of　nature　　with　all　the　rights　and　powers　of　a　sovereign　nation。　　But　they　　did　not　do　this。　　They　declared　and　won　their　independence　　jointly；　and　have　since　existed　and　exercised　sovereignty　only　as　　states　united；　or　the　United　States；　that　is；　states　sovereign　in　　their　union；　but　not　in　their　separation。　　This　is　of　itself　　decisive　of　the　whole　question。
  But　the　colonists　have　not　only　never　exercised　the　full　powers　　of　sovereignty　save　as　citizens　of　states　united；　therefore　as　　one　people；　but　they　were；　so　far　as　a　people　at　all；　one　people　　even　before　independence。　　The　colonies　were　all　erected　and　　endowed　with　their　rights　and　powers　by　one　and　the　same　national　　authority；　and　the　colonists　were　subjects　of　one　and　the　same　　national　sovereign。　　Mr。　Quincy　Adams；　who　almost　alone　among　our　　prominent　statesmen　maintains　the　unity　of　211　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　the　colonial　people；　　adds　indeed　to　their　subjection　to　the　same　sovereign　authority；　　community　of　origin；　of　language；　manners；　customs；　and　law。　　All　　these；　except　the　last；　or　common　law；　may　exist　without　national　　unity　in　the　modern　political　sense　of　the　term　nation。　　The　　English　common　law　was　recognized　by　the　colonial　courts；　and　in　　force　in　all　the　colonies；　not　by　virtue　of　colonial　legislation；　　but　by　virtue　of　English　authority；　as　expressed　in　English　　jurisprudence。　　The　colonists　were　under　the　Common　Law；　because　　they　were　Englishmen；　and　subjects　of　the　English　sovereign。　　　This　proves　that　they　were　really　one　people　with　the　English　　people；　though　existing　in　a　state　of　colonial　dependence；　and　　not　a　separate　people　having　nothing　politically　in　common　with　　them　but　in　the　accident　of　having　the　same　royal　person　for　　their　king。　　The　union　with　the　mother　country　was　national；　not　　personal；　as　was　the　union　existing　between　England　and　Hanover；　　or　that　still　existing　between　the　empire　of　Austria；　formerly　　Germany；　and　the　kingdom　of　Hungary；　and　hence　the　British　　parliament　claimed；　and　not　illegally；　the　right　to　tax　the　　colonies　for　the　support　of　the　empire；　and　to　bind　them　in　all　　cases　whatsoevera　claim　the　colonies　them…　212　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　selves　admitted　in　　principle　by　recognizing　and　observing　the　British　navigation　　laws。　　The　people　of　the　several　colonies　being　really　one　people　　before　independence；　in　the　sovereignty　of　the　mother　country；　　must　be　so　still；　unless　they　have　since；　by　some　valid　act；　　divided　themselves　or　been　divided　into　separate　and　independent　　states。
  The　king；　say　the　jurists；　never　dies；　and　the　heralds　cry；　〃The　　king　is　dead！　　Live　the　king！〃　Sovereignty　never　lapses；　is　never　　in　abeyance；　and　the　moment　it　ceases　in　one　people　it　is　renewed　　in　another。　　The　British　sovereignty　ceased　in　the　colonies　with　　independence；　and　the　American　took　its　place。　　Did　the　　sovereignty；　which　before　independence　was　in　Great　Britain；　pass　　from　Great　Britain　to　the　States　severally；　or　to　the　States　　united？　　It　might　have　passed　to　them　severally；　but　did　it？　　There　is　no　question　of　law　or　antecedent　right　in　the　case；　but　　a　simple　question　of　fact；　and　the　fact　is　determined　by　　determining　who　it　was　that　assumed　it；　exercised　it；　and　has　　continued　to　exercise　it。　　As　to　this　there　is　no　doubt。　　The　　sovereignty　as　a　fact　has　been　assumed　and　exercised　by　the　　United　States；　the　States　united；　and　never　by　the　States　　separately　or　severally。　　Then　as　a　fact　the　sover…　213　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　eignty　that　　before　independence　was　in　Great　Britain；　passed；　on　independence　　to　the　States　united；　and　reappears　in　all　its　vigor　in　the　　United　States；　the　only　successor　to　Great　Britain　known　to　or　　recognized　by　the　civilized　world。
  As　the　colonial　people　were；　though　distributed　in　distinct　　colonies；　still　one　people；　the　people　of　the　United　States；　　though　distributed　into　distinct　and　mutually　independent　States；　　are　yet　one　sovereign　people；　therefore　a　sovereign　state　or　　nation；　and　not　a　simple　league　or　confederacy　of　nations。
  There　is　no　doubt　that　all　the　powers　exercised　by　the　General　　Government；　though　embracing　all　foreign　relations　and　all　　general　interests　and　relations　of　all　the　States；　might　have　　been　exercised　by　it　under　the　authority　of　a　mutual　compact　of　　the　several　States；　and　practically　the　difference　between　the　　compact　theory　and　the　national　view　would　be　very　little；　unless　　in　cases　like　that　of　secession。　　On　the　supposition　that　the　　American　people　are　one　political　people；　the　government　would　　have　the　right　to　treat　secession；　in　the　sense　in　which　the　　seceders　understand　it；　as　rebellion；　and　to　suppress　it　by　　employing　all　the　physical　force　at　its　command；　but　on　the　　compact　214　　　　　　　　　theory　it　would　have　no　such　right。　　But　the　question　now　　under　discussion　turns　simply　on　what　has　been　and　is　the　　historical　fact。　　Before　the　States　could　enter　into　the　compact　　and　delegate　sovereign　powers　to　the　Union；　they　must　have　　severally　possessed　them。　　It　is　historically　certain　that　they　　did　not　possess　them　before　independence；　they　did　not　obtain　　them　by　independence；　for　they　did　not　severally　succeed　to　the　　British　sovereignty；　to　which　they　succeeded　only　as　States　　united。　　When；　then；　and　by　what　means　did　they　or　could　they　　become　severally　sovereign　States？　　The　United　States　having　　succeeded　to　the　British　sovereignty　in　the　Anglo…American　　colonies；　they　came　into　possession　of　full　national　sovereignty；　　and　have　alone　held　and　exercised　it　ever　since　independence　　became　a　fact。　　The　States　severally　succeeding　only　to　the　　colonies；　never　held；　and　have　never　been　competent　to　delegate　　sovereign　powers。
  The　old　Articles　of　Confederation；　it　is　conceded；　were　framed　on　　the　assumption　that　the　States　are　severally　sovereign；　but　the　　several　States；　at　the　same　time；　were　regarded　as　forming　one　　nation；　and；　though　divided　into　separate　States；　the　people　were　　regarded　as　one　people。　　The　Legislature　of　New　York；　as　216　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　early　as　　1782；　calls　for　an　essential　change　In　the　Articles　of　　Confederation；　as　proved　to　be　inadequate　to　secure　the　peace；　　security；　and　prosperity　of　〃the　nation。〃　　All　the　proceedings　　that　preceded　and　led　to　the　call　of　the　convention　of　1781　were　　based　on　the　assumption　that　the　people　of　the　United　States　were　　one　people。　　The　States　were　called　united；　not　confederated　　States；　even　in　the　very　Articles　of　Confederation　themselves；　　and　officially　the　United　States　were　called　〃the　Union。〃　　That　　the　united　colonies　by　independence　became　united　States；　and　　formed　really　one　and　only　one　people；　was　in　the　thought；　the　　belief；　the　instinct　of　the　great　mass　of　the　people。　　They　acted　　as　they　existed　through　State　as　they　had　previously　acted　　through　colonial　organization；　for　in　throwing　off　the　British　　authority　there　was　no　other　organization　through　which　they　　could　act。　　The　States；　or　people　of　the　States；　severally　sent　　their　delegates　to　the　Congress　of　the　United　States；　and　these　　delegates　adopted　the　rule　of　voting　in　Congress　by　States；　a　　rule　that　might　be　revived　without　detriment　to　national　unity。　　　Nothing　was　more　natural；　then；　than　that　Congress；　composed　of　　delegates　elected　or　appointed　by　States；　should　draw　up　articles　　of　confederation　216　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　rather　than　articles　of　union；　in　order；　if　for　　no　other　reason；　to　conciliate　the　smaller　States；　and　to　prevent　　their　jealousy　of　the　larger　States　such　as　Virginia；　　Massachusetts；　and　Pennsylvania。
  Moreover；　the　Articles　of　Confederation　were　drawn　up　and　adopted　　during　the　transition　from　colonial　dependence　to　national　　independence。　　Independence　was　declared　in　1776；　but　it　was　not　　a　fact　till　l782；　when　the　preliminary　treaty　acknowledging　it　　was　signed　at　Paris。　　Till　then　the　United　States　were　not　an　　independent　nation；　they　were　only　a　people　struggling　to　become　　an　independent　nation。　　Prior　to　that　preliminary　treaty；　neither　　the　Union　nor　the　States　severally　were　sovereign。　　The　articles　　were　agreed　on　in　Congress　in　1777；　but　they　were　not　ratified　by　　all　the　States　till　May；　1781；　and　in　1782　the　movement　was　　commenced　in　the　Legislature　of　New　York　for　their　amendment。　　　Till　the　organization　under　the　constitution　ordained　by　the　　people　of　the　United　States　in　l787；　and　which　went　into　　operation　in　1789；　the　United　States　had　in　reality　only　a　　provisional　government；　and　it　was　not　till　then　that　the　　national　government　was　definitively　organized；　and　the　line　of　　demarcation　between　the　General　Gov…　217　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ernment　and　the　particular　　State　governments　was　fixed。
  The　Confederation　was　an　acknowledged　failure；　and　was　rejected　　by　the　American　people；　precisely　because　it　was　not　in　harmony　　with　the　unwritten　or　Providential　constitution　of　the　nation；　　and　it　was　not　in　harmony　with　that　constitution　precisely　　because　it　recognized　the　States　as　severally　sovereign；　and　　substituted　confederation　for　union。　　The　failure　of　　confederation　and　the　success　of　union　are　ample　proofs　of　th