, and at the present time there are to be found variations in the forms and methods of local government in the different States. The people govern themselves largely through the agency of political parties.

73. Political Parties.-As soon as the United States government was organized the people began to have different ideas about their rights and duties under the Constitution. Thus political parties originated among us. The power and influence of political parties have increased to such an extent that they now form the most important agency in the government of the people.

It is well for the country that the people form different political parties. Errors in the administration of government are less likely to occur and are more quickly remedied when one party keeps a close watch upon the policy and actions of its opponents.

74. Party Committees.-The interests of political parties are looked after by committees. Each party has a

national, a state, a county, a city, and usually a township or town committee.

75. The Primary or Delegate Election. The primary or delegate election is held for the purpose of choosing delegates to a convention at which nominations for office are made. At the primary election only those are allowed to vote who belong to the party in whose interest the primary election is held.*

76. The Nominating Convention is held for the purpose of nominating candidates for office. It is composed of the delegates elected at the primary election. The delegates represent their whole party. Sometimes there is a difference among the delegates in regard to the nominations; if this difference cannot be reconciled, there is said to be a "split" in the convention; but usually each nominee obtains the unanimous vote of the convention. If the split is serious, the dissatisfied members of the party call another convention and nominate a ticket to their liking. The convention usually places its most available men on the ticket. In the convention the availability of a man usually counts for more than his ability. The business of the convention is to nominate candidates who will win. All members of the party are expected to support the nominees of the "regular" party convention. A person who runs for office without a regular nomination is called an independent candidate. The candidates and their friends contribute money for a "campaign fund," a name given to the money that is used before election for the purpose of securing the victory of their party.

77. State Conventions.-For the choice of candidates for State offices the representatives of different political parties assemble in their own conventions. The representatives are delegates locally chosen, and are often under

* The method of making nominations and conducting elections varies, but the method as given in this chapter is the most common. See note page 52.