E 178 .3 ^^M . DOD Copy 1 w^ ^^^^ '^^S^RWBP^i^^gH^^" .' /* '"^^^^^ff~' '"'^^^^^^^i ^lyoGm^ mQiicms Class __^ / t Book OL CopyrightN"_.Q^^ COPYRIGHT DEPOSm The Story of America for Young Americans By G. M. BEATTIE Published by The American School for the Deaf Hartford, Connecticut Copyright The American School for the Deaf Hartford, Connecticut / MAY !5I9!6 ©CI.A428902 CONTENTS. II. III. IV V. VI. CHAPTER I. — Introductory -Columbus and the Discovery of America -The Indians —Discoverers following Columbus : — Cabot, Americus \'espucius, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Magellan, Cortez, Verrazano, Cartier, De Soto, Coronado, IVIenendez -Sir Waiter Raleigh -John Smith and the Founding of Virginia VII.— Henry Hudson and the Founding of New York . VIII.— The Pilgrims and the Founding of Massachusetts IX.— The Puritans and Other Settlers in New England X.— Roger Williams and the Founding of Rhode Island XL— Lord Baltimore and the Founding of Maryland . XI L— The Founders of North CaroHna and South Carolina XIIL— William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania XIV.— James Oglethorpe and the Founding of Georgia . XV.— Life of the Early Colonists XVI.— Indian Wars . XVII. — The French in America XVIIL— The Revolutionary War XIX. — George Washington XX. — Benjamin Franklin XXL— Daniel Boone and the Founding of Kentucky XXIL— James Robertson and John Sevier— the Founders of Tennessee XXIIL— George Rogers Clarke XXIV.— Our Country at the Close of the Revolutionary War XXV.— Rufus Putnam and Settlements iii the Ohio Valley XXVI. —Thomas Jefferson ... ... XXVIL— The War of 1812 ...•••• iii PAGE 1 13 17 22 33 37 43 47 53 56 58 62 64 68 71 76 78 82 91 95 99 103 105 107 109 112 115 .3 Copyright The American School for the Deaf Hartford, Connecticut MAY I5I9I6 ©CI,A4289y2 ^0 / . CONTENTS, CHAPTER PAGE I. — Introductory 1 II. — Columbus and the Discovery of America ... 13 III.— The Indians 17 IV.— Discoverers following Columbus: — Cabot, Americus Vespucius, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Magellan, Cortez, Verrazano, Cartier, De Soto, Coronado, Menendez . 22 v.— Sir Waiter Raleigh 33 VI. — John Smith and the Founding of Virginia ... 37 VII. — Henry Hudson and the Founding of New York . . 43 VIII. — The Pilgrims and the Founding of Massachusetts . 47 IX. — The Puritans and Other Settlers in New England . 53 X. — Roger Williams and the Founding of Rhode Island . 56 XI. — Lord Baltimore and the Founding of Maryland . . 58 XII. — The Founders of North CaroHna and South Carolina . 62 XIII. — William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania . 64 XIV. — James Oglethorpe and the Founding of Georgia . . 68 XV. — Life of the Early Colonists 71 XVI. — Indian Wars 76 XVII. — The French in America 78 XVI II.— The Revolutionary War 82 XIX. — George Washington 91 XX. — Benjamin Franklin 95 XXI. — Daniel Boone and the Founding of Kentucky . . 99 XXII. — James Robertson and John Sevier — the Founders of Tennessee 103 XXIII.— George Rogers Clarke 105 XXIV. — Our Country at the Close of the Revolutionary War . 107 XXV.— Rufus Putnam and Settlements in the Ohio Valley . 109 XXVI.— Thomas Jefferson ... .... 112 XXVIL— The War of 1812 115 ni IV CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVUI. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. XXXVII. XXXVIII. XXXIX. XL. XLI. XLII. -Andrew Jackson -Growth of the United States -The Mexican War . -Events in the West -The Civil War -Abraham Lincoln -Ulysses S. Grant -Robert E. Lee -Thomas J. Jackson -Events following the Civil War -Inventions: — the cotton-gin, the steamboat, railways the telegraph, the telephone, Edison's electrical in ventions -Some of our Writers -The Spanish War . -Events since the Spanish -Changes in our Country . 120 123 124 126 129 134 139 142 146 149 152 163 167 171 176 TO THE TEACHER As the history of our country is but a continuation of that of the Old World, before beginning the story of America our pupils should learn something of the history of the countries from which our forefathers came. In the introductory chapter of this book the purpose is mainly to point out the chief phases in the civilizations of the European nations which have contributed mostly to our own civilization. Merely an outline has been given which it is hoped the teacher will fill in as she sees fit for her particular class, or it m^ay be that she w-ill deem it best to omit certain portions. Some of the myths and other stories of Greece and Rome should be given as supplementary reading, and certain historical characters and events might be touched upon. In the story of our country which follows, it has been the aim to tell only of the events most important for children to know and to use language so simple and clear that it may be easily comprehended by young pupils. As children are more readih' interested in persons than in bare state- ments of events, we have tried to give as much of the history as possible through the medium of biography. In addition to this, complete sketches of the most prominent characters of our nation have been given throughout the book so that they may be studied independently of other parts of the text when so desired. In the preparation of lessons, the location of all places named should be clear in the mind of the pupil, and in recitations we suggest that large maps be kept be.fore the class. We believe that topical recitations given in the pupil's own words develop ease in expression and clearness in ideas, and with this in mind we have given suggestions for such recitations at the end of each chapter. THE STORY OF AMERICA From a Painting NORWEGIAN SHIPS CHAPTER I Introductory Five hundred years ago there were no white people Hving in America. Only Indians were to be found scattered over the land. Most of them lived in villages of wigwams or roved through the forests and over the plains and mountains. It is not known exactly when the first white people came to 2 INTRODUCTORY America. The first we know of are told about in some old stories of Norway and Sweden. These stories say that parties of Norwegians made voyages to the eastern coast about a thou- sand years before Christ. At that time the people of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who were called the Northmen, were the most daring seamen in the world. They had long ships which they sailed or rowed to distant lands. Some of them finally settled in Iceland, and later one of them called Eric the Red founded a colony on the southwestern coast of Greenland. According to the old stories, it was Lief Ericson, the son of Eric, and other Norwegians from Greenland who sailed to the eastern coast of America. It is supposed that they landed at several places on the coast of what is now Massachusetts. But they stayed only a short time, nothing came of their discoveries, and in time they were forgotten. The first white people who settled in our land came from countries in Europe, — chiefly from England, France, Holland; Spain, Italy, and Germany. These countries are all very much older than ours. For hundreds of years before there were any white people in America, there had been great cities in them. When our fore- fathers crossed the Atlantic, they had already learned how to make laws and to govern cities and countries, and they could build fine buildings, make ships and guns, and write and print. 2 It will help us to understand our own history if we learn something about the countries from which our forefathers came. INTRODUCTORY 3 The civilized peoples of Europe came from peoples who lived still farther east. The Caucasian or white race has always been the most civilized of all people. They are the ones we learn about in history. The first people of this race lived together somewhere in the western part of Asia thousands of years ago. In time they separated and formed different nations. The leading nations among them PYRAMID IN EGYPT gradually moved westward. They settled first in countries around the Mediterranean sea, and later spread over Europe. One of the most important of these ancient peoples settled in Egypt in the northern part of Africa. The Egyptians were wonderful builders. They built huge temples, and great pyra- mids for sepulchres for their kings. These pyramids and the ruins of their large temples are still standing. 4 INTRODUCTORY It was the Egyptians who first invented a way of writing. They used pictures and queer-looking marks to stand for certain sounds and words. They also knew a great deal about farming, and about astronomy, geography, mathematics, and medicine. In (^\f\'\'z%r i OLD EGYPTIAN WRITING Supposed to be the name Cleopatra time the people of Europe learned much about these things from the Egyptians, and a great deal of what v/e know has come down to us from them. Another important people were the Phoenicians who settled along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. They sailed all over the Mediterranean and became great trading people and built a number of settlements. The most important thing about them to us is that they invented the first perfect alphabet. Our alphabet has come from theirs though it has been changed a great deal from it. The Hebrews settled in what is now Palestine about two thousand years before Christ was born. They were great reli- gious teachers. All of the ancient peoples had religions, but that of the Hebrews was the noblest. They worshiped only one God while other nations worshiped many. A great deal of our religious teaching has come from them. Another ancient people were the Persians. They were great soldiers and rulers. About six hundred years before Christ the Persians ruled over a great part of Asia. After a time, however, these nations ceased to be the most important ones in the history of the world. The Greeks then became the leaders of all the peoples who had moved westward INTRODUCTORY 5 f.rom Asia. They settled first in what is still called Greece and on islands in the Aegean sea. The Greeks were great in literature and art. They were also noted for their love of freedom and for their bravery. There was a time in the fifth century before Christ which was called the "Age of Pericles " after one of the Greek leaders. A TEMPLE IN ATHENS During this time there were many fine orators in Greece, and a number of learned men wrote great plays. Artists carved wonderful statutes in marble and bronze, and the Greek cities had the most beautiful buildings in the world. The ruins of many of these buildings may be seen now in Athens and the other cities of Greece. 6 INTRODUCTORY The Greeks planted many colonies on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black seas, and traded with the people they found in the different places. After a time they became great conquerors, and ruled over many distant lands. Constantinople, Naples, Marseilles in France, and Alexandria in Egypt are some of the cities they founded. The people in all these lands learned the Grecian customs and ways of living. They also learned much from the Greeks in architecture, in the making of beautiful statues, and in the writ- ing of poetry. And as the people who settled in America came from these other nations, we also have been helped in the same ways. After several hundred years, the power of the Greeks began to weaken, and then the Romans became the leading people in Europe. The first Romans lived in a small village on the banks of the river Tiber. But they gradually enlarged their territory and in a few hundred years became rulers of all the civilized world. They were great soldiers, governors, and lawmakers. The Romans conquered the Greeks and the other civilized peoples around the Mediterranean sea. Then they went into Gaul, the country now called France, and conquered the tribes there. They crossed the Rhine into the land we now call Ger- many, and later they went into Britain which is now called England. Many of the Gauls, Germans, and Britons learned the civilized ways of the Romans and Greeks, and in time lived and thought much as they did. Rome was at her greatest when Augustus was her Emperor. It was during his reign that Christ was born. The greatest INTRODUCTORY 7 Roman poets, artists, and orators lived at that time, and it was called Rome's " golden age." The world owes a great deal to the Romans for what it has learned from them about laws and government. ROMAN SOLDIERS Both the Greeks and Romans were famous for their great courage. In their wars many brave deeds were done and there are great poems that tell about their heroes. Many of our words have come from the Latin, the language of the Romans, and from the Greek. Our English forefathers lived in Germany before they settled in England, and they brought many of our words from Germany. But they also took a great many from the Rom.ans and Greeks and many from the French and other peoples of Europe and changed them so as to make them their own. 8 INTRODUCTORY In time Rome lost her power as Greece and other ancient nations had lost theirs. About four hundred years after Christ, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts. They were called the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire. Soon after this the Roman power began to grow less. The Germans, or Teutons, were a people who lived north of the Romans. Most of them were fierce barbarians and great foes of the Romans. After the Roman Empire was divided, some of the German tribes poured in great crowds over the northern boundary. They settled in some of the towns and plundered others. Later they took place after place, and after a number of years all of the Western Empire came under their rule. Some of the German tribes moved westward into Gaul and Spain and along the North sea. One of the tribes that settled in Gaul was called the Franks, and they named the land France. Most of the Romans had become Christians, and as the Ger- mans settled in the lands where they had been, they also adopted the Christian religion. After some time the Western Empire was divided. Then the different nations of Europe as they are now were gradually formed. The French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch nations are some that grew out of the old Western Empire. In the fifth century two German tribes, the Angles and Saxons, crossed the North sea into Britain. They took the land from the people they found there and settled on it. After this the country was called England, and the people Englishmen or Anglo-Saxons. Some years afterwards people came to England from the northern part of France and other countries on the continent, and some of the kings of England came from these countries. INTRODUCTORY Offr X * \4 4? -O^ 1 i T/^^ W^/n'f^ Portions of the Map Show the Part of the World Knozvn to Civilised Peoples 500 Years Ago The English people made many good laws, and after a number of years they learned to govern themselves in a better way than the old Romans and Greeks had done. They found a way to let all the people take part in governing their country. Many of our American laws have grown out of this good kind of government which our English forefathers brought with them from England. For hundreds of years the merchants of Europe had traded with the southeastern countries of Asia which they called the Indies. These countries were a great distance off. It took a very long time to reach them for the merchants had to carry their goods partly by ship and partly by camels in long caravans across the deserts. Wool, metals, and wood were sent from many towns in Europe to Venice and Genoa, and from these cities they were taken in ships across the Mediterranean to eastern seaports, and then across Asia to the far East. The merchants brought back silks^ jewels, spices, and drugs from the Orient. 10 INTRODUCTORY In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries there was a great deal of this trade going on between Europe and the East. Travelers had told wonderful stories of what they had seen in the far Eastern countries, and the people of Europe had become very much interested in these places. One of the travelers who wrote a great deal of what he had seen in the far East was an Italian named Marco Polo. He had spent a number of years in China, Persia, and other countries of the Orient, and he told marvelous tales about them. He told of a great Emperor at one place whose palace had floors and roof of gold. In another tale he described a palace which had its walls covered with gold and silver and w^hose dining hall could seat six thousand persons. When the merchants of Europe heard the stories of these great riches, they began to do more trading than ever with the Orient. For a while the Mediterranean swarmed with ships going back and forth. But after a time the Turks, who were a barbarous people, began conquering parts of Asia. In 1453 they took possession of Con- stantinople. They gradually stopped the trade over the old routes between Europe and the East, and their vessels made the Medi- terranean unsafe for European merchants. Europeans then had to look for other routes to the Orient. The plan that seemed the best to many was to sail around the southern end of Africa and then on to India. Prince Henry of Portugal, w^ho was called Henry the Navigator, was fond of exploring the seas. He became very much interested in the idea of reaching the far East in this way. In 14 1 8 he began to send sailors down along the western coast of Africa. But most people of those days feared long voyages INTRODUCTORY 11 on the ocean. They believed that there were dreadful monsters in it, and that if they sailed very far south, the water would be too hot for anyone to live on it. The first Portuguese captain went south only a few hundred miles and then turned back. Then others tried it. Each one went a few hundred miles farther than the one before him. At last in 1487 one of the captains named Diaz reached the southern point of the continent and went around it. The King of Portugal called this point the Cape of Good Hope. In 1497 another Portuguese named Vasco da Gama set out Map SJioziing Routes of Da Gama, Columbus, and Magellan with several vessels. After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, he succeeded the next year in reaching Calcutta in India. Then in 1499 he returned to Portugal with his vessels full of silks, ivory, precious stones, and spices. In the meantime, however, other explorers had begun to wonder if there might not be some shorter route to the Eastern countries of Asia than by sailing around Africa. Among these was Christopher Columbus, the great explorer who discovered America. 12 INTRODUCTORY I. Tell in what way America was very different five hundred years ago from what it is now. II. Tell about the coming of the Northmen to America. III. Tell from what countries the first white settlers in America came. IV. Name some of the things our forefathers knew how to do before they came to America. V. Tell what you can of the earliest history of the white race. VI. Tell something about — 1. The Egyptians. 2. The Phoenicians. 3. The Hebrews. 4. The Greeks. 5. The Romans. 6. The German tribes conquering the Romans. 7. The beginnings of England. VII. Tell about — 1. The trade the people of Europe carried on with the far East for hundreds of years. 2. Marco Polo and other travelers in the Orient. 3. The Turks closing the old routes between Europe and the East. 4. The new route which seemed the best after this to many of the merchants of Europe. 5. Prince Henry of Portugal. VIII. Tell what most people thought about the ocean in those days. IX. Tell about the first voyages of the Portugese down the western coast of Africa. X. Describe the voyage of Vasco da Gama. CHAPTER II Columbus and the Discovery of America Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, about four hundred and fifty years ago. From boyhood he was fond of the sea, and when he grew up he became captain of a ship that sailed on the Mediterranean sea. Sometimes he sailed out of the Mediterranean and made voyages to Iceland and down the western coast of Africa. He made maps and charts showing where he went, and other captains often bought them from him. At that time most people thought that the earth was flat. But several hundred years before Christ, a very wise man of Greece named Aristotle had proved that it was round, and many of the most learned men of Europe believed it. Columbus was one of the men who believed this. We have learned how the merchants of Europe for hundreds of years went to the far East for spices, silks, jewels, and drugs, and how the barbarous Turks finally stopped their going across Asia. Then while the Portuguese seamen were trying to find a new route by sailing around Africa, Columbus thought of another way. He believed that he could reach the Eastern part of Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic, and that it would be a much shorter way than by going around Africa. As he was too poor to buy ships himself, he tried first to persuade wealthy men in Italy to help him, and then asked the King of Portugal, but they all refused. He then went to Spain 13 14 COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA to tell his story there to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. They would not listen to him at first, but after a few years the Queen became interested in his plans, and persuaded the King to give him money enough for three small ships. Columbus was delighted and soon had the ships. They were called the Santa Maria, the Pint a, and the Nina. They were very DEPARTURE OF COLUMBUS From a Painting by Balaca small ships to cross the great Atlantic ocean. The Santa Maria, the largest of the three, was only about ninety feet long. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA On August 3, 1492, Columbus sailed away with ninety men from Palos, Spain. The sailors expected to find land in a few days, but they sailed on day after day without seeing any. After awhile they COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA 15 became alarmed. Some of them were angry at Columbus for having taken them so far away from their homes, and several times they threatened to throw him overboard. He had a hard time quieting them. They sailed on for over two months. Then one day they saw a carved stick and some branches floating near the ships and they knew that land was not far off. That night Columbus saw lights off in the distance, and early the next morning one of the men sighted land. Everyone was delighted. The land which they saw was a beautiful island. Large trees and beautiful flowers were growing on it. But it was not part of Asia. It was an island where white people had never been before. They landed on October twelfth. As soon as they stepped ashore, they knelt and gave thanks to God for their safe voyage. Columbus called the island San Salvador* and claimed it for Spain. He thought it belonged to the East Indies and he called the natives Indians. The natives were dark-skinned. They had never seen white people before, and they thought that they had come down from the skies. They brought food and presents to them. Columbus and his sailors walked about and examined the island. Then they explored other islands that were near by. Columbus soon went back to Spain. He took some of the natives and some of the things that grew on the islands with him to show to the people in Europe. He was received with great honor when he reached Spain. Bells were rung and cannon were fired and hundreds of people * The island now called Watling Island is supposed to be the one Columbus called San Salvador. 16 COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA cheered him as he went along the streets. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella invited him to their palace and listened to his story of the New World. He came three more times to the New World. The people on the islands gave him a great deal of trouble during these later visits, and after a time his health broke down. Queen Isabella, who was his best friend, died soon after his last voyage to America. By this time his money was nearly all gone and he was too old and weak to work any more. He died in 1506, old and poor, and neglected by everyone. Columbus never knew that the land he had discovered was part of a new continent. He always believed that it was part of Asia. I. Tell when and by whom America was discovered. II. Tell — 1. Who Columbus was. 2. When and where he was born. 3. About his first voyages when he was a young man, 4. What he believed he could do when he grew older. 5. Why he wanted to do this. 6. How he obtained ships for the voyage and what they were called. III. Tell about — 1. The departure from Spain. 2. The voyage across the Atlantic, 3. The first signs of land and the discovery. IV. Describe — 1. The island of San Salvador. 2. The natives of the island. V. Tell of — 1. Columbus' return to Spain. 2. His later voyages to America. 3. His last years and death. VI. Write a short sketch of Columbus in your own words. CHAPTER III The Indians AN INDIAN FAMILY Indians have reddish-brown skin, high cheek bones, black eyes, and straight black hair. 2 17 18 THE INDIANS Many Indians are now living in the western part of our country, and they are found in nearly all parts of South America. At the time Columbus discovered the New World, they were living in all parts of North America. They were divided into tribes and each tribe had a chief at the head of it. Some of the tribes were peaceful but most of them were fierce and warlike. Alost of the Indians lived in wigwams, or tents, made of bark or the skins of animals. Some lived in villages of these A PUEBLO wigwams. Others moved about from place to place. They went up and down the rivers in canoes made of birch bark. In the southwestern part of the country, many of the Indians lived in large flat roofed houses made of adobe, or sun-baked clay. These houses were called pueblos. They were sometimes three or four stories high, and hundreds of Indians lived together in them. The upper stories were reached by means of ladders. THE INDIANS 19 Some pueblos were built on the plains, and others were built on high cliffs. Many of the Indians lived by hunting and fishing. Others raised Indian corn, squash, pumpkins, beans, and tobacco. They had strange ways of cooking. Wooden bowls were filled with water and then heated stones were thrown in. When the water was hot enough, the food was put in to cook. Meat was broiled on sticks held over a fire. Corn was pounded into meal between two stones, and then the meal was mixed with water and baked in the ashes. Pieces of bone or sharp stones were used instead of knives. The Indians made fire by twirling the end of a stick against a larger piece of wood, or by striking flint stones and pieces of steel together. DRESS AND CUSTOMS The clothing of most of the Indians was made of the skins of animals. They wore whole skins over their bodies, and their moccasins, or shoes, were made of deerskin embroidered with porcupine quills and shell beads. The Indian warriors painted their faces red and yellow and blue. Then they tattooed their bodies and decorated themselves with feathers and shell beads. The squaws also liked to paint their faces, and they wore many strings of beads which they made from sea-shells. They called these strings of beads wampum. Wampum was also used instead of money among the Indians. The women did most of the hard work. They worked in the fields, put up and took down the tents, and kept house. The men hunted and went to war. 20 THE INDIANS The Indians' weapons were bows and arrows, hatchets, and war clubs. Their hatchets were called tomahawks. They often scalped people with them. Before a war the Indians would have a war-dance. They would decorate themselves with paint and feathers, and dance around a fire, leaping and yelling and waving their hatchets. The Indians were brave and would bear great pain without uttering a groan. But they were generally sly and cunning, and they were very cruel to their enemies. As the white people settled in America, they drove the Indians farther and farther west. Many of those now in the United States live on lands in the West which have been set apart for them by the government. These lands are called Indian Reserva- tions. Some of the Indians on the Reservations have good farms, large herds of cattle, and good schools. Others still live in pueblos. There are a number of pueblos in New Mexico and Arizona. The Navajo In- dians of Arizona and New Mexico are noted -for the WExWING A NAVAIO BLAX THE INDIANS 21 beautiful blankets they make, and all the tribes make attractive pottery and baskets. TONIAMAVWK 1. Describe the Indians. 2. Tell where they are found now. 3. Tell what you can of their way of living at the time Columbus discovered America. 4. Describe their dress and tell how they decorated themselves. 5. Name some of the weapons that they used. 6. Tell what some of their characteristics were. 7. Tell what Indian Reservations are. 8. Tell how the Indians live on these Reservations. 9. Name some of the things the Indians make. CHAPTER IV Discoverers Following Columbus JOHN CABOT Columbus discovered a number of the islands of the West Indies and sailed to the coasts of Central America and South America, but he never landed on the mainland of North America. There was an Italian named John Cabot who was a great traveler. After having traveled about the world a great deal, he went to Bristol, England, and made his home there. After a time he heard of the voyages of Columbus, and he decided that he, too, would try to find a short way to Asia. Henry VII was king of England at that time, and Cabot persuaded him to fit out a vessel for him. In May, 1497, he sailed west, as Columbus had done, and in time he reached what is now called The Black Portions of the Map Show the Land that was Prob- ably Visited by the Cabots 22 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS 23 Cape Breton, a part of Nova Scotia. This was on the mainland of North America, but Cabot supposed it was a part of Asia where no one lived. Cabot and his men landed and planted a large cross and hoisted the flags of England and Venice. Then Cabot took possession of the land in the name of the King of England. The next year, with his son Sebastian, he sailed west again. It is supposed that they sailed along part of the eastern coast but it is not known exactly what points they visited. At any rate they claimed all the land they saw for England and then returned. The English people took no interest in the Cabots' discoveries at that time, however, as they had found no gold in the new country, and they thought no more about them until a long time afterwards. AMERICUS VESPUCIUS An Italian merchant and traveler named Americus Vespucius made several voyages with men who were sent out to explore the new land. In 1499 one of these expeditions reached the northern coast of South America, and in 1501 another explored the eastern coast. Americus wrote in letters to his friends as if he were the leader of these expeditions and he gave interesting descriptions of the new lands he had found. His letters were printed and read by many of the learned men of Europe. Most people thought at that time that the land Columbus had found was part of Asia. And as many believed that Americus 24 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS was the first to discover the new continent, it was named America for him rather than for Columbus. BALBOA Vasco Nunez Balboa was an Italian explorer. He lived for awhile on the island of Hayti, and then went to the mainland. One day, in 15 13, when he was exploring the isthmus of Panama, he reached the top of a high hill, and from there he beheld a great ocean spread out before him. This was the Pacific ocean. For some time the people in Europe had been doubting that the land Columbus had found was part of Asia, and when they heard of Balboa's discovery, they felt sure that it was another continent. PONCE DE LEON Ponce de Leon was a Spanish soldier who came with Colum- bus on his second voyage to America, and afterwards spent many years in the West Indies. When he became old and wrinkled, he wished very much that he was young again. There was a legend among the Indians which they believed and which they told to the white people. They said there was a fountain somewhere in the forests which would make old people who drank from it young again. They called it the " Fountain of Youth." Ponce de Leon heard of this fountain and set out to look for it. On Easter morning, in the year 15 13, he came to a beautiful shore he had never seen before. The land was filled with flowers DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS 25 and he called it Florida from the Spanish name " Pascua Florida," meaning " Flowery Easter." He thought this must be the place where he would find the wonderful fountain, and for several years he went about looking for it. In 1 52 1 he tried to start a settlement on the Florida coast, but was killed in a battle with the Indians. MAGELLAN After the people in Europe had decided that America was a newly found continent, they were anxious to find a way through it or around it to the East Indies. Many tried to do this. In 1 5 19 Spain sent out a Portuguese named Magellan with five ships. In 1520 Magellan discovered the strait which now bears his name, and sailed through it into the Pacific ocean. Four of his ships were lost, and he was killed by a native on one of the Philippine islands, but the fifth ship with eighteen men on it finally reached Spain. This was the first voyage ever made around the world. CORTEZ The Spanish explorers who went to Mexico found a powerful tribe there called the Aztecs. These Indians lived in large villages with great chiefs, or kings, ruHng over them. Their houses were built of stone or sun-baked bricks covered with white plaster. They worshiped idols and the temples which they built to them were often several stories high. The king of the Aztecs lived in great splendor in the City of Mexico. 26 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS The Spaniards heard stories of great riches among the Aztecs, and in 15 19, a Spanish soldier named Hernandez Cortez was sent to conquer Mexico. Cortez landed where the city of Vera Cruz is now and marched toward the City of Mexico. The Aztecs fought bravely, but after two years of hard fighting, Cortez was victorious. He rebuilt the City of Mexico and made it as much like a Spanish city as he could. Many more Spaniards came later to Mexico. Catholic priests built mission houses and gathered the Indians into villages around A SPANISH MISSION HOUSE them. They called these villages missions. The Indians were taught to build better houses, and many of them gave up their idols and became Christians. They learned the ways and the language of the Spaniards, and the missions became in time very much like the villages in Spain. After a time, as the Spaniards spread over the country, Spanish schools and churches and other public buildings were built in nearly all the towns of Mexico. DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS 27 VERRAZANO In the winter of 1524 Giovanni Verrazano was sent out by the French to discover a westward route to Asia. He crossed the Atlantic in a ship called the Dolphin, and in March he anchored near the point of land which we now call Cape Fear in North Carolina. He and his crew stopped for a few days and traded with the Indians. Then they sailed north- ward along the coast. They sailed as far north as Newfoundland and claimed all of the country for France. When they returned to France, Verrazano published an account of the land the}- had seen and called it New France. CARTIER In 1534 Francis I, the King of France, sent Jacques Cartier westward on an exploring expedition. Cartier set out in two ships and in time entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He took possession of all the land he saw in the name of the French King. The next year he made a second voyage and sailed up the St. Lawrence river. On the way up the river, he and his men found some Indians on the clififs where the city of Quebec is now. The Indians went out in canoes to meet them and took them to their village and danced for them. Later Cartier went on up the river as far as where the city of Montreal is now. Then after spending the winter on the St. Lawrence, he returned to France in the spring. In 1 541 he came with others and tried to build a settlement on the St. Lawrence. But many of the party were taken ill and the Indians were unfriendly, so they finally returned to France. 28 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS The French people claimed all of the country along the St. Lawrence because of Cartier's discoveries, and later many of them came and settled along the river. DE SOTO Hernando de Soto was a Spanish soldier who was made governor of Cuba by the King of Spain. He heard that gold in great quantities was to be found on the mainland, and in 1539 he set out in search of it. More than six hundred men went with him. They landed on the coast of Florida, and from there they went first in a northerly direction and then westward. For three years they made their way across the country through dense forests and swamps. They were often in want of food and many of their horses starved to death. De Soto made slaves of many of the Indians they met and was cruel to them. In return other Indians attacked his party and several times there were battles between them. In 1 541 De Soto and his party came upon the great river which the Indians called the Mississippi. They crossed it and went into the country beyond, but they found no gold and finally gave up the search. When they reached the Mississippi on their return, De Soto decided to go down the river to the Gulf of Mexico. They started but on the way De Soto was taken ill and died. His men lowered his body into the river at midnight so that the Indians would not know of his death. DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS 29 FRIAR MARCOS AND CORONADO About the time that De Soto started on his journey in search of gold, another Spanish party started from Mexico to look for riches in the country west of the Mississippi. The Spaniards in Mexico understood from stories which the Indians had told them that there were seven cities of great wealth in the country to the north. So in 1539 the Spanish ruler of ^lexico sent a missionary called Friar Marcos with some Indians to look for them. After long wanderings, the party finally came to seven villages, or pueblos, in which the Zuni Indians lived. These pueblos w^ere built of light stone and sun-dried brick. The first one they reached was called Cibola, and Friar Alarcos called them all the Seven Cities of Cibola. The white buildings shone in the sun and Friar Marcos imagined that they were much grander than they really were. When he returned to Mexico, he told wonderful stories about them, and finally a Spaniard named Francisco de Coronado was sent with an army of three hundred men to conquer them. The army set forth in 1540 expecting to find great riches. The Spaniards were mounted on horseback. They wore coats of bright armor and carried swords and lances. A great many negroes and Indians went along as servants. They carried the baggage and did other work for the Spaniards. The army went over the mountains in Mexico and then across the great plains of Arizona, and at last came upon the Seven Cities of Cibola. Coronado had expected them to be beautiful 30 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS cities with great quantities of gold and silver, but he found only- poor Indian pueblos where the Indians raised corn and beans and wore clothing woven of the fibers of plants or made of the skins of animals. No gold or silver was to be found. From there Coronado and his men went eastward until they came to the valley of the Rio Grande. Here they found an Indian village and spent the winter in it. The next spring an Indian told Coronado of a wonderful city far to the northeast where the people ate from golden bowls. The Spaniards believed what the Indians said and set out again across the desert. They traveled for more than two months over hot, sandy plains. Sometimes they met great herds of buffaloes and some- times bands of Indians. Then in the end they came only to some small Indian villages where the Indians lived in wigwams made of grass or of bufifalo skins. These villages were in what is now central Kansas. Coronado and his men were greatly disappointed again. They started back to Mexico, and a year later those who were still living reached their homes. They were half-starved and dressed in the skins of animals. Their friends could hardly recognize the men who had gone away in their bright armor so gay and hope- ful two years before. Coronado's army had sufifered greatly, but good was to come from it. They told all about the country they had seen, and later others went to see it and settled in it. The country they passed through has since been made into the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS 31 THE OLDEST HOUSE IN THE UNITED STATES Si. Augustine, Florida MENENDEZ In 1565 a Spaniard named Pedro Menen- dez came to America and built a fort on the coast of Florida. In time a city grew Up around this fort and was called St. Augustine. This was the first city in America. I. Tell when and by whom the mainland of North America was discovered. II. Tell of Cabot's first voyage to the New W£)rld. III. Tell of his voyage the next year. IV. Tell how America got its name. V. Tell of Balboa's discovery. VI. Tell what you can about Ponce de Leon. VII. Give an account of the first voyage around the world. VIII. Give an account of Verrazano's voyage. iX. Tell of the conquest of Mexico by Cortez. X. Give an account of what Cartier did in the New World. XI. Tell about the discovery of the ]\Iississippi by De Soto. XII. Describe the wanderings of Friar Marcos and of Coronado in the country west of the Mississippi. 32 DISCOVERERS FOLLOWING COLUMBUS XIII. Tell what the first city in America was and when and by whom it was founded. XIV. Give the dates for the following events — a. The discovery of the Pacific ocean by Balboa. b. The first voyage around the world. c. The discovery of the Mississippi by Ue Soto. CHAPTER V Sir Walter Raleigh When John Cabot discovered the mainland of North America, he claimed all of the country from Labrador to what is now South Carolina for England. None of the English people, how- ever, came to America to settle until about a hundred years later. Queen Elizabeth was queen of England at that time. News reached England that the Spaniards were finding gold in Mexico and in South America. Then the English people began ^ to think of sending colonies to ^\^ North America in the hope of :) ° finding gold there. The first Englishman who decided to do this was Walter Raleigh. Walter Raleigh was a great favorite of Queen Elizabeth's. He was a brave soldier and a very smart man, and he was also noted for his great courtesy. The Queen gave him a large tract of land on the Potomac river in America, and in 1584 he sent out an exploring party. 3 33 -<^ QUEEN ELIZABETH 34 SIR WALTER RALEIGH There were two shiploads of people in this party. They landed on Roanoke Island near the coast of what is now North Carolina, and they thought it was a beautiful place with its fine trees and vines and flowers. When they went back to England, they gave glowing accounts of the things they had seen in the new country. Queen Elizabeth, who was called the Virgin Queen, was de- lighted to hear these good things and she named the land Virginia in honor of herself. She also knighted sir w^a.lter raleigh Raleigh so that after this he was called Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1585 Raleigh sent out a colony to settle in America. They landed on Roanoke Island and built a settlement there. Then they explored all of the country round about looking for gold, but did not find any. The Indians gave them a great deal of trouble, and it was hard sometimes to get enough food. Finally they grew discouraged and returned to England. These colonists took two plants which they had found in the New World back to England with them. They were the potato and tobacco. Smoking soon became very popular in England, and potatoes were planted in large quantities both in England and Ireland. A third colony was sent out bv Raleigh under a man named White. Soon after these colonists had settled in their new home, a baby was born. She was the first English child born in Virginia and was called Virginia Dare. SIR WALTER RALEIGH 35 There were a good many people in this colony, but in a few years none of them could be found. It is probable that many of them died from the hardships they suffered, and that the others were killed or carried off by the Indians. After the death of Queen Elizabeth, the ruler of England COURTIERS IN THE TIME OF OUEEN ELIZABETH was King James the First. Some of Raleigh's enemies accused him of plotting against King James and of trying to make some one else ruler of England. The King had him put into prison and kept there for twelve years. Then he released him, but a few years later he had him beheaded. . I. IL Tell — 1. Who Sir Walter Raleigh was. 2. Why the English people began sending colonies to settle in America. 3. What land Queen Elizabeth gave to Raleigh. Tell about — 36 SIR WALTER RALEIGH L The first colony Raleigh sent to America. 2. The account of the New World that these people took back- to England. 3. The naming of Virginia. 4. The second colony sent out by Raleigh; 5. The introduction of potatoes and tobacco into England. 6. Raleigh's third colony. 7. Raleigh's last days. in. Write a short sketch of Sir Walter Raleigh in your own words. CHAPTER VI John Smith and the Founding of Virginia John Smith was born in England. When he grew up, he wanted to go out into the world and learn all he could about it, so he ran away from home. For awhile he was a sailor on the Mediterranean sea. Then he enlisted as a soldier and fought in several wars in foreign countries. He had many wild adventures. In 1606 some London mer- chants formed a company to send a colony to America. It was called the Virginia company. John Smith heard of this and decided to join the colonists. They set out on a stormy day in December in three ships called the Susan Constant, the Dis- covery, and the Godspeed. They were small vessels and went very slowly. It took about four months to reach Virginia. In April, 1607, the colonists sailed into Chesapeake bay and then up a river. The banks of the river were covered with 37 JOHN SMITH From Montgomery's Beginners' American History, by permission of Ginn & Co., publishers. 38 JOHN SMITH AND THE FOUNDING OF VIRGINIA flowers and the people were delighted. They called it the James river in honor of King James of England. Finally they reached a good place to make their home. They landed and before long they had a little settlement there which they called Jamestown. There were many Indians in that part of the country, and they were not very friendly to the white people. The first year was a hard one for the Jamestown settlers. During the winter there was a great deal of sick- ness among them. They did not have food enough nor enough clothing to keep them warm. After awhile John Smith took con- trol of affairs, and things went better. When the people were sick, he helped take care of them. He went among the Indians and gave them beads and toys in exchange for corn, and in this way saved many of the people from starving. He made the men who were well and strong build good homes and plant corn, and after awhile the people were more com- fortable. Before long Smith was made the governor of Jamestown and the people were happy and prosperous under him. One day, after he had been governor for some time, he was badly injured by an explosion of gim-powder and had to go to England to be treated. He never went back to Jamestown, but in a few years he returned to America and explored parts of what is now New JOHN SMITH AND THE FOUNDING OF VIRGINIA 39 England. He got furs from the Indians and made some good maps of the New England coast. POCAHONTAS Pocahontas was the daughter of an Indian chief named Powhatan. A pretty story is told of how she saved Smith's Hfe. One day Smith was captured by some Indians of Powhatan's tribe and they took him to their chief. Powhatan said that he must die. Then the Indians prepared everything for his death. They bound his arms and laid his head on a stone. One of the Indians had raised his club and was just about to strike him when Pocahontas ran forward, and throwing herself between them, bent down and laid her head on Smith's. The Indian did not dare to touch her, and so he had to drop his club. Pocahontas then begged her father to save Smith's life and Powhatan set him free for her sake. When Pocahontas grew up, she married a young Englishman in Jamestown whose name was John Rolfe. JOHN SMITH BEFORE POWHATAN From Montgomery's Beginners' American History, by permission of Ginn «£ Co., publishers. 40 JOHN SMITH AND THE FOUNDING OF VIRGINIA Before the marriage she became a Christian and was baptized. She changed her name to Rebecca. She and her husband went to England. She was very popular there and was called the Indian Princess. She had a son born in England. A short time afterwards she made preparations to return to America, but was taken suddenly ill and died. Her son grew up in England and then came to America. Some of his descendants are living in Virginia now. LATER EVENTS In 1619 a Dutch ship brought nineteen negro slaves to Virginia and sold them to the planters. This was the beginning of slavery in this country. More slaves were brought, and in time slavery spread over nearly all of the colonies. In the North many of the slaves were house servants. In the South they worked on the plantations. After awhile the South had most of the slaves because the warm climate suited them better than the cold, and there was more for them to do in the South than there was in the North. The people in Virginia raised a great deal of tobacco on their plantations and sold much of it in England. Many of the planters became rich. In time many more people came from England and built towns in Virginia, and the colony became very prosperous. There was much trouble, however, with the Indians. They often attacked the white people and small wars broke out from time to time. JOHN SMITH AND THE FOUNDING OF VIRGINIA 41 In the frontier settlements the white people built block- houses for defense against the Indians. A blockhouse was something like a fort. Whenever the people suspected that the AN ATTACK ON A BLOCKHOUSE Indians were near a village in the night, a messenger would go from house to house and wake the people. Then they would all hurry to the blockhouse to be ready to fight. Tell about — 1. John Smith as a young man. 2. The forming of the Virginia company. 3. The voyage across the Atlantic. 4. The founding of Jamestown, 5. The colonists' first year in Jamestown. 6. Some of the things Smith did to help the colony. 7. His accident. 8. His return to England. 42 JOHN SMITH AND THE FOUNDING OF VIRGINIA 9. His second trip to America. 10. The rescue of Smith by Pocahontas. 11. Pocahontas's marriage and visit to England. 12. The introduction of slaves into America and the spread of slavery throughout the colonies. 13. The prosperity of the Virginia planters. 14. The trouble with the Indians. CHAPTER VII Henry Hudson and the Founding of New York DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON RIVER Henry Hudson was an Englishman who hved in London. He was a fine sea captain and a great traveler. The Dutch people wanted some one to find a short way to Asia for them. They had heard of some of Hudson's voyages and they employed him to try to find it. Hudson sailed from Am- sterdam, Holland, with several other men in 1609 i^ ^ small vessel called the Half INIoon. After sailing in the north- ern seas for some time, he turned his boat southward. He had a map of the coast of North America which John Smith had sent him, and he decided to go there. He and his men went south as far as Chesapeake bay, and then north along the THE HALF MOON COast One day they entered a beautiful harbor. Ir was what is now called New York bay. Indians dressed in furs and decorated 43 44 HENRY HUDSON AND THE FOUNDING OF NEW YORK with feathers watched them with wonder from the shores for they had never seen white men before. A large river ran into the bay, and Hudson and his men sailed up this river. It was afterwards called the Hudson. The country all around was very beautiful. There were many flowers and fine trees along the banks. The men thought the long wall of rock, which extends along one side of the river, and which we now call the Palisades, was a wonderful sight. As the white men went up this river, canoes filled with Indians followed them. Most of the Indians were friendly, and some of them traded with the sailors. They gave them corn and beans in exchange for beads and other ornaments. Hudson and his crew sailed a hundred and fifty miles up the river and claimed all the country round about for Holland. Then they returned to Holland and told the Dutch people of all the things they had seen in the new country. FOUNDING OF NEW YORK The next year the Dutch people sent men to America to trade with the Indians for furs. They built a trading post on the end of Manhattan island at the mouth of the Hudson river. The trading post consisted of a fort and some log cabins. In time a town grew up around this fort, and it was called New Amsterdam. The people explored the land for miles around and claimed all of it for Holland. They called it New Netherlands. After a time, however, the English claimed that part of America because John Cabot had discovered it in 1498, and in 1664 they took it away from the Dutch. HENRY HUDSON AND THE FOUNDING OF NEW YORK 45 King Charles the Second was king of England at that time. He gave New Netherlands to his brother who was called the Duke of York. The name of New Netherlands was then changed to New York in his honor, and New Amsterdam was called New York city. New York city grew until it became what it is now, — one of the largest and most im- portant cities in the world. Henry Hudson came back to America a second time in an Eng- lish ship and discovered Hudson bay. The sailors who were with him suf- fered a great deal from cold and hunger, and they were angry with him for having taken them there. One day they set him adrift in A scene in new Amsterdam a small boat, and sailed away leaving him there on the big bay. No one ever heard of him again. FOUNDING OF NEW JERSEY The Duke of York granted part of his land to two of his friends named Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, and they called it New Jersey. 46 HENRY HUDSON AND THE FOUNDING OF NEW YORK There were several settlements of Dutch people and Swedes on this land when the English took possession of it. The people in New Jersey were allowed to worship God in their own way. Many people who were persecuted in England and Scotland on account of their religion went there to live. I. Tell — 1. Who Henry Hudson was. 2. What the Dutch people wanted him to do. n. Tell about — 1. Hudson's departure from Holland. 2. The ocean voyage. 3. The discovery of New York bay and the Hudson river. 4. The trip up the river. 5. The founding of New Amsterdam. 6. The taking of New Netherlands fron> the Dutch by the English and the change of name. 7. Hudson's discovery of Hudson bay. 8. The way he was treated by his crew. 9. The founding of New Jersey. 10. The settlers in New Jersey. CHAPTER VIII The Pilgrims and the Founding of Massachusetts THE COMING OF THE PILGRIMS King James the First of England thought that every one in England should belong to the same church that he did. Some people who lived in the northern part of England did not like so much ceremony in the church service as the Church of England had. They wanted a simpler service and they started a church of their own. King James did not like this and he persecuted many of the people who attended the new church. Some of them were even sent to prison. The Dutch people were willing for them to have any kind of church they wanted in Holland, so a number of them left England and went to Holland to live. They called themselves Pilgrims because they had wandered away from their old homes. Captain Myles Standish was an English soldier. He was in Holland at the time the Pilgrims went there, and he liked their church and their simple ways so much that he made his home among them. For awhile the Pilgrims were happy in Holland. Then they found out that their children were becoming more like the Dutch people than the English in many ways and they did not like it. 47 48 THE PILGRIMS AND THE FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS Some of them decided to come to America and build new homes. They started in 1620. They stopped at Plymouth, England, on their way and then about one hundred of them left for America in a vessel called the Mayflower. Myles Standish came with them. They had a stormy voyage. The boat was tossed about by wind and waves, and they were on the ocean about three months. At last they sailed into Cape Cod bay. It was De- cember, and it was very cold. The ground was covered with snow. An exploring party was sent out to look for a place for their new home, and they found a very good one. Part of the ground had been cleared of trees by Indians who had been there at one time, and there was a good stream of water running through the land. Before they landed, the Pilgrims chose John Carver for their first governor, and they made a charter for themselves in which they agreed to live in peace and' to be obedient to all laws made for the good of the colony. On the twenty-first of December, they landed on a big rock which has since been called Plymouth Rock. It was bitterly cold and snowing hard. But in a day or two the men set to work k-ri-rt^mlirr r THE PILGRIMS AND THE FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS 49 THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS cutting down trees, and soon had log cabins built for their new homes. The new settlement was called Plymouth. THE pilgrims' FIRST YEAR IN AMERICA The Pilgrims suffered a great deal from the cold during their first w^inter in Plymouth, and they did not have food or clothing enough. Many fell sick and about half of them died before the warm weather came. Captain Standish and Governor Carver worked day and night nursing the sick and doing all they could for them, but there were many they could not save. In the spring some friendly Indians came to visit the Pilgrims. One of them was named Squanto. He could speak a little English which he had learned from some English sailors. He liked the Pilgrims and lived with them a long time. He taught them many things which they did not know about the new land they were living in. 4 50 THE PILGRIMS AND THE FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS Massasoit was an Indian chief who was also very friendly to the Pilgrims. He and the governor of Plymouth made a treaty. They swore that the Indians of Massasoit's tribe and the Pilgrims should always be friends. This promise was kept for fifty years. Other Indians, however, troubled the white people. Captain Standish heard that some of them w^ere killing white settlers in other places, and so he got ready in case they should come to PILGRIMS GOING TO CHURCH Plymouth. He trained the Plymouth men to fight well and they watched day and night for the Indians. They even carried their guns to church. The Pilgrims planted corn in the spring and made their homes more comfortable. When autumn came, they had a fine harvest. They felt thank- ful to God for all their blessings and decided to set aside a day for giving thanks. THE PILGRIMS AND THE FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS 51 They invited Massasoit and some other Indians to spend the day with them. They went to church in the morning and then had a big dinner. Turkey and venison and pumpkin pie were some of the good things they had. In the afternoon they played games, and in the evening they danced and sang songs. This was the first Thanksgiving day. It was on November 2^, 162 1. After awhile more Pilgrims came to Plymouth from Holland and England and made their homes in this little town. Captain Standish helped the Pilgrims in many ways and was much loved by them. He lived to be over seventy years of age. During the last part of his life, he had a home on a hill near Plymouth. This hill was called " Captain's Hill." There is now a high monument there with a statue of the good Captain on it. I. Tell — 1. Who the Pilgrims were. 2. Why they left England. 3. How they happened to go to Holland. 4. Why they decided to come to America. 5. Who Myles Standish was. 6. How he happened to join the Pilgrims. II. Tell about — 1. The departure of the Pilgrims from the old country. 2. The voyage. 3. The finding of land. 4. The place they chose for their future home. 5. The landing of the Pilgrims and the founding of Plymouth. 6. The Pilgrims' first winter in Plymouth. 7. Visits made by friendly Indians in the spring. 8. The treaty made between jNIassasoit and Governor Carver. 52 THE PILGRIMS AND THE FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS 9. Standish's preparation for unfriendly Indians whom he feared might come from other places, 10. The first Thanksgiving day. 11. The growth of Plymouth. III. Write a short sketch of Myles Standish. CHAPTER IX The Puritans and Other Settlers in New England FOUNDING OF MASSACHUSETTS There were many English people in the Church of England who did not like all of its ceremony, but who did not want to separate from it as the Pilgrims had done. They wanted to ^-^ SOME OF THE EARLY HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND Stay in it and change some of the service. They were called Puritans. In time the Puritans were persecuted as the Pilgrims had been, and many of them decided to come to America. 53 54 THE PURITANS AND OTHER SETTLERS IN NEW ENGLAND In 1628 they formed a company which they called the Massa- chusetts company. A settlement was made by this company at Salem in 1628, and the next year more people joined it. John Endicott was governor of this settlement. In 1630 a new governor named John Winthrop came with a thousand people and a charter for the Massachusetts colony. He was made governor of all the Massachusetts settlements. Gover- nor Winthrop and the people who had come with him founded the city of Boston. During the next ten years, many more people from England joined the Massachusetts colony. The Puritans had almost as much trouble as the Pilgrims had when they first came to America. It was hard to get food enough ; there were quarrels over religion ; and there were fights with the Indians. During the first two years, a large number died of hardships and sickness, but after that the colony began to prosper. FOUNDING OF CONNECTICUT A few years after the Massachusetts colony was started, some of the Puritans became dissatisfied with the Massachusetts laws, and they left Alassachusetts and settled in other places. In 1635 some of them built a village on the Connecticut river and called it Windsor. They found a Dutch trading post not far from them. It was where the city of Hartford is now. Later more people went from Massachusetts and settled at Hartford and Wethersfield, and these places formed the beginning of the Connecticut colony. THE PURITANS AND OTHER SETTLERS IN NEW ENGLAND 55 FOUNDING OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE In 1623 some people came from England and settled along Massachusetts bay north of Plymouth. Others went farther north and built the first villages of New Hampshire and Maine. The people in these northern villages made their living chiefly by fishing and trading with the Indians. Later some people went from the Massachusetts colony to the New Hampshire villages, and others came from England. For awhile New Hampshire was united with Massachusetts, but in 1 741 it became an independent colony. L Tell — 1. Who the Puritans were. 2. Why they decided to come to America. 3. What the Massachusetts company was. II. Tell about — 1. The first settlement made by the Puritans in America. 2. Governor Winthrop and the founding of Boston. 3. The growth of the ^Massachusetts colony. 4. The troubles that the Puritans had. 5. The founding of Connecticut. 6. The founding of New Hampshire and Maine. 7. The occupations of the people in New Hampshire and Maine. CHAPTER X Roger Williams and the Founding of Rhode Island Roger Williams was a young minister of Salem, Massa- chusetts. He met a number of Indians while he was preaching at Plymouth and Salem, and made many friends among them. He learned their language and visited them in their wigwams. Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag Indians, and Can- onicus, chief of the Narragansetts, were both fond of him. Roger Williams did not like some of the laws of Massa- chusetts. He thought the people should have more religious free- dom than they had, and he thought that the English people should pay the Indians for all the land which they took from them. Pie talked and wrote about these things a great deal. The people who governed Massa- chusetts did not like it. They tried to stop him but they could not. Finally they banished him from the colony. Williams decided to go to Massasoit and ask for help. 56 ROGER WILLIAMS' CHURCH IN SALEM THE FOUNDING OF RHODE ISLAND. $7 Massasoit lived about eighty miles from Salem. There were no roads leading there and the ground was covered with a deep snow. Day after day Williams waded through the snow, and at night he slept in hollow trees or on boughs which he spread on the ground. After having suffered a great deal from cold and hunger, he at last reached Massasoit's wigwam. Massasoit received him very kindly, and made him stay with him until the spring. This was the spring of 1636. Williams and a few Indians took canoes and paddled down the Seekonk river looking for a place to settle. The place where they finally landed happened to belong to the Indian chief Canonicus. When Canonicus heard that Wil- liams liked that part- of the country, he gave him a large tract of land there. Williams started a settlement and called it Providence. He allowed people of all religions to live there, and Jews and Catholics went as well as Protestants. People soon built other villages near Providence, and this was the beginning of Rhode Island. Tell — 1. When and by whom Providence, Rhode Island, was founded. 2. Why the Indians loved Roger Williams. 3. What Indian chiefs were friends of his, 4. Why he was banished from the Massachusetts colony, 5. Of his journey to Massasoit's camp. 6. How he was received by Massasoit, 7. About the Providence settlement. CHAPTER XI Lord Baltimore and the Founding of Maryland THE SETTLEMENT IN NEWFOUNDLAND Lord Baltimore was an Englishman. He was brought up a Protestant but became a Catholic. For awhile Catholics were treated cruelly in England. Lord Baltimore wished to do something for the oppressed people and he decided to make a home for them in some other place. He first tried to plant a Catholic colony in Newfoundland. But it was very cold there most of the year, and the soil was so poor that things could not grow well. Then the French attacked the settlers. The colony did not succeed and Lord Baltimore had to give up all idea of staying there. In a few months he returned to England. Charles the First was then King of England. He was a friend of Lord Baltimore's and he gave him a large tract of land in America on the Potomac river. He said he would allow Lord Baltimore to govern the people who went there in his own way. For this land Lord Baltimore was to pay the King two Indian arrows every year as a sign that the King was the real owner of the land. The land was called Maryland in honor of Queen Mary who was a Catholic. 58 LORD BALTIMORE AND THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND 59 But before Lord Baltimore could get ready to come to America, he died. His eldest son was then called Lord Baltimore, and Maryland was granted to him. THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND In November, 1633, the second Lord Baltimore sent a party Df emigrants to settle in Maryland. There were about twenty Frojii Painting by Leittce LANDING OF LORD BALTIMORE gentlemen of leisure and three hundred working men in the party. They came in two vessels called the Ark and the Dove. In the spring of 1634 they reached an island in the mouth of the Potomac river. When they landed, the priests set up a cross, 60 LORD BALTIMORE AND THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND and then all of the party knelt around it and thanked God for having brought them safely to the new country. Later they settled at an Indian village which they called St. Mary's. They gave the Indians hatchets, hoes, knives, and cloth in exchange for land for their new homes. The Indians and the white people w^ere very friendly, and for a time they lived in the same village, the white people occupying half of it and the Indians the other half. The Indians gave a large wigwam to one of the priests who was called Father White and he made a Catholic church of it. This was the first Catholic church in America. After awhile more people came to Maryland. There were both Protestants and Catholics among the settlers and everyone was allowed to worship God in his own way. For a few years there were quarrels with the people of Virginia over the land and later there were disputes over religion, but in time these troubles ceased. Many of the people became owners of large plantations and ^laryland prospered. L Tell — 1. About the first Lord Baltimore's colony in Newfoundland. 2. What land was given to him by Charles I and what it was called. 3. How he was to govern the people in Maryland and what he was to give every year for the land. 4. What happened to him and who succeeded him. II. Tell about — L The party which the second Lord Baltimore sent to Mary- land. 2. Their landing. LORD BALTIMORE AND THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND 61 3. The place where they settled and the way they obtained land for their new homes. 4. Their friendliness with the Indians. 5. The first Catholic church in America. 6. The troubles that arose. 7. The later prosperity. CHAPTER XII ' • A I'/if G IN I A«~^ The Founders of North Carolina and South Carolina About thirty years after Maryland was founded, Charles II became King of England. He granted a large tract of land in America to eight of his friends. He took it from the southern part of \^irginia and called it Carolina. The eight proprietors soon sent a party of English people to make a settlement in Carolina. When they arrived there, they found some Virginians al- ready living on part of the land. Then during the next few years a number of people from Scotland, Germany, and France came and settled in Carolina. The French people were French Protestants who had been persecuted in France. They were called Huguenots. The Carolina colony had rather a hard time at first, but after awhile some of the people began to raise rice and this made them more prosperous. The proprietors of Carolina, who lived in England, were selfish men and did not rule the people kindly. In 1719 some of the people rebelled, and in 1729 the King bought the land from 62 FOUNDERS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA 63 the proprietors and took control of it. He separated it into North Carolina and South Carolina and appointed governors for the two colonies. Tell — 1. What Charles II gave to eight of his friends and what colony they started. 2. What people settled in Carolina. 3. How they got along in the new colony. 4. About the proprietors of Carolina. 5. How the government was changed and how the colony was divided. CHAPTER XIII William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania WM. PENN WITH THE INDIANS From Montgomery's Beginners' American History, by permission of Ginn & Co., publishers. PENN AS A YOUNG MAN William Penn was the founder of Pennsylvania. He was born in England in 1664. 64 WILLIAM PENN AND THE FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA 65 While he was at college in Oxford, he became interested in the Society of Quakers. Quakers thought that all men should love one another. They believed that war was wicked and they would not be soldiers for the King. They also believed that all people were equal and that no man should show honor to another. The Quakers were treated cruelly in England. Sometimes they were whipped and sometimes thrown into dark damp prisons. Many of them died in these prisons. William Penn believed that the Quakers were right and finally joined their Society. His father, who was an admiral in the British navy, was very sorry to have this happen. He wanted William to become a great man in England. Before long William was arrested and sent to prison for attending the Quaker meetings. His father had him set free, but soon he began to preach and was arrested again. This time he was kept in the Tower of London for eight months. Soon after this his father died. Penn kept on preaching from time to time and was sent to prison a number of times, but his father's friends always had him set free. FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA King Charles H spent a great deal of money in having good times, and he often went in debt. He had borrowed large sums of money from William Penn's father, and after the Admiral's death, he owed this money to William. Penn wanted some land in America where the Quakers might settle and have peace, and he asked the King to give him land there instead of the money that he owed him. 5 66i WILLIAM PENN AND THE FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA The King was very glad to do this. He gave him a large tract of land on the Delaware river, and called it Pennsylvania in honor of Penn's father. In April, 1681, Penn sent a party of Quakers to Pennsylvania to settle there, and the next year he set out himself with about one hundred more. Penn's party had a very hard voyage, but finally they reached America and sailed up the Delaware river. There were a few villages of white people on the banks of the river. Penn landed at several places. He told the people that he intended to found a state where the people would rule themselves and be happy. This pleased them very much. Penn sailed up the river about a hundred miles and then landed. He laid out a city and called it Philadelphia. The word " Philadelphia " means '' brotherly love." Penn wanted all the people there to love one another. He made friends with the Indians, and before long he made a treaty with them. A number of the Indians and white men met under a large elm tree near Philadelphia, and swore that they would be friends as long as the rivers should flow or the sun shine in the sky. For sixty years this treaty was kept between the white and red men in Pennsylvania. Many more people came from England, Germany, Ireland, the white and the red men in Pennsylvania. A tract of land which belonged to the Duke of York was added to Pennsylvania and was part of this province for a number of years. Later it was taken from Pennsylvania and became the colony of Delaware. Pennsylvania grew very rapidly. The people there were happy. Penn allowed them to attend any church they liked. He WILLIAM PENN AND THE FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA 67 let them govern themselves, and he sold them small farms for very little money so that the poor people might have their own homes as well as those who were better off. Penn finally returned to England and spent the last years of his life there. He died in 1718. I. Tell all you can about — 1. Quakers. 2. Their treatment in England at the time William Penn was a young man. 3. William Penn's father. 4. Penn becoming a Quaker. 5. The times he was arrested. II. Tell — 1. Why Charles II owed money to William Penn. 2. What Penn asked for instead of the money. 3. Why he wanted this land. 4. Where the land was that King Charles gave him. III. Tell about — 1. The first colony that Penn sent to Pennsylvania. 2. His voyage to Pennsylvania the next year. 3. The trip up the Delaware. 4. The founding of Philadelphia. 5. Penn's treaty with the Indians. 6. Other settlers in Pennsylvania. . 7. The things Penn did to make the people in Pennsylvania happy and contented. IV. Write a short sketch of William Penn in your own words. CHAPTER XIV James Oglethorpe and the Founding of Georgia Georgia was founded by an Englishman named James Ogle- thorpe. When he was a young man, he was an officer in the British army. He was a man of great courage and kindness of heart, and he was loved and admired by all who knew him. After leaving the army, he was a member of the English parliament for thirty-two years. At that time people in England who could not pay their debts were sent to prison and treated cruelly there. General Oglethorpe visited some of these poor people in prison and wanted to help them. He thought that it would JAMES OGLETHORPE ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^j^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^j^^^ -^ America where they might go and get a fresh start in life, and where others who were persecuted on account of their religion might also go. He asked King George the Second, who was then King of England, for some land for this purpose, and the King gave him a large tract of land between Carolina and Florida. 58 JAMES OGLETHORPE AND THE FOUNDING OF GEORGIA 69 General Oglethorpe called this land Georgia in honor of the King. In the winter of 1732 he left England for Georgia with thirty-two families. Early in the spring of 1733 they reached the mouth of the Savannah river. They sailed up thejriver for about twenty miles and then landed. They bought some land from the Indians for their new settlement, and then laid out a town with broad streets and a public square and called it Savannah. General Oglethorpe was kind to the Indians and they always felt friendly toward him. He was also kind to the negroes who came to Georgia. He never allowed slaves to be bought and sold there while he was governor. LATER EVENTS After a time some Germans and some Scotch Highlanders came to Georgia and built settlements there, and later some people came from New England. After the people had built a number of small towns in Georgia, troubles arose with the Spanish colony of Florida. The Spaniards claimed that they owned the land where Georgia was, and attacked the settlers. But General Oglethorpe soon put an end to the trouble. He marched against the Spaniards with about a thousand men and in a short time defeated them. Many of the people of Georgia cleared the land and made farms for themselves. Some began the manufacture of silk. They planted mulberry trees for silkworms and brought a great many silkworms from Spain. But it did not pay very well to make silk in Georgia, and in time it was given up. 70 JAMES OGLETHORPE AND THE FOUNDING OF GEORGIA General Oglethorpe did all he could to make the Georgia colony a happy one, and when he went back to England in 1743, he took with him the grateful love of the colonists. A few years after General Oglethorpe had returned to Eng- land, slaves were brought into Georgia, and a great deal of rice and indigo was raised on the plantations. Georgia made the thirteenth colony that was planted in America by the English people. Besides the English people, how- ever, there were thousands of Germans, French, Dutch, Scotch, and Irish who had also come and settled in these colonies. The thirteen original colonies were V^irginia, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. I. Tell about — 1. General Oglethorpe's life in England before he came to America. 2. The way debtors were treated in England at that time. 3. General Oglethorpe's plan to help them and others who were in trouble. 4. The land that was given to him by King George II. 5. The founding of Savannah. 6. General Oglethorpe's treatment of the Indians and negroes. 7. Other settlers in Georgia. 8. The trouble with the Spaniards of Florida and General Oglethorpe's victory. 9. The manufacture of silk in Georgia. 10. The bringing of slaves into Georgia. II. Tell what you think of General Oglethorpe. III. 1. Name the thirteen original colonies. 2. Tell what people besides the English settled in these colonies. CHAPTER XV Life of the Early Colonists THEIR HOMES ]\Iany of the earliest settlers in America built rough log cabins for their homes. There were large fireplaces in the cabins. Sand was strewn on the ground for floors and oiled paper was ^ ^^^^^^^^^ISkk '^^ \ 4 ,!»! 1% ^ ' r , iSii^nM ... .-| '^ \ '■■■■■' ''^^^H|EB|f~ ''3 --- '""' AN OLD COLONIAL KITCHEN used in the windows instead of glass. The furniture was very plain and there was not much of it. Wooden plates were used on the table. 71 72 LIFE OF THE EARLY COLONISTS Later the richer people were more comfortable. Some of them had their homes built of boards, and some had furniture and dishes sent to them from the old country. The people cooked in pots and kettles hung over the fire in the fireplaces, and roasted their meat on spits. A spit was an affair of iron which was turned round while the meat was cooking. The schools were very poor in those early days. The boys and girls did not learn much in them. Most of them learned only to read and write and do a little arithmetic. OCCUPATIONS Many of the colonists had hoped to find gold, but as there was none, they had to go to work to make their living. Some people in the Southern colonies tried to raise silkworms and make silk. But they could not make much money by doing this and they had to give it up. Then they began farming and were more successful. Corn was raised in all of the Southern colonies. In Virginia and Maryland the people raised large crops of tobacco. A great deal of it was shipped to England. In South Carolina and Georgia there were many plantations of rice and indigo, but in time cotton took the place of these two crops on most of the plantations. The people in the Middle colonies raised a great deal of wheat and shipped large quantities of flour to other countries. Thousands of cattle and hogs were raised in both the Southern and Middle colonies. LIFE OF THE EARLY COLONISTS 73 There was not much farming in New England on account of the cold weather and poor soil there. Most of the people in that part of the country made their living by fishing and building ships. PUNISHMENTS IN THE COLONIES The colonists were very strict. They tried to punish every- one who did wrong of any kind. People who swore or told lies were punished as well as those who stole. There were some queer kinds of punishments. Women who scolded or gossiped were put on ducking stools and dipped into water. Sometimes people were put into stocks and into the pillory. The stocks were boards with holes in them for the feet to be put through. The person w^ho w^as being punished had to sit on the street with his feet sticking through the holes while people passed by and laughed at him. The pillory was also made of boards with holes in them. The wrong-doer had to put his head and hands through these holes and stand that way for hours at a time. People who swore had their tongues put into split sticks and pinched, and sometimes people were whipped. THE STOCKS 74 LIFE OF THE EARLY COLONISTS For committing crimes, people were sometimes burned alive and sometimes hanged. THE PILLORY Many persons in those days were superstitious. They believed that some people did harm to others by working charms and they called these people witches. In New England a number of people who were called witches were put to death. This superstition, however, did not last long, and in time the people felt ashamed for ever having believed in such foolish things. LIFE OF THE EARLY COLONISTS 75 1. Describe — a. The homes of the early colonists. b. Their way of cooking. c. Their schools. 2. Tell of the occupations in-- o. The Southern colonies. b. The Middle colonies. i c. The New England colonies. j 3. Tell of the punishments given by the colonists to wrong-doers. j 4. Tell about the people who were called witches in New England. | CHAPTER XVI Indian Wars When the colonists first came to America, nearly all of the Indians seemed to be friendly, but after awhile quarrels arose and then there were wars. The Indians made many attacks upon the white people. They had a horrid way of making these attacks. They would creep up silently in the night to the homes of the people when they were asleep, and then they would kill and scalp many of them, burn their homes, and carry off women and children as captives. Then the colonists would band together, follow the Indians, and make war upon them. There w^ere a number of dreadful wars between the Indian tribes and the colonists. One of the worst was the Pequot war in Connecticut. The Indians of the Pequot tribe started this war by capturing many of the settlers in Connecticut and torturing them to death. Then a company of Connecticut and Massachusetts men, led by a soldier named John Mason, marched to the village of the Pequot chief and killed about six hundred of the Indians and burned their village. A war followed in which the Pequots were con- quered, and for some time afterwards New England had peace. King Philip's War was another terrible Indian war. Philip was the son of the Indian chief Massasoit who had been a friend of the early settlers. Philip, however, thought the white people were taking too much land from the Indians, and he was deter- 76 INDIAN WARS 77 mined to destroy them. He persuaded most of the Indians in New England to join him in a war against them. The Indians burned many of the New England towns, killed hundreds of the people, and made many captives. The colonists formed com- panies and followed the Indians into their country. A number of battles were fought. Finally the colonists were victorious and the Indians in that part of the country were completely conquered. Captain Benjamin Church was one of the leaders of the white men. One day his men found Philip and a few of his friends in a swamp, and they surrounded them and killed them. There wxre Indian wars in all of the colonies, but generally the colonists succeeded in conquering the Indians, and in time most of the tribes were subdued. 1. Tell of the change that took place among the Indians after th' colonists had been in America for some time. 2, Give an account of the Pequot war. 3, Tell about King Philip's war. 4. Describe the Indians' usual way of attacking a village. CHAPTER XVII The French in America Long after Jacques Cartier* had discovered the St. Lawrence river, another Frenchman named Champlain came to America and founded the city of Quebec in 1608. Other Frenchmen followed and explored unknown parts of the country. Joliet and a priest, called Father Marquette, dis- A FRENCH MISSIONARY covered the northern part of the Mississippi. A few years later, La Salle discovered the Ohio river and went down the Mississippi to its mouth. The French people claimed all of the country west of the Alleghany mountains. They sent missionaries among the Indians, • See Jacques Cartier, pag^e 27 78 THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 79 and made friends with them. Trading posts were built by them along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. La Salle reached the mouth of the Mississippi in 1699 and began a settlement there. He called all of the country along the river Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV of France. All of the English colonies at this time were east of the Alleghany mountains, but the English people claimed all of the country as far west as the Mississippi river and wanted to drive the French away. The English and French soon began to quarrel over the land and then wars broke out. Several wars were fought between the French and the English. The last one and the most important was called the " French and Indian war." THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR This war began in 1754. At that time George Washington was a young man living in Virginia. He was very brave and knew a great deal about the western country. In 1753 the governor of Virginia sent him with messages to the French commanding them to give up their forts and to leave the land between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi river. The French refused to do this and in 1754 Washington was sent with troops to fight against them. Soon after this the war began. Many Indians fought with the French against the English in this war. In 1755 the King of England sent troops from England to help fight the French and Indians. 80 THE FRENCH IN AMERICA A number of hard battles were fought in this war. In some the EngUsh were victorious, and the French and Indians in others. In 1759 the English sent troops to Canada to attack the French there. General Wolfe commanded the English and General Montcalm was the French commander. Quebec is on the top of a high cliff which overlooks the St. Lawrence river. One night General Wolfe and his men went OLD VIEW OF QUEBEC FROM THE RIVER in small boats to the foot of the cliff and climbed up the steep sides to the top. In the morning the French were very much surprised to see the English soldiers in line ready for battle. The place where they were was near the city of Quebec on a level piece of land called the Plains of Abraham. A very hard battle followed and the French were totally defeated. The two generals, Wolfe and Montcalm, were mortally wounded on the battlefield. They were both very brave men. When Wolfe heard that the French were fleeing, he said, '' Now THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 81 God be praised ! I die in peace." And Montcalm's last words were, " Thank God, I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." After the battle, the English took possession of Quebec. Then they won other victories and at length the French were conquered. The treaty of peace between England and France was signed in 1763. The French gave up nearly all of Canada and all of the country between the IMississippi river and the Alleghanies except some territory around New Orleans. 1. Tell of something that was done by each of the following men: a. Champlain ; b. Father Marquette ; c. La Salle. 2. Tell what territory west of the Alleghanies was claimed by the French, and what they did in this part of the country. 3. Tell why quarrels arose between the French and the English in America. 4. a. Tell what part George Washington took at the beginning of the French and Indian war. b. Give a description of the battle on the Plains of Abraham. c. Tell what the result of the French and Indian w^ar was. 5. Give the dates of the following: a. The founding of Quebec. b. The treaty of peace between England and France. CHAPTER XVIII The Revolutionary War THE CAUSE The people in the thirteen colonies were subjects of the King of England. They were willing to belong to England as long as they were ruled justly. But in 1764 King George III and the English parliament began to tax' the Ameri- cans without allowing them to have anything . to say about it, and the Americans thought this was not right. Taxes were first laid on all the coffee, sugar, and tea that the Ameri- cans got from England. Then in 1765, parliament passed the " Stamp Act." This put a tax on all paper that was used for business purposes in the colonies. The Americans thought that all of this was unjust, and would not pay the taxes. In 1766 parliament repealed the " Stamp Act." Soon after- wards, however, King George sent soldiers to America, and said that the Americans would have to pay their expenses. This the Americans also refused to do. KING GEORGE III 82 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 83 The people were very indignant. They held meetings all over the country opposing the taxes. There was so much excitement that finally England took the taxes off from everything except tea. But the Americans were not willing to pay even the tax on tea. In 1773, when a cargo of tea from England came into Boston harbor for the Americans to buy, several men dressed up as Indians, went on board the ship, and threw all of the tea into the water. This w^as called the " Boston Tea Party." People in other cities also refused to buy the tea that was sent from England. When King George heard of this, he sent a large number of soldiers to America. He thought he could frighten the people into obedience. Men from all the colonies met in Philadelphia in 1774 to decide what to do. This body of men was called the " Continen- tal Congress." They decided not to buy anything more from England until King George and the British parliament stopped being so unjust. THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR Many of the people in the colonies did not want to belong to England any longer and they began to get ready for war. The Massachusetts people stored some ammunition and provisions at Concord which is about eighteen miles from Boston. General Gage, who was in command of the British soldiers in Boston, heard of this and decided to send some men to Concord to destroy the ammunition. Eight hundred soldiers started one night hoping that the Americans would not see them. Paul Revere was a Boston man. He knew that the British were planning to go to Concord and he was watching. When 84 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR he saw them starting, he had a Hght hung in a church tower as a signal to others who were also watching, and then he jumped on his horse and hurried along the road to Concord rousing the people from house to house. As soon as the men were called, they rushed on to the town of Lexington which is on the way to Concord. There, under the command of Captain Parker, they waited for the British. When the British reached Lexington in the morning, they were very much surprised to see the Americans tliere. They began firing on them, and then there was a fight. The British killed eight Americans and wounded others. This was the first fight of the Revolutionary war. It was on April 19, 1775. The British went on to Concord and had another fight there with the Americans. As they were going back to Boston, the Americans hid behind trees, fences, and barns, and shot and killed a large number of them as they passed. War now began in earnest. In 1775 the Continental Congress chose George Washington to be the commander-in-chief of the American army. The army was very poor. The soldiers had no uniforms and some of them had no guns, but all of them were brave and willing to fight. Washington got guns and uniforms for them. He worked hard drilling them, and finally he had a fairly good army. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress declared that the colonies were free and independent. This was called the " Declaration of Independence." Several members of Congress were chosen to write the Declaration, but it was done mostly by Thomas Jefferson of \'irginia. Then it was signed by all the members of Congress. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 85 As soon as this was done, the bell in the steeple of the State House was rung to let the people know of the good news. Couriers carried the news to all parts of the land and there was rejoicing everywhere. The bell that was rung is still kept in Philadelphia. It is called the " Liberty Bell." INDEPENDENCE HALL IN 1776 After this, many battles were fought between the British and the Americans. The war lasted for eight years. The hardest time for the Americans during the war was the winter of 1777-7^- In the fall the Americans met with several defeats and Congress had no money for the soldiers. Washington took his troops to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, and they spent 86 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR the winter there. They suffered terribly for it was very cold and many of the men had no shoes or blankets and their clothes were ragged. The ground was frozen and covered with snow most of the time, and they had to live in very poor huts. But f^^; ^;l ^' CAMP AT VALLEY FORGE they were brave men and every day they drilled so as to be ready for war in the spring. Many of the French people sympathized with the Americans. In 1777 a young French nobleman, the Marquis de Lafayette, fitted out a ship and came with a party of Frenchmen to help us fight for freedom. Washington and Lafayette became the warmest of friends. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 87 WASHINGTON AND LAFAYETTE AT WASHINGTON'S HOME In February, 1778, France acknowledged the independence of the United States, and in the spring a large number of French soldiers came to America to fight for us. THE CLOSE OF THE WAR The last great battle of the war was fought at Yorktown, Virginia. Lord Cornwallis was one of the best of the British generals. In the fall of 1781 the soldiers in the South and the French under Lafayette drove him and his large army into Yorktown. Here he made preparations for a siege. A French fleet then arrived in Chesapeake bay to keep him from escaping by sea and Washington brought his army from 88 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR New York. Washington's army and a large number of French soldiers surrounded Yorktown. Then the siege began. The American and the French soldiers showed great courage. For over a w^eek they fired continuously on the city and finally Cornwallis had to surrender. Over seven thousand of his soldiers laid down their arms and became prisoners of war. This was on October 19, 1781. The news of this surrender spread rapidly over the country. It was received everywhere with great joy, for the Americans felt certain now that they would gain their independence. The war ended soon after this battle. On September 3, 1783, the treaty of peace was signed at Paris, and the independence of our country was recognized by England. The new countrv was called the United States of America. GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES In 1787 a convention met in Philadelphia to decide on the best way of governing our country. George Washington was a mem- ber of this convention and he was made president of it. The convention formed a set of rules and regulations which all the colonies afterwards agreed to adopt. This set of rules and regulations is called the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution says that the United States must have a Con- gress to make laws for all the country; that it must have a President and officers under him to see that the people obey the laws ; and that it must have a Supreme Court and lower courts to explain the laws and to settle questions of law. Congress is divided into two bodies, — a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each state has two Senators, and one or THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 89 more Representatives according to its population. The Senators are elected for a term of six years and the Representatives for a term of two years. The President and Vice-President are elected for a term of four years. The President has several men, called his Cabinet, to help him in his duties. The members of the Cabinet are the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster-General, the Attorney-General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Labor and Commerce. THE INAUGURATION OF OUR FIRST PRESIDENT In 1789 George Washington was chosen to be the first Presi- dent of the United States. The inaugural ceremony took place on the thirtieth of April in New York which was then the capital of the United States. Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of the old City Hall there. The streets were thronged wnth people and the buildings were gay with flags. Cannon were fired and bells were rung. Washington was President of the United States for eight years. I. Tell — 1. What the cause of the Revolutionary war was. 2. What the result was. II. Tell about — 1. The first taxes that the Americans had to pay. 2. The Stamp Act. 90 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 3. The Boston Tea Party. 4. The first Continental Congress. 5. General Gage and what he wanted to do. 6. Paul Revere's ride. 7. The battle of Lexington. 8. Washington's taking command of the American army. 9. The condition of the army. 10. The Declaration of Independence. 11. Washington and his troops at Valley Forge. 12. The aid that came from the French. 13. The battle at Yorktown. 14. The surrender of Cornwallis. III. Give the dates of the following events — a. The Battle of Lexington. ■* b. The Declaration of Independence. c. The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. d. The signing of the treaty of peace. e. Washington made President of the United States. IV. a. Tell what 30U can about Congress. b. Name the members of the President's Cabinet. CHAPTER XIX George Washington BOYHOOD George Washington's father was a wealthy man. He lived on a large plantation on the Potomac river in Virginia. Several hundred slaves did the work on the plantation. George was born February 22, 1732. Soon after his birth the family moved to a plantation on the Rappahannock river. When George was eleven years old, his father died and he and his mother were the only ones of the family left in the home. His mother was a very intelligent and cultured woman. She taught George to be orderly and careful in everything that he did, and above all things to be truthful and honorable. In the country schools which George attended, he first learned to read, write, and do arithmetic, and later he studied surveying. He enjoyed out-of-doors sports and was a very fine horseman. George's brother Lawrence had a home called Mount Vernon on the Potomac river. Once when George was on a visit to his brother, he met Lord Fairfax, a wealthy man who owned a large estate in Virginia. His land extended beyond the Blue Ridge mountains. George and Lord Fairfax became great friends and when George was sixteen, Lord Fairfax employed him to survey his western lands for him. George learned a great deal about the land west of the mountains and about the Indians whom he often met in the woods. 91 92 GEORGE WASHINGTON. It took him about three years to survey Lord Fairfax's land, and the rough Hfe out-of-doors made him strong and hardy. Washington grew to be six feet three inches tall. He was quiet and dignified in his manner, and he was so truthful and upright that everyone respected him. MANHOOD In the French and Indian war, Washington was made a major when he was only nineteen, and later he was made a colonel. He was very brave and was always to be found at the front in battle. He had many remarkable escapes. In one battle two horses were killed under him and several bullets were shot through his coat. WASHINGTON PLANTATION From Montgomery's Beginners' American History by permission of Ginn & Co., publishers GEORGE WASHINGTON 93 In 1759 he married a widow named Mrs. Martha Custis. She had two Httie children. They went to Hve at Mount Vernon, the beautiful home on the Potomac which Washington's brother had left him. Their plantation was a large one and Washington had many slaves. He was kind to his slaves and they were very fond of him. When the Revolutionary war broke out, W^ashington was made the commander-in-chief of the American army. During all of this war, he showed great courage and wis- dom and won the confi- dence and respect of all the American people. After our country had become independent, he was chosen to be the first President of the United States. He made a good President and was elected for a second term. The people wanted him to serve a third term, but this he refused to do. He needed a rest and wished to spend the remainder of his life at his home in Virginia. He did not live long, however, after his return to Mount Vernon. One day in December, 1799, he was out in a hard GEORGE WASHINGTON. FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (From the paintimj hy Stuart.) 94 GEORGE WASHINGTON storm and caught a severe cold from which he could not recover. He died on the fourteenth of December. Washington was loved and honored for his goodness and wisdom by all who knew him, and his loss was mourned in Eng- land and in France as well as in our own country. I. Tell about — 1. Washington's first home. 2. His boyhood. 3. His work in the French and Indian war. 4. His marriage. 5. Mount Vernon. 6. His work in the Revolutionary war. 7. Washington as President. 8. His death. II. Write a short sketch of Washington in your own words. CHAPTER XX Benjamin Franklin HIS YOUTH Benjamin Franklin began life as a poor boy but he became a very great man. He was born in Boston in 1706. His father was a soap and candle maker and the family was very poor. There were sixteen other children besides Benjamin in the family, and it was hard at times to make ends meet. When Benjamin was ten years old, he had to leave school and help his father work. After a time he was apprenticed to his brother James who had a printing-office. That means that he worked for his brother for his board while he was learning to print. This gave him a chance to read a good deal. He was delighted for he was fond of reading and was anxious to learn all that he could. While he was in his brother's office, he often borrowed books from booksellers and then he would read then at night and return them in the morning. After awhile he persuaded his brother to let him buy his own meals, and then he lived very plainly so that he could save some of his money and buy books. Benjamin and his brother did not get along very well to- gether, however, and at last Benjamin ran away to New York. There were no good printing-offices in New York at that time, so Franklin went on to Philadelphia. He arrived there early one 95 96 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Sunday morning with only a few pennies in his pocket. He went into a bakery and bought three rolls for his breakfast. As he was going along the street eating them, a young girl named Deborah Read saw him and laughed at him. In after years this same girl became his wife. Franklin found some work to do in a printing-office in Phila- delphia, and a year afterwards he went home to visit his mother and father with a fine new suit of clothes on and his pockets full of money. After a time he started a printing-office of his own in Phila- delphia. He had to work very hard for a long time to pay for the things in the office. He often worked from early morning till late at night but at last everything was paid for. People began to notice how hard he worked and they found out how honest he was and liked him. FRANKLIN IN PUBLIC LIFE In a few years Franklin started a newspaper. So many people took it that he soon began to make a good deal of money. Besides the printing-office, he had a shop where he sold books and stationery. Later Franklin published a pamphlet which he called " Poor Richard's Almanac." There were many jokes and wise sayings in it and people liked it very much. Whenever Franklin had any spare time, he read and studied, and he became a very learned man. He did a great deal for the good of the country. He started the first public library in America and helped to open the first BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 97 hospital. He founded a school which afterwards became the University of Pennsylvania. When there was trouble with the Indians on the frontier, he gathered companies of soldiers and sent them to protect the white people. The thing that made people talk of him more than anything else he did was a great discovery that he made. He found out that lightning was electricity and that it could be brought down from the clouds. He found this out with a kite made of silk. He fastened a small piece of iron to the sticks of the kite and a key to the end of the string which he held. When a thunder storm came up, he went out and flew the kite. The lightning struck the kite and came down the string to the key. Franklin put his knuckle close to the key and a spark of electricity flew out and gave him a shock. Then he knew that lightning was electricity. People all over the world were surprised when they heard of this discovery. Franklin became famous and was called the great Doctor Franklin. At the time of the Revolutionary war, he did much to help the colonies. He helped to write the Declaration of Independ- ence. Then after the war had begun, he went to France and persuaded the French people to send soldiers and money to help the colonies. After the war he helped form the Constitution of the United States. People in America and abroad honored and respected him. 7 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 98 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN For two years before his death he suffered a great deal, but he was patient and uncomplaining. Franklin wrote some good books and he said many wise things. The following are some of his maxims: '* Never leave till to-morrow what you can do to-day." '* There are no gains without pains." '' Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." " Lost time is never found again." I. Tell — 1. When and where Franklin was born. 2. What made him famous. 3. What he did to help the country. II. Tell about — 1. Franklin's home life. 2. His apprenticeship to his brother. 3. His reading. 4. The trouble with his brother. 5. His arrival in Philadelphia. 6. His return home the next year. 7. His first printing-ofiice. 8. His newspaper and almanac. 9. His great discovery. III. Give some of his maxims. IV. Tell all you can about Franklin in your own words. CHAPTER XXI Daniel Boone and the Founding of Kentucky At the time of the Revolutionary war, most of the colonists were living between the AUeghanies and the Atlantic coast. Everything west of the AUeghanies was very wild. Much of the country was covered with forests. There were many Indians there, and wild animals prowled through the forests. A few brave men had gone into this country some time before the Revo- lution and had started settlements. Daniel Boone was one of them. Boone was a great pioneer. He loved to explore unknown parts of the country. He and some of his companions were the first settlers in Kentucky. His parents came from England and he was born in Penn- sylvania in 1735. When he was very young, the family moved to an unsettled part of Pennsylvania where the Indians often came and attacked the white people. Boone grew up there. He had very little education, but he loved the woods and learned a great deal about the trees and birds and wild animals. He became a great hunter. In time the family moved to North Carolina and there Boone married. In 1760 he crossed the mountains with some other ex- plorers, and for some time hunted in the wilderness along the Tennessee river. Then, in 1769, he and five other men went to explore some land that is now in Kentucky. They found the climate fine and 99 100 DANIEL BOONE AND THE FOUNDING OF KENTUCKY the soil fertile and they liked it very much. In the winter Boone's brother joined the party. Before very long all of the men in the party except Boone and his brother were killed either by the Indians or by wolves, and the two brothers were left alone. In the spring, when they DANIEL BOONE needed ammunition and clothing, Boone sent his brother back to North Carolina for them. His brother was gone for three months and all this time Boone lived alone in the forest. FOUNDING OF KENTUCKY In 1 77 1 the Boone brothers went back to Carolina for their families. Some other families joined them, and in 1773 all of them set out for their new home. On the way they were attacked by the Indians and six of them were killed. The men had a number of fights with the Indians. DANIEL BOONE AND THE FOUNDING OF KENTUCKY 101 but Boone was a good leader^ and he and his friends succeeded in holding their own. Finally, in 1775, the party decided on a place to settle and they built a fort there and called it Boonesborough. One day, two years after this, Boone and several other men from the fort were captured by a large party of Indians and carried off. The Indians kept Boone for a long time. He was afraid of making them angry so he pretended that he was pleased with their way of living. At last they adopted him. They pulled out all of his hair except the scalp lock and painted his face to make him look like a real Indian. After awhile these Indians made preparations to attack Boonesborough, and Boone felt that he must warn the people in the fort. One morning he pretended that he was going hunt- ing, but as soon as he was some distance from the Indians, he made his escape. He hurried to Boonesborough and was in time to give the warning. All the people at the fort had supposed that he was dead, and his wife and children had returned to North Carolina. Boone helped to fight the Indians when they came and the fort was saved. After the Revolutionary war, he and his family lived quietly on a farm for awhile, but in 1795 they moved farther west again. Boone hunted as long as he was strong enough to carry a gun. Finally he died in Missouri when he was eighty-eight years old. 1. Tell in what part of the country the colonists were living at the time of the Revolutionary war. 2. Describe the country west of the Alleghany mountains at that time. 3. Tell who Daniel Boone was. 102 DANIEL BOONE AND THE FOUNDING OF KENTUCKY 4. Give the date of his birth and tell where he was born. 5. Tell how his boyhood was spent. 6. Teli of his marriage. 7. Tell what he did in 1760 and in 1769. 8. Give an account of the winter and spring he spent in the wilderness of Kentucky. 9. Tell of the journey of Boone and his friends from North Carolina to the place where they built Fort Boonesborough. 10. Give an account of Boone's capture and adoption by the Indians. 11. Tell of his escape and warning to the people at the fort. 12. Tell what you can of his last years. CHAPTER XXII James Robertson and John Sevier- Founders of Tennessee James Robertson was a great hunter who Uved in North Carolina at the time Daniel Boone was exploring the land west of the Alleghany mountains. The governor of North Carolina at that time was William Tryon. He was so tyrannical that the people hated him. He obtained large sums of money from them by taxing them very heavily. After a while the people refused to give him any more money. This angered him, and he marched against them with a company of soldiers. A battle was fought near the Alamance river in the western part of the state. Tyron was victorious. After the battle he hanged several of the men who had fought against him. James Robertson and a number of other men decided that they would not live in North Carolina any longer, so they took their families and started across the mountains. This was in 1770. They had a hard journey, but finally they reached a beautiful place on the other side of the mountains. It was on the Watauga river in what is now the state of Tennessee. They cut down trees and built log cabins, and before long were very happy in their new homes. About a year after they had settled there, a man from Virginia named John Sevier joined them. He and Robertson became great friends and were the leaders of the new settlement. 103 104 JAMES ROBERTSON AND JOHN SEVIER The people made good laws for their little village. Later other towns grew up in the vicinity, and in time the state of Ten- nessee was formed. John Sevier was made the first governor of the state. 1. Name the founders of Tennessee. 2. Tell why the people of North Carolina hated Governor Tryon. 3. Tell about the battle on the Alamance river. 4. Tell of the party that left North Carolina with James Robertson and of the settlement they made. 5. Tell what you can of John Sevier. CHAPTER XXIII Georgre Rogers Clarke While the Revolutionary war was going on in the colonies, the British were holding some forts in the country west of the Alleghany mountains. One of the largest of these forts was at Detroit in the north, and two others were Fort Vincennes and Fort Kaskaskia farther south. Virginia at this time owned a great deal of the western wilderness. Patrick Henry was governor of the state. A Virginian named George Rogers Clarke believed that he could take the forts from the British and drive the British out of the western country. He persuaded the governor to let him try to do it. In the spring of 1778 he started out with about a hundred and seventy men. When they reached the Ohio river, they went down it for several hundred miles in boats which they had made them- selves. Then they marched about a hundred miles across the country to Fort Kaskaskia, which was in what is now the state of Illinois. They reached the fort one night and surprised the men there so completely that they were able to take the fort with- out a struggle. 105 106 GEORGE ROGERS CLARKE In February of the next year, Clarke and his men set out for Fort Vincennes in what is now the state of Indiana. First they had to go a great many miles through a very rough country. It was a hard march for it was very cold. Once they came to a place where the land was flooded several feet deep, and it was so cold that the water was sometimes frozen. For several days Clarke and his men waded through this cold water. It almost killed some of the men, but finally -all of them reached the fort and after a hard fight took it from the British. Not long after- wards Fort Detriot was given over to the Americans. Clarke in this way conquered the British in the country between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi river, and because of this we were able to claim this part of the country at the close of the Revolutionary war. Clarke was a very brave man and should have received great honor for what he did. But he was neglected in his old age and died a poor man. A long time after his death, in 1895, the people erected a monument to his memory in Indianapolis. 1. Tell who George Rogers Clarke was and what he asked the gover- nor of Virginia to let him do. 2. Give an account of the journey to Fort Kaskaskia and of the taking of it. 3. Describe the journey from Fort Kaskaskia to Fort Vincennes and tell what the result was. 4. Tell in what way Clarke's victories helped our country. 5. Tell how he was living at the time of his death. 6. Tell of the monument that has since been erected in his honor. CHAPTER XXIV Our Country at the Close of the Revolutionary War At the close of the Revolutionary war, the people in the United States did not have many of the things that we have now to make life easy and comfortable. There were no railroads, steamboats, telegraph, telephones, or electric lights. Wool was spun into A STAGE COACH thread on spinning-wheels and cloth was woven in the homes instead of being made in factories as it is now. When people traveled by land, they went on horseback and in stage coaches, and when they took trips down the river, they went on flat-boats. Many of the people who lived in the Southern states had fine homes and large numbers of slaves. Many led gay, fashion- able lives. The women dressed beautifully. The men wore 107 108 OUR COUNTRY AT CLOSE OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR breeches fastened at the knee with buckles, and long stock- ings. They wore their hair long and both men and women powdered their hair. But even the people who had the best things of those days had to do without many of the conveniences that the poorer people have now. Most of the wealthy people were cultured and well educated, but there were no public schools such as we have now, and the majority of the people had very little education. Several colleges had been started by this time. There was Harvard College at Cambridge, Massachusetts ; Yale at New Haven, Con- necticut; William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia; and others in New York city and Philadelphia; but usually only boys of well-to-do families attended these colleges. AT AN OLD SOUTHERN HOME 1. Name some of the things we have now that people did not have in the times just after the Revolutionary war. 2. Tell about the making of cloth at that time. 3. Tell how the people traveled. 4. Describe the life at that time of the wealthy people in the Southern states, 5. Tell what you can of the education of the people. CHAPTER XXV ^'"' Rufus Putnam and Settlements in the Ohio Valley After the war of the Revolution, a great many people began crossing the Alleghanies to settle in the western part of the country. They carried their things on pack horses and on flat- boats. Many of these people settled on the Ohio river. Rufus Putnam was a Massachusetts man who was fa- mous as a builder of forts. He built several for Washing- ton during the Rev- olutionary war. About five years after the war, he started for the West with a party of New England people. They went across the country to the Ohio valley, and there on the river they built a pretty village which they called Marietta in honor of Queen Mary 109 no SETTLEMENTS IN THE OHIO VALLEY of France. This was the first settlement in what is now the state of Ohio. For awhile the people in Marietta were very happy, but before long the Indians began to trouble them. An Indian war broke out and the people of Marietta could not go beyond the wall around their village without danger of being killed by the Indians. Many fights also occurred between the Indians and the settlers in the frontier towns of Kentucky. Many of the Kentuckians were killed and many were taken captive. Washington finally sent soldiers to subdue the Indian tribes that were giving the trouble. The first generals who tried to do it failed. Then Washington sent General Anthony Wayne who was a very bold fighter. He was so courageous that people called him " Mad Anthony Wayne." General Wayne met the Indians on the banks of the Maumee river in 1794. A big battle was fought there and the Indians were utterly defeated. After this there was peace for a long time. During Washington's administration, great numbers of people crossed the mountains and settled along the Ohio river. Many vil- lages arose on its banks. The people in these little villages made almost everything that they used. Their furniture was hand-made and they A FLATBOAT made wooden bowls and plates for the table. They spun flax and wove the cloth for SETTLEMENTS IN THE OH*IO VALLEY 1 1 1 nearly all of their clothing. They raised flax and grain and vegetables on their farms. Sometimes they took loads of their farm products on flat-boats to New Orleans and sold them there. In 1 79 1 the capital of the United States was removed from New York to Philadelphia. Washington then lived in Phila- delphia until he retired from the presidency in 1797. John Adams succeeded Washington as President and was President for four years. In 1800 Washington city became the capital of the United States, and in 180 1 Thomas Jefferson was made President. I. Tell — 1. Why many people crossed the Alleghanies after the Revolu- tionary war. 2. How they carried their things. 3. Who Rufus Putnam was. 4. What he did after the war. II. Tell about — 1. The village that Putnam and his party built. 2. The trouble with the Indians at Marietta and in the frontier towns of Kentucky. 3. General Wayne's victory over the Indians. 4. The life of the settlers in the Ohio valley. III. Give the dates of the following — 1. The removal of the capital of the LTnited States from New York to Philadelphia. 2. The removal of the capital from Philadelphia to Washington city. 3. Thomas Jefferson made President of the United States. CHAPTER XXVI * Thomas Jefferson HIS YOUTH Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. His father owned a large plantation in Virginia and Jefferson was born there in 1743. When he was fourteen, his father died and left him the plantation. In 1760 Jeff"erson entered William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia. He was noted at college for his quick mind. Much of his time was spent with learned and cultured men who were older than he, and this helped him a great deal. He was a fine student, and in later life became a famous scholar. After he had been in college two years, he began to study law, and in time he became a very fine lawyer. He was in college at the time that the colonies were stirred up over the taxes which the English parliament had laid upon the Americans. One day in the Virginia legislature he heard the great speaker Patrick Henry talk of the injustice of the Stamp Act, and from that time on he too stood up for the rights of the Americans. MANHOOD When Jefferson's college days were over, he went home and soon afterwards married. 112 THOMAS JEFFERSON 113 For a while he supervised his large plantation. He built a very fine home on the top of a hill and called it " Monticello." All of the surrounding country could be seen from it. When Congress met in Philadelphia in 1776 to decide what to do about the taxes, Jeflferson was one of the delegates sent from Virginia. He was noted as a fine writer, and he wrote the greater part of the Declaration of Independence. He was governor of Virginia during the war of the Revolution and later he was American minister to France. He was in France for five years. While he was gone, A\^ash- ington was made President of the United States, and thomas jefferson ^^rhi^n Via rf^U-ir^-,f^A From Montgomery's Beginner's American History, Wnen ne retUrnea, i^y permission of Ginn & Co.. publishers. Washington made him Secretary of State. After awhile Jefferson resigned from this position and went home to Monticello where he wished to live quietly. Everyone at Monticello was glad to see him. Even his slaves loved him for 8 114 THOMAS JEFFERSON he was always kind to them. His farm at this time was very- large. He had a hundred and fifty-four slaves to do the work on it. In 1/97 the people made him Vice-President of the United States and he had to leave home again. In 1801 he was made President and was President for eight years. At this time the lower part of the Mississippi valley and nearly all of the land between the Mississippi and the Rocky mountains was called Louisiana and was owned by France. In 1803, during Jefferson's administration, France sold Louisiana to the United States for $15,000,000. After his two terms as President, Jefiferson went home and stayed there the remainder of his life. He was very hospitable and had so many guests that at last he became quite poor from entertaining them. The last important thing he did was to found the Univer- sity of Virginia. He died at Monticello in 1826. I. Tell — 1. Who Thomas Jefferson was. 2. When and where he was born. 3. Several important things that he did. II. Tell about — 1. His college life and his law work. 2. His marriage and his home. 3. The writing of the Declaration of Independence. 4. Jefferson in France. 5. The position he held under Washington. 6. His election to the Vice-Presidency and then to the Presidency. 7. The Louisiana purchase. 8. Jefferson's home life and his great hospitality. 9. The university he founded. CHAPTER XXVII The War of 18 12 THE CAUSE AND THE BEGINNING After the Revolutionary war, unfriendly feeling continued be- tween America and England. The English people troubled us in several ways. Sometimes they seized our ships and interrupted our trade with other countries. They were at war with France, and sometimes they went on board our ships, took our men, and made them fight on the English ships against the French. Another thing they did was to stir up the Indians to fight against us, sometimes even giving them arms and ammunition. These things finally led to a second war between America and England. War was declared in June, 1812. England had a big army of fine soldiers and a great many warships. America had almost no army and only a few warships, but there were many brave men who were willing to fight hard for their country. THE NAVY At the beginning of the war, the American army suffered many defeats, but the navy surprised the world by its victories. In a short time a number of English warships were captured by our men. It was considerd very remarkable, for the English navy was the strongest on the seas. 115 116 THE WAR OF 1812 There were some very courageous officers in our navy. One of them was Captain James Lawrence. In 1813 he won a very im- portant victory over the British and sank one of their best ships in fifteen minutes. He received great praise for this and was given a gold medal by Congress. The last ship he commanded was one called the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake met the British ship Shannon in a dreadful fight in June, 18 13. In a short time PERRY'S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE Copyright by Detroit Photographic Co. the Chesapeake began to sink. Captain Lawrence who was stand- ing on the upper deck was shot and mortally wounded. He fell dying on the deck, but his courage even then did not fail him. As the men were carrying him down the stairs, his last words were, '* Boys, don't give up the ship." These words became famous and the American sailors took them for their battle cry. THE WAR OF 1812 117 In another battle on Lake Erie, Commodore Perry was in command of the American fleet. During the fight, the ship he was on began to sink. He got into a small open boat with the flag of his ship, and while he was being rowed to another vessel, he stood so that his men in the other ships could see him and not lose courage. Shots were fired at him from all directions but he did not waver. When he reached the other vessel, he led his ships against the British and conquered the whole British fleet. BATTLES ON LAND Many battles were fought on land, and victory was won first on one side and then on the other. General William Harrison, who was governor of Indiana Territory at this time, was one of the leading men among our soldiers. He had won an important victory over the Indians before the war began. There was a young Indian chief named Tecumseh in the West who gave the white people a great deal of trouble. He had a brother called the '' Prophet " who pretended that he received messages from the '' Great Spirit " of the Indians. These two brothers wanted to drive all of the white settlers away from the West. Tecumseh persuaded many of the Indians to join him for the purpose of making war on the white people. In 1811 he went south to stir up the Indians there against the Americans. While he was gone, trouble arose among the North- ern Indians. General Harrison marched against a large number of them who were with the '' Prophet " and conquered them in a big battle on the Tippecanoe river in Indiana. 118 THE WAR OF 1812 During the war of 1812 General Harrison went into Canada and won a great battle there over the English and their Indian allies. Tecumseh was killed in this battle. Andrew Jackson was another man who won fame in this war. He was in Tennessee in command of a regiment when the war broke out. In 181 3, Indians in several of the Southern states rose against the white people and tortured and massacred many of them. Jackson led his men against them, and, after a number of battles, completely conquered them. In January, 181 5, after many other battles had been fought both in the Northern and Southern states, Jackson was sent to New Orleans to defend it. Twelve thousand British soldiers landed near the city. Jackson had only half as many men. He built strong earthworks on the side of a deep ditch, placed some cannon on top, and then waited for the British. When they came, there was a hard fight but it was a short one. It lasted only about a half an hour. The Americans were victorious, and only eight Americans were killed while the British lost over two thousand men. Congress gave Jackson a vote of thanks and a gold medal for his great victory. This battle was fought on January 8, 181 5. The War of 1812 now ended. The treaty of peace had been signed in Belgium in December, 1814. Tell what you can of the following — 1. The causes of the War of 1812. 2. The second declaration of war between England and America. 3. How England and America compared as to army and navy. 4. Captain James Lawrence. THE WAR OF 1812 II9 5. Commodore Perry. 6. General Harrison's victories. 7. The Indian chief Tecumseh and his brother. 8. Andrew Jackson's victories over the Indians 9. His defense of New Orleans. 10. How he was rewarded for his victory. CHAPTER XXVIII Andrew Jackson BOYHOOD Andrew Jackson's father was an Irishman who came to America and settled on a farm on the hne between North CaroHna and South Carohna. It was a rough uncultivated part of the country. Andrew was born in a log cabin on the farm and grew up there. He went to school in a log schoolhouse near his home. The boys called him " Andy." They liked him but they wxre a little bit afraid of him because he was hot-tempered. They generally obeyed him when he told them to do anything. When he was about thirteen, the Revolutionary war broke out. Once he and his brother were taken prisoners by the British and kept for some time. At last they were put into a damp prison and there they were taken ill with the small-pox. After many efforts their mother finally succeeded in having them exchanged for British prisoners of war. By this time Andrew's father was dead and his mother was taking care of the family. She earned money by spinning flax. She was a good woman, and Andrew learned from her to always act honorably and to always do what he believed was right. She often nursed the wounded soldiers and sometimes Andrew helped her carry food to them. She died when Andrew was fourteen. When he was eighteen he began to study law. 120 ANDREW JACKSON 121 MANHOOD. Jackson went to Tennessee to practice law. There were many rough people there and he had to settle many quarrels among them. He became a judge. He was stern and quick-tempered, but the people had great respect for him for they knew he always did what he thought was right. He was elected to the House of Representatives in the Ten- nessee legislature, and later to the United States Senate. He joined the army to fight in the War of 1812. He was very brave and became distinguished as a soldier. His soldiers were very fond of him. They nicknamed him " Old Hickory " because he would never give up anything until he was really conquered. His victories in the War of 1812 made him famous, and he was praised all over the country. Andrew jackson In 1828 the people elected him President of the United States and he was President from 1829 to 1837. Jackson was quick-tempered, and had a rough way of talking, but he was honest and brave and true to his friends, and many people loved him. He made a good President, and under his rule, the people obeyed the laws. I. Tell 1. Where Andrew Jackson was born. 2. Something of his parents. 122 ANDREW JACKSON 3. Something of his school life. II. Tell about — 1. Jackson being a British prisoner. 2. His law practice. 3. The positions to which he was elected. 4. Jackson as a soldier. 5. Jackson as President. III. Write a short sketch of Andrew Jackson in your own words CHAPTER XXIX • Growth of the United States After the Revolutionary war, other states were gradually added to the original thirteen. Vermont, which was admitted to the Union in 1791, was the first to be added. Then followed Kentucky in 1792, Tennessee in 1796, Ohio in 1803, and Louisi- ana in 1812. When the War of 1812 began, there were eighteen states. After this war many people came from European countries. Many of these people and many from the eastern states settled in the Mississippi valley for there was now peace there with the Indians. Indiana became a state in 1816, Mississippi in 18 17, Illinois in 1818, Alabama in 1819, Maine in 1820, and Missouri in 1821. There were now twenty- four states in the Union and there were more than nine million people. In 182 1, while James Monroe was President of the United States, we obtained Florida from Spain. As Andrew Jackson had won a victory over the British in Florida in the War of 1812, and had conquered some Indians there in 18 18, he was sent to receive the new territory from the Spanish governor. 123 CHAPTER XXX The Mexican War THE CAUSES At one time Texas was one of the states of Mexico. Many Americans went there and settled on land which the Mexican government had granted to them. After a time quarrels arose between the rulers of Mexico and the people of Texas because the Mexican government did not always act justly. In 1835 the Texans rebelled and fighting be- gan. General Sam Houston commanded the Texans and they gained their independence. After this Texas was independent for almost ten years. Then in 1845, when John Tyler was President of the United States, it became one of our states. Several years after Texas had become a state, disputes came up between the United States and Mexico, and they finally led to war. One cause of the war was a dispute over the boundary line be- tween Mexico and the United States. Another was that the Mexicans refused to pay some of the Americans who had lived in Texas for property which they had taken from them. The Mexican war began in the spring of 1846. General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott were the leading generals of the United States troops in this war. They were both fine generals. They won victory after victory over 124 THE MEXICAN WAR 125 the Mexicans, and finally General Scott took Mexico City in 1847. The Americans also conquered the northern part of Mexico which was then called New Mexico and Upper California. In February, 1848, a treaty of peace was signed. Mexico gave up all the territory called New Mexico and Upper California, but our country paid $15,000,000 to Mexico and paid what our citizens claimed that Mexico owed them. The territory then called New Mexico formed a large part of the West. Since then we have m.ade out of it the states of Ari- zona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Tell what you can about — 1. Texas being a part of Mexico at one time. 2. The rebellion of the Texans and the cause of it. 3. The result of this rebellion. 4. The admission of Texas to the Union. 5. The causes of the Mexican war. 6. General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott. 7. The beginning of the war. 8. The American victories in the northern part of INIexico. 9. The result of the Mexican War. 10. The states that have been made out of the territory given to us by Mexico. CHAPTER XXXI Events in the West THE COLUMBIA VALLEY In 1846, during the Mexican war, an important dispute be- tween England and the United States was settled. For a long time both countries had claimed the Columbia river valley. The United States had several reasons for claiming it. One was that in 1792 Captain Gray of Boston had discovered the Columbia river v/hen he was trading along the Pacific coast, and had given it its name. Another reason was that two explorers named Lewis and Clarke, who had been sent out by President Jefferson, had explored this part of the country from 1804 to 1806. and a third reason was that the town of Astoria on the Columbia river had been founded by John Jacob Astor of New York in 181 1. England had for many years disputed our right to this part of the country, but finally in 1846 it was decided that the United States should have all of the territory from which the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have since been made. GOLD IN CALIFORNIA A Swiss settler called Captain Sutter lived in California near the Sacramento river. He owned a large tract of land there and had a barricaded house which was called a fort. He had great 126 EVENTS IN THE WEST 127 herds of cattle and horses, and a great many men worked for him. One day in January, 1848, a man who was working for him found some particles of gold in the American river at a place called Coloma. This was about forty miles from the fort. A search was made and it was found that gold was there in great quantities. Sutter wanted to keep it a secret but the news soon spread. Before long people all over the country were excited over it. PRAIRIE SCHOONERS Thousands of men left their homes to go to California. Dur- ing the winter ships carried men around Cape Horn and then up the Pacific coast to California. In the spring a great many people crossed the plains in wagons covered with canvas and drawn by oxen or mules. These wagons were called prairie schooners. Besides food, the men took guns and ammunition to protect themselves from the Indians who lived on the plains and in the western mountains. Many suffered greatly on the hot plains and many died on the way. 128 EVENTS IN THE WEST The population of California increased so much in 1849 that the people asked for it to be admitted to the Union and this was done in 1850. California made the thirty-first state. Arkansas had become a state in 1836, Michigan in 1837, Florida and Texas in 1845, Iowa in 1846, and Wisconsin in 1848. 1. Tell what dispute between England and the United States was settled in 1846. 2. Give the reasons the United States had for claiming the Columbia river valley. 3. Tell how the dispute was settled. 4. Give a description of Captain Sutter's home. 5. Tell of the finding of gold in the American river^ 6. Give an account of the rush of people to California in 1848 and 1849. 7. Tell of California's becoming a state. 8. Name the states admitted to the Union from 1836 to 1850. CHAPTER XXXII The Civil War CAUSE AND BEGINNING After the Mexican war there was a great deal of new land to be made into states. By this time most of the Northern states had become free states, or states without slaves, and were opposed to slavery. But all of the Southern states still had slaves. The North and the South had disputes and many quarrels over the question as to whether the new states should be free or slave states, and the feeling between them became very bitter. In i860 Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. He was opposed to slavery. He did not want any of the new states west of the Mississippi river to come into the Union as slave states. A number of the Southern states wanted to separate from the Northern states and have a government of their own. The gov- ernment at Washington said that they had no right to do this. Finally this difference of opinion led to war between the North and the South. South Carolina seceded from the United States in December, i860, and then Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisi- ana, and Texas followed suit. In February, 1861, a convention of delegates from these seven states met at Montgomery, Alabama, and formed a new govern- ment. They elected Jefferson Davis President. The new govern- ment was called the " Confederate States of America " or the " Confederacy." 9 129 130 THE CIVIL WAR. Lincoln was inaugurated President of the United States on March 4, 1861. The first fight of the Civil war was in South Carolina. In April the Confederates attacked a United States garrison that was at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. The siege lasted for ABRAHAM LINCOLN thirty-six hours. Then Major Anderson, who was in command of the fort, was forced to leave it. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas now joined the Confederacy. Great excitement spread over all the country. President Lincoln called for soldiers for the Northern army and about THE CIVIL WAR 131 100,000 men in the Northern states volunteered and poured into Washington. In the South great numbers of men rushed to join the Southern army. The people both North and South thought the war would last only a short time, but they were mistaken. Both sides were fighting for what they believed was right and neither would give in. The war lasted for four years. There were great generals on both sides. The most noted on the Northern side were General U. S. Grant, who dur- ing the war was made com- mander-in-chief of all the Union armies ; and Generals Philip Sheridan and W. T. Sherman. The most famous ones on the Southern side were General Robert E. Lee, the chief commander of the Confederate armies ; and Generals Thomas J. Jackson, Joseph E. Johnson, and Pierre Beauregard. Soon after the war began, the Confederate government re- moved its capital to Richmond, Virginia. By this time there were thirty-four states. Minnesota had been admitted in 1858, Oregon in 1859, and Kansas in 186 1. CONFEDERATE SOLDIER EVENTS DURING THE WAR The Civil war lasted from 1861 to 1865. Many terrible battles were fought and great numbers of men were killed on both sides. 132 THE CIVIL WAR On January i, 1863, President Lincoln sent out a proclamation freeing all the slaves in the Confederate states. During the first days of July in this year, the greatest battle of the Civil war was fought. It was the battle of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. General Lee and General Meade were the oppos- ing generals. For three days the men on both sides fought with wonderful courage. There were over 40,000 among those who were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. It seemed at first that General Lee was going to win, but on the third day his army was defeated and finally had to retreat. General Grant won a number of the great battles of the war. One of his most important victories was the capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, in July, 1863. This opened all of the Mississippi river to the Union armies. One of the most important victories of the Confederate soldiers during the war was the battle of Chickamauga in Georgia. In this battle which was fought in September, 1863. General Bragg led the Confederates against the Union soldiers under General Rosecrans. Soon afterwards, however. General Grant came with a large army and won a great battle at Chattanooga, Tennessee. After this victory at Chattanooga, Grant was made com- mander-in-chief of all the Union armies. The Northern army had many more soldiers and much more money than the Southern army had, and in time was victorious, but the Confederate soldiers were wonderfully brave and fought so desperately that it was very hard to conquer them. On April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Shortly afterwards the war ended and the four years of dreadful fighting were over. THE CIVIL WAR 133 After the war Congress passed a law forbidding slavery for- ever in our country. I. Tell what you can about — 1. The causes of the Civil war. 2. The secession of the Southern states. 3. The convention at Montgomery, Alabama. 4. The inauguration of President Lincoln. 5. The first fight of the Civil war. 6. The raising of troops in the North and in the South. II. 1. Name the leading generals of the Northern and Southern armies. 2. Tell what city became the capital of the Confederacy. 3. Tell when the following states were admitted to the Union : a. Minnesota ; b. Oregon ; c. Kansas. 4. Give the date of President Lincoln's proclamation freeing the slaves. 5. Give an account of the battle of Gettysburg. 6. Tefl what advantages the North had over the South. 7. Tell of the surrender of General Lee. 8. Tell about the law forbidding slavery. CHAPTER XXXIII Abraham Lincoln BOYHOOD Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in an old log cabin in Kentucky. The cabin had no floor and there were large cracks between the logs. There was very little furniture in the house. Abe lived in this cabin with his mother and father and sister until he was eight years old. Then the family moved to Indiana. When they reached the place for the new home, Abe's father and another man chopped down trees and built a cabin of one room. Abe slept in a place above the room which he reached by climbing a ladder. Abe's father and mother were good and honest, but they were not educated people. His father could neither read nor write. His mother could read a little. She taught Abe all she knew. There were only four or five books in their home, but Abe read 134 THE HOUSE IN WHICH LINCOLN WAS BORN ABRAHAM LINCOLN 135 them over and over. Three of them were the Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, and Robinson Crusoe. After awhile Abe's mother died and later his father married again. His step-mother was very kind to him, and in time he learned to love her almost as well as he had loved his own mother. One winter a young man, who lived near Abe's home, taught him to write and Abe was very much delighted. He was too poor to buy paper and pencils, so he had to practice writing on the top of the table or on a shovel with a piece of chalk. In a few years a man named Mr. Crawford opened a school near Abe's home and Abe attended it. Mr. Crawford thought that Abe was a very fine boy. Once he lent him a book called " The Life of Washington." Abe took it home and was very careful with it, but one night there was a storm and the rain blew through the cracks of the house and spoiled the book. Abe took it back to Mr. Crawford and offered to work for him imtil he had earned enough to pay for it. Mr. Crawford was pleased with this and let Abe cut a field of fodder for him. It took Abe three days to cut it and then Mr. Crawford gave him the book. MANHOOD Lincoln had less than one year of school in his whole life, but as long as he lived, he kept on reading and studying and trying to learn more. When he was nineteen, a man engaged him to take a load of things on a flat-boat to New Orleans to sell for him. Lincoln was delighted to have this chance to see something of the world. He learned a great deal on the trip, and he showed that he had a 136 ABRAHAM LINCOLN good business head for in a short time he sold all of his goods and made a good profit. In 1830 the family moved to Illinois and built another log cabin there. When Lincoln was about twenty-two, he decided to leave home and make his own way in the world. He went to New Salem. For a time he was a clerk in a store there. Then he went in partnership with another man in a dry-goods and grocery store, but before long they failed. Lincoln's partner fled, but Lincoln stayed and in time paid all of their debts. Lincoln made many friends and was always so honest in every- thing that he was called " Honest Abe." Lie was good company for he was always pleasant and cheerful and always had a good story to tell. In 1832 he joined a company of soldiers to fight the Indians in the Black Hawk war, but he was not called on to do any fighting and soon returned to New Salem. He then began to study law and surveying. In 1833 he was made postmaster at New Salem and held that position for three years. He was elected to the Illinois legislature in 1834 and was re-elected for several terms. At that time the trouble in the United States over slavery was very serious. Lincoln did not believe in slavery and made many speeches against it. Springfield was made the capital of Illinois in 1839, and Lin- coln went there to live. He practiced law and was verv success- ful. In 1842 he married Miss Mary Todd of Kentucky. The people of Illinois sent him to Congress in 1846. He kept on making speeches against slavery, and after a time these speeches made him famous in all parts of the country. ABRAHAM LINCOLN 137 He was elected President of the United States in November^ i860, and he was sworn into office the following March. Soon after Lincoln had become President, the Civil war broke out. It was hard to be President then^ but Lincoln acted wisely and kindly and by the end of the war people all over the world were praising him. The war lasted about four years. Before it was over, Lincoln made all the slaves in the Southern states free. In March, 1865, he was made President for a second term, and in April the war ended. Lincoln was very glad when the war was over. There was rejoicing everywhere, and there was a great celebration in Washington. On the evening of the fourteenth of April, Lincoln went with some friends to one of the theatres in Washington, and they sat in a box. While they were there a madman named John Wilkes Booth stepped into the box behind Lincoln and shot him. Lincoln was taken to a house near by and physicians were called, but he was mortally wounded and died the next morning. His death brought sorrow to many people for he had tried always to be just and kind in all that he did. He was a great man, and he is considered today one of the finest characters we have had in the history of our country. Tell about — L The house in which Lincoln was born and give the date of his birth. 2. The other members of the family. 3. The new home in Indiana. 4. The books which Lincoln read over and over. 5. His step-mother. 138 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 6. His learning to write. 7. The school he attended. 8. His experience with the book he borrowed from Mr. Craw- ford. 9. His trip to New Orleans. 10. What happened in 1830. n. Tell — 1. When Lincoln left home. 2. What work he did first after leaving home. 3. What made him popular among his companions. 4. When he was elected a member of the Illinois legislature and how many terms he was a member. III. Tell what you can about — 1. Lincoln's life in Springfield. 2. His election to Congress. 3. His speeches against slavery. 4. His being made President of the United States. 5. His emancipation of the slaves. 6. His election for a second term. 7. His death. IV. 1. Tell why you like Lincoln. 2. Write a short essay about him in your own words CHAPTER XXXIV Ulysses S. Grant HIS YOUTH Ulysses S. Grant is one of the most noted men in the history of the United States. He was born at the little village of Point Pleasant on the Ohio river on April 2^, 1822. The family was poor and the house in which Ulysses was born had only two rooms. When Ulysses was about a year old, the family moved to another little village named Georgetown, about forty miles from Cincinnati, and there on a farm Ulysses grew up. At school he was slow, but he was not stupid. He studied hard and found out that by working faithfully, he generally suc- ceeded in doing what he tried to do. His playmates were very fond of him. They could always believe what he said for he hated lies and always told the truth. There is a fine military academy at West Point on the Hud- son river. Those who go through it generally become soldiers in the United States army. Grant's father sent him to West Point when he was seventeen. He was there for four years and then was graduated as a lieutenant. MANHOOD Soon after Grant had left West Point, he went to fight in the Mexican war. He was always brave and cool in the battles. During this war he was promoted twice for his bravery. 139 140 ULYSSES S. GRANT Soon after the war, he was married. For awhile he stayed in the army and Hved at the army posts, but he found that a soldier's pay was not enough for his family, so he resigned and went to live on a farm near St. Louis. The family had a hard time there. Grant built their house himself and planted the corn and potatoes on their farm. Some- times he cut wood and hauled loads of it to town and sold it. At last Grant decided that he was a very poor farmer and he gave up farming. He tried several other kinds of work, but he was not very successful in any. Before long, however, there was another war. It was the Civil war between the Northern and Southern states. Grant was made Colonel of an Illinois regi- ment. He was a wonderful soldier and he won so many battles that in time President Lincoln made him commander-in-chief of all the Union armies. He was given the rank of lieutenant-general. After the defeat of the South- ern army and General Lee's sur- render, General Grant was the hero of the Northern states. Congress gave him the title of general and people in all parts of the North sent him large sums of money. The people of Galena, Illinois, where he had once lived, gave him a beautiful home, and a library of fine books was sent to him from Boston. In 1868 he was elected President of the United States. GEN. U. S. GRANT ULYSSES S. GRANT 141 After having served as President for two terms, he took a trip around the world and was received everywnere as if he were a king. He met all of the greatest rulers in Europe and in Asia, and a number of them entertained him. A few years after this, he lost all of his money and suffered many hardships, and not long afterwards he was taken ill and never regained his health. He suffered greatly the last year of his life, but he bore his illness bravely. He was as brave in his troubles as he had been on the battlefield. He died in 1885. There were Southern as well as Northern people at his funeral, and great captains of both armies carried his body to the grave. A very beautiful tomb has been erected to his honor in New York city. I. Tell — 1. Who Ulysses Grant was. 2. The name of his birthplace and the date of his birth. 3. Something of his school life when a boy and of his train ing at West Point. II. Tell about — 1. Grant in the Mexican war. 2. His married life after the war. 3. His success in the Civil war. 4. How the people in the North showed their appreciation 01 what he did. 5. His election to the Presidency, 6. His trip around the world. 7. His losses and ill health. 8. His death and funeral. III. Tell what you think of Grant's character. CHAPTER XXXV Robert E. Lee HIS YOUTH Robert E. Lee was born in Stratford, Virginia, on January 19, 1807, His father fought in the Revolutionary war and was called " Light Horse Harry " because he was a splendid cavalry- man. When Robert was six, his father had to leave home and go to the West Indies on account of his poor health. A few years later he died when on his way home, and Robert never saw him again. Robert went to private schools when he was a boy. He was a favorite both among teachers and pupils for he stood high in his classes, and at the same time was a good play-fellow. He inherited the soldier instinct of his father and when he was eighteen, he, too, resolved to be a soldier. General Andrew Jackson was a friend of his, and through him he was appointed a cadet at the Military Academy at West Point. He became noted there for his hard study and perfect obedience, and before long he was made an ofBcer in the cadet battalion. There were forty-six in Lee's class when he was graduated and he stood second. He had not received one demerit during his whole college course. 142 ROBERT E. LEE 143 MANHOOD After his graduation he was made an officer in the United States army and was in the engineer corps. He soon became dis- tinguished for his work in that position. Two years after he had left West Point, he married a great granddaughter of Mrs. George Washington. Their home was a beautiful place called Arlington on the Potomac river. After his marriage he was advanced to higher positions in the army. LEE'S HOME. When the Mexican war broke out, he went to serve under General Scott. He showed great courage and skill and he was promoted several times during the war. General Scott some- times discussed his plans with Lee and often took his advice. In 1852 Lee was made superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point and held that position for three years. Then he was put in command of a regiment of cavalry and was sent to the frontier of Texas to protect the settlers there from the Indians. 144 ROBERT E. LEE \\^hen the Civil war broke out, he was called to Washington. President Lincoln offered him the command of the Union armies. Lee did not want the Union to be dissolved, but he could not fight against his own state. When Virginia seceded, he resigned his position in the United States army and was put in command of the Virginia troops. Later he became the chief commander of the Southern armies. He proved to be a great soldier and leader. His soldiers loved him dearly. He would some- tim.es ride among them during a battle to encourage them, and often the wounded soldiers would take oft' their hats and cheer for him as he passed. The Union soldiers found him a hard man to conquer, but after four years of hard fighting, he was forced to yield. After the war, he was offered many high positions. He accepted ROBERT E. LEE. ^^iQ presidency of the Washington University, now called the Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia, and held that position until his death which was on October 12, 1870. In appearance Lee was tall and fine-looking ; in manner he was courteous, dignified, and a perfect gentleman ; and in char- acter he was noted for always being honorable and upright. Tell abonl — 1. Lee's birth. 2. His father. ROBERT E. LEE 145 3. His education. 4. His position after his graduation. 5. His marriage and his home, 6. The part he took in the Mexican war. 7. His superintendency at West Point, 8. His work on the frontier of Texas. 9. The offer that Lincoln made him when the Civil war broke out and the reason he refused it. 10. His positions in the Southern army. n. The love that his soldiers had for him. 12. The position he held after the Civil war. 13. His death. n. 1. Tell why Lee was considered a fine man. 2. Write a short sketch of his life in your own words. 10 CHAPTER XXXVI Thomas J. Jackson HIS YOUTH Thomas J. Jackson, or '' Stonewall " Jackson, as he was called, was one of the most brilliant generals that fought in the Civil war. He was a great hero in the South and was much loved by the Southern people. He was born in Clarksburg, Virginia, on January 21, 1824, and was descended from Scotch-Irish people. When he was three years old, he was left an orphan. He grew to be a manly little fellow, and as soon as he was old enough, he went to work and began to support himself. When he grew up, he wanted to go to West Point and then join the army. He heard of a vacancy in the Academy and decided to go to Washington and ask a Congressman who was there from Virginia to have him appointed. He did not have money enough to ride all the way to Washington, so he walked a great part of it. He wore just a plain suit of homespun cloth. The Congressman from Virginia took him to the Secretary of War, and the Secretary was so much pleased with him that he at once gave him the appointment to West Point. 146 STONEWALL " JACKSON THOMAS J. JACKSON 147 Jackson studied so hard at the Academy that he was rapidly promoted. MANHOOD After he was graduated, he went to take part in the Mexican war. He distinguished himself in this war by his bravery and was twice advanced in rank. When the United States soldiers reached the City of Mexico, Jackson attended some religious services there and was very much interested in them. He joined the church and all the rest of his life was deeply religious. Wherever he was, he did much good among the people with whom he lived. At his home he had Bible lessons for his negro servants every Sunday, and the negroes loved him. He always prayed before and after every battle that he fought. A few years after the Mexican war, he was made one of the professors in the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, and held that position for several years. When the Civil war broke out, he was made a colonel in the army of Virginia and soon afterwards was promoted to higher rank. At one time during the Battle of Bull Run, the Southern soldiers were begining to waver. All at once some one called out, " Look at Jackson ! There he stands like a stone wall ! '' When the soldiers saw how brave he was, they rallied and followed him and won the battle. After this he was called " Stonewall " Jackson. Jackson became a wonderful commander. During one cam- paign, his men marched four hundred miles and fought five battles in thirty-two days. 148 THOMAS J. JACKSON During the war Jackson wore a faded gray suit, an old cadet cap, and cavalry boots. He did not look much like a great com- mander. His soldiers almost worshiped him. They would wave their hats and cheer him whenever he appeared. At the battle of Chancellorsville, in May, 1863, there was a great deal of dense smoke and confusion. Jackson's own men shot him by mistake and wounded him. He lived only a few days afterwards. His last words were, " Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." Tell — 1. Who Thomas J. Jackson was. 2. Where and when he was born. 3. About his boyhood. 4. How he managed to go to West Point. 5. What he did in the Mexican war. 6. About his becoming a Christian. 7. About the good he did. 8. Of his being a professor in the Virginia Military Institute. 9. Of his rank in the Civil war. 10. How he got his nickname of " Stonewall " Jackson. 11. What remarkable thing his soldiers did in one of his great campaigns. 12. How he dressed during the war. 13. How his soldiers loved him. 14. How he met his death. 15. What his last words were. 16. What you think of his character. CHAPTER XXXVII Events Following the Civil War THE SOUTH AND THE WEST After the Civil War, there was disorder and trouble in the South. Many homes and plantations had been destroyed during the war, and thousands of people had been made poor. Trouble arose with the negroes who had been freed, and there was bad government for a number of years. In time, however, there was peace, and then the South began to prosper. Many new cities grew up and many railway lines were built throughout the Southern states. The West also improved rapidly after the Civil war. Within a few years a great many towns were started where, before the war, there had been only wilderness or barren plains. In 1869 the first continuous railway route from the Atlantic to the Pacific was completed. Thousands of people began moving west. Some went to work in the mines of gold and silver that had been dis- covered in the Rocky mountains ; some went to settle on ranches ; and others went to build towns and cities. THE INDIANS As the white people have moved westward, driving the Indians before them, horrid massacres by the Indians have occurred from time to time. 149 150 EVENTS FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR In 1862 a band of the Sioux killed about five hundred people in new settlements in Minnesota. A war followed and a number of the Indian leaders were hanged. In 1867 General George Custer, a brave officer in the United States army, was sent to attack some Indians who were giving trouble to settlers on the western plains. He followed them to their villages in what is now the state of Oklahoma, and in 1868 defeated them so severely that the Southern tribes gave no more trouble. Six years later he was sent North to fight against the Sioux Indians. In the summer of 1876, he and his party were surrounded by a band of these Indians in Montana and all were killed. Other troops were sent against the Sioux, and they drove them into Canada where they were forced to stay for a number of years. NEW STATES AND TERRITORY There were thirty- four states when the Civil war broke out. Then, during the war, West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863 and Nevada in 1864. Nebraska was made a state in 1867 ; Colorado in 1876; North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington in 1889; Idaho and Wyoming in 1890; and Utah in 1896. In 1867 the United States bought Alaska from Russia for about $7,200,000. Alaska is valuable for its furs, fisheries, and minerals. Gold has been found in a number of places and in some regions there is coal in great quantities. I. Tell about — 1. The condition of the South after the Civil war. 2. The improvements after the war. EVENTS FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR 151 3. The growth of the West. 4. General Custer's victory over the Southern Indians in 1868. 5. The death of General Custer. II. 1. Name the states admitted to the Union from 1863 to 1896. 2. Tell about the purchase of Alaska. CHAPTER XXXVIII Inventions As our country has grown, a number of inventions have been made by Americans. These inventions have made great changes in the hfe of the people. Some of the most important of them are the cotton-gin invented by EU Whitney, the telegraph by Samuel ]\Iorse, the sewing-machine by Elias Howe, the steamboat by Robert Fulton, the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, Edison's wonderful electrical inventions, and the various agricultural machines that save labor on the farm. THE COTTON-GIN There are many cotton-fields in the southern part of the United States. A long time ago it was hard work to get the seeds from the cotton for men had to pull them out with their hands and it took a long time. After awhile, however, a man invented a machine that could take out the seeds. It was Eli Whitney of Massachusetts who had gone to Georgia to teach. He was a skilful mechanic, and when he saw how much trouble the people were having with the cotton-seeds, he set to work to make a machine that could remove them. He w^orked steadily on it for about a year and finally suc- ceeded. The machine he made could separate the seeds from a great many pounds in a day. 152 INVENTIONS 153 Whitney invited some planters to come and see it and they were very much delighted with it. They called it a cotton-gin. THE FIRST COTTON GIN This was in 1793. Soon there were cotton-gins on almost all of the plantations in the Southern states, and cotton-fields became worth thousands of dollars. THE STEAMBOAT Robert Fulton made the first steamboat that was a success. Other men had tried to do it but had failed. Fulton was born near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was not a good scholar but he liked to draw and to invent things. Once when one of his teachers asked him why he did 154 INVENTIONS not study harder, he said : " My mind is full of new ideas. There is not room enough for books." When he was a small boy, he made a lead-pencil in a new shape, and when he was thirteen, he made a new kind of sky- "rocket. One day when he was having a hard time pushing an old flatboat along a river with poles, he put paddle-wheels on the sides of it and then made it go by turning the paddle-wheels by a crank. When he was seventeen, he went to Philadelphia where he rented a studio and painted pictures and sold them. When he had money enough, he bought a farm for his mother, and then went to England to study art. But he did not become a great artist for he liked to draw pictures of machines better than to paint pictures of places or of people. After a time he became a mechanical engineer, and built fine bridges and drew plans for boats. After having invented a number of things in England, he went to Paris. There he met Robert R. Livingston who was the United States Minister to France. He remained in Paris for seven years. While he was there he invented what we now call a submarine boat. In times of war, a submarine boat can fire a torpedo from under the water at an enemy's ship and blow it up. After this Fulton wanted to make a boat that could be run by steam. Mr. Livingston became interested in the idea and gave him money enough to make the experiment. Fulton worked hard and in 1803 the boat was finished. He sailed it on the river Seine, but it went slowly and he was not satisfied with it. He and Livingston then came to America, and he built another boat in New York on the Hudson river. The new boat was called the Clermont. INVENTIONS 155 On September lo, 1807, a large crowd of people assembled on the banks of the Hudson river to see it start off. Most of them doubted that it would go but they were mistaken. It steamed up and went off smoothly without any trouble. THE CLERMONT It went on to Albany which was a distance of a hundred and fifty miles. After this it made many other trips. Before long there were steamboats running on many of the rivers and this helped a great deal in building up the country. RAILWAYS Railway cars were first used in England. In 1809 a three-mile railway was built in Pennsylvania to haul coal from a stone quarry. It had wooden rails, and small carloads of stone were pulled over it by horses. Several other roads were built for hauling coal in Massachusetts and Penn- sylvania in 1827. In 1829 Horatio Allen, a railroad engineer, brought a locomo- tive from England to Pennsylvania for the Delaware and Hudson 156 INVENTIONS Canal company to use in hauling coal from Carbondale to Hones- dale, a distance of sixteen miles. This was the first locomotive used in the United States. Later the railroads were made longer, and passengers rode in the cars. The first passenger train in the United States was run on the Baltimore and Ohio railway in 1830. It ran from Baltimore to Ellicott, which was a distance of fifteen miles. The train was made up of connected stage coaches, or wagons, and was drawn by horses. Later very small locomotives were used. Peter Cooper was the first man in the United States to make a locomotive. It was made at his iron-works near Baltimore in ONE OF THE FIRST PASSENGER TRAINS 1830 and was run over the Baltimore and Ohio railway. It was very light with a boiler about the size of a barrel and drew only a small open car. After this, railways were built in many parts of the country and the trains were greatly improved. In 1830 there were only twenty-three miles of railway in use in the United States. Now there are over 200,000 miles of railway systems. The United States has the best trains in the world and more miles of railway than any other country. Sleeping cars and din- ing cars were first used on American trains. INVENTIONS 157 THE TELEGRAPH At one time it took days and sometimes weeks to send news from one place to another far away. Now we can send messages by telegraph hundreds of miles in less than one minute. Samuel Morse was the man who found out how to do this. He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. When he grew up, he went to France to study art and lived there with several other artists for a few years. They were far from home and it took a very long time to get letters from their friends. Morse began to wonder if it might not be possible to invent something by which news could be sent quickly from one place to another. After a time he returned to America and became a pro- fessor in a university in New York. He kept on thinking, how- ever, of a way to send messages over long distances in a short time. One day he took a long wire, fastened a sharp-pointed piece of iron to each end of it, and fixed an electric battery so that he could make electricity run along the wire. Then when a mark was made at one end, a mark just like it was made at the other end by means of a magnet which moved the sharp piece of iron. This was the beginning of the telegraph. It was a long time before Morse made any money from his telegraph. He was very poor for several years and was often hungry. A man named Alfred Vail happened to see his telegraph one day and he borrowed two thousand dollars from his father and became Morse's partner. They worked together and improved the telegraph, but they did not have money enough to build tele- graph lines from one city to another. 158 INVENTIONS Finally Morse asked Congress for $30,000 to build a line from Washington to Baltimore. The members of Congress hesitated at first for they feared that it might not be a success, but finally they let him have the money, and Morse was very happy indeed. In 1844 the line was ready for use and a lady sent the first message over it. It was : " What hath God wrought ! " Now there are many thousands of miles of telegraph lines in the United States and in Europe. The lines that run through the ocean are called cables. We can send telegrams to all parts of the world in a very short time. Morse became a wealthy man and was much honored both at home and abroad because of his invention. S. F. B. MORSE, THE TELEPHONE, The telephone is one of the most useful of modern in- ventions. With it people can carry on a conversation in an ordi- nary voice from one house to another, and from one city to another far away. The sounds are sent from place to place by means of electricity. Men in different parts of the world worked on the telephone for a number of years before a good one was invented. The INVENTIONS 159 first really successful one was invented by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. Dr. Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1847. In 1871 he came to the United States to show a method of teaching the deaf to speak, and since then he has made his home in our country. He became interested in the idea of the telephone, and after having made experiments for several years, he gave an exhibi- tion of one at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. People were very much in- terested in this great invention. Improvements were made on it and before long it was perfected. Millions of telephones are now in use in the United States and other countries. With the long distance telephone people can talk to each other over very great distances. It is now possible to carry on a conversation between New York and San Francisco, — a distance of 3000 miles. DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL EDISON S ELECTRICAL INVENTIONS Thomas Edison is one of our greatest inventors. Some of his inventions are the incandescent electric lamp, the long distance telephone, the phonograph, the motion picture camera and films. 160 INVENTIONS and the storage battery which is used in street cars and auto- mobiles. Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847. He had very little schooling. When he was twelve, he became a newsboy on a train on the Grand Trunk railway that ran betwen Detroit and Port Huron. There was a freight car on the train. Edison bought a small hand press and some type and printed a little paper in one corner of this car. He called it the " Grand Trunk Herald " and sold it at three cents a copy. It had a great deal of railroad news in it, and before long about three hundred railroad men were subscribing for it. After awhile Edison went home and set up a work-shop in the basement. Here he worked at various things. He made many experiments in chemistry and he worked on machinery. One day, when he happened to be at a station, he saved the life of the station agent's child who was nearly run over by a train. The child's father out of gratitude taught him telegraphy. Edison soon became a very good telegraph operator. But while he worked, he would sometimes get to thinking of some new thing he wanted to make, and then he would not do his work well, and this often got him into trouble. He soon began to invent some very good things. The first money he received for his inventions was $40,000 which was paid him by a man in New York in 1870. With this money he built a large manufacturing establishment in Newark, New Jersey, where many things were made. Later he built a laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, and worked there only on his inventions. Hundreds of men worked in this laboratory for him. INVENTIONS 161 In 1887 he moved to the laboratory in West Orange where he now does his work. On the night of December 14, 1914, a dreadful fire broke out at the laboratory and destroyed most of the buildings with every- thing in them. Many valu- able things that Edison had worked on for years were burned. Most men would have been utterly discouraged and would not have thought of rebuilding. But Edison is a man of wonderful en- ergy. When some one asked him if he would give up his work, he said, " No, I'm sixty-seven years old, but I'm not too old to take a fresh start to-morrow." And early the next morning he had gangs of men clearing up the wreck, and within two days had given orders for the shops to be rebuilt and for them to be better than the old ones. Edison has made more than three hundred useful inventions and has improved the telegraph and many electrical instruments. When people in Europe heard of his inventions, they wished to do him honor. There is a society in France called the Legion of Honor. When men do great things, they are made members of this society, and the French Government made Edison a member of it. Then he received medals and other honors 11 THOMAS A. EDISON {Copyright igo8, by Underivood & Unclericood.) 162 INVENTIONS from King Humbert of Italy and from a number of societies in England. Edison says his success has come from hard work. He is very persevering. When he makes failures, he does not give up, but works day after day until he gets what he wants. He worked over five years on a storage battery, and made several thousand incandescent electric lamps before he had one that satisfied him. I. Tell what was invented by the following men — 1. Eli Whitney. 2. Robert Fulton. 3. Samuel Morse. 4. Elias Howe. 5. Alexander Graham Bell. 6. Thomas Edison. II. Give the dates of the following — 1. The invention of the cotton-gin. 2. The launching of the Clermont. 3. The building of the first railway in the United States. 4. The running of the first passenger train. 5. The completion of the first telegraph line. 6. The invention of the first successful telephone. III. Tell what you can in your own words about — 1. Railways in America, 2. Samuel Morse. 3. Robert Fulton. 4. Eli Whitney. 5. Thomas Edison. 6. Alexander Graham Bell. IV. Tell what invention you think is the most important and give your reasons for thinking so. CHAPTER XXXIX Some of Our Writers Our country has not done so much in literature as it has in inventions, in the building of cities, and along business lines, but we have had some very fine writers since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Washington Irving was the first noted American writer of fiction. He was born in New York in 1783. His ''Sketch Book " is a collec- tion of famous short stories. " Rip Van Winkle " and " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " are two of them. He wrote some good biographies, one of which is the " Life of Washington." James Fenimore Cooper, born in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1789, is famous for his stories of adventure. "The Pioneers." "The S py. and WASHINGTON IRVING " The Mohicans " are three of his best novels. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an essayist, poet, and lecturer, is con- sidered one of the greatest thinkers that America has had. His essays and lectures on philosophy have made him much talked about both in America and England. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1803, and died at Concord in 1882. 163 SOME OF OUR WRITERS RALPH WALDO EMERSON NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE TAMES FEMMORE COOPER Nathaniel Hawthorne, born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804, was a writer of fiction. '' The Scarlet Letter," " The Marble Faun,'' " The House of Seven Gables," and " Twice Told Tales " are some of his most famous books. He is noted for his fine English. Edgar Allan Poe is a very famous writer who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1809. His works have been translated into many foreign languages. His poems and short stories are weird and fantastic. "The Raven," "The Bells," and "Annabel Lee " are three of his best known poems, and " The Fall of the House of Usher," and " The Gold Bug " are among his best short stories. He died in Baltimore in 1849. Henry W. Longfellow is a very popular poet. He was born in Port- land, Maine, in 1807. " Evangeline," " The Courtship of Myles Standish," EDGAR ALLAN POE SOME OF OUR WRITERS 165 " Hiawatha," and the " Psalm of Life " are some of the best liked of his poems. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when he was seventy-five years old. John Greenleaf Whittier is another poet of New England who was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1807. He wrote a number of poems describing country life and many against slavery. One of his most beautiful poems is " Snowbound." Others are '^ Maud Muller " and " The Barefoot Boy." JOHN GREENLEAF HENRY WADSWORTH OLIVER WENDELL WHITTIER LONGFELLOW HOLMLb Oliver Wendell Holmes of Massachusetts is famous for his humor. " The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table " is one of his best books. He wrote both prose and poetry. " The Chambered Nautilus " and " The Last Leaf " are two of his best poems. He was a very brilliant man and was much admired in England as well as in America. He died in Boston when he was eighty- five years old. James Russell Lowell is a poet, essayist, and critic. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1819. His best known poems are " The Vision of Sir Launfal " and a collection called the *' Biglow Papers." He died in 1891. 166 SOME OF OUR WRITERS Later writers of note are the novelists Henry James of New York, James Lane Allen of Kentucky, Francis Marion Crawford who lived mostly in Europe, Thomas Nelson Page of Virginia, and Winston Churchill of Missouri; and the humorists, Samuel Langhorne Clemens ("Mark Twain"), and Eugene Field, both of Missouri. Field is especially noted for his poems for children. L Name some of the most noted of — 1. American poets. 2. American novelists. 3. American essayists. 4. American humorists. II. Tell when and where the following writers were born and name some of the principal works of each — 1. James Fenimore Cooper. 2. Edgar Allan Foe. 3. Nathaniel Hawthorne. 4. Washington Irving. 5. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 6. Henry W. Longfellow^ 7. James Russell Lowell. 8. John Greenleaf Whittier. 9. Oliver Wendell Holmes. CHAPTER XL The Spanish War THE CAUSES AND THE BEGINNING Before the Spanish war, Cuba was owned by Spain. The Spaniards treated the Cubans unjustly. They made them pay heavy taxes and the Cubans were too poor to do this. The Cubans had rebelled a number of times and had tried to gain their freedom, but the Spaniards had always conquered them. When they rebelled again in 1895, Spain sent soldiers to subdue them and the soldiers were very cruel. Thousands of the Cubans were taken from their farms and shut up in cities and hundreds of them starved to death. Our people sent food to those who were starving, but many of them could not be reached. A large number of Americans were living in Cuba at that time. One of our warships called the Maine was sent to the harbor of Havana to protect the Americans. On the night of February 15, 1898, she was destroyed by an explosion that killed two hundred and sixty of her crew. An investigation was made, and it was found that the ship had been blown up by a torpedo or a mine. Congress and President McKinley now decided that they would stop the war. They demanded that Spain withdraw her armies from Cuba. Spain would not do this, and then war was declared. 167 168 THE SPANISH WAR Our government sent a fleet under Admiral Sampson to block- ade Havana. This was to prevent Spain from sending more soldiers to Cuba. DEWEY's victory in MANILA BAY Commodore George Dewey was in command of an American fleet on the coast of China. It lay in the port of Hong-Kong which belongs to England. The Philippine islands belonged to Spain at that time, and there was a strong Spanish fleet in the harbor of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. As soon as war was declared, Presi- dent McKinley telegraphed Dewey to capture or destroy this fleet. On the first of May, before daylight, Dewey entered the harbor of Manila and surprised and destroyed the whole Spanish fleet. Over six hundred Spaniards were killed or wounded, and not one man was lost on our side. Congress voted that Dewey be given a sword of honor and the President made him a rear-admiral. Before the war was over, he was made an admiral, which is the highest rank in the navy. EVENTS IN CUBA A Spanish fleet under Admiral Cervera took refuge in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. In order to prevent it from escap- ing, the American fleets under Admiral Sampson and Com- modore Schley were sent to blockade the harbor. It was decided that it would be a good plan to close up the narrow channel leading to the harbor. Lieutenant R. P. Hobson and seven other men volunteered to do this. They took a coal THE SPANISH WAR 169 ship into the channel while the Spaniards were shooting all around them, fastened torpedoes under it, and sank it half-way across the channel. They jumped into the water just before the torpedoes exploded. The Spaniards captured them, but later they were exchanged for Spanish prisoners of war. This deed TH£ BATTLESHIP '" OREGON " of Hobson and his men was one of the bravest things done during the war. A number of brave charges were made on the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico by our land forces, and important victories were won. Among those who led our soldiers on land were Generals Shafter, Wheeler, Chaffee, Miles, and Colonel Roosevelt. Our armies in Cuba gradually advanced toward the city of Santiago. The Spaniards began to fear that the city would be taken, and on the third of July, Cervera's six ships sailed ^7Q THE SPANISH WAR out of the harbor. They tried to escape, but in a short time all of them were sunk or stranded by the American ships that were waiting for them. Many of the Spaniards were killed and eighteen hundred of them were made prisoners of war. THE CLOSE OF THE WAR The Spaniards surrendered Santiago on the fourteenth of July, and pn the twelfth of August, Spain asked for peace. Just before this news reached Admiral Dewey, he and General Merritt, who had charge of our land forces at the Philippines, captured Manila. A treaty of peace was signed at Paris in December. Spam withdrew her troops from Cuba, and gave to the United States the island of Porto Rico, Guam in the Ladrones, and the Philip- pines on our payment of $20,000,000 for public works there. In 1901 the people of Cuba declared themselves independent, and in 1902 the United States withdrew her troops from the island and acknowledged its independence. I. Tell — 1. What the cause of the Spanish War was. 2. How the Spaniards had treated the Cubans for many years before the war. 3. About the blowing up of the Maine. 4. What Admiral Sampson did at the beginning of the war. XL Tell about — 1. Dewey's victory in Manila bay. 2. The blockade of the harbor of Santiago. 3. Lieutenant Hobson's brave deed. 4 The work of our soldiers on land, 5. The destruction of Cevera's fleet and surrender of Santiago. 6. The result of the war. 7. Cuba's declaration of independence. CHAPTER XLI Events Since the Spanish War In 1898 the Hawaiian islands, at their request, were annexed to the United States, and in 1900 they were made one of our territories. In 1900 President McKinley was re-elected. But the next year, while he was holding a public reception at the Pan-American exposition in Buffalo, New York, he was shot by an assassin. His death followed a week later. There was grief everywhere when the news of this tragedy was heard. The day of the funeral was observed not only over all of our own country, but also in many of the large cities of Europe. After the death of President McKinley, Vice-President Roosevelt became President. THE PANAMA CANAL During Roosevelt's administration, the United States began work on the construction of the Panama canal. The republic of Panama is in Central America. It belonged to the republic of Columbia in South America until 1903 when it seceded and became independent. A railway, which was begun in 1850, was built across the isthmus of Panama from the city of Colon on the Atlantic side to Panama on the Pacific side. Later a French company began 171 172 EVENTS SINCE THE SPANISH WAR to construct a ship canal here to connect the two oceans, but after having done a good deal of work on it, they failed. The United States then decided to finish the canal. Our country bought the property rights of the French com- pany from them, and in 1903 made a treaty in regard to the build- ing of the canal with the new republic of Panama. By the treaty, the republic of Panama agreed to sell to the United States a strip of land ten miles wide across the isthmus and extending three miles out into the sea at each end. This strip of land is called the Canal Zone. The canal runs through the centre of it. The cities of Panama and Colon were not in- cluded in this purchase. In May, 1904, work was begun on the canal. It was a tremendous undertaking, and from 1904 to 1907 a number of changes had to be made in the men in charge of the work. In 1907 the President appointed Colonel George W. Goethals of the United States army engineering corps to take charge of the work, and gave him the governing power in the Canal Zone. From this time the work went on rapidly. An average of 35,000 to 40,000 men were kept working on it at a time. President Wilson, who had been made President in 1913, appointed Colonel Goethals governor of the Canal Zone in January, 19 14. On the eighteenth of August, the first regular trip through the canal was made by the steamer Ancona, and the canal was opened the same day to all nations of the world. It took the Ancona ten hours to make the passage from ocean to ocean. After this, ships of commerce at once began making use of the canal. EVENTS SINCE THE SPANISH WAR 173 The construction of the canal is considered the greatest engineering piece of work that has ever been accompHshed. The length of the canal from Colon to Panama is forty-one and a half miles, and from deep water in the Caribbean sea to deep water in the Pacific ocean it is fifty miles. The cost of the canal up to the time the Ancona made the first regular trip through it was about $350,000,000. :X THE PANAMA CANAL General Goethals has been honored in a number of ways for the great work he has done. Several gold medals have been awarded him by different societies. In March, 19 14, Congress extended a vote of thanks to him, and gave him the title of major- general, and in the same month the National Geographic Society presented him with a special gold medal. 174 EVENTS SINCE THE SPANISH WAR The Panama canal will be of great benefit to the world in a commercial way. In our country it makes it much easier than it was to carry on shipping trade between our eastern and western cities, and between our eastern cities and the western countries of South America and Hawaii. Before the canal was built, ships going from New York to San Francisco had to go around Cape Horn, — a distance of 13,000 miles. By way of the canal it is only 5,300 miles. Ships sailing between our eastern cities and China, Japan, and Australia can also save much time and expense by using the canal. NEW STATES Oklahoma was made a state in 1907, the year before the Spanish war. Then in 19 12, New Mexico and Arizona, the only remaining territories in the main portion of our country, were admitted to the Union. We have now only the two territories of Alaska and Hawaii. ALASKA Our territory of Alaska is very rich with its whale, seal, and salmon fisheries, its coal, and its gold fields, but so far it has been very little developed. In March, 1914, however, Congress passed a bill appropriating $35,000,000 to build a railway to some of its coal regions, and before long there will be great changes in this part of our land. Hundreds of people who have waited for the railway to open up the territory are now moving into it. EVENTS SINCE THE SPANISH WAR 175 SEALS ON THE COAST OF ALASKA 11. Tell — 1. When the Hawaiian islands were annexed to the United States. 2. When Hawaii became a territory of the United States. 3. About President McKinley's death. Tell what you can about — 1. The republic of Panama. 2. The Panama Canal. 3. General Goethals. 4. Alaska. CHAPTER XLII Changes in Our Country Wonderful changes have taken place in our country since it tecame independent. In 1776 there were less than four million people in the United States, nearly all of whom were living east of the Alleghanies. Now there are about one hundred million inhabitants, without counting those in our territories and distant islands, and they have spread over the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Many thousands of people have come from European countries since the Revolutionary war, — chiefly from England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. State after state has been added to the original thirteen until now there are forty-eight covering the main portion of our land. When the railroads began to cross the western plains, settlers soon followed. Villages and towns grew up rapidly and large cattle ranches and fields of grain were started. Now great rail- way lines cross the country from east to west and there are large cities on the Pacific coast as well as on the Atlantic. There are thousands of rich grain-fields throughout the West, and every year hundreds of people go from the East and South to settle in this part of our land. The cities of our country have been greatly improved since colonial days. Railways, street-cars, electric lights, labor-saving 176 CHANGES IN OUR COUNTRY 177 machines, the telegraph, and the telephone are some of the things that have made the changes. The United States has become the richest nation in the world. It leads all other countries in agricultural products, manufactures, and minerals. The grain and cattle of the Mississippi valley and western plains ; the gold and silver of our western mountains ; the timber from our forests; the cotton of the South; and the coal, iron, petroleum, and manufactured articles of the East have all brought us wealth. There are now more miles of railway and of telegraph lines in the United States than in any other country. The many in- ventions of Americans have added greatly to the comforts and conveniences of American homes. There are good schools throughout the country, and fine colleges and universities in many of our states. The opening of the Panama Canal, which will bring about a larger trade between the United States and other countries, and the development of Alaska^ which will follow the building of railways there, will add still more to the prosperity of our land. The following is a list of the Presidents of the United States up to the present time — George Washington 1789-1797 John Adams 1797-1801 Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 James Aladison 1809-1817 James Monroe 1817-1825 John Quincy Adams 1825-1829 Andrew Jackson 1829-1837 Martin Van Buren 1837-1841 William H. Harrison .1841- (4 mo.) John Tyler 1841-1845 James K. Polk 1845-1849 Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 Millard Fillmore 1850-1853 Franklin Pierce 1853-1857 James Buchanan 1857-1861 Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865 See Chapter XLI. 12 178 CHANGES IN OUR COUNTRY Andrew Johnson 1865-1869 Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877 Rutherford B. Hayes ....1877-1881 James A. Garfield 1881- Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885 Grover Cleveland 1885-1889 Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893 Grover Cleveland 1893-1897 William McKinley 1897-1901 Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 William Taft 1909-1913 Woodrow Wilson 1913-