An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States

by John Taylor of Caroline

Taylor wrote this important work in 1814 as a reply to John Adams's Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America . Unlike Adams, he rejects the concept of "a natural aristocracy" of "paper and patronage" and a federal government based on a system of debt and taxes. He considers the American government to be one of divided powers responsible to the sovereign people alone. Opposed to the extent of power awarded to the executive office, he
calls for shorter terms for the president and all elected officers. Charles Beard said this work "deserves to rank among the two or three really historic contributions to political science which have been produced in the United States." Originally published in 1814, this is a reprint of the 1950 Yale University Press edition with an introduction by Roy Franklin Nichols.

Genres: Politics

566 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

John Taylor (December 19, 1753 – August 21, 1824) usually called John Taylor of Caroline was a politician and writer. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates (1779–81, 1783–85, 1796–1800) and in the United States Senate (1792–94, 1803, 1822–24). He wrote several books on politics and agriculture. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat and his works provided inspiration to the later states' rights and libertarian movements. Sheldon and Hill (2008) locate Taylor at the intersection of republicanism and classical liberalism. They see his position as a "combination of a concern with Lockean natural rights, freedom, and limited government along with a classical interest in strong citizen participation in rule to prevent concentrated power and wealth, political corruption, and financial manipulation"