358 CONCLUSION 



politicians of Celtic extraction or sympathies 

 for America. These and similar identifica 

 tions have figured largely in the historical writ 

 ings of the century, with distracting results. 

 There has been on the whole overemphasis on 

 the evidences of ill feeling among the English- 

 speaking peoples. The influence of the episodes 

 that gave rise to diplomatic friction has been 

 exaggerated. Forces that worked unceasingly 

 and powerfully for good feeling have been 

 ignored. An ingrained diplomatic policy, a 

 strong and popular personality, an expedient 

 of party strategy or a demand of an insistent 

 economic interest has been treated as a con 

 clusive index of the national spirit, whereas 

 such spirit is justly discoverable only in a care 

 ful synthesis of these elements. Surveyed with 

 proper reference to this fact, our review of the 

 century of peace may be summarized as follows: 

 The hundred years fall into four fairly well 

 distinguishable periods. In the first, 1814-1835, 

 the key to Anglo-American relations is to be 

 found in Great Britain s foreign policy in Eu 

 rope and her internal politics. In the second, 

 1836-1860, the controlling feature is the growth 

 of the United States in population and terri 

 tory. The third, 1861-1885, takes its character 



