American Political Ideas Viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History: Three Lectures Delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in May, 1880 |
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American Political Ideas Viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History John Fiske Limited preview - 2006 |
American Political Ideas Viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History John Fiske Limited preview - 2006 |
American Political Ideas Viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History John Fiske Limited preview - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
American ancient ancient Greece Anglo-Saxon antiquity Aryan Athens Attila barbarian barbarism become bishopric of Lausanne British Burgundian Cæsar career centralized government century chronic warfare clan coalescence colonies concert of action confederation conquered constitution continent despotism Didius Julianus doubt empire England English race eral Europe European civilization federal union feudal France Freeman French frontier future Gaul Greece hands imperial interest Italy king land League lecture less liberties ligion litical manifest destiny mankind manorial mark mark-community ment military modern never Norman Conquest North pacific peace permanent political aggregates political development political ideas political system population primary assembly primitive principle result Roman Rome Russia seen self-government shire society sovereign Spain Sparta struggle Stubbs Tacitus tendency territory Teutonic Knights things tion to-day tory town-meeting towns townships and hundreds tribal tribes tween United victory village village-com whole witenagemote
Popular passages
Page 101 - Here's to the United States ! — bounded' on the north by the North Pole, on the south by the South Pole, on the east by the rising, and on the west by the setting sun ! " Emphatic applause greeted the aspiring prophecy.
Page 101 - Here's to the United States!" said the first speaker,— "bounded on the north by British America, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean...
Page 108 - ... greater the danger. At the dawn of history we see a few brilliant points of civilization surrounded on every side by a midnight blackness of barbarism. In order that the pacific community may be able to go on doing its work, it must be strong enough and warlike enough to overcome its barbaric neighbours who have no notion whatever of keeping peace.
Page 102 - Dakota man, however, to rise to the greatness of the subject: " / give you the United States, bounded on the north by the Aurora Borealis, on the south by the precession of the equinoxes, on the east by primeval chaos, and on the west by the Day of Judgment.
Page 26 - The chivalrous spirit is, above all things, a class spirit. The good knight is bound to endless fantastic courtesies towards men, and still more towards women, of a certain rank ; he may treat all below that rank with any degree of scorn and cruelty. The spirit of chivalry implies the arbitrary choice of one or two virtues, to be practised in such an exaggerated degree as to become vices, while the ordinary laws of right and wrong are forgotten.
Page 46 - In the shires where the Danes acquired a firm foothold, the township was often called a "by"; and it had the power of enacting its own "by-laws" or town-laws, as New England townships have to-day. But above all, the assembly of the markmen has left vestiges of itself in the constitution of the parish and the manor. The mark or township, transformed by the process of feudalization, becomes the manor. The process of feudalization, throughout western Europe in general, was no doubt begun by the institution...
Page 89 - Deeper down even than these deep-seated differences of speech and creed lies the feeling that conies from the common possession of a political freedom that is greater than that possessed by surrounding peoples. Such has been the happy outcome of the first attempt at federal union made by men of Teutonic descent. Complete independence in local affairs...
Page 129 - War of the seventeenth, it was a struggle sustained by a part of the English people in behalf of principles that time has shown to be equally dear to all. And so the issue only made it apparent to an astonished world that instead of one there were now two Englcvnds, alike prepared to work with might and main toward the political regeneration of mankind.
Page 85 - And we have seen how largely both these political failures were due to the absence of the principle of representation from the public life of Greece and Rome. The chief problem of civilization, from the political point of view, has always been how to secure concerted action among men on a great scale without sacrificing local independence. The ancient history of Europe shows that it is not possible to solve this problem without the aid of the principle of representation. Greece, until overcome by...
Page 66 - The relations sustained by the thinly populated rural townships and hundreds to the general government of the shire were co-ordinate with the relations sustained to the same government by those thickly peopled townships and hundreds which upon their coalescence were known as cities or boroughs. Of course I am speaking now in a broad and general way, and without reference to such special privileges or immunities as cities and boroughs frequently obtained by royal charter in feudal times. Such special...