DEFENCE OF THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE
UNITED STATES
Volume I
A Da Capo Press Reprint Edition
This Da Capo Press edition of A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America is an unabridged republication of the first edition published in London in 1787-1788.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11328 SBN 306-71176-1
Published by Da Capo Press A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street New York, N.Y. 10011 All Rights Reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
A
DEFENCE
OF THE
CONSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
BY JOHN ADAMS, LL. D.
AND A MEMBER OT THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AT BOSTON.
All nature’s difference keeps all nature’s peace. Pope.
LONDON:
MINTED FOR C. DILLY, IN THE POULTRY.
M.DCC.LXXXVII.
CONTENTS.
|
|
[Preface] | |
| LETTER | [Subject] | Page |
| I. | Preliminary Observations | 3 |
| II. | 5 | |
| DEMOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| III. | St. Marino | 8 |
| IV. | Biscay | 16 |
| The Grisons | 21 | |
| The United Provinces of the Low Countries | 22 | |
| V. | Switzerland | 22 |
| Appenzel | 23 | |
| VI. | Underwald | 26 |
| VII. | Glaris | 28 |
| VIII. | Zug | 31 |
| IX. | Uri | 32 |
| X. | Switz | 34 |
| ARISTOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XI. | Berne | 35 |
| XII. | Fribourg | 39 |
| XIII. | Soleure | 42 |
| XIV. | Lucerne | 45 |
| XV. | Zurich | 47 |
| XVI. | Schaffhause | 49 |
| Mulhouse — Bienne | 50 | |
| XVII. | St. Gall | 51 |
| Geneva | 52 | |
| XVIII. | Lucca — Genoa | 56 |
| XIX. | Venice | 58 |
| The United Provinces of the Low Countries | 69 | |
| MONARCHICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XX. | England | 70 |
| XXI. | Poland | 72 |
| XXII. | Poland | 74 |
| XXIII. | Recapitulation | 91 |
| PHILOSOPHERS. | ||
| XXIV. | Dr. Swift | 97 |
| XXV. | Dr. Franklin | 105 |
| XXVI. | Dr. Price | 121 |
| MIXED GOVERNMENTS. | ||
| XXVII. | Machiavel | 141 |
| XXVIII. | Sidney | 148 |
| Montesquieu | 153 | |
| ANCIENT REPUBLICS, AND OPINIONS OF PHILOSOPHERS. | ||
| XXIX. | Harrington | 158 |
| XXX. | Polybius | 169 |
| XXXI. | Polybius | 177 |
| XXXII. | Dionysius Halicarnassensis — Valerius | 184 |
| XXXIII. | Plato | 188 |
| XXXIV. | Sir Thomas Smith | 207 |
| ANCIENT DEMOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XXXV. | Carthage | 210 |
| ANCIENT ARISTOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XXXVI. | Rome | 215 |
| ANCIENT MONARCHICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XXXVII. | Tacitus | 225 |
| XXXVIII. | Homer — Phæacia | 232 |
| XXXIX. | Homer — Ithaca | 237 |
| Homer | 242 | |
| ANCIENT ARISTOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XL. | Lacedæmon | 249 |
| ANCIENT DEMOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XLI. | Athens | 260 |
| XLII. | Antalcidas | 286 |
| XLIII. | Achaia | 295 |
| XLIV. | Crete | 305 |
| XLV. | Corinth | 308 |
| XLVI. | Argos | 311 |
| XLVII. | Iphitus | 315 |
| XLVIII. | Thebes | 318 |
| ANCIENT ARISTOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| XLIX. | Crotona — Pythagoras | 322 |
| ANCIENT DEMOCRATICAL REPUBLICS. | ||
| L. | Sybaris — Charondas | 327 |
| LI. | Locris — Zaleucus | 331 |
| LII. | Rome | 334 |
| CONCLUSION. | ||
| LIII. | Congress | 362 |
| LIV. | Locke, Milton, and Hume | 365 |
| LV. | Conclusion | 372 |
| Postscript | 383 |
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