the fathers of the constitution-第7章

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g　the　lines　of　river　communication　and　then　gradually　filling　up　the　spaces　between　until　the　larger　part　of　the　available　land　east　of　the　Alleghany　Mountains　was　settled。　There　the　stream　was　checked　as　if　dammed　by　the　mountain　barrier；　but　the　population　was　trickling　through　wherever　it　could　find　an　opening；　slowly　wearing　channels；　until　finally；　when　the　obstacles　were　overcome；　it　broke　through　with　a　rush。　Twenty　years　before　the　Revolution　the　expanding　population　had　reached　the　mountains　and　was　ready　to　go　beyond。　The　difficulty　of　crossing　the　mountains　was　not　insuperable；　but　the　French　and　Indian　War；　followed　by　Pontiac's　Conspiracy；　made　outlying　frontier　settlement　dangerous　if　not　impossible。　The　arbitrary　restriction　of　western　settlement　by　the　Proclamation　of　1763　did　not　stop　the　more　adventurous　but　did　hold　back　the　mass　of　the　population　until　near　the　time　of　the　Revolution；　when　a　few　bands　of　settlers　moved　into　Kentucky　and　Tennessee　and　rendered　important　but　inconspicuous　service　in　the　fighting。　But　so　long　as　the　title　to　that　territory　was　in　doubt　no　considerable　body　of　people　would　move　into　it；　and　it　was　not　until　the　Treaty　of　Peace　in　1783　determined　that　the　western　country　as　far　as　the　Mississippi　River　was　to　belong　to　the　United　States　that　the　dammed…up　population　broke　over　the　mountains　in　a　veritable　flood。　The　western　country　and　its　people　presented　no　easy　problem　to　the　United　States：　how　to　hold　those　people　when　the　pull　was　strong　to　draw　them　from　the　Union；　how　to　govern　citizens　so　widely　separated　from　the　older　communities；　and；　of　most　immediate　importance；　how　to　hold　the　land　itself。　It　was；　indeed；　the　question　of　the　ownership　of　the　land　beyond　the　mountains　which　delayed　the　ratification　of　the　Articles　of　Confederation。　Some　of　the　States；　by　right　of　their　colonial　charter　grants　〃from　sea　to　sea；〃　were　claiming　large　parts　of　the　western　region。　Other　States；　whose　boundaries　were　fixed；　could　put　forward　no　such　claims；　and；　as　they　were　therefore　limited　in　their　area　of　expansion；　they　were　fearful　lest　in　the　future　they　should　be　overbalanced　by　those　States　which　might　obtain　extensive　property　in　the　West。　It　was　maintained　that　the　Proclamation　of　1763　had　changed　this　western　territory　into　〃Crown　lands；〃　and　as；　by　the　Treaty　of　Peace；　the　title　had　passed　to　the　United　States；　the　non…claimant　States　had　demanded　in　self…defense　that　the　western　land　should　belong　to　the　country　as　a　whole　and　not　to　the　individual　States。　Rhode　Island；　Maryland；　and　Delaware　were　most　seriously　affected；　and　they　were　insistent　upon　this　point。　Rhode　Island　and　at　length　Delaware　gave　in；　so　that　by　February；　1779；　Maryland　alone　held　out。　In　May　of　that　year　the　instructions　of　Maryland　to　her　delegates　were　read　in　Congress；　positively　forbidding　them　to　ratify　the　plan　of　union　unless　they　should　receive　definite　assurances　that　the　western　country　would　become　the　common　property　of　the　United　States。　As　the　consent　of　all　of　the　Thirteen　States　was　necessary　to　the　establishment　of　the　Confederation；　this　refusal　of　Maryland　brought　matters　to　a　crisis。　The　question　was　eagerly　discussed；　and　early　in　1780　the　deadlock　was　broken　by　the　action　of　New　York　in　authorizing　her　representatives　to　cede　her　entire　claim　in　western　lands　to　the　United　States。　It　matters　little　that　the　claim　of　New　York　was　not　as　good　as　that　of　some　of　the　other　States；　especially　that　of　Virginia。　The　whole　situation　was　changed。　It　was　no　longer　necessary　for　Maryland　to　defend　her　position；　but　the　claimant　States　were　compelled　to　justify　themselves　before　the　country　for　not　following　New　York's　example。　Congress　wisely　refrained　from　any　assertion　of　jurisdiction；　and　only　urgently　recommended　that　States　having　claims　to　western　lands　should　cede　them　in　order　that　the　one　obstacle　to　the　final　ratification　of　the　Articles　of　Confederation　might　be　removed。　Without　much　question　Virginia's　claim　was　the　strongest；　but　the　pressure　was　too　great　even　for　her；　and　she　finally　yielded；　ceding　to　the　United　States；　upon　certain　conditions；　all　her　lands　northwest　of　the　Ohio　River。　Then　the　Maryland　delegates　were　empowered　to　ratify　the　Articles　of　Confederation。　This　was　early　in　1781；　and　in　a　very　short　time　the　other　States　had　followed　the　example　of　New　York　and　Virginia。　Certain　of　the　conditions　imposed　by　Virginia　were　not　acceptable　to　Congress；　and　three　years　later；　upon　specific　request；　that　State　withdrew　the　objectionable　conditions　and　made　the　cession　absolute。　The　territory　thus　ceded；　north　and　west　of　the　Ohio　River；　constituted　the　public　domain。　Its　boundaries　were　somewhat　indefinite；　but　subsequent　surveys　confirmed　the　rough　estimate　that　it　contained　from　one　to　two　hundred　millions　of　acres。　It　was　supposed　to　be　worth；　on　the　average；　about　a　dollar　an　acre；　which　would　make　this　property　an　asset　sufficient　to　meet　the　debts　of　the　war　and　to　leave　a　balance　for　the　running　expenses　of　the　Government。　It　thereby　became　one　of　the　strong　bonds　holding　the　Union　together。　〃Land！〃　was　the　first　cry　of　the　storm…tossed　mariners　of　Columbus。　For　three　centuries　the　leading　fact　of　American　history　has　been　that　soon　after　1600　a　body　of　Europeans；　mostly　Englishmen；　settled　on　the　edge　of　the　greatest　piece　of　unoccupied　agricultural　land　in　the　temperate　zone；　and　proceeded　to　subdue　it　to　the　uses　of　man。　For　three　centuries　the　chief　task　of　American　mankind　has　been　to　go　up　westward　against　the　land　and　to　possess　it。　Our　wars；　our　independence；　our　state　building；　our　political　democracy；　our　plasticity　with　respect　to　immigration；　our　mobility　of　thought；　our　ardor　of　initiative；　our　mildness　and　our　prosperity；　all　are　but　incidents　or　products　of　this　prime　historical　fact。*　*　Lecture　by　J。　Franklin　Jameson　before　the　Trustees　of　the　Carnegie　Institution；　at　Washington；　in　1912；　printed　in　the　〃History　Teacher's　Magazine；〃　vol。　IV；　1913；　p。　5。

It　is　seldom　that　one's　attention　is　so　caught　and　held　as　by　the　happy　suggestion　that　American　interest　in　land　or　rather　interest　in　American　landbegan　with　the　discovery　of　the　continent。　Even　a　momentary　consideration　of　the　subject；　however；　is　sufficient　to　indicate　how　important　was　the　desire　for　land　as　a　motive　of　colonization。　The　foundation　of　European　governmental　and　social　organizations　had　been　laid　in　feudalism…　…a　system　of　landholding　and　service。　And　although　European　states　might　have　lost　their　original　feudal　character；　and　although　new　classes　had　arisen；　land…holding　still　remained　the　basis　of　social　distinction。　One　can　readily　imagine　that　America　would　be　considered　as　El　Dorado；　where　one　of　the　rarest　commodities　as　well　as　one　of　the　most　precious　possessions　was　found　in　almost　unlimited　quantities　that　family　estates　were　sought　in　America　and　that　to　the　lower　classes　it　seemed　as　if　a　heaven　were　opening　on　earth。　Even　though　available　land　appeared　to　be　almost　unlimited　in　quantity　and　easy　to　acquire；　it　was　a　possession　that　was　generally　increasing　in　value。　Of　course　wasteful　methods　of　farming　wore　out　some　lands；　especially　in　the　South；　but；　taking　it　by　and　large　throughout　the　country；　with　time　and　increasing　density　of　population　the　value　of　the　land　was　increasing。　The　acquisition　of　land　was　a　matter　of　investment　or　at　least　of　speculation。　In　fact；　the　purchase　of　land　was　one　of　the　favorite　get…rich…quick　schemes　of　the　time。　George　Washington　was　not　the　only　man　who　invested　largely　in　western　lands。　A　list　of　those　who　did　would　read　like　a　political　or　social　directory　of　the　time。　Patrick　Henry；　James　Wilson；　Robert　Morris；　Gouverneur　Morris；　Chancellor　Kent；　Henry　Knox；　and　James　Monroe　were　among　them。*　*　Not　all　the　speculators　were　able　to　keep　what　they　acquired。　Fifteen　million　acres　of　land　in　Kentucky　were　offered　for　sale　in　1800　for　nonpayment　of　taxes。　Channing；　〃History　of　the　United　States；〃　vol。　IV；　p。　91。

It　is　therefore　easy　to　understand　why　so　much　importance　attached　to　the　claims　of　the　several　States　and　to　the　cession　of　that　western　land　by　them　to　the　United　States。　But　something　more　was　necessary。　If　the　land　was　to　attain　anything　like　its　real　value；　settlers　must　be　induced　to　occupy　it。　Of　course　it　was　possible　to　let　the　people　go　out　as　they　pleased　and　take　up　land；　and　to　let　the　Government　collect　from　them　as　might　be　possible　at　a　fixed　rate。　But　experience　during　colonial　days　had　shown　the　weakness　of　such　a　method；　and　Congress　was　apparently　determined　to　keep　under　its　own　control　the　region　which　it　now　possessed；　to　provide　for　orderly　sale；　and　to　permit　settlement　only　so　far　as　it　might　not　endanger　the　national　interests。　The　method　of　land　sales　and　the　question　of　government　for　the　western　country　were　recognized　as　different　aspects　of　the　same　problem。　The　Virginia　offer　of　cession　forced　the　necessity　of　a　decision；　and　no　sooner　was　the　Virginia　offer　framed　in　an　acceptable　form；　in　1783；　than　two　committees　were　appointed　by　Congress　to　report　upon　these　two　questions　of　land　sales　and　of　government。　Thomas　Jefferson　was　made　chairman　of　both　these　committees。　He　was　then　forty　years　old　and　one　of　the　most　remarkable　men　in　the　country。　Born　on　the　frontierhis　father　from　the　upper　middle　class；　his　mother　〃a　Randolph〃he　had　been　trained　to　an　outdoor　life；　but　he　was　also　a　prodigy　in　his　studies　and　entered　William　and　Mary　College　with　advanced　standing　at　the　age　of　eighteen。　Many　stories　are　told　of　his　precocity　and　ability；　all　of　which　tend　to　forecast　the　later　man　of　catholic　tastes；　omnivorous　interest；　and　extensive　but　superficial　knowledge；　he　was　a　strange　combination　of　natural　aristocrat　and　theoretical　democrat；　of　philosopher　and　practical　politician。　After　having　been　a　student　in　the　law　office　of　George　Wythe；　and　being　a　friend　of　Patrick　Henry；　Jefferson　early　espoused　the　cause　of　the　Revolution；　and　it　was　his　hand　that　drafted　the　Declaration　of　Independence。　He　then　resigned　from　Congress　to　assist　in　the　organization　of　government　in　his　own　State。　For　two　years　and　a　half　he　served　in　the　Virginia　Assembly　and　brought　about　the　repeal　of　the　law　of　entailment；　the　abolition　of　primogeniture；　the　recognition　of　freedom　of　conscience；　and　the　encouragement　of　education。　He　was　Governor　of　Virginia　for　two　years　and　then；　having　declined　reelection；　returned　to　Congress　in　1783。　There；　among　his　other　accomplishments；　as　chairman　of　the　committee；　he　reported　the　Treaty　of　Peace　and；　as　chairman　of　another　committee；　devised　and　persuaded　Congress　to　adopt　a　national　system　of　coinage　which　in　its　essentials　is　still　in　use。　It　is　easy　to　criticize　Jefferson　and　to　pick　flaws　in　the　things　that　he　said　as　well　as　in　the　things　that　he　did；　but　practically　every　one　admits　that　he　was　closely　in　touch　with　the　course　of　events　and　understood　the　temper　of　his　contemporaries。　In　this　period　of　transition　from　the　old　order　to　the　new；　he　seems　to　have　expressed　the　genius　of　American　institutions　better　than　almost　any　other　man　of　his　generation。　He　possessed　a　quality　that　enabled　him；　in　the　Declaration　of　Independence；　to　give　voice　to　the　hopes　and　aspirations　of