American precedents in Australian federation / Erling M. Hunt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hunt, Erling M., author.

Series:

Studies in history, economics, and public law ; 326.

Studies in history, economics and public law ; 326

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constitutional history--Australia.

Constitutional history.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 pages).

Place of Publication:

New York ; London : Columbia University press; : P.S. King & Son, Ltd., 1930.

Summary:

"The superficial resemblance of the Australian to the American Constitution is obvious. Both organize a federal government. Both separate that government into three branches. Both establish a legislature composed of a house of representatives elected on a popular basis and a senate in which the states are equally represented. Both provide for a supreme or high court and empower the federal legislature to establish a system of inferior federal courts. Both constitutions delegate large powers, many of which are the same in the two documents, to the federal government, reserving the powers not so delegated to the states composing the union. Both carefully guarantee the integrity of these states and preserve to them large and essential powers. An attempt has been made in this study to discover what the makers of the Australian Constitution knew about American institutions and to what extent they deliberately followed American precedents and were conscious of the resemblances of the two constitutions. It will be obvious that other governments than that of the United States - particularly those of Great Britain and Canada - contributed greatly to the making of the Australian Constitution. It has not, however, been the primary object of this study to trace influences other than American." -- p. 5.

Contents:

Ch. I. Introduction

Ch. II. The Australian federal movement, 1889-1901

Ch. III. American influence in the provisions for the Senate

Ch. IV. The House of Representatives and the powers of the federal legislature in Australia and the United States

Ch. V. American influence on the Australian judiciary

Ch. VI. States and new states in Australia and the United States

Ch. VII. The Australian and American provisions for amendment

Ch. VIII. The bill before the people, 1898-1899

Ch. IX. Conclusion. Appendix I. The resolutions adopted at Melbourne in 1890

Appendix II. Parkes' resolutions at Sydney in 1891

Appendix III. The report of the Judiciary Committee of the 1891 convention

Appendix IV. "The compromise of 1891" on the financial pwoer of the Senate

Appendix V. Barton's resolutions at Adelaide in 1897

Appendix VI. Excerpt from a speech of Higgins on equal state representation (Adelaide, 1897).

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Includes bibliographical references.