STATES. 



STATIC. 



WM conferred upon the legislature. In other respect* the prorWom 

 of lb* new conjtituUon won a recognition of those of the old Con- 

 federation. On the 17th of September, 1787, Uu* constitution via 

 timed by all the members of the oooTention present except three. It 

 WM tkeo eeot to the state legklaturea, for the purpose of being sub- 

 mitted ii> e*eh sUta to a contention of delegate* choeeu by the people. 

 Bete* the dose of 1788 all the state* except Rhode Island and North 

 Carolina had adopted the constitution. These did not ratify it till 

 May. 1790. An act was pasecd by Congress appointing tho first 

 Wednesday of February, 1789, for the people to meet and choose 

 electors, and the first Wednesday of March following fur the electors 

 to meet and choose a president 



A quorum of the House of Representatives had met nt New York 

 on the 1st of April, and elected a speaker ; a quorum of tho Senate 

 had met on the 6th, and elected a speaker ]>ro tempore to count 

 the vote* for president. George Washington, it was found, had been 

 unanimously elected president, and John Adams vice-president of 

 the United State*. Washington took the oath of office on the 30th 

 of April, sad opened the proceedings of Congress by a speech. The 

 constitution was now completely in operation, and since that time 

 down to the present day it has only experienced a few immaterial 

 modifications. 



We append a lut of the 



Prctldentt of the United State*. 



1. George Washington 1789 to 1797 



2. John Adams 1797 1801 



3. Thouiai Jefferson 



4. James Madison . . 



5. Jame* Monroe 



6. John Quincy Adams ... 



7. Andrew Jackson .... 



8. Martin Van Bureu .... 



9. William Henry HarrUon (died in office) 



10. John Tyler 



11. James Knox Polk .... 



12. Zachary Tsylor (died iu office) . 



13. Millard Killmore .... 



14. Franklin Tierce .... 



1801 

 1809 

 1817 

 1825 

 1829 

 1887 

 1841 

 1811 

 1845 

 1849 

 1850 

 1853 



1809 

 1817 

 1825 

 1829 

 1837 

 1841 

 1841 

 1845 

 1849 

 1850 

 1853 



From tho establishment of their position as an independent repub- 

 lic until the present time, the United States have been chiefly occupied 

 in the development of their vast resources. Many questions of 

 internal government and relationship have occurred and excited much 

 interest, but it does not belong to us to notice them. 



With foreign countries the intercourse has been for the most part 

 commercial and pacific, tho chief exceptions being the war with 

 England 1812-15, which occasioned great losses to both powers, 

 unattended with any material advantage to either, and the war with 

 Mexico, 1815-48, which, as noticed under MEXICO, resulted in the 

 transference of a large extent of territory to the United States. 



Since the declaration of independence, the United States have 

 increased with unparalleled rapidity in population and in territory. 

 The firrt Census of the United States was taken in 1790, at which 

 time there were included in the Union 17 states, or territorial govern- 

 ment*, occupying an area of 820,680 square miles, with a population 

 of 3,929,827 : at the present time the Union consists of 31 states and 

 6 territories, occupying an area of 2,963,666 square miles, with a 

 population (in 1850) of 23,191,876. 



The following table taken with a few slight changes to render it 

 more readily understood by English readers, from the official ' Com- 

 prn.lmm to the Census,' will show at a glance the extent of the terri- 

 torial acquisitions, and the occasions on which they were mode : 

 Territorial Increase of the United Stalci. 



The following table show* the rate of increase of the various 

 - of the population at the several censuses of the Union : 



CUM*. 170 I 1800 I 1810 



' 



, .! 



(0,041 



188,448 

 I.UI.M4 



JS8.1&6 

 1,588,018 



r,n,8i4,88,iai 



1840 



M8MH 



I860 



MOM 



i7,oe,468 M,ioi370| 



Oortnmcnt, Ac. At their Union the states formed a federal govern- 



ment, to which was intrusted all those general measures which had 

 regard to the relations of the Union with foreign countries, and the 

 common interests of the several states ; to the local government of 

 each separate state being left the management of its immediate con- 

 cerns. Both the general and state governments are essentially 

 democratic. By the constitution the power of the general, or federal, 

 government is divided into a legislative, an executive, and a judicial 

 branch. 



The legislative authority is vested in a Congress, consisting of a 

 Senate and House of Representatives ; it must by law assemble at 

 least once a year, on the first Monday of December. The Senate U 

 composed of two members from each state, and of course at the 

 present time consists of 62 members; they are chosen by the legisla- 

 tures of each state for six years, one-third of them being elected 

 biennially. The vice-president is president of the Senate ex-officio. 

 The House of Representatives is composed of 233 members from the 

 several states (with one additional accorded for the present to California), 

 elected by the people for the term of two years. The representatives are 

 apportioned among the different states according to population ; one 

 member being returned, according to the present ratio of representa- 

 tion, for every 93,423 of the 'representative population,' which 

 consists of all the free persons in the several states with three-liftha 

 of the shves. The number of representatives apportioned to each 

 state is shown in the table at the commencement of this article. The 

 Congress has power to raise, maintain, and regulate a navy and army ; 

 to declare war and grant letters of marque and reprisals ; to consti- 

 tute tribunals inferior to the supreme courts ; to define and punish 

 piracies and felonies on the high seas and against the laws of nations ; 

 to frame general laws of naturalisation ; to establish post-offices and 

 post-roads ; to coin money and make laws for punishing forgers ; to 

 regulate commerce with foreign nations, the Indian tribes, and 

 among the states ; to impose and collect taxes for the common defence 

 and welfare of the United States. All money-bills must originate iu 

 the House of Representatives. 



The executive power is vested in a president ; the vice-president ia 

 ex-officio president of the Senate, and successor to the president 

 should he die during his term of office. The president is elected for 

 four years, and may be re-elected ; but the usage has been never to 

 elect tho same person for more than two terms. He is chosen by 

 electors, who are themselves chosen by an electoral college in each 

 state ; the number of these electors being equal to the representatives 

 which such state sends to both houses of Congress. Tho president 

 has a salary of 25,000 dollars, and the use of the ' White House ' (with 

 its furniture) at Washington. The vice-president has a salary of 8000 

 dollars. The president is commander-in-chief of the army and navy 

 of the United States, and of the militia of the several states when 

 called into active service of the United States ; he has power to make 

 treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senate concur; he appoints the 

 officers of state, ambassadors, consuls, and judges of the supreme 

 court ; he receives foreign ambassadors ; ho can grant reprieves and 

 pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of 

 impeachment. 



The principal officers of the executive department of the government 

 are the secretaries of state, of the treasury, of war, of the navy, and 

 of the interior, the postmaster-general, and the attorney-general, 

 whose respective duties are sufficiently indicated by their titles. They 

 form the cabinet, and hold office at the will of the president. Their 

 salary is 8000 dollars each. 



The judicial authority of the United States is vested in one supreme 

 court, forty-six district courts, and nine circuit courts. The supreme 

 court consists of one chief justice, with a salary of 5000 dollars, and 

 eight associate justices, with salaries of 4500 dollars each, who hold a 

 court in Washington annually ; an attorney-general, reporter, clerk, 

 and marshal. Each district court consists of one judge, an attorney, 

 marshal, and clerk. The circuit courts are composed of one associate 

 justice, and the judge of the district in which it is held. The supreme 

 court has exclusive jurisdiction iu all coses to which a btate is party, 

 except cases between a state and its citizens ; in suits or proceedings 

 against ambassadors, it has appellate jurisdiction from the circuit 

 courts, and authority to issue writs of prohibition to the district 

 courts. The circuit courts have original jurisdiction in all suits of a 

 civil nature at law or equity, concurrent with the courts of the several 

 states, where the value in dispute exceeds 600 dollars, where tho 

 United States or an alien is a party, or where the suit is brought by a 

 citizen of one state against a citizen of another. The circuit courts 

 have appellate jurisdiction from the district courts. They have exclu- 

 sive cognisance of offences against the United States. The district 

 courts have jurisdiction in admiralty and maritime cases, in all suits 

 against consuls and vice-consuls, in some minor offences against the 

 United States, and iu causes where an alien sues for a ' tort ' in viola- 

 tion of the law of nations. 



Provision is made by the constitution for its own amendment. 

 Such amendment can however only be made when it is proposed by 

 a majority consisting of two-thirds of both houses of Congress, or by u 

 convention called on the application of two-thirds of tho status ; but 

 in either case the amendment must be ratified by three fourths of tho 

 states to give it effect. 



Jlcvenve, Army, and Navy. The total receipts of the United State* 



