The People's Law: Or Popular Participati

Excerpt from The People's Law: Or Popular Participation in Law-Making From Ancient Folk-Moot to Modern Referendum; A Study in the Evolution of Democracy and Direct LegislationIT is significant that nearly the whole body of the scientific litera ature of American history has been produced during the forty years since the close of the Civil War. Before that time a few writers like Bancroft, Hildreth, and Parkman had found at home themes worthy Of their pens; while many others essayists, novelists, and historians alike - were still harking back to the twice-told tales of the Old World. With the end of the final struggle for the consolidation of the federal Union a marvellous change took place: suddenly a vast unexplored field of American life was disclosed. American history, in its every aspect, became exceedingly attractive to American stu dents; and there arose a keen and healthy rivalry in its exploitation.The result is inspiring and full of promise. We have no just reason to be ashamed of the historical output of the past four decades. A goodly number of general works of first-rate quality narrative, biographical, and institutional have appeared; while every month extends the formidable list of special monographs. Indeed it is be coming more and more clear that without such a precedent mono graphic literature a full and true national history cannot be produced. Such a history must proceed, directly or indirectly, from the coopera tion of a host of scholars. It must rest on the basis of a microscopic examination of every part of the source materials. Thus, incidentally, we perceive the important function of the academic dissertation; for a very large share of our historiography consists of collegiate and university theses the worthy product of the quarter of a century Of graduate study in the United States.Much of this literature deals with the history of institutions. For this fact there are two adequate causes. On the one hand, institutions afford the best Opportunity for scientific historical train ing. Institutions are essentially biological in character, since they are the resultant or residuum of human experience. In a very real sense they are the outward or concrete expression of human habits.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis 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.