Public and Private Economy (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1836. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. HISTORY OF PROPERTY, CONTINUED. 46. Of all people, it is most incumbent upon those of the United States to understand the nature and value of property; something of the history of it, and how far they owe their very liberty to the possession of it. Persecution drove our ancestors from their native land 5 they yielded to it in flight, only because they were poor. It is the poor, and not the rich, that history generally shows to have been the victims of oppression. People, who are independent, who have property, have power; they can protect themselves, they have friends, or can procure them, and arms for defence, and though perhaps less numerous than their persecutors, they usually are able to maintain their liberties and possessions. 47. At the period of the discovery of America, in the year one thousand four hundred and ninety-two, the great mass of the common people of Europe were little better than slaves 5 of that which we now call liberty, they scarcely knew the name. They had no absolute property in the land as we have seen in a former chapter; besides they were so wretchedly indigent as to have little property of any kind. Their political privileges corresponded with this state of their property; they had no elections, and of course, no votes; officers from the highest to the lowest were placed over them. Those who then cultivated the earth were--first, slaves. These slaves were generally some portion of a conquered nation, not coloured people, but white, like ourselves. Second, villeins, who were said to be fixed to the soil, and were transferred with the land. It has been shown in a former chapter, that large portions of Europe are still in this condition. Third, there were a small number of freemen who held property absolutely as their own....