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Class _&_£_S__ 
 Copyright WJ3JiA 
 
 CHEffUGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
Heroes of Early 
 American History 
 
 BY 
 
 ALBERT LINDSAY ROWLAND, A. M., Ph. D. 
 
 SOMETIME UNIVERSITY FELLOW FOR RESEARCH IN HIS- 
 TORY, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA; MEMBER OF THE 
 AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, THE PENNSYL- 
 VANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE PHILADELPHIA CITY 
 HISTORY SOCIETY; DIRECTOR, THE TEACHER BUREAU, 
 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, HARRISBURG 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 FRANKLIN PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 

 To 
 
 My Father 
 
 whose fine sympathy has 
 
 been a constant 
 
 inspiration. 
 
 DEC 21 !920 
 
 Copyright, 1918 
 
 Copyright, 1920, by 
 
 Franklin Publishing and Supply Company 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 ©CI.A605080 
 
* PREFACE 
 
 This is a history reader for the Fourth Grade. Written 
 primarily for Pennsylvania school children, there is an em- 
 phasis on characters and incidents connected with the early 
 history of Pennsylvania that would be overbearing in a 
 book of more general appeal. 
 
 The report of the Committee of Eight of the American 
 Historical Association outlining a course of study in History 
 for the elementary grades was promptly recognized as a 
 sound basis for the development of modern and progressive 
 curricula. The Pennsylvania state course of study as well 
 as the more detailed syllabus prepared for the Philadelphia 
 schools, with the preparation of which it was my pleasure and 
 privilege to be closely identified, both show the influence of 
 this report. 
 
 This book is, first, a testimony to my firm belief in and 
 hearty approval of the new point of view expressed in these 
 syllabi and my intense interest in its successful operation; 
 and, second, is an effort to gather in one book all the material, 
 widely scattered and in some cases obscure, which this grade 
 requires. 
 
 That most children have a strong dislike for the study of 
 history is a severe criticism of the methods employed in the 
 past with a subject that should be of transcendent interest 
 to all boys and girls. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The fault has been chiefly in the kind of results which 
 the teaching sought to secure. Scores of dry facts, mean- 
 October, 1920. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART ONE 
 
 EXPLORERS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Leif the Lucky 7 
 
 Christopher Columbus 15 
 
 John and Sebastian Cabot 31 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon 35 
 
 Hernando de Soto 38 
 
 Fernando Magellan 43 
 
 Sir Francis Drake 46 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh 53 
 
 Samuel Champlain 60 
 
 Henry Hudson 69 
 
 John Smith 76 
 
 PART TWO 
 
 colonists 
 
 Miles Standish 97 
 
 Roger Williams 114 
 
 New England Settlers and the Indians 119 
 
 Lord Baltimore ] 25 
 
 Peter Stuyvesant 131 
 
 William Penn 135 
 
 The Colonists and the Indians 158 
 
 James Oglethorpe 169 
 
 George Washington 175 
 
 Benjamin Franklin 190 
 
 Life in the Colonies 209 
 
 Homes of the People 209 
 
 Preparing Meals 212 
 
 Dress 214 
 
 Traveling in the Colonies 217 
 
 Schools 221 
 
 5 
 
Virginians under Washington cover Braddock's retreat. 
 
HEROES OF 
 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 LEIF THE LUCKY 
 
 THE DARING ICELANDER 
 
 The Norsemen. — Far to the north in what is now 
 Norway and Sweden there once lived a brave wild people, 
 called Norsemen or Northmen. Sometimes they were called 
 "Vikings." They dressed in skins and furs and wore their 
 hair long. As they lived a great deal in the open air, they 
 grew to be large and strong. They lived for the most 
 part near the sea and so they learned to be great sailors. 
 They built their own ships and launched them on the 
 rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean. These ships were 
 long and low in the water and were driven both by sails 
 and oars. At the front of each ship was a high prow upon 
 which was carved a figure. This was usually the head of 
 some wild beast that glared fiercely over the water and was 
 supposed to frighten any enemies they met in battle. The 
 Norsemen often made long voyages in their Viking ships 
 stopping on some distant coast to burn and plunder the 
 towns and to kill the people there. So savage and sudden 
 were these attacks that few were able to withstand them. 
 
 7 
 
8 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 In England, France, and other countries mothers often 
 taught their children to pray to be delivered from the fury 
 of the Norsemen. 
 
 The Settlement of Iceland. — The country in which they 
 lived was cold and bare and mountainous so that it was not 
 very profitable to till the soil. This led many Norsemen to 
 seek other lands. Then too, they were so quick tempered 
 
 A Viking Ship. 
 
 and so independent in spirit that their kings had much 
 trouble ruling over them. Sometimes when the king in- 
 sisted that his laws must be obej^ed, rather than do so, 
 many of the nobles would gather their friends and followers 
 upon a ship and set out for some distant shore where they 
 might live as they pleased. One of the places settled in this 
 way was a large island many hundred miles west of Norway 
 which the settlers first called Snowland but which was 
 
LEIF THE LUCKY 9 
 
 later named what we call it to-day — Iceland. You and I 
 would not select such a place to make a home but we must 
 remember that these Norsemen were used to cold and ice 
 and snow. They probably found Iceland little different 
 from their own country. 
 
 Eric the Red. — One of the men who came to Iceland 
 had fled from his home because he had fought with a man 
 there and had killed him. He was a great tall fellow with a 
 red beard and red hair and, as his name was Eric, he was 
 called "Eric the Red." He had brought his family and 
 his followers with him and they settled down among the 
 other Norsemen who had come to Iceland. But Eric 
 was a troublesome fellow and it was not long 
 before he began to have disputes with his neigh- 
 bors. He was forced to move to another part of 
 the island which his people called Ericstad after 
 their leader. 
 
 Eric Quarrels with His Neighbors. — One day 
 Eric loaned one of his neighbors some "sea-posts," a Battle 
 probably short masts for ships or perhaps posts 
 to be driven into the shore in shallow water to which boats 
 might be fastened. At any rate, as with many things which 
 are borrowed and loaned, a dispute arose over these sea- 
 posts. Eric's neighbors all took sides, some for and some 
 against him. The matter became so serious that the case 
 was brought before the court and after hearing both sides 
 the court decided against Eric. He was declared an out- 
 law which meant that he could no longer live in Iceland. 
 
 The Discovery of Greenland. — He got ready his ship 
 
10 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 and with his followers set sail to the westward. Eric had 
 heard rumors of a land to the west and he determined to 
 find this land and settle there. It took great courage for 
 these men to sail away from their homes in an open boat. 
 They were not likely to return and had very little idea 
 of where they were going. Now-a-days when men take 
 ocean voyages they travel in great ships that are more like 
 hotels than boats. They are as safe as railway trains and in 
 peaceful times, just as likely to reach their destination. Not 
 so was it with Eric the Red and his band of hardy followers 
 but their courage carried them through, as cour- 
 age so often does. They at last came in sight 
 of the land they had heard of, lying green and 
 low upon the horizon. They called it "Green- 
 land" and we call it Greenland to-day. There 
 they settled and from time to time others joined 
 them from Iceland and elsewhere. Eric ruled 
 over them all in his rough way for many years. 
 Leif Ericson. — Now Eric had a son, Leif, 
 who grew to be a man, tall and strong, with fearless blue 
 eyes like his father. Very early in his life he learned to 
 sail a boat. Leif made many voyages, sometimes with his 
 father and sometimes alone with his men, for he was a leader 
 among the people of Greenland. 
 
 Leif Hears of a New Land. — One day there came to 
 Greenland to the great hall of Eric the Red, a Norseman 
 named Bjorni. He, too, had been a sailor and had trav- 
 elled to many strange lands. When dinner was over and 
 they had gathered round the big fire-place, young Leif 
 
LEIF THE LUCKY 11 
 
 listened breathlessly to the tale Bjorni told of a land to the 
 west of Greenland to which he had once been driven by a 
 storm. No one had ever spoken of this land before and Leif 
 resolved to go there and see the land for himself. 
 
 The Discovery of North America. — So Leif bought Bjor- 
 ni's ship and engaged thirty-five men to man it. He and his 
 companions then set sail for the unknown land to the west. 
 After sailing many days they came to the land that Bjorni 
 had last seen, a land like a plain of flat stones from the sea 
 to the mountains. Ice and snow were everywhere and, as 
 Leif said, the land appeared to have no good qualities. He 
 called it "Helluland" and we know to-day that it was New- 
 foundland at which Leif and his men stopped so many years 
 ago. Sailing further south they came to a white sandy 
 beach beyond which grew a thick dark woods. Leif named 
 this "Markland" and it is now called Nova Scotia. Still 
 more to the south they sailed between an island and the 
 mainland into a bay. This place was so pleasant that Leif 
 determined to leave the ship and spend the winter there. 
 So they anchored their ship and built houses for themselves 
 on the shore. 
 
 Vinland. — One of Leif Ericson's men was a German who 
 had not always lived in the cold lands of the North. One 
 day when they came in to dinner this German was missing. 
 Leif was troubled for this man had been a friend of his 
 father's and he had known him since childhood. A search 
 party was at once formed and they set out to look for their 
 lost companion. When they at last saw him he came to- 
 ward them reeling and speaking in a thick voice that they 
 
12 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 could not understand. Leif saw at once that he had lost 
 his wits but he could not tell why he was in this condition. 
 After several hours, however, the man was able to tell how 
 he had come upon vines laden with grapes rich and wild. 
 
 The story goes 
 
 on to tell that 
 he drank so 
 much of the 
 juice of these 
 grapes that he 
 was unable to 
 find his way 
 back to his 
 friends. At 
 first no one 
 believed what 
 he told them 
 of the grapes 
 
 as no grapes grew in the cold country from which they 
 had come. He knew that he spoke the truth, for he 
 had often seen grapes in his native Germany. Later they 
 gathered so many grapes that they filled the small boat 
 which they used in going' to and from the ship and grapes 
 formed part of the cargo which they took back to Green- 
 land. For this reason Leif called this country "Vinland" 
 or the land of vines and wine. Of course we know that 
 grape juice is not intoxicating but the story is interesting 
 and shows why the land was called Vinland. From the 
 descriptions which they have left we now know that they 
 
 Leif Ericson's Return to Greenland. 
 
LEIF THE LUCKY 
 
 13 
 
 had sailed along the southern coast of Massachusetts and 
 had wintered on the fertile shores of Rhode Island. 
 
 When the Spring came Leif and his followers again took 
 to their ship and returned to their home in Greenland. 
 There they told of their voyage and the 
 beautiful land which they had found 
 with its self-sown fields of grain and 
 its abundance of wild grapes. 
 
 Leif Ericson Called "The Lucky." 
 — Leif was now a very important man. 
 He had much wealth and influence and 
 was looked up to by all the people who 
 called him Leif, "the Lucky," because 
 of his fortunate adventures. Profes- 
 sional singers called "skalds" made the 
 tale of his voyage into a rude song or 
 "saga." This they sang to entertain 
 the people as they went from place 
 to place. 
 
 Other Voyages to the New Land. — Thorvald Ericson, 
 Leif s younger brother, made a later voyage to Vinland. 
 Some years after that a young man, Thorfinn Karlsefne, 
 took a small fleet of vessels and a considerable band of men 
 and visited all the lands of which Leif had told. They 
 settled there for a time and fought with the Indians whom 
 they called "Skraelings." They were not successful as they 
 had no guns and could not fight against so many Indians. 
 
 The Memory of These Discoveries Becomes Lost. — As 
 long as Leif lived and for many years after his death the 
 
 Lief Ericson, after the 
 Statue on Commonwealth 
 Avenue, Boston. 
 
14 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 people talked of the wonderful land of grapes and grain 
 which lay far to the southwest. Gradually voyages to 
 Vinland ceased and at length the people of Greenland were 
 themselves attacked and conquered by Eskimos. These 
 were fierce savages from the northwest whose descendants 
 still live in Greenland. For five hundred years after Leif's 
 time we know of no white man who sailed to the shores of 
 North America. For all those years the Red Indian was 
 left undisturbed in his possession of the land. 
 
 Viking Helmet. 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 
 
 A GREAT GEOGRAPHER 
 
 A Genoese Boy. — If you had been a sailor and had sailed 
 the Mediterranean Sea a great many years ago you would 
 have visited at some time or another the city of Genoa. 
 This was then one of 
 the greatest seaports 
 of the world. As 
 your ship anchored 
 in the harbor you 
 would have seen 
 about you hundreds 
 of other ships of all 
 kinds and from every 
 known country in the 
 world. Swift Vene- 
 tian galleys with 
 their graceful lines 
 and their long oars; stately Spanish galleons with high 
 decks and tall spars; fast Portuguese caravels, from the 
 Atlantic beyond the "Pillars of Hercules"; Moorish craft 
 from the African shore; and Turkish corsairs with their 
 crescent flags. All these would have been before your 
 very eyes as the ship's boat, that was to take you ashore, 
 was lowered into the water. When you reached the 
 
 15 
 
 The Boy Columbus. 
 
16 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 wharf you would have had to pick your way through 
 quantities of merchandise piled all about you. Carpets, 
 silks, casks of wine, bales of cotton cloth, barrels of oil 
 packages of cinnamon and pepper and spices, boxes of jew- 
 elry, gold and precious stones; all the rich products of the 
 wonderful East brought to the city of Genoa to be sold to 
 the rest of the world. Had you looked about very sharply 
 you might have seen a boy with dark hair and clear blue 
 eyes, intently watching the busy scene around him. Had 
 you seen that boy you would have seen Christopher Co- 
 lumbus who was to become the discoverer of America. 
 The Boy Becomes a Sailor.— He was the son of a wool- 
 comber of Genoa. In those days wool had to be combed by 
 hand before it was ready to be spun. Wool combing was 
 a regular trade like weaving and tailoring. Young Chris- 
 topher after going to school for some years had been put 
 to work helping his father comb wool. The boy cared 
 little for this and would far rather go to the docks. There 
 he could watch the ships arrive from the East with their 
 precious cargoes, or laden with other goods, sail away to 
 unknown lands. He longed to be a sailor and share in those 
 adventurous voyages. After some years his father allowed 
 him to go. Then we find him sailing the Mediterranean 
 and at length going to live with his brother Bartholomew 
 in Lisbon, the chief city of Portugal. The Portuguese were 
 at this time the greatest sailors in the whole world and 
 Columbus made many voyages with them. At one time 
 he went far down the African coast ; at another he sailed to 
 England. At still another time it is said he visited distant 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 17 
 
 Iceland where Leif Ericson had lived so many years before. 
 He may have heard there of Leif s voyage of which we have 
 already read, but if he did, he never said anything about it. 
 
 Columbus Believes the World is Round Like a Ball. — 
 However, he soon began to think of sailing westward across 
 that unknown sea, a voyage that not even the adventurous 
 Portuguese sailors had yet dared to take. When on shore" 
 Columbus made charts and maps for other sailors to use. 
 Of course, he did much thinking about the position of the 
 continents and the shape of the earth. Most people at this 
 time believed the world to be flat like a pancake. Although 
 no one had ever had the courage to try to prove this theory, 
 certain learned men had said that the world was round like 
 a ball. Columbus agreed with them and was willing to 
 risk his reputation and even his life to attempt to prove 
 that he was right. He believed that you could sail straight 
 west from Portugal right around the world and come to 
 India. This is exactly what everyone would have liked 
 to do. 
 
 Trade Routes Gl „***>& - 
 
 to the East are "S^'^ 
 
 Closed.— W hen ' L .7'<'-^mMM^^w\ ' JPQf 
 
 Columbus was &fi . WwM{/w^Ym: : :': \/H >^|k 
 
 only seven years "''** !1 - : -vW''.4 
 
 old the Turks, a '^ " ' : -- f MkL 
 
 rude savage peo- A Caravan - 
 
 pie, had captured the city of Constantinople. After that it 
 
 was no longer easy to bring goods from the east. The Turks 
 
 would rob the caravans on land, and their pirate ships would 
 
18 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 capture the merchant vessels that attempted to go by sea. 
 If people could have reached India and China and Japan 
 by sailing westward they need not have feared the Turks. 
 
 The Riches of Cathay. — To strengthen his belief Colum- 
 bus had received a letter from a very famous scientist of 
 the city of Florence named Toscanelli to whom he had 
 written. Toscanelli told Columbus he certainly could 
 reach Cepango and Cathay, as Japan and China were then 
 called. He told, too, about the wealth and beauty of the 
 cities there, of the gold and silver and precious stones, of 
 the wise men and great kings. This made Columbus feel 
 that he could never be happy until he had proved his theory 
 and had visited these wonderful lands. 
 
 Columbus Seeks Aid for His Plan. — Columbus was now 
 a man of more than thirty years of age. His hair had 
 turned white and this, together with his tall dignified bear- 
 ing, made him appear a very important person. His dis- 
 tinguished appearance and his high character had won for 
 him, notwithstanding his lowly birth, the daughter of a 
 prominent Portuguese noble for his wife. He was thus 
 able to get the king of Portugal to listen to his plan. 
 
 But Columbus insisted that he should be made ruler of 
 all the lands which he might discover and should have a 
 large share of all the gold and silver which might be found 
 there. This the king was unwilling to grant and Columbus 
 made his plea in vain. 
 
 The King of Portugal Makes an Experiment. — Mean- 
 while, the king sent out a secret expedition to cross the un- 
 known ocean to see if India were really there as Columbus 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 
 
 19 
 
 said it was. The sailors on this expedition were filled with 
 ? ear. They had heard frightful tales of sea-serpents and 
 iangers from storms and calms so that they had scarcely 
 sailed out of sight of land when they became too terrified to 
 proceed further and hastily turned back. When they 
 -eached home they spread such 
 ireadful tales of the monsters they 
 tiad seen that the king gave up all 
 idea of sending an expedition. Sail- 
 ers all over Portugal were now 
 greatly afraid of the dangers of the 
 unknown sea. 
 
 Columbus Goes to Spain. — When 
 Columbus heard what the king had 
 ione he was very angry. He left 
 his wife and children and went to 
 Spain, hoping to persuade the king 
 ind queen of that country to do 
 what he had asked of the king of 
 Portugal. For five years he re- 
 gained at the Spanish court serv- 
 ng as a map-maker and trying to 
 nterest someone in his scheme. He 
 lid at last succeed in having two 
 councils of learned men called to listen to his theories. 
 \iter hearing his arguments, each decided against him and 
 n disgust he returned to Portugal. He arrived in time to 
 ;ee the triumphant return of Bartholomew Dias. This was 
 i famous Portuguese sailor who had just succeeded in sailing 
 
 Columbus Statue at Madrid, 
 Spain. 
 
20 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 round the cape of Good Hope at the southern point of 
 Africa, and north into the Indian Ocean. Tins news was 
 greeted with great rejoicing in Lisbon and Columbus be- 
 came more determined than ever to try his way to reach the 
 Indies. Portugal would give him no help, however, so he 
 persuaded his brother, Bartholomew, to go to England and 
 seek aid there. Columbus, himself, intended to try his for- 
 tune at the court of the king of France. 
 
 A Friend at Last. — All the time that other men had been 
 winning comfort for themselves Columbus had been dream- 
 ing dreams and he was now poor and wretched. His wife 
 had died, he was without money and almost without 
 friends, yet his heart was strong, his eye steadfast and Ins 
 tread firm. He still believed that any country that would 
 aid his plans would become rich. So he started off on foot, 
 with his little son, Diego, to try to get the French king to 
 listen to his plans. Not far from Palos, the port at which he 
 meant to take ship for France, he stopped for rest and food 
 at the convent of La Rabida. The Prior or head of the 
 convent was struck by the fine face and noble bearing of 
 the stranger and began to talk with him. Columbus 
 described his belief that the world was round and his idea 
 of crossing the Atlantic Ocean to India. He told of his 
 unsuccessful attempts to gain aid from Spain and Portugal 
 and said he was now on his way to France to give to that 
 country the opportunity the others had declined. The 
 Prior was much interested. It happened that he had at 
 one time been a close friend of Queen Isabella and he under- 
 took to present Columbus' cause once more to the Queen. 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 
 
 21 
 
 He was so far successful that she sent money for Columbus 
 to journey to the court so that he once more laid his plan 
 before the king and queen of Spain. He was so insistent, 
 however, that he be given such high honor and great power 
 in the new land he was to discover that he was again dis- 
 missed. 
 
 Aid is Secured for the Attempt. — He had bought a mule 
 with the money the queen had given him and mounting 
 
 The Departure — Columbus Leaving Spain. 
 
 this animal he again set out for France. One of the court 
 gentlemen was greatly impressed with Columbus and his 
 plan and he showed the queen that she had all to gain 
 and nothing to lose in giving Columbus the honors for 
 which he asked. If there was no land where Columbus said 
 there was, his titles would be empty. If he should discover 
 
22 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 a new land there would still be much profit for Spain. At 
 length she was persuaded, and a swift messenger was sent 
 after Columbus to command his return to the court. His 
 terms were accepted and preparations were at once made to 
 fit out an expedition. 
 
 The Expedition is Made Ready. — The king and queen 
 were very poor at this time but the royal treasurer loaned 
 
 their share of the nec- 
 essary money. Some 
 friends of the good 
 prior of the convent 
 of La Rabida ad- 
 vanced the share 
 which Columbus had 
 to provide. There 
 was much trouble in 
 finding sailors who 
 were willing to go. 
 The tales which had 
 been spread about 
 the sea-serpents were 
 still well known and it was finally necessary to compel men 
 to go on Columbus' ships. Some of the criminals in prison 
 were given their freedom provided they would go on the 
 voyage. The ships were not vessels in which you or I 
 would care to take a long sea voyage. Only one, the larg- 
 est, called the Santa Maria, had a deck covering the whole 
 ship. The smallest, the Nina, meaning the ''Baby/' had 
 no deck at all and was simply an open boat not much larger 
 
 Columbus' Ships. 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 23 
 
 than a big rowboat. The sailors might well have been 
 afraid to sail in such craft even if there had been no tales of 
 dreadful dangers they would encounter. 
 
 The First Voyage. — However, after a good deal of de- 
 lay, they were ready to sail and on the 4th of August, 1492, 
 they lifted anchor and sailed out of the harbor of Palos. 
 The two smaller vessels, the Pinta and the Nina, were in 
 command of the Pinzon brothers, two sturdy seamen of 
 Palos. The flagship, the Santa Maria, was commanded by 
 the Admiral, as Columbus was now called. A delay of 
 several weeks at the Canary Islands further held back the 
 voyage but at last even this bit of land became dim on the 
 eastern horizon. Many of the sailors wept as they saw 
 it disappear knowing they would now have to face the un- 
 known terrors which they so dreaded. 
 
 The False Log. — Each day all were anxious to know 
 how far from home they had sailed. Columbus soon re- 
 alized that, if the distance became too great, his sailors 
 might be unwilling to continue the voyage. He there- 
 fore arranged with his captains to announce each day a 
 distance less than the number of miles they had actually 
 sailed. By this means they appeared to be closer to their 
 homes than they really were. Fortunately for Columbus 
 the weather was fine and signs of land were appearing to 
 urge them to sail on. Birds not thought to be able to fly 
 far from land; a carved stick floating on the water; a drizzling 
 rain without wind; a great cloud on the northern horizon; 
 all of these they believed to be signs of the nearness of land. 
 
 Fortune Favors the Brave Admiral. — It took very little 
 
24 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 to frighten the sailors, however. For days a gentle breeze 
 had been blow ing steadily westward and there was much fear 
 that it would never blow the other way to bring them home 
 again. But on Thursday the twenty-second of September a 
 contrary wind arose and their fears were calmed. Another 
 time they became alarmed because the sea remained so calm 
 
 they feared the 
 ships would reach 
 a point where they 
 would remain with- 
 out moving until 
 they and their 
 crews rotted away. 
 Fortune again fa- 
 vored Columbus 
 for the next day 
 the sea was rough 
 and the waves 
 towered high 
 above the # ships. 
 Sea-weed, which 
 they at first took to be a sign of land, became so thick that 
 they feared it would entangle the vessels and hold them 
 fast. The ships sailed on and the sea-weed grew less and less. 
 Land Discovered. — A reward of money from the king 
 and queen and a silk coat from the Admiral, had been 
 offered to the sailor who would first discover land. Every 
 sailor wanted to win these rewards. Now and again some- 
 one would shout "Land" but it would prove to be no more 
 
 Columbus Sighting the New World. 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 
 
 25 
 
 than a cloud lying low in the west. At last, on the eleventh 
 of October, sailors on the Pinta saw a piece of sugar-cane, 
 then a pole and later a small board floating on the water. 
 The Nina's crew saw a branch with berries on it. These were 
 unmistakable signs of land and all hands watched eagerly for 
 the first real glimpse of the shores they sought. Just about 
 
 Landing of Columbus — from the painting by Vanderlyn, in the Capitol at 
 
 Washington. 
 
 dawn of the next day, which was the twelfth of October, a 
 sailor on the Pinta saw the land. His name was Rodrigo de 
 Triana and you may be sure he received the reward 
 although the Admiral said that he himself had seen a light 
 the night before which must have come from the same shore. 
 The Landing. — When daylight came Columbus pre- 
 
26 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 pared to go ashore. Dressed in his handsomest suit and 
 accompanied by his officers bearing the cross of the Church 
 and the royal flag of Spain, he stepped upon the beach. 
 Taking the flag in his hand he took possession of the land 
 for the king and queen of Spain. Behind him stood the 
 captains, each with a green banner bearing a large cross 
 with an F. and a Y. and a crown over each letter, one on 
 each side of the cross. These letters stood for Ferdinand 
 and Isabella, spelled "Ysabella" in those days, the king and 
 queen of Spain. 
 
 Columbus Calls the Natives, "Indians." — The natives 
 
 who had at first 
 fled into the woods 
 now ventured out 
 to see these won- 
 derful beings with 
 white faces and 
 strange clothes. 
 They thought the 
 white men had 
 come from heaven 
 on the backs of 
 great birds, for 
 such they be- 
 lieved the ships 
 These natives wore little 
 They were of a gentle 
 
 Buying Food from the Indians. 
 
 with their many sails to be 
 
 clothing and carried no weapons 
 
 disposition and Columbus gave orders that no harm be 
 
 done them. He gave them red caps and glass beads to 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 27 
 
 put round their necks and tried to talk to them by means 
 of signs and gestures. He was disappointed in not finding 
 them dressed in costly silks and wearing gold ornaments 
 as he had heard the people of India dressed. However, he 
 never doubted that this was India so he called the people 
 Indians. We still call them by this name. The Indians 
 tried to tell Columbus of another people greater and richer 
 than they who lived further to the west and the Admiral 
 believed he would there find the wealth he was seeking. 
 
 A Settlement is Made. — He sailed on and discovered 
 the islands of Cuba and Hayti but two things happened 
 which made him hasten back to Spain. The captain and 
 crew of the Pinta had deserted the Admiral and had sailed 
 away hoping to be the first to bring the good news home, and 
 the Santa Maria had been wrecked on the shore of Hayti. 
 This left only the little Nina, the smallest of the three 
 ships. Columbus, fearing something might happen to her, 
 too, which would prevent his ever getting back to Spain, 
 determined to return at once. As the vessel was far too 
 small to hold all the men, it was necessary that about 
 forty of them should stay on the island of Hayti until Co- 
 lumbus could come back with a larger ship. A fort was 
 built and food and provisions enough to last a year were 
 given to the men who said they would remain. Then Co- 
 lumbus, taking with him six Indians, several parrots and a 
 quantity of other things as proof of the lands he had dis- 
 covered, set sail for Spain. Three days later the Pinta 
 appeared but again deserted during a heavy storm and 
 actually reached the coast of Spain before Columbus. But 
 
28 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the king and queen would not receive the Pinta's captain 
 until the Admiral had arrived so he was not allowed to rob 
 Columbus of the credit of his discovery. 
 
 The Return. — On the way back Columbus first touched 
 at Lisbon in Portugal. There he was highly honored by 
 the officers of the king of Portugal where he had been 
 denied help so many years before. He then sailed on to 
 Spain where he disembarked and journeyed to the city 
 of Barcelona. He was received there by 
 the king and queen with all honor. The 
 streets were hung with flags and the Ad- 
 miral, riding on a handsome steed and es- 
 corted by officers of the crown and his 
 faithful followers, marched to the palace 
 through the shouting, admiring crowds. 
 The king and queen treated him as a great 
 noble bidding him be seated in their pres- 
 ence and listening with all respect and much 
 interest to the tale of his discovery. The 
 whole country united in praising him. 
 The Second Voyage. — Men were now eager to sail with 
 the great Admiral. Fifteen ships formed the second expedi- 
 tion. Besides sailors and soldiers there were many gentle- 
 men who wished to make their fortunes in the new world. 
 When the fleet reached Navidad, the name Columbus had 
 given to the fort built on the island of Hayti for the men 
 who were left behind on the first voyage, they found it 
 empty with no signs of the men. They had not treated 
 the natives kindly as Columbus had ordered them to do. 
 
 Armor Worn by 
 Columbus — Royal 
 Palace, Madrid. 
 
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 
 
 29 
 
 / 
 
 Their actions had been so brutal that the Indians rose up 
 against the Spaniards and slew them all. A new city was 
 now established and named after Queen Isabella. Three 
 years were spent in building up the colony and exploring 
 the neighboring islands. There were many quarrels among 
 the leaders, however, and all were jealous of Columbus and 
 his authority. The Admiral was not as good a ruler as he 
 was a discoverer. He was brave and fearless but he did 
 not have the ability to 
 rule over other people. 
 He soon saw that things 
 were not going well and 
 determined to return to 
 Spain and lay his case 
 before the king and 
 queen. He arrived in 
 Spain in 1496, three 
 years after he sailed 
 on his second voyage. 
 There he found power- 
 ful nobles who talked 
 against him to the king and queen. It was two years before 
 he was allowed to return to his lands in the new world. 
 
 The Third Voyage. — His third voyage was very event- 
 ful. He discovered the mainland of South America but 
 quarrelled so with the Spanish colonists that they com- 
 plained of him to the king and queen who sent a man out 
 to the colony to investigate the charges. This man was 
 unfriendly to Columbus and sent him back to Spain under 
 
 Columbus in Chains. 
 
30 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 arrest with chains on his hands and feet. Though he was 
 released as soon as he arrived and restored to the favor of 
 the king and queen the shame of having been under arrest 
 was so painful to the Admiral that he never entirely re- 
 covered. 
 
 The Disappointment and Death of Columbus. — Al- 
 though he allowed him to retain the title of Admiral, the 
 king now realized that Columbus would not make a good 
 ruler and refused to restore him to the command of the 
 colonies which he had founded. This hurt Columbus 
 deeply and he never ceased to seek to be restored to the 
 power which was taken from him. In 1502 he made 
 another voyage, this time exploring the coast of Central 
 America, but in returning to the settlement at Hayti his 
 ship was wrecked on the island of Jamaica and he and 
 the crew almost perished before help was sent to them. 
 At last he returned to Spain which he reached only a short 
 time before the death of his best friend, Queen Isabella. 
 There w r as now no one to plead his cause and, sick and 
 disappointed, he himself died three years later. 
 
 He never learned that the land he had discovered was 
 not India, but a new continent, destined to be greater than 
 either Spain or the East he had so wished to reach. His 
 descendants continued to hold the title of Admiral of 
 the Indies and were given posts of honor and profit under 
 the Spanish government. Today there is no name honored 
 more in both Spain and America than that of the dis- 
 coverer of the new world, Christopher Columbus. 
 
JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT 
 
 FATHER AND SON 
 
 An Italian Boy. — John Cabot was born in Genoa, Italy, 
 but when he was quite young he removed to Venice, a big 
 and beautiful city on the Adriatic Sea. Ships were con- 
 stantly sailing from this busy port and Cabot was much 
 interested in watching the vessels come and go. He dreamed 
 of lands that were far away, and made up his mind when he 
 was old enough he would go on a voyage and visit these 
 distant places. 
 
 In England. — Before he became a sailor he left Italy and 
 went to England, where he lived in the town of Bristol, 
 which was on the sea-coast. His interest in ships and com- 
 merce still continued, and in this way he was brought to 
 the notice of the King of England. Cabot was anxious to 
 cross the Atlantic Ocean and search for new lands. The 
 king gave him papers with power to take possession of any 
 lands which he might discover, so he fitted out a vessel and 
 started on his voyage. 
 
 A Voyage to America. — After a rough passage the ex- 
 plorers reached the shores of North America north of 
 Newfoundland, near the middle of the coast of Labrador. 
 They found the land was fertile and the climate fine, and 
 soon returned to England to make a report and arrange for 
 a colony to settle the newly found possessions. King Ed- 
 
 31 
 
32 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 ward was much pleased, and as a reward he gave John Cabot 
 the title of Great Admiral. 
 
 Shortly before this time Columbus had returned to Spain 
 after having discovered the new world. News reached 
 England of the wonderful riches to be found in the lands 
 beyond the sea — gold, silver, precious gems, and spices. 
 
 John Cabot is Lost at Sea. — The people were much 
 excited over these reports. This made it easy for John 
 Cabot, under the king's direction, to fit out an expedition 
 of five vessels with full crews and plenty of provisions for 
 the long voyage. 
 
 Severe storms met them soon, and one of the ships put 
 back and landed on the Irish coast. The crew returned to 
 England and reported that the whole fleet had been de- 
 stroyed by the storm. 
 
 Whether or not this was true cannot be told, for noth- 
 ing further was ever heard of John Cabot or his expedition. 
 
 Sebastian a Map-maker. — His son, Sebastian, was born 
 in Italy, but came with his father to England. 
 
 He became famous for his skill in drawing maps, and 
 because of this useful accomplishment he was employed to 
 prepare plans for an English military expedition into France. 
 He went with the army, prepared plans, made maps of the 
 country, and remained with the soldiers while they were in 
 southwestern France. The King of Spain wanted the use 
 of his services, and persuaded him to leave the English 
 Army and come into Spain. Here he was raised to high 
 position in the navigation office and given the title of Pilot- 
 major. 
 
JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT 
 
 33 
 
 Sebastian, like his father, had a fondness for the sea, and 
 desired to sail away to explore the far-off lands. 
 
 It was thought there was much gold, silver, and precious 
 stones, besides spices to be found in the distant countries, 
 
 Sebastian Cabot, the "Map-maker." 
 
 and the King of Spain desired to get a share of these treas- 
 ures. 
 
 He Sails for the King of Spain.— He fitted out a fleet of 
 ships under the command of Sebastian Cabot, who guided 
 the expedition safely across the Atlantic Ocean. They ex- 
 plored the coast of North America from Labrador to Florida. 
 Misled by the Indians, they entered the mouths of many 
 rivers in search of treasure, but did not succeed in finding 
 
34 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 any. After spending three years seeking gold, without 
 success, the expedition returned to Spain. 
 
 Cabot was blamed for the failure to bring back the rich 
 treasure that was expected. He was tried and found guilty, 
 and would have been seriously punished but for the king, 
 who pardoned him and restored him to the post of Pilot- 
 major. 
 
 Again in England. — After remaining some years in 
 Spain he went back to England, where he held an important 
 office with the title of Great Pilot. 
 
 He planned and made ready several expeditions to the 
 coast of America, but did not himself sail on the voyages. 
 
 The Cabots, father and son, were simply adventurers in 
 selfish search for treasure. They did not attempt to estab- 
 lish colonies to settle and cultivate the lands they discovered. 
 
 Their voyages and explorations added nothing to the 
 development of the Western Hemisphere. 
 
PONCE DE LEON AND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 
 
 In the days when America was first discovered men 
 knew much less than is known today, and because they had 
 less real knowledge they had more faith in signs and wonders 
 and queer stories which they heard. They were particu- 
 larly willing to believe almost anything that was told them 
 about the new world which had been found to the west of 
 the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 The Fountain of Youth. — One of these strange * tales 
 which was repeated many times was the story of the miracu- 
 lous fountain of youth. It was said that if an old man were 
 to bathe in the waters of this stream he would become 
 young again, nor would he ever after grow old. Men who 
 would have laughed at this story back in their native land 
 of Spain did not hesitate to believe the tale on the shores of 
 the new world, of which they knew so little. 
 
 Ponce de Leon. — Among these was a man who had 
 sailed with Columbus on his second voyage and who had 
 lived for some years on the island of Cuba. This man's 
 name was Juan Ponce de Leon. He had heard the story 
 from the Indians who told him that the fountain was to be 
 found in a land to the north of Cuba, called "Bimini." 
 Ponce de Leon became so interested in this wonderful foun- 
 tain that he determined to spend the rest of his life in search- 
 ing for it. 
 
 35 
 
36 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Search. — Accordingly, he set sail with a band of 
 followers in the early spring of the year 1513. After some 
 days' voyage they landed on a smooth beach beyond which 
 
 Ponce de Leon bathing in the " Fountain of Youth." 
 
 grew the thickest green foliage and the pleasantest flow- 
 ers they had ever seen. They called this new land Florida, 
 or the land of flowers. Whenever they came to a stream or 
 
PONCE DE LEON 37 
 
 lake or even a puddle they bathed therein, hoping that they 
 had found the famous fountain. 
 
 The End of the Quest. — But the Indians were not 
 friendly, and again and again attacked them, at last driving 
 them back to their ships. In one of the attacks Ponce de 
 Leon was wounded by an arrow. Although he returned to 
 Cuba, this wound caused his death, and so ended his quest 
 for the fountain of everlasting youth. 
 
 / 
 
HERNANDO DE SOTO AND THE SPANISH POS- 
 SESSIONS IN AMERICA 
 
 A Search for Gold. — After the Conquest of Mexico by 
 the Spanish General Cortez and the Conquest of Peru by 
 Pizarro, in which vast treasures of precious metal and gems 
 were taken from the Aztecs, some of the Spanish soldiers 
 were eager to make further explorations. 
 
 King Charles of Spain believed that great wealth could 
 be found in other countries to the northward. He was 
 ready to assist any expedition in search of these riches on 
 condition that a large share of the treasure that was dis- 
 covered should be shipped to him for his own use. 
 
 Such an expedition, consisting of about six hundred men, 
 under the command of Hernando de Soto, sailed from 
 Spain and reached the coast of Florida. Their idea was to 
 leave the seashore and travel on foot through the great un- 
 explored lands of the interior. 
 
 Many adventures and many difficulties were met before 
 they were able to present these large possessions to their 
 sovereign, Charles V, King of Spain. 
 
 A Hard Journey. — Leaving the Port of Baya Honda, 
 where they had landed from their vessels, the Spaniards 
 marched in a westerly direction and then northeast ; twenty- 
 six horsemen and sixty foot soldiers remained at the port 
 to defend their vessels and the fort which they had built 
 
 38 
 
HERNANDO DE SOTO 
 
 39 
 
 until they should receive orders from their commander to 
 join him. 
 
 They continued to march across the swamps and rivers, 
 and reached a village about which they had been told 
 strange stories. Among others the inhabitants pretended 
 
 
 De Soto preparing to attack an Indian village. 
 
 that when they shouted aloud the birds flying in the air 
 would fall dead to the ground. 
 
 The Spanish soldiers, however, did not witness this 
 wonderful sight, but rested here several days and then con- 
 tinued their march. 
 
 Coming to a large and rapid river they built boats and 
 rafts of pine trees to cross over. 
 
 Indian villages were passed in which the houses were 
 built like caverns dug out of the earth. Others had huts 
 
40 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 above ground and covered with branches of palm trees 
 and straw. There were many battles, which the Spanish 
 always won. The Indians, fighting with bows and arrows, 
 were no match for the soldiers, who fought with firearms. 
 
 A Terrible Battle. — One of the most serious of these 
 encounters was when the soldiers arrived at a village built 
 on a plain and surrounded by strong walls. Some of the 
 Indian chiefs met the Spanish and told them they could 
 encamp on the plain, but De Soto preferred going with them 
 into the town. 
 
 They saw only three or four hundred Indians, who enter- 
 tained them with dancing and feasting, but there were hid 
 in the town five or six thousand men to surprise them. 
 
 After the dancing was over the chief retired into one of 
 his huts. De Soto requested him to come out, which he 
 refused to do. A Spanish captain went in after him and 
 found the hut filled with warriors armed with bows and 
 arrows. 
 
 He reported to De Soto what he had seen, and told him 
 that he suspected they were going to commit some treach- 
 ery. 
 
 The Indians now began to shoot their arrows from the 
 loopholes in their houses, while others discharged them from 
 the outside. 
 
 The Spaniards suffered severely and were compelled to 
 leave the village. 
 
 De Soto ordered sixty or eighty horsemen to arrange 
 themselves into four platoons and attack the village in four 
 different places. 
 
HERNANDO DE SOTO 
 
 41 
 
 They fought all day, and when night came only three 
 Indians were alive, while the houses of the village were 
 destroyed by fire. 
 
 The Spanish lost twenty men killed and had two hun- 
 dred and fifty wounded. 
 
 The Death of De Soto. — Thus the wanderings of De 
 Soto and his men continued for a period of four long and 
 
 Burial of De Soto in the Mississippi River. 
 
 weary years. Through swamps, across streams, in fights 
 with Indians, and perils of all kinds till they reached the 
 Mississippi River, but nowhere was found the gold for which 
 these perils were endured. De Sotd and his company were 
 the first white men to gaze upon this river called by the 
 Indians the "Father of Waters," but the doughty leader, 
 
42 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 brave and cruel, was never to see his native land again. 
 He died by the side of the mighty stream. The Indians 
 had thought De Soto a god, and his followers feared for 
 their own lives if the natives learned that he had died. 
 Secretly, then, in the darkness of night, his body was buried 
 in the waters of the great river. 
 
 The journeys of these bold Spaniards covered most of 
 the southern part of the United States, and included Florida, 
 Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and 
 Texas. 
 
 It was a vast and valuable territory to come into pos- 
 session of Spain. 
 
MAGELLAN AND THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND 
 
 THE WORLD 
 
 A Portuguese. — Fernando de Magellanes, or Fernao de 
 Magalhaes, which is the Portuguese way to spell his name, 
 was born in Portugal, a little country to the west of Spain, 
 which had also produced many fearless adventurers in the 
 days of Columbus. You may remember that Columbus 
 himself sought the aid of the King of Portugal, and that 
 the Portuguese were the first sailors to round the Cape of 
 Good Hope at the southern end of Africa. This country 
 faces the stormy Atlantic and their men have always been 
 brave sailors. 
 
 In the Service of Spain. — Magellan belonged to a wealthy 
 and noble family, and he had spent some time in the king's 
 service in India, which at that time belonged largely to 
 Portugal. However, he had a quarrel with his king, and 
 giving up his native land, he offered his services to the 
 King of Spain. 
 
 A Voyage of Discovery. — He had heard from some sailors 
 that a way by water lay to the south of America, and he 
 determined to find this passage. After some difficulty the 
 Spanish King gave him five ships, and he set sail twenty- 
 seven years after Columbus began his first famous voyage. 
 Magellan reached the shores of South America and then 
 sailed south, until at last he saw the narrow strait that 
 has since been named for him. 
 
 43 
 
44 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Through the Straits of Magellan. — Although he had 
 trouble persuading his crews, he boldly entered the strait, 
 and a month later was in the calm waters of the Pacific 
 Ocean. Indeed, it was Magellan who gave to that ocean its 
 name, which means " peaceful." As a matter of fact, the 
 storms of the Pacific Ocean are more severe than those of 
 the Atlantic, but Magellan and his men were so impressed 
 
 Magellan killed by natives in the Philippines. 
 
 by its calm when they first saw this great ocean that they 
 gave to it the name it bears today. 
 
 Magellan is Killed. — Continuing boldly to the west, 
 stopping at a number of islands on the way, they came 
 finally to the Philippines, where Magellan made friends with 
 the natives. To prove this friendship he promised to aid 
 one of the native chiefs against his enemies on another 
 island. In the battle which followed Magellan was killed 
 and was thus prevented from completing the voyage. 
 
FERNANDO MAGELLAN 45 
 
 The Voyage Completed. — One of his vessels did sail on, 
 however, through the Indian Ocean, round the Cape of 
 Good Hope, and up the west shore of Africa to the coast of 
 Spain again. This ship had sailed steadily westward com- 
 pletely round the world, proving that the earth was a round 
 ball and that by keeping steadily going in one direction one 
 could come again to the starting-point. No more did men 
 fear they would fall off the edge, and it was now known surely 
 that the new land discovered by Columbus was not India, 
 but a new land indeed, of which no one had known before 
 and where riches were to be far greater than the fabled 
 wealth of Cathay. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 
 
 THE TERROR OF THE SPANISH MAIN 
 
 A Sailor Boy. — Of all the bold, brave men of England in 
 the days of Queen Elizabeth, there was none whose adven- 
 
 The boy Francis Drake listening to tales of adventure. 
 
 tures were so thrilling as those of Sir Francis Drake. Francis 
 was born in the county of Devon on the shore of the English 
 
 46 
 
FRANCIS DRAKE 
 
 47 
 
 Channel, and as a boy he learned to be a sailor. His life 
 on shipboard and in the streets and wharfs of the channel 
 ports taught him the tales of Spanish gold and strange lands 
 across the sea which all were telling in those days. He 
 
 Drake's first view of the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 longed to take part in the wonderful adventures of these 
 boastful men who drank their ale and sang their songs in the 
 taverns by the salt sea. 
 
48 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 He Sails for the Spanish Main. — Now Spain was not 
 friendly to England in those days, and Queen Elizabeth 
 had no love for the dark, cold, and haughty Philip, King of 
 Spain. She shed no tears and scolded very little, therefore, 
 when Francis Drake, in command of a fleet of vessels, sailed 
 across the Atlantic Ocean and fought with the Spanish ships 
 in their own seas. He captured rich towns and ships laden 
 with gold and silver, and he struck terror to the hearts of the 
 Spaniards who thought themselves so safe in their new found 
 land of America. 
 
 The South Sea. — With some hardy companions he walked 
 across the Isthmus of Panama and was the first Englishman 
 to see the Pacific Ocean, or the South Sea, as it was then 
 called, on whose broad waters he swore he would some day 
 sail. 
 
 A Famous Voyage. — Returning to England with his rich 
 spoils he was the hero of the hour. The Queen smiled upon 
 him and all the courtiers were his friends. He was not long 
 content to stay in England, but fitted out another expedi- 
 tion of five vessels to prey upon the riches of the Spanish 
 Main. The Queen could not openly approve his plan, but 
 secretly she aided him. He sailed to South America, and 
 then southward to the Straits of Magellan, of which we 
 have already learned. After battling with the storms of 
 these narrow waters for sixteen days he entered the Pacific 
 Ocean only to find that his own ship, "The Pelican," alone 
 was left of all the fleet of five. But Drake was always at 
 his best in the face of apparent misfortune. He sailed up 
 the west coast of South America, attacking the undefended 
 
FRANCIS DRAKE 
 
 49 
 
 Spanish cities which he found there, and taking rich stores 
 of gold for his queen, himself, and his followers. 
 
 California for England. — At length he came to the coast 
 of what we now call California. Entering a pleasant bay 
 he and his men landed on the shore and were taken for gods 
 by the native Indians, who insisted on placing a crown on 
 
 Sir Francis Drake on the deck of the "Pelican." 
 
 Drake's- head, and making him their king. This land he 
 took in the name of Queen Elizabeth and called it New 
 Albion, Albion being a name by which England is some- 
 times known. 
 
 Around the World. — As he had but one ship and few fol- 
 
50 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 lowers, Drake decided not to return as he had come, where 
 the Spaniards were surely awaiting him with their greatest 
 war vessels, but to continue to sail westward. This he did, 
 stopping at many islands on the way, and coming at last to 
 the Indian Ocean and the shore of Africa. He sailed around 
 the Cape of Good Hope and finally reached Plymouth, the 
 English seaport town from which he had sailed nearly three 
 years before. He had sailed completely around the world, 
 
 Queen Elizabeth knighting Sir Francis Drake. 
 
 as had Magellan's ships so many years before. Magellan 
 had not lived to see the completion of his famous V03^age, 
 while Drake reaped all the glory of his adventure. 
 
 In High Favor. — Queen Elizabeth greeted him joyfully, 
 and causing him to kneel before her, struck him lightly on 
 the shoulder with her sword, saying, "Francis Drake, I dub 
 thee Knight." 
 
FRANCIS DRAKE 51 
 
 After that he was called Sir Francis Drake and was one 
 of the greatest men in the kingdom. 
 
 Spain and England. — It was not long before the Queen 
 of England began to hear of the preparations which the King 
 of Spain was making to send a great battle fleet to England 
 and conquer that country. News came by way of the cap- 
 tains of ships that the great fleet lay at anchor in the Span- 
 ish harbor of Cadiz. 
 
 Singeing the King's Beard. — Sir Francis Drake asked 
 that he might go and attack this fleet. Without warning, in 
 the midst of their preparations, Drake and his English ships 
 sailed into the harbor and under the fire of the guns of the 
 forts he and his men burned and sank most of the Spanish 
 fleet, the great Armada that was to attack England. He 
 called this singeing the beard of the King of Spain, and Queen 
 Elizabeth again praised him for his skill and courage. 
 
 The Armada. — But the next year another Spanish fleet 
 came to attack England. There were over two hundred ves- 
 sels in the fleet, great towering galleons armed with cannon 
 and bearing thousands of soldiers to conquer the British Isles. 
 
 Preparations were made in England to meet this attack. 
 Lord Howard was put in command of the English Navy and 
 Drake was made vice-admiral. While they were waiting 
 for the Spanish ships to come the officers were playing a 
 game of bowls to pass away the time. Suddenly the word 
 came that the Spanish ships were in sight. Lord Howard 
 wished to stop the play, but Drake insisted that they go on, 
 saying, "There's plenty of time to win the game and thrash 
 the Spaniards too." 
 
52 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 In the battle which followed the stormy seas combined 
 with the skill of the English sailors to utterly defeat the 
 Armada, and but few of the proud ships ever reached the 
 coast of Spain again. Sir Francis was once more the hero 
 of the hour. 
 
 Drake's Death. — Seven years later Drake again sailed 
 to America, where he was taken ill and died. He was a 
 gallant gentleman and one of the most daring adventurers 
 to be found in the pages of history. 
 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 
 
 A GALLANT GENTLEMAN 
 
 Born in Devon on the Coast of England. — More than 
 three hundred years ago when Elizabeth was queen of 
 England there lived a boy named Walter Raleigh. He 
 went to school like 
 other boys. As his 
 home was near the 
 sea-coast he saw 
 the ships going and 
 coming and had 
 many talks with 
 the sailors. They 
 told him about 
 strange lands and 
 people beyond the 
 seas. Little Walter soon made up his mind that he would 
 some day sail away and see these things for himself. 
 
 Boys did not stay at school so long in those days as 
 they do now, for there were not so many things to learn. 
 So, at the age of seventeen, Walter had finished his educa- 
 tion. He had studied hard and stood well in his class. 
 This was of much use to him in later life when he became a 
 knight and held a high place at the court of the queen; for 
 Elizabeth liked to have able men about her. 
 
 53 
 
 The Boy Raleigh Learning Tales of the Sea (from the 
 painting by Millais). 
 
54 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 "h 
 
 Takes Part in the French War. — Before Raleigh be- 
 came a sailor he was a soldier and joined the army in 
 France where there was a war. He tells a story of some 
 of the enemy hiding in a cave, when his troops came and 
 
 burned bundles of straw 
 at the cave's mouth and 
 smoked them out into the 
 open. 
 
 Captain of a Company 
 in Ireland. — When the war 
 in France was over, Raleigh 
 went back to England. He 
 was at once given command 
 of one hundred men to help 
 the army which was fight- 
 ing in Ireland. This was 
 a cruel war and many were 
 killed but it gave Raleigh 
 a chance to show how brave 
 he was. One night he set 
 out to capture the castle of 
 Lord Roche. The castle 
 was well fortified and Ra- 
 leigh had but ninety men with him; still he put to flight the 
 five hundred defenders. By a trick he got into the castle, 
 seized Lord and Lady Roche while they were eating break- 
 fast, and took them prisoners to Cork. Raleigh lost but 
 one man of his company. 
 
 Raleigh Meets the Queen. — One day Queen Elizabeth 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh and His Signature (from 
 an old print). 
 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 
 
 55 
 
 was walking on a path near the palace with a number of 
 lords and ladies of the court. They came to a muddy 
 place in the road. The Queen stopped. She did not want 
 to soil her shoes with the soft mud. Walter Raleigh, who 
 happened to be standing near, at once took off a fine red 
 velvet cloak which he wore and spread it on the ground be- 
 fore the queen's 
 
 feet. Elizabeth /V!7\ 
 
 smiled on him, ^^^Ks-S^F I" \U \ 
 
 stepped on the 
 cloak and passed 
 safely over. 
 
 A Favorite at 
 the Court. — Af- 
 ter that Raleigh 
 was in high fa- 
 vor at the court. 
 In fact the queen 
 grew so fond of 
 the big, hand- 
 some soldier 
 that she wished 
 him to be always near. She would not let him go again to 
 Ireland to fight or go on voyages to America as he wanted 
 to do. 
 
 Raleigh Sends Vessels to America. — Although Raleigh 
 was not allowed to sail yet he fitted out a fleet of seven 
 vessels with a hundred men under Sir Richard Grenville. 
 They settled on Roanoke Island on the coast of Virginia 
 
 Raleigh Placing His Cloak Before QueenjElizabeth. 
 
56 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 but they did not go about founding their colony in the right 
 way. Instead of making friends with the Indians and buy- 
 ing from them land to farm they spent their time hunting for 
 gold and fighting with the natives. There were many Indians 
 
 and very few of 
 the settlers so that 
 they had a hard 
 time of it. They 
 were only too glad 
 when Sir Francis 
 Drake came along 
 the next year with 
 his fleet of Eng- 
 lish ships, to take 
 them back to Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Raleigh would 
 not give up the 
 plan to form a 
 colony and sent 
 out another fleet 
 with one hundred 
 and fifty men and 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh Raising the Standard of Queen 
 Elizabeth on the Coast of Virginia (from an old en- 
 graving). 
 
 women. But this fared worse than the other for they were 
 all killed or captured by the Indians. 
 
 The Spanish Armada. — At this time a great Spanish 
 fleet called the " Armada" came from Spain to attack 
 England. The Spaniards had more than one hundred 
 vessels and several thousand men. They were met by 
 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 
 
 57 
 
 Ships of the Spanish Armada (from old illustration). 
 
 an English fleet under the command of Admiral Drake. 
 The Spanish ships were badly beaten and only a few of them 
 ever got safely back to 
 Spain. For this vic- 
 tory the English cap- 
 tains were thanked 
 by the queen, but es- 
 pecially did she praise 
 Sir Walter Raleigh 
 who had been in 
 charge of many of 
 the preparations 
 against the attack. 
 
 Raleigh Loses the Favor of the Queen.— Although 
 Queen Elizabeth was very fond of Sir Walter he had 
 
 many enemies 
 at Gourt who 
 continually 
 tried to injure 
 
 ^^^S ? ^S1 nim in tne 
 
 eyes of the 
 Queen. For 
 Tower of London. a time they 
 
 were success- 
 ful and he was a prisoner in the Tower of London, a 
 great fortress and prison in the center of the city. He 
 was at length released but was not allowed to return to 
 the court. 
 
 Expedition to Guiana.— A few years after, Raleigh took 
 
 
58 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 charge of a fleet of seven ships to go to South America in 
 search of gold. They landed on the north coast near the 
 island of Trinidad, and sailed up the rivers. They had 
 many fights with the natives but did not find gold so they 
 returned to England. Not long after this another fleet sailed 
 under Raleigh for this same part of South America. This 
 time they did better for they found gold and settled a col- 
 ony named British Guiana. Raleigh did not stay with them 
 but came back home. 
 
 Battle of Cadiz. — A few years later a great fleet of battle- 
 ships sailed for Spain. They fought the Spanish fleet and 
 defeated it and then captured the city of Cadiz. This was 
 a great victory and Raleigh had a large share in it. 
 
 Raleigh is Beheaded. — But Raleigh had now lost his 
 best friend. Queen Elizabeth was dead. Although she 
 had at times punished him she had always defended him 
 
 from his enemies. In her 
 place was King James, a very 
 different sort of person, who 
 listened to those who made 
 charges against Raleigh. Sir 
 Walter was accused of treason 
 and again made a prisoner in 
 the Tower. He was released 
 to make his second voyage to 
 Raleigh in Prison. g outh America but on his re- 
 
 turn was again arrested, tried for treason and convicted. 
 
 During his long stay in prison Raleigh wrote, among 
 some poems and essays, a history of the world, which is 
 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 59 
 
 among the most interesting of the many wonderful books of 
 the sixteenth century. When the time came for him to die 
 he showed himself the same gallant gentleman he had 
 always been, ready to meet any adventure, however ter- 
 rible, with the same gay, hopeful courage he had always 
 displayed. Although his expeditions to America were all 
 failures it has been said by a famous historian that "The 
 United States owe their being to Sir Walter Raleigh." 
 
 / 
 
 Queen Elizabeth. 
 
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 
 
 A BRAVE ADVENTURER 
 
 A French Lad. — Far, far away in France, the country 
 of the French, and long, long ago in the sixteenth century 
 a baby boy was born in the small seaport of Brouage. 
 His name was Samuel de Champlain. His mother and 
 
 father being gentle people, he was 
 taught to read and write, to be 
 courteous and kind and brave. 
 His father was a captain in the 
 royal navy and the boy Samuel 
 soon learned the ways of ships. 
 
 The Wars of Religion. — France 
 in those days was a very sad coun- 
 try. The people were continually 
 at war with one another over their 
 religion. Instead of the freedom 
 of worship that we have in our 
 country, each man insisted that 
 everyone else should think just as he did. Some were 
 Roman Catholics and were called Leaguers while others 
 were Protestants and were called Huguenots. These two 
 parties fought each other all over France until the poor 
 country was wet with the blood of its people. The weak 
 king was sometimes on one side and sometimes on the 
 
 60 
 
 f 7?~ 
 
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 
 
 61 
 
 Soldiers in France. 
 
 other so that those who wished to serve the king had a 
 hard time to know on which side to stand. 
 
 Champlain Serves the King. — Although a Catholic, 
 Champlain believed he should first serve his king and hard 
 as it often was he was 
 able to do so all his life. 
 For a time he served in 
 the royal navy with his 
 father. Later he became 
 a soldier and fought 
 bravely in the wars which 
 continued for many years. 
 The king was killed and 
 several other men claimed 
 his throne. The one who 
 
 had the best right to be king was Henry of Navarre, a brave 
 nobleman who loved his country more than he did himself. 
 His white plume and bright smile were enough to lead his 
 ragged soldiers to one victory after another. Champlain 
 followed him and fought for him until Henry was at last 
 crowned king of France. For Champlain's brave services 
 the king gave him a pension and a place at the court. 
 
 An Expedition to Canada. — It was not long, however, 
 before he tired of life at the court. He gladly accepted 
 an invitation which was to determine the course of his 
 life from then on. For many years French fishermen had 
 been in the habit of visiting the waters around New- 
 foundland and the mouth of the St. Lawrence river. No 
 fishing grounds were as good as these and the long and 
 
62 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was more 
 than repaid by the rich cargoes of fish with which they 
 returned. A great nobleman of King Henry's court 
 wished to establish near the St. Lawrence river a French 
 
 colony which would convert 
 the Indians to Christianity. 
 He thought it would also be 
 a profitable trading and fish- 
 ing post. As a brave gentle- 
 man and an experienced sailor 
 Champlain was asked to be 
 one of the leaders of the ex- 
 pedition. From what we 
 already know of this hardy 
 adventurer we may be sure 
 he was only too glad to go. 
 He did not know, however, 
 that the rest of his life would be spent in serving the inter- 
 ests of this little colony. 
 
 His Diary. — Champlain had one habit which was most 
 fortunate for those who later wished to know about his 
 life. He kept a diary or daily account of what he did. 
 This, together with the drawings with which he illustrated 
 it, is the most valuable record we have of his life and work. 
 To be sure he did not draw well and these illustrations 
 were so poor a child might have drawn them. At the 
 same time they picture what he wished to show. His ac- 
 count, though filled with strange stories that no one to-day 
 believes, was believed at that time by intelligent men. 
 
 Champlain on his ship the Saint Julian. 
 
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 
 
 63 
 
 When a boy he had studied map making. Besides writing 
 and drawing the story of his adventures he also made maps 
 and charts of the coasts he visited. These were so care- 
 fully done that they represent the best jnaps of that day 
 and are those from which later and more 
 accurate ones are drawn. 
 
 Champlain Explores the St. Lawrence 
 River. — Other members of the company 
 were soon busy establishing trading posts 
 and exchanging blankets and trinkets with 
 the Indians for valuable furs. Champlain, 
 however, with several Indian guides began 
 to explore the St. Lawrence river. He ad- 
 vanced past the rock of Quebec and up the 
 river to the hill which he called " Mount 
 Royal." This is now the Canadian city of 
 Montreal — the French form of the name. 
 Beyond this point the party met the powerful tossing cur- 
 rent of the Lachine Rapids. Although Champlain and his 
 
 companions as 
 
 " KT^-v/j we ^ as the In- 
 
 MiiUfiiV i«.».i dians were all 
 
 skillful canoe- 
 ists, they had to 
 give up the at- 
 tempt to force a 
 way against the 
 swift stream. 
 Returning to their companions at the mouth of the 
 
 Canadian Fur 
 Trader. 
 
 Champlain Ascending the Rapids. 
 
04 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 river Champlain next heard of a way by water to a groat 
 sea. His hopeful fancy at once imagined that its farther 
 shores might be those of Cathay, or India, that far-famed 
 eastern land, a route to which all daring navigators sought. 
 With Indians as guides he pushed his canoe for thirty or 
 forty miles up the beautiful Saguenay river only to have to 
 turn back at last without having found any sea. 
 
 Champlain Talking with the Indian Chief. 
 
 Meanwhile things were going badly in France. The 
 nobleman who first established the colony had died. Cham- 
 plain, fearing the little band of adventurers would lose the 
 support of those at home, sailed back to France. He found 
 some rich and influential men who promised to help and 
 the next year he returned to Canada. 
 
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 65 
 
 The Founding of Quebec. — Champlain explored the 
 coast from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts. He took notes 
 of all he saw and made maps of the coast line. He again sailed 
 up the St. Lawrence to where the river narrows to less than 
 a mile. On a great towering rock which was itself a natural 
 fortress, he began the building of a fort and the establishment 
 of a settlement which was to become the greatest city of New 
 France. The Indians called the spot Quebec which meant 
 in their language a narrow place or strait. This name it 
 still bears as one of the chief cities of Canada after more 
 than three hundred years of history. Few cities of the 
 world have such a magnificent situation, its mighty rock 
 standing like a giant sentinel guarding the stately river 
 flowing at its base. Champlain chose the location wisely 
 and although at times it seemed as though the colony 
 would never prosper at last it grew to be a strong and 
 sturdy town. 
 
 An Indian Battle. — He was already on good terms with 
 the Indians who lived around the St. Lawrence. Each 
 year they believed and trusted 
 in him more. Although other 
 white men earned the hatred of 
 the red men by the way they be- 
 haved, the savages never ceased 
 to regard Champlain as their 
 friend. To the south of where 
 these Indians lived in what is now the State of New York there 
 dwelt the Iroquois, a bold brave nation of warriors whom all 
 the other Indians greatly feared. Against these Iroquois 
 
66 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the northern Indians were preparing an expedition in which 
 Champlain had promised to aid them. Indeed they de- 
 pended much upon his help for it was his armor and his 
 gun which they hoped would win the battle for them. 
 They set out up the St. Lawrence to where a river, the 
 Richelieu, joins it from the south. Along this river they 
 made their way with much difficulty until they finally came 
 to the broad waters of a lake which has ever since borne 
 the name of Champlain. Here they were met by a strong 
 band of Iroquois. They disembarked from their canoes 
 and each side prepared to fight upon the shore of the 
 lake. The Iroquois were taller, stronger and much better 
 armed than their enemies. There is not much doubt how 
 the battle would have gone had it not been for Champlain 
 and his two companions all of whom wore armor and 
 carried guns. 
 
 Champlain Defeats the Iroquois. — Champlain wore 
 the doublet and long stockings worn by soldiers in those 
 days. Over his doublet he buckled on a breast plate and 
 back piece made of thin steel while his legs were protected 
 by pieces of steel and his head by a plumed casque or helmet. 
 Across his shoulder hung by a strap his bandoleer or am- 
 munition belt. At his side was his sword and in his hand 
 he carried his arquebus, a short gun with a big barrel from 
 which several bullets could be fired at once. Just as the 
 battle was about to begin and the Indians were yelling at 
 the top of their lungs Champlain stepped into a place be- 
 tween the shrieking savages. His appearance created a 
 great deal of surprise among the Iroquois who had prob- 
 
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 
 
 67 
 
 ably never seen a white man before. Some of them dis- 
 charged their arrows at him and he in turn aimed his arque- 
 bus and fired. Two of their chiefs were killed and a third 
 wounded. Champlain's companions then fired from where 
 they were standing at one side. This was too much for 
 even the brave Iroquois. They took .one look at their 
 fallen comrades and then turned and ran. The battle had 
 been won for the Algonquins, as most of Champlain's 
 
 Champlain Fighting the Indiana. 
 
 Indians were called. This was the first time that white 
 men had taken sides with one Indian tribe against another 
 and it was to have a far reaching effect. In all the success 
 which the French were to have in their relations with the 
 Indians the Iroquois were always their bitter enemies, and 
 in later years this fact did much to lose the continent of 
 North America for France and win it for the English. 
 
68 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Colony Meets Hardship and Discouragement. — 
 Every year Champlain now had to spend at least a part 
 of the time at Paris looking after the affairs of his colony. 
 It grew very slowly and there was much quarrelling. As 
 the winters are very severe in Canada, the colonists had 
 neither proper houses, nor enough fire-wood, nor the right 
 kind of food, nor warm enough clothing. There was a 
 great deal of suffering and each year many died before the 
 warm weather came again. They depended almost entirely 
 upon supplies sent from France and when these failed to 
 come they had a miserable time of it. One wonders some- 
 times why they preferred to face the cold, the hunger and 
 the danger of this savage land than to return to France, a 
 country of smiles and sunshine. This question is answered 
 when we remember that the colonists were of two kinds, 
 traders whose business was to buy furs of the Indians, 
 and missionaries who were ready to endure any hard- 
 ships to convert the Indians to Christianity. Champlain 
 alone belonged to neither of these groups. He made it his 
 life work from a sense of duty to the colony for which he was 
 so largely responsible. 
 
 The Father of New France. — Samuel de Champlain 
 continued to govern the colony until Christmas day in the 
 year 1635, when he died, twenty-seven years after he had 
 founded Quebec. He was one of the world's great men, 
 courageous and unselfish. He freely gave himself to those 
 who needed his protection. He was at once brave and 
 bold, patient and gentle, and he has richly earned his title 
 of "The Father of New France." 
 
HENRY HUDSON 
 
 THE LOST EXPLORER 
 
 A Young Sailor. — About the time that Sir Walter Raleigh 
 was put in prison by King James, another man was making 
 voyages that were to win him fame. This man's name was 
 Henry Hudson and he too was 
 an Englishman. When a little 
 boy he heard many tales of the 
 sea and of strange adventures 
 in foreign lands. His grand- 
 father was a merchant of Lon- 
 don who bought and sold the 
 goods which came in ships from 
 far away. His father and uncles 
 were either merchants too, or 
 captains of vessels, so that Henry 
 early learned to love the sea. 
 
 He had no fear of its dangers. As a young man he made 
 many voyages and became skillful in navigation, which is 
 the science of sailing ships. 
 
 A Voyage to the Far North. — Such a reputation did 
 Henry gain that a company of English merchants who 
 traded with Russia chose him to make a voyage to the 
 northeast around the top of Europe. They hoped he 
 might find in that direction a way to the Pacific Ocean and 
 
 69 
 
 Henry Hudson. 
 
70 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the wonderful Spice Islands of the East, which everyone 
 was so anxious to reach. Two voyages he made in this 
 direction, sailing nearer the North Pole than any man had 
 ever been before. If your teacher will point out on the map 
 a place far north of Europe called Nova Zembla, you will 
 see how far Hudson went. If you will remember that the 
 farther north one goes the colder it gets you will know how 
 cold it must have been for him and his men as they fought 
 their way through the ice of the Arctic Ocean. At last 
 they could go no farther and had to turn back. They feared 
 that they might be caught in those frozen waters and be 
 
 unable ever to 
 |iyU__ ^m return. 
 
 The Frozen 
 Seas Once 
 More. — Later 
 on Hudson was 
 employed by the 
 Dutch East In- 
 dia Company, a 
 company of mer- 
 chants of the 
 country of Hol- 
 land. He was to 
 again seek a pas- 
 sage across the north of Europe through the same frozen 
 seas in which he had before sailed. In two small ships, 
 the "Good Hope" and the "Half Moon," he set sail and 
 again reached the land called Nova Zembla. Once more 
 
 Hudson Receiving His Commission from the 
 Dutch East India Company. 
 
HENRY HUDSON 71 
 
 the ice stopped the progress of the vessels and Hudson 
 was forced to give up the attempt. Should they sail 
 back to Holland and say they had failed? The sailors 
 said "What else can we do?" but Hudson determined to 
 try another way. 
 
 Captain Smiths Suggestion. — When last in England he 
 had received letters from Captain John Smith about whom 
 you will soon learn. In these letters Captain Smith told 
 of voyages that he had taken and said that he believed 
 there was a way by water through North America to the 
 rich lands of the East. It had always seemed to the early 
 explorers that there must be some such way and Hudson 
 now determined to find it if he could. He sent the "Good 
 Hope" back to Holland with such of the sailors as wished 
 to return. Then he and the rest of his men set sail in the 
 "Half Moon" to cross the Atlantic and find a northwest 
 passage to India. The ship was even smaller than those 
 which went with Columbus on his first voyage and only 
 eighteen men were necessary to sail the little vessel. What 
 reckless courage those men must have had to brave the 
 ocean storms in such a craft! 
 
 Exploring the North Atlantic Coast. — After a voyage 
 filled with danger in which they lost a mast and had their 
 sails badly torn, they reached the rocky coast of Maine and 
 found shelter in Penobscot Bay. There they made a new 
 mast from a pine tree and spent a week in mending their 
 sails and putting the little ship in order. They had no 
 lack of food as fish were plentiful and they were even able 
 to trade with the Indians, exchanging red cloth for game and 
 
72 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 beaver skins. When the ship was again in condition to sail, 
 Hudson began to explore the coast. He sailed as far south 
 as Virginia, but was afraid to land there. He was now 
 sailing under the Dutch flag and was not sure he would be 
 received as a friend. Turning north, he entered Delaware 
 Bay and sailed some distance up the river on which Phila- 
 delphia now stands, long before there were any settlements 
 of white men on its banks. But the river seemed too shal- 
 low even for the little "Half Moon" and Hudson, fearing 
 the sand-bars, again put out to sea. 
 
 Hudson Discovers the Great 
 River that Bears His Name. — He 
 next came to New York Bay and 
 from there entered the great river 
 
 The Half Moon on the Hudson. 
 
 which has been named after him, the Hudson River. This 
 river was so broad and deep and extended so far northward 
 that he at first thought it might be the way to India he 
 wished to find. He sailed on and on far up the river. Sev- 
 
HENRY HUDSON 
 
 73 
 
 eral times he was attacked by Indians who came out from 
 the shore in their canoes and shot arrows at the ship. One 
 hundred and fifty miles they sailed, beyond the site of the 
 present city of Albany. At last the water became too shal- 
 low and they had to turn back. They had learned much 
 although they had not found a way to the East. Hudson 
 
 stegtMx.^^ ~ 
 
 Hudson Trading with Friendly Indians. (Sketch from the Ferris Painting.) 
 
 then decided, as winter was coming on and their provisions 
 were running low, they had best return. 
 
 The Return to England. — When they reached England, 
 Hudson sent an account of his voyage to the merchants of 
 Holland telling them of his discoveries and asking for money 
 and men to make a second voyage. King James of England 
 had also heard of the bold sailor Henry Hudson. As he 
 
74 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 was an Englishman, King James now forbade Hudson to sail 
 for Holland but gave him instead an English ship. He was 
 ordered to make further discoveries in the name of England. 
 A Second Voyage. — Henry was only too glad to do this 
 and in 1610 he again set sail for the new world. This time 
 he kept farther to the north. Above and to the west of 
 Labrador, he came upon a body of water so vast in extent 
 he felt sure its distant shore would prove to be the coast of 
 Asia. While he found this was not the fact, the great body 
 of water upon which they were sailing has since been called 
 "Hudson Bay" in honor of the man who first discovered it. 
 Hudson is Deserted by His Faithless Crew. — Weary 
 of the voyage and disappointed at not finding the riches of 
 
 the East, a mutiny 
 arose among the 
 crew. Hudson, 
 with two others, 
 were set adrift in 
 an open boat while 
 the vessel, in charge 
 of Henry Green, re- 
 turned to England. 
 On arriving the 
 men of this faith- 
 less crew were tried 
 and put in prison 
 and an expedition was immediately fitted out to relieve 
 Hudson and his companions. 
 
 The Rescue Comes Too Late. — They reached Hudson 
 
 Hudson Cast Adrift on the Sea. 
 
HENRY HUDSON 75 
 
 Bay, but months had passed since those poor men had been 
 left to perish on that cold and stormy sea. Although 
 they searched far and wide no more was ever seen or heard 
 of the great explorer. No stone marks his grave, but of all 
 the men who searched for new lands and new ways across 
 the sea, he alone has given his name to three great bodies of 
 water, Hudson Strait, Hudson Bay and the beautiful 
 Hudson River. 
 
 A Ship of Hudson's Time. 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 
 
 In the Days of Queen Elizabeth. — In the reign of good 
 Queen Bess, England was a peaceful and happy land. 
 Merchants were rich because their ships sailed to all parts 
 
 of the world and brought 
 back from distant lands 
 fine cargoes. These they 
 sold at good prices. Far- 
 mers were busy growing 
 fruits and grain and there 
 was plenty to eat for 
 everybody, except the 
 lazy folks who would 
 not work. 
 
 Then there were 
 sports to enjoy in the long summer days. Cricket, bowling 
 on the green grass, archery, which is shooting at a target 
 with bow and arrow, and other games made the people happy 
 and gave to the country the name of "Merrie England." 
 Things were different in other parts of Europe. There 
 the people were busy fighting each other and had no time 
 for sports or useful work. In France, Spain and Holland 
 there were religious wars. Farther away in Austria, Italy 
 and Greece, the Turks were fighting against the Christians. 
 
 76 
 
 Bowling on the Green in the Days of "Good 
 Queen Bess." 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 77 
 
 They had a strange way of telling the news in those 
 days. There were no newspapers for the people to read. 
 Stories of the wars and other events were printed in the 
 form of ballads or songs. These were carried about the 
 country and sung by pedlers to any tune they could re- 
 member or invent. 
 
 This pleased the simple country folks, especially the 
 boys like little John Smith or "Jack," as he was called, of 
 whom we shall have many stirring things to tell. 
 
 Jack Reads Ballads of Adventure. — Jack used to buy 
 these ballads from the pedlers and would read them on his 
 way to and from school. He 
 thus came to know about the 
 heroes of battles on land and 
 on sea. This filled his mind 
 with the idea of being a soldier 
 or sailor when he grew up. 
 
 When Jack was about eight 
 years old the great Spanish 
 fleet called the Armada came 
 up the coast to attack Eng- 
 land. It was badly defeated 
 by the English navy under 
 Admiral Drake and most of 
 the Spanish vessels were sunk. 
 Beacon fires flared the news of 
 the great victory all over the land. Of course ballads were 
 printed and sold praising the skill and bravery of Sir Francis 
 Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and other heroes of the naval battle. 
 
 ?--^<2x 
 
 John and the Peddler. 
 
John Runs Away. 
 
 78 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Jack Runs Away to Sea. — Jack grew to be a fine, sturdy, 
 intelligent fellow. His chief longing was to go to sea and 
 be a cabin boy on one of the big ships. When he was fif- 
 teen years old his father died. His mother also died shortly 
 after, and the children were left in the care of a guardian who 
 was not very kind to them. 
 
 John was not happy and early one morning he packed 
 
 his clothes into a bundle, 
 put what little money he 
 owned into his pocket, 
 and tramped to a sea- 
 port on the English 
 Channel. From there he 
 sailed to France. 
 Adventures in France. — He finally reached the town of 
 Orleans where he met two friends. They were sons of 
 Lord Willoughby, whose acquaintance he had made at 
 his home where they had all attended the same school. 
 They received John kindly and gave him some money. 
 He did not care to remain long with them and in about a 
 month he bade them goodby and started off. He soon fell 
 in with soldiers and attached himself to a company 
 of horsemen under command of Captain Duxbury. For 
 more than two years he saw a great deal of fighting in 
 the "Low Countries," as Holland and Belgium were then 
 called. 
 
 John had by this time become a fine soldier. Tall, straight 
 and handsome, dressed in the splendid clothes he loved to 
 wear, he made a noble appearance. He had learned the use 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 79 
 
 of sword and pistol, and few could wield a battle axe 
 with more skill than he. 
 
 But these were religious wars. John was a good Chris- 
 tian and he did not understand why there need be fighting 
 for such a cause. So he got his discharge 
 from the Dutch army and journeyed back 
 to Willoughby, his home town in England. 
 
 Back Again in England. — He was now in 
 his twentieth year and rich enough to live 
 like a gentleman. When dressed in a new, 
 suit with cloak and sword and a ruff around 
 his neck, he looked very gallant indeed. 
 His friends were very proud of him and his 
 great record as a hero. All kinds of parties 
 and sports were arranged for him but after As a Soldier of the 
 the first joy had worn off he found he did not l en ury ' 
 care for life of this sort either. He wanted to study and 
 improve his mind, to fit himself to become a better 
 soldier and leader of men. So he built a little cabin 
 in the woods and took his books, his gun, a good 
 horse, and his lance. Here he spent his time in study and 
 exercise. 
 
 Off to Fight the Turks. — Hearing that the Emperor of 
 Hungary was raising an army to fight the Turks, John deter- 
 mined to help. He returned to his old friends in Holland. 
 
 One winter's evening a group of men, most of them 
 French and English soldiers, were gathered around the 
 blazing fire of a Dutch tavern talking over their plans. 
 John Smith was among their number. 
 
80 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 "I wish," said he, "I could hear of some troop of horse 
 going into Hungary." 
 
 "Why not apply to the Duke Mercoeur," said one of 
 the party, "he is forming an army to help the Emperor 
 fight the Turks." 
 
 "I want to command a company," replied Smith, "but 
 
 the Duke doesn't know any- 
 
 ^ 
 
 thing about me." 
 
 The Frenchman assured him 
 that he and his three friends 
 were acquainted with the 
 nobleman, as their estates in 
 Picardy were near together. 
 They said they would be glad 
 to make Smith known to the 
 Duke— "Duke Mercury" as 
 John afterward spelled it. 
 
 "All right, I will go with 
 you," said John, and they set 
 to work packing their bag- 
 gage. John had many things 
 with him as he was to be away a long time. His trunks 
 were strong iron bound chests in which were books, weap- 
 ons and a supply of money. There were also several rich 
 suits of clothes, fine linen and lace ruffs for John always 
 liked to be ready for either court or camp. 
 
 A Misadventure. — It was stormy winter weather when 
 they set sail from Holland to France and late one night they 
 reached a port in Picardy. It was pitch dark and the sea 
 
 Captain John Smith. 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 81 
 
 very rough but they persuaded the Captain to row them 
 ashore. So all their trunks were lowered into a little boat 
 and the Frenchmen took their places, but when John was 
 about to descend the ladder the master called up to him, 
 
 "I fear there is not room for you, sir. I will first take 
 this boat to land and will then come back and fetch you." 
 
 So John was obliged to step back on deck. When the 
 Captain returned with the boat, many hours later, he 
 told John his friends had taken the trunks and gone to 
 Amiens to wait for him there. John felt sure he had 
 been robbed of his goods and money as indeed he had, for 
 he never saw them again. One of the passengers on the 
 boat felt sorry for him and offered him some cash but John 
 was proud and insisted on selling his cloak and thus ob- 
 tained some pocket money. 
 
 A Friend in Need. — John spent some weeks going from 
 port to port in Brittany in the 
 hope of finding a ship sailing 
 for Hungary, but in vain. 
 He had very little money and 
 suffered in the cold weather 
 for want of food and clothing. 
 
 He then remembered a 
 young French nobleman who 
 lived in this part of France 
 and whom he had met in 
 England. His name was 
 Count Ployer and he received Smith with a kindness which 
 John never forgot. Many years after when exploring the 
 
 A Pirate of Smith's Time. 
 
82 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Chesapeake Bay in an open boat he named one of its 
 headlands Point Ployer in honor of his noble friend. 
 
 John enjoyed his short visit at the castle but soon was 
 anxious to continue his journey in search of a ship. The 
 Count advised him to go to Marseilles, a port on the south 
 coast of France, and provided him with a good horse and 
 money. John thanked him, bade him farewell and took 
 his journey southward to Marseilles. 
 
 A Castaway. — Here he found a ship ready to carry pil- 
 grims to Rome, so he took passage and went on board. He 
 was not much pleased with the looks of his fellow passengers 
 and they were no better than they looked. 
 
 The weather was rough and when the vessel was near 
 the island of St. Mary a great storm arose. John was 
 standing on deck watching the sailors when a number of 
 the dirty shabby pilgrims came up to him cursing and 
 blaming him for the stormy weather. These men called 
 him vile names and in their anger cried, "Throw him over 
 board!" "Throw him overboard!" John drew his sword 
 to defend himself but he was overpowered, dragged to the 
 side of the ship, and flung into the sea. Being a strong 
 swimmer he struck out boldly and in spite of the high seas £ 
 and his heavy cloak, he soon reached the little island. 
 Without shelter, cold and wet, he walked up and down the 
 shore through the long dreary night trying to keep warm. 
 
 Smith Finds Friends Again. — When morning came bright 
 and clear, John was glad to see two ships at anchor near by. 
 By waving his cloak and shouting, he was able to attract 
 the attention of the sailors. They soon lowered a boat, 
 
 ! 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 83 
 
 came to the island and took the cold, weak man to their 
 ship. The Captain, whose name was La Roche, soon made 
 him comfortable with food 
 and dry clothing. 
 
 A Fight with a Venetian 
 Galley. — In those days there 
 were many pirates on the sea 
 and all vessels were armed 
 with cannon for the safety 
 
 of passengers 
 Captain La 
 which was 
 Breton" was 
 
 and cargo, so 
 Roche's ship 
 named "The 
 
 Well prepared Smith Attracts the Attention of the 
 
 to take care of herself. Sailors. 
 
 When "The Breton" came to the entrance of the Adri- 
 atic Sea, they saw coming from Venice, a stately ship, with 
 all sails set to the breeze. La Roche wished to speak with 
 her and gave a polite signal but the Venetian captain feared 
 "The Breton" was some pirate ship lying in wait. Instead 
 of answering politely he fired a cannon shot which killed 
 one of La Roche's sailors. This was too much for the 
 Captain; he ordered all hands to the guns and poured into 
 the Venetian one broadside after another. The big ship 
 tried to escape but "The Breton" flew after her, sending 
 cannon-balls into her sails and rigging till they were all torn 
 and broken. She could sail no longer and had to stand and 
 fight. For two hours they sent shot into each other. They 
 boarded each other's vessels but were each driven back. 
 The Venetian captain managed to set fire to the mainsail 
 
84 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Fight With The Venetian Galley. 
 
 of "The Breton." The vessel might have been destroyed, 
 but, quick as thought, Smith, who had been working one 
 
 of the guns, 
 climbed up the 
 rigging. 
 
 "Cut anything 
 to clear her," he 
 cried, and in a 
 few minutes 
 they had torn 
 down the burn- 
 ing canvas and 
 flung it into 
 the sea. 
 
 La Roche was angry at the damage to his sails and or- 
 dered a fresh attack. John and the other gunners poured 
 volley after volley of shot into the big ship until she was 
 riddled and nearly sinking. The Venetian captain, finding 
 that he had lost twenty of his crew, surrendered. 
 
 They Win a Rich Prize. — The Bretons came on board to 
 unload the cargo which proved to be a rich prize. There were 
 silks, velvets and cloth-of-gold besides many boxes of gold and 
 silver. They carried off as much as their little vessel would ! 
 hold, and then set the Venetian captain and his ship free. 
 The Breton was also damaged and had lost fifteen men. 
 So La Roche drifted with the wind to the island of Malta 
 and put in for repairs. When the little vessel was fit 
 again, he sailed northward to Genoa and at that port Smith 
 was put ashore. 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 85 
 
 "Farewell, Master Smith," La Roche said, "since you 
 must needs fight the Turk, God prosper you." 
 
 "Farewell, noble friend," said Smith, as he wrung the 
 good captain's hand. 
 
 "Here is your share of the prize," said La Roche, placing 
 in his hand a bag of money which John took gladly. 
 
 Captain Smith Raises the Siege of a City. — He was now 
 in Italy, the land of which he had heard and read so much. 
 He had plenty of money and enjoyed seeing the cities and 
 works of art. He did not wish, however, to delay the more 
 serious work before him. 
 
 At the town of Gratz he met 
 Baron Ebersbacht, a general in the 
 Hungarian army. Smith taught him 
 the use of torches as signals of which 
 he had read in an old book. By 
 means of flashes to the right or left, 
 up or down, they could form words 
 and thus send messages to each other. 
 
 Smith then joined the artillery 
 under Baron Kissell, and the army 
 marched against the Turks in 
 Hungary. 
 
 At one time during the war Baron 
 Ebersbacht with his soldiers, were 
 inside the walls of a city which the 
 Turks were trying to capture. Baron 
 Kissell's army came up at this time. Not having enough 
 soldiers to attack the large Turkish army the general did 
 
 Smith Signals to his Friends 
 in the Besieged City. 
 
86 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 not know how to get a message to the Christians inside the 
 city. John Smith knew what to do and climbing a high hill 
 after dark he flashed a message with torches. Baron 
 Ebersbacht saw the signal and read the words. At a fixed 
 time he came out of the city gate, joined with the Christian 
 army outside, and routed the Turks. The generals were 
 much pleased with the result of Smith's signals and made 
 him a captain. 
 
 Smith Becomes the Christians' Champion. — One day 
 the Turks sent word that one of their knights would meet 
 a Christian officer in single combat. Captain Smith was 
 chosen. Mounted on fine horses and armed with lance and 
 shield the two met. After a short fight Smith killed the 
 Turk and cut off his head. Two more of these combats 
 were held, and each time Captain Smith defeated his 
 opponent. As their last champion died the Turkish army 
 fled in fear. 
 
 As a reward for his brave deeds the Prince of Hungary 
 gave Smith the right to wear upon his shield the picture of 
 three Turks' heads. This was hereafter his coat of arms, 
 which he always wore with great pride. 
 
 He is Taken Prisoner by the Turks. — For many months 
 the wars kept on. Once a large number of Turks attacked 
 a small force of Christians. Captain Smith was badly 
 wounded and left on the battlefield for dead. When the 
 Turks saw his rich velvet dress and polished armor they 
 thought he must be a great nobleman. Finding he was 
 still alive, they took him prisoner to Turkey. He was sold 
 to a brutal master who treated him like a common slave. 
 
JOHN SMITH 87 
 
 He was so cruel that Smith made up his mind he would 
 not stand it any longer. One day when his master started 
 to beat him with a whip, Smith sprang on him, threw 
 him on the ground and killed him with a club. He then 
 jumped on the Turk's horse and fled like the wind. After 
 a long journey and many narrow escapes he reached Russia. 
 He at last made his way back to Hungary where he was 
 gladly received by his friends, who had given him up for 
 dead. The Prince presented him with a large sum of 
 money and thanked him for his help in battle. 
 
 Once More in England. — Captain Smith then started 
 for England. On his way he visited many countries and 
 had more exciting adventures. In a sea fight with the 
 Spanish he again showed his skill as a gunner. He finally 
 reached his native land after an absence of nearly five 
 years. He was well trained for the great work which was 
 to follow in his later life. 
 
 The London-Virginia Company Formed. — Plans had 
 been made by merchants for trading with Russia and the 
 East Indies but Captain Smith felt there was a better 
 chance for fortune in lands across the Atlantic. He had 
 many talks with Henry Hudson who had been to America 
 and who was now in England. He also talked with others 
 about the new land and finally exclaimed, "A goodly land 
 and it must be saved for the Christians." Our hero was 
 now about twenty-six years of age, healthy, strong and wise; 
 just the right man to lead a colony. So he and his friends 
 set to work to carry out their plan. It would take a great 
 deal of money for food, and wages for the men who would be 
 
88 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 willing to go. They finally got the promise of enough men 
 and money and secured from King James a charter to form 
 
 the London -Virginia 
 Company. 
 
 It took nearly a year 
 to get the ships and fit 
 them out with the 
 needed supplies. A 
 man by the name of 
 Newport was given 
 the chief command 
 and was called 
 Admiral. Under him 
 were about a hundred 
 men. No women went 
 on this voyage as it 
 was thought best that 
 the men go first to 
 prepare the land and 
 make things more 
 comfortable for the women who were to come the next year. 
 A sealed box was handed to Admiral Newport with orders 
 that it should not be opened until they arrived at Virginia. 
 So in December, 1606, the little fleet set sail from Eng- 
 land to found in the new world the first real English colony, 
 from which has grown the strongest and best nation on earth. 
 The Settlement of Jamestown. — Because of bad weather 
 and trouble among the men, they had a weary voyage of 
 three months. Many were sick and most of them sorry 
 
 Opening the Sealed Box in the Cabin of the 
 " Susan Constant." 
 
JOHN SMITH 89 
 
 they came, laying the blame on John Smith for leading 
 them away from home. As he was used to leading men, he 
 had ordered them about a good deal on the ship. Some 
 of the men thought he might want to be king when they 
 landed, so they put his legs in irons and decided they would 
 hang him when they reached the shore. 
 
 But Smith had been in too many tight places in his life 
 to be worried about this. He knew nothing could be 
 proved against him and he also knew they would be glad of 
 his help when trouble came. 
 
 On April 20th, 1607, they entered Chesapeake Bay and 
 came to a point of land which they named Cape Henry in 
 honor of their young Prince, son of King James. In the 
 cabin of the "Susan Constant," Admiral Newport's ship, 
 just before they landed, they opened the sealed box and 
 read the papers that had been placed in it. 
 
 By the orders a council of seven was formed, John Smith 
 being one of the number named in the charter; but he was 
 still held as a prisoner and his advice was not asked at first, 
 although later they were glad to have it. 
 
 They at once set about finding the best place to land. 
 They entered a broad stream known by the Indians as the 
 Powhatan, but named by the Englishmen, the James River 
 in honor of their king. Sailing up the stream for thirty 
 miles they found a place which pleased them and which they 
 were able to buy from the Indians for one hatchet. 
 
 Here the colony in America was settled and they named 
 it Jamestown. Edward Wingfield was chosen president 
 and all hands fell to work, putting up tents, cutting down 
 
90 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 trees and getting the ground ready to plant corn. They 
 also built a rude fort of logs and branches of trees on which 
 they mounted four or five cannon. 
 
 John Smith Made President. — About twenty of the party 
 started to explore the river and sailed for six days. They 
 came to high rocks and waterfalls at about the site of the 
 present city of Richmond. They could sail no further 
 so they turned back. When they reached Jamestown they 
 found that the Indians had surprised and attacked the colony, 
 killing one boy and wounding seventeen men. The whole 
 party might have been wiped out had not some sailors on 
 the boat seen the fight and fired a cannon which caused the 
 Indians to run away in fright. The fort was now made 
 stronger and other buildings were put up including a church 
 where good Mr. Hunt, the minister, preached every Sunday. 
 
 In all this work John Smith was so useful that he was no 
 longer held as a prisoner for they needed all the hands to 
 help. The men of the colony had come to Virginia with the 
 idea that they would be able to pick gold from the gound and 
 that they would all become rich without any hard work to 
 do. They soon found that this was not the case. Hot 
 summer days came on. The supply of food ran low and 
 severe sickness followed. In six weeks about fifty men died. 
 
 Admiral Newport's ships had sailed home and in their 
 discouragement every one turned to John Smith. They 
 were glad to elect him president of the colony. He set the 
 well ones to work and made them stop grumbling. As 
 winter came on, many ducks and geese appeared, so they 
 had plenty of good food to eat. 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 91 
 
 Captain Smith Taken Captive by the Indians. — Smith 
 wanted to see some of the country so, choosing eight men 
 to go with him, they fitted out a barge with food and took 
 beads and hatchets for trading. They sailed up one of the 
 streams until the water became too shallow when Smith 
 hired an Indian guide with a canoe in which he took two of 
 his men. The others he left with the barge with orders 
 that they must not leave the boat or go ashore. After a 
 short time he landed with the guide leaving the two men to 
 stay with the canoe and fire a gun if there were any trouble. 
 He had gone but a short distance when Indian war-whoops 
 warned him that his men were in danger. Binding his guide's 
 arm to his own, he hastened back only to find that his two 
 followers were dead and that the men with the barge had 
 also been killed by the Indians who were yelling and 
 dancing on the bank of 
 the stream. As soon as 
 Smith appeared he was 
 attacked and, in trying to 
 defend himself he stepped 
 into a marshy place where 
 he was captured by the 
 Indian chief. 
 
 The chief intended to 
 kill him but Smith showed him his pocket compass and told 
 him of the many countries and strange people he had seen. 
 This so interested the Indian that he spared his life saying 
 that he would take him to the greatest chief of all, the 
 mighty Powhatan. 
 
 Smith Shows His Compass to the Indiana. 
 
92 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Indian Emperor Powhatan. — After tramping through 
 the woods and following the rivers for a number of days, they 
 came to the place where the great over-king Powhatan 
 lived with his tribe. The warriors were dressed in their best 
 suits of red paint with new white feathers in their heads. 
 Powhatan was a big man with gray hair and was about sixty 
 years of age. He wore a long robe of skins and a string of 
 pearls around his neck. Smith had seen many kings and 
 princes but he felt this Indian warrior was the equal of any. 
 Princess Pocahontas. — Standing near her father was a 
 young girl about thirteen years old, graceful and pretty, 
 with bright flashing eyes. This was the Indian emperor's 
 dearest child, Pocahontas, who later proved to be a true 
 
 friend to Captain Smith 
 and the little band of 
 settlers in Virginia. She 
 gazed at Smith with 
 looks of wonder and 
 pity while the Indians 
 talked together as to 
 what to do with him. 
 They decided that he 
 must die and the story 
 goes that when they 
 threw him down intending to dash out his brains with clubs, 
 Pocahontas put her arms around his head and cried out 
 "He shall not die. Stay!" 
 
 Powhatan to please his daughter spared Smith's life 
 but made him promise to give the Indians two of the big 
 
 L MiL 
 
 Pocahontas Saves Smith's Life. 
 
JOHN SMITH 
 
 93 
 
 cannons at the fort. Smith knew the cannons were too 
 heavy for the red men to carry away and they found it so 
 when they came to get them. 
 
 Pocahontas Gives Aid to the Colony. — When Smith 
 reached Jamestown after being away for nearly five weeks 
 he found the colony in a bad way. Hunger and cold had 
 left but thirty-eight alive and these were very quarrelsome. 
 The Captain soon restored order and promised to get food 
 from the Indians. This he was able to do with the help 
 of the kind princess Pocahontas, who would appear every 
 few days bringing baskets of good things to eat. 
 
 Shortly afterwards Admiral Newport arrived from Eng- 
 land with the ship Phcenix loaded with stores and arms 
 and bringing one hun- 
 dred more men. Affairs W r -/^\ 
 seemed more hopeful al- 
 though there was still 
 trouble with the Indians 
 who did not want to 
 be friendly. They 
 would have done more 
 damage but for the 
 kindness of Pocahontas 
 who gave warning 
 and many times saved the lives of the white men. 
 
 How Pocahontas Becomes an English Woman. — John 
 Rolfe, one of the colonists, fell in love with this beautiful 
 and lovely girl and wanted to marry her if she would leave 
 the Indians and join the white people. This she was willing 
 
 Pocahontas and Rolfe. 
 
94 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 to do as she loved him and wanted to stay with his friends. 
 She was baptized in the little church at Jamestown and her 
 name was changed to Rebecca. They were afterwards 
 married in the church which was beautifully decorated with 
 flowers. 
 
 Rolfe was a good man and had a fine farm, so with his 
 sweet wife and a little son, Thomas, who had come to them 
 in the meantime, they lived a happy life. He often spoke 
 of his old home in England and she wanted to see it. So 
 as soon as he could spare the time he 
 took his wife and child on a visit to the 
 old country. Rebecca was well received 
 by everyone, even by the king and 
 queen when they learned she was the 
 daughter of an emperor. Her beauty 
 and gracious manners won the love of 
 all, but the climate of England did not 
 agree with her and she became very ill. 
 To save her life her husband hurried her 
 aboard a ship sailing to Virginia, but 
 before the vessel had left the shores of England, the loving, 
 great hearted Pocahontas died. Her body was buried in the 
 churchyard at Gravesend where her grave may still be seen. 
 Captain Smith Badly Hurt. — The colony in Virginia con- 
 tinued to grow and prosper under the leadership of Captain 
 Smith. They built houses, farmed the land and explored 
 the rivers. One day Smith and his men were returning 
 down the river to Jamestown. The Captain was asleep in 
 the boat lying against a bag of gunpowder and one of the 
 
 Pocahontas from an Old 
 Print. 
 
JOHN SMITH 95 
 
 men in lighting his pipe accidentally set it afire. The powder 
 exploded and Smith was in flames. He jumped into the water. 
 Although he was saved from drowning, he was terribly burned 
 and fainted from the pain. He continued to be so weak and 
 ill that he decided to return to England and have his wounds 
 properly attended to. So he set sail in October, 1609, bidding 
 good bye to his beloved Virginia. He w as never to see it again. 
 The Indians Become Unfriendly. — The white men con- 
 tinued to be at peace with the Indians as long as the great 
 chief Powhatan lived. But after some years he died leav- 
 ing his brother Opekankane to lead the tribe. This chief 
 was not friendly to the English settlers although they re- 
 fused to believe that the Indians would not always be their 
 friends. The Indians were allowed to come freely into the 
 settlement and were given fire-arms with which to hunt 
 game. Suddenly, without warning, and at many different 
 points, the savages attacked the unsuspecting whites, killing 
 women and children as well as men, destroying the cattle 
 and the crops and driving the poor people who remained 
 back into their forts. This was a terrible blow to the 
 colony. The following winter found them without enough 
 food and as many died of starvation as had died at the 
 hands of the Indians. The next year the white men 
 planned an attack upon their savage neighbors. They did 
 this so thoroughly that they revenged themselves com- 
 pletely for the outrage of the year before. So many of the 
 natives were killed and so much of their crops destroyed that 
 they were forced westward into the mountains and did not 
 trouble Virginia for many years after. 
 
96 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Smith's Last Voyage and the Close of His Life. — Smith 
 had now been at home two years and was again strong and 
 well. His friends had been kind in giving dinners and 
 parties in his honor but he did not care for life of this sort. 
 He soon had two ships fitted out to make a voyage to 
 America under his command. This time he sailed the 
 coast north of the river Henry Hudson had discovered with 
 his Dutch fleet. He named the country New England as it 
 is called today. He traded with the natives and returned to 
 England with a rich cargo of skins and furs. The king 
 gave him the title of Admiral of New England. 
 
 He never again sailed to America, but spent the rest of 
 his days in Old England writing the story of his travels 
 and adventures. 
 
PART TWO- COLONISTS 
 
 MILES STANDISH 
 
 The Pilgrims Seek Liberty of Wor- 
 ship. — When James I became King of 
 England after the death of Queen Eliz- 
 abeth, people were not allowed to wor- 
 ship God in any church they pleased. 
 The law said that all must attend ser- 
 vice in the way directed by the King. 
 
 They Leave England and Settle in 
 Holland. — Some of the people did not 
 like this and in order to avoid it they James i. 
 
 left England and settled in Holland. They were called 
 Pilgrims and lived peacefully in the city of Ley den. The 
 Dutch wanted them to stay for they were good people and 
 hard working. But these English Pilgrims did not want 
 their children to be Dutch when they grew up ; so when they 
 had been in Holland about ten years the Pilgrims made up 
 their minds to seek a home in the new world across the 
 ocean. They knew about Virginia and the English colony 
 settled there and they had heard also of voyages made by 
 Henry Hudson, Goswold and others along the coast of 
 America farther north. To this country they decided to go. 
 
 A Gallant Soldier Who Becomes a Great Help to the 
 Pilgrims. — There was living in Holland at this time an 
 
 97 
 
98 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 English soldier named Miles Standish. He did not belong 
 to the Pilgrim church although he was very friendly to the 
 little band of exiles. When they talked of leaving Holland 
 to settle in the new world Standish said he would go with 
 them. It was a lucky day for the Pilgrims when this good 
 
 brave captain decided to do so, 
 for Miles Standish helped the 
 little colony in their many trials 
 and times of danger. 
 
 The Speedwell Sails from 
 Holland. — A tiny vessel not 
 more than fifty feet long named 
 the Speedwell was bought and 
 fitted out. It was of course too 
 small to carry all who wanted 
 
 MA S/uJa'Jj, to f- Be f des - ma , ny were not 
 
 well enough and others were too 
 timid, to cross a wide and stormy 
 sea to live in a new country. So 
 a large number were left in Hol- 
 land, the pastor, Mr. Robinson, staying with them. Elder 
 Brewster took his place as head of the church and sailed with 
 the little company. In July, 1620, the Speedwell with the 
 small band of Christian heroes, left the harbor of Delft 
 Haven. A fair wind carried the vessel across the channel 
 to the British port of Southampton. Here they found the 
 Mayflower, a much larger vessel, with a party of Pilgrims 
 from England, awaiting the arrival of the Speedwell. On 
 August fifth all things being ready, both vessels weighed 
 
 
 Miles Standish and His Signature. 
 
MILES STANDISH 
 
 99 
 
 anchor and put to sea. They had been out but a day or 
 two when it was found that the Speedwell was leaking and 
 the only safe thing to do was to turn back to England. So 
 both vessels returned to Plymouth, the nearest port. Here 
 the Speedwell was examined and found unfit for the long 
 rough voyage. Twenty of the passengers were left behind 
 while the rest were taken on the Mayflower although that 
 ship was already too crowded. 
 
 In the Mayflower the Pilgrims Leave the Old World for 
 the New. — Over one hundred were now on the little ship and 
 once more they 
 set sail for the 
 trip across the 
 wide ocean. 
 Stormy weather, 
 sea-sickness and 
 some deaths 
 made the long 
 voyage a sad 
 one. After two 
 months' sailing, 
 it was with 
 thankful hearts 
 they reached Cape Cod on the coast of Massachusetts, and 
 cast anchor in the bay on the western side of the cape. 
 
 Cape Cod Does Not Look Promising. — The same day a 
 party of sixteen men, well armed, under Captain Miles 
 Standish, was sent ashore to explore the nearby country. 
 They soon returned with a report that was not very hopeful. 
 
 On Board the Mayflower. (After the Painting by Weir.) 
 
100 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The land was sandy and poor, but covered with scrub oaks 
 and evergreens. No fresh water was found nor signs of any 
 natives. They cut cedar branches which were burned on 
 the brick hearth of the ship, and, with fish caught in the 
 bay and sea-fowl which were shot, the poor homesick exiles 
 became more comfortable. 
 
 The First Sunday in the New World. — The next day 
 being Sunday, these devout people who had left their native 
 land and gone out into the wilderness that they might wor- 
 ship God freely, kept the day holy to the Lord. The good 
 Elder Brewster led the service and preached from the deck 
 of the Mayflower, while the whole company joined in 
 hymns of praise to God for bringing them thus far in safety. 
 
 The next day the Pilgrims drew up a brief form of 
 government and John Carver was chosen governor for 
 one year. 
 
 Serious duties faced the little band who had come so 
 many miles to make a new home and the first thing to decide 
 was the right place to land and form a settlement. 
 
 The Pilgrims had brought the framework and lumber for 
 a small boat which they now put together, as the Mayflower 
 was too large a vessel to cruise in the shallow waters of the 
 coast. 
 
 Seeking a Landing Place. — The members of the com- 
 pany were tired of the ship and wanted to get to work on 
 shore, clearing the land and putting up houses. Miles 
 Standish with fifteen men went ashore to search for a 
 suitable place to settle. They were well armed and 
 supplied with food to last several days. They were 
 
MILES STANDISH 
 
 101 
 
 going into an unknown country where they might ex- 
 pect the woods to be filled with savages, but they were 
 
 Miles Standish Seeks a Place for 
 the Settlement. 
 
 brave men and each had his 
 
 musket and sword. They 
 
 also wore armor made of tough leather covered with pieces 
 
 of metal. 
 
 First Sight of Indians. — The party walked along the 
 coast for about a mile when they saw six or seven Indians 
 with a dog coming towards them. As soon as the savages 
 caught sight of the company of white men they were 
 frightened and fled into the woods. The Pilgrims wanted 
 to be friendly and ran after them, but night came on before 
 
102 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 they could catch up with them. At dark the Pilgrims made 
 a rude camp of logs and branches and built a rousing fire, for 
 the night was cold. Some slept while others kept watch 
 and at daybreak they started to travel again. A spring of 
 water, cool and bubbling from the moss, gave them a re- 
 freshing drink, and they 
 also gathered some wild 
 berries which were sweet 
 and pleasant. Farther on 
 they came to some mounds 
 which proved to be Indian 
 graves, near one of which 
 was a basket full of Indian 
 corn. The Pilgrims had 
 never seen corn before but 
 they could tell it was some- 
 thing good to eat. As their 
 own supply of food was al- 
 most gone, the sight of the 
 golden ears of corn gave 
 them great joy and they 
 
 Finding the Corn. tQQk ftwfty ^ much ag they 
 
 could carry. They were honest men and wished to pay for 
 what they took but there was no one about to receive the 
 money. Some time later when it was learned who put the 
 corn in that place, the Pilgrims gave the Indians full pay 
 for what they had taken. 
 
 The Pilgrims Land at Plymouth. — In this trip on land 
 the Pilgrims first saw the Indian houses and described them 
 
MILES STANDISH 
 
 103 
 
 as made of a framework of young saplings covered with 
 mats. They were shaped like beehives, big enough to al- 
 low a man to stand upright, had a mat for a door and sleep- 
 ing mats were laid about. The fire-place was in the middle 
 and a hole in the top served as a chimney. 
 
 This was all well enough for the hardy Indians but the 
 white men with their women and children wanted more corn- 
 
 Landing at Plymouth. 
 
 fort in the houses they intended to build. The men took 
 the little boat to further explore the coast and finally decided 
 on a part of the shore on the western side of the bay. Here 
 they found a stream of clear, sweet water, well stocked with 
 fish. A little back from the shore stood a high hill which 
 would be a good place for a fort. The rest of the company, 
 including the women and children, were brought from the 
 Mayflower in the little boat and landed on this spot. They 
 
104 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 named it Plymouth after the town in England from which 
 they had sailed. 
 
 Building Their Houses. — Then began the work of clear- 
 ing the ground, cutting timber and building houses. They 
 first erected a building called the "Commons" for the 
 storage of goods and holding meetings. Nineteen dwelling 
 
 houses were then 
 put up. These 
 were all made of 
 logs with roofs of 
 dried sea-grass laid 
 on thickly, and 
 chimneys of stones 
 plastered with 
 clay. They made 
 rude shutters and 
 doors, roughly cut 
 and probably badly fitted, for the only carpenter in the 
 company was sick. When the buildings were finished and 
 the families living in them, the place began to look quite 
 like a little town. The settlers had five cannon which they 
 mounted on the hill, pointing in different directions. As the 
 Indians were known to be near at hand a regular guard was 
 formed under the command of Captain Standish, to be ready 
 for defence. 
 
 Christmas day, which came three days after the land- 
 ing, was not spent in the usual merry making. There was 
 much work to be done, besides many were sick and had to 
 be cared for, the supply of food was running very low and 
 
 Building the "Commons." 
 
MILES STANDISH 
 
 105 
 
 there was always the fear of Indians as their wild shouts were 
 often heard. Of the little company that sailed from England 
 almost half the number had died and those that survived 
 were too busy and serious to have time or desire for pleas- 
 ure. Even the children, with the dread of Indians always 
 about them, were not free to play as boys and girls are in 
 these happier days. 
 
 An Indian Visitor. — The Pilgrims were willing to be 
 friendly with the natives but they were not willing to trust 
 
 Samoset Makes a Call. 
 
 them fully. Captain Standish could muster but twenty 
 men whom he kept armed and prepared for defense. This 
 was a small force to resist an attack of perhaps thousands 
 of savages. But with more intelligence and the use of guns, 
 together with the cannon mounted on the hill, the white 
 men felt they could make a brave fight against almost any 
 
106 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 force of Indians armed only with bows and arrows. Still 
 they would rather the Indians kept away till the colony 
 had grown stronger. 
 
 They were amazed one day to see an Indian come boldly 
 walking past the houses to the place of meeting and even 
 offer to enter the Commons which was now called the town 
 hall. His first salute was, "Welcome"; then he told the 
 surprised company his name was Samoset. He had come 
 from the regions of the Kenebec River in Maine where he 
 had met English fishermen who had sailed down the coast 
 from Newfoundland. From them he had learned enough 
 of the language to talk. The Plymouth Pilgrims who had 
 never spoken to an Indian were greatly interested in hear- 
 ing what he had to tell. He said he was a "sagamore" or 
 chief from the north and explained how it was that the 
 white men had found empty Indian huts and tools, besides 
 stores of corn. There had been a great plague that had 
 killed or driven away a large tribe that had settled on this 
 part of the coast. This accounted for the quantity of corn 
 the Pilgrims had found and made use of and it also gave them 
 the hope of paying the owners for what they had taken. 
 Samoset was fond of talking and told them many things 
 the Pilgrims were anxious to know about the various tribes 
 in the neighborhood of Plymouth. Captain Standish did not 
 want him to stay too long, however, and find out the small 
 number of the white settlers. As the night came on they 
 wanted to get rid of the chief but Samoset showed no desire 
 to leave. He consented to go on board the ship to pass the 
 night: but the wind was so high they could not take him 
 
MILES STANDISH 107 
 
 in the small boat. So they lodged him in one of the 
 houses but kept a careful guard. The next day Samoset 
 left, as he said, to visit the great sagamore, Massasoit. He 
 received a present of a knife, a bracelet and a ring, promising 
 to return in a few days, bringing with him some of Massasoit's 
 people, and some beaver skins to sell. 
 
 Samoset Brings More Visitors. — Later he returned 
 with three other Indians. The name of one was Squan- 
 tum; it was said that he was the only living member 
 of the Patuxat tribe who had formerly occupied the land 
 on which the Pilgrims had now settled. He had been 
 taken captive by a pirate vessel, commanded by Cap- 
 tain Hunt, who carried him to Spain and sold him as a 
 slave. He was found by a kind Englishman who bought 
 his freedom, took him first to England and afterwards sent 
 him back to his native land. Squantum was grateful for 
 this kindness. As he had learned the language while in 
 England, he proved to be a good friend and a great help to 
 the colonists in their dealings with the Indians. Samoset 
 and Squantum brought the startling news that the great 
 sagamore or king Massasoit with his brother, Quadequina, 
 in company with sixty warriors, was near at hand to pay the 
 Pilgrims a friendly visit. 
 
 A Treaty of Peace. — Massasoit was a remarkable man. 
 He was very large, in the prime of life, of grave and stately 
 manner, quiet in speech and ever proving faithful to his 
 promises and obligations. He wore a chain of white bone 
 beads about his neck, and a little bag of tobacco which he 
 smoked and presented to Governor Carver to smoke. There 
 
108 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 was a friendly talk and then a treaty of peace was made. 
 It was put in writing by the Pilgrims and agreed that these 
 Indians and the settlers were to live in friendship and give 
 help to each other in any just war. The Indians promised to 
 
 settle near by during 
 
 the summer and to 
 plant a field of corn 
 south of the brook. 
 The Pilgrims were well 
 pleased to be on friendly 
 terms with their nearest 
 neighbors. The May- 
 flower had sailed for 
 England and the little 
 band of colonists, much 
 reduced from its original number, was left to its own re- 
 sources. Summer was coming on. Squantum gave them 
 the Indian rules for planting corn. Everyone was willing 
 to work and affairs looked hopeful for the colony. 
 
 Return Visit to Massasoit. — As soon as their planting 
 was well completed it was decided to return Massasoit's 
 visit. Two men only could be spared so Edward Winslow 
 and Stephen Hopkins were sent; Squantum went with them 
 as guide and interpreter. The messengers carried as presents 
 to the Indian chief, a bright red coat, a copper chain, and 
 some bright beads of glass. During the journey they came 
 across several settlements of Indians who received them 
 kindly and gave them food to eat. The white men took 
 occasion to show their skill at shooting to impress the 
 
 Trading with the Indians. 
 
MILES STANDISH 
 
 109 
 
 natives with their power. They finally arrived at Massa- 
 soit's village and found that he was away, but the chief was 
 sent for and soon returned. As he approached, the Pil- 
 grims fired their guns in salute to the great fright of the 
 squaws and children who scampered into the woods. Mas- 
 sasoit received the messengers kindly and was delighted 
 with the red coat 
 and necklace which 
 he put on at once. 
 The peace-pipe was 
 smoked and the even- 
 ing spent in talk but 
 the visitors had to 
 go to bed hungrjr for 
 no supper had been 
 offered. The next 
 day they started for 
 home which they 
 reached tired from 
 the long tramp, wet 
 from thunder-storms 
 and hungry because of the scarcity of food at Massasoit's 
 camp. 
 
 Thanksgiving. — The colony was now quite prosperous. 
 Crops had been plentiful and furs had been gathered to 
 send to England in payment for money loaned by the mer- 
 chants. Timber had been cut for new buildings; fish and 
 game were abundant in the rivers and forests. Indians 
 were friendly and often came to visit the settlement. In 
 
 Going to Church in Pilgrim Days. 
 
110 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 view of their good fortune Governor Bradford decided to 
 have a season of rejoicing. Four men were sent hunting and 
 secured game enough for a week. Then they gave them- 
 selves up to holiday making with such sports as they had 
 known in England. Captain Standish arranged a military 
 drill and shooting match. Massasoit with about ninety 
 of his men, came, bringing five deer which they had shot 
 
 The Thanksgiving Feast. 
 
 for the feast. The festival lasted for a week to the en- 
 joyment of all. 
 
 Thus was started in America a thanksgiving for God's 
 blessings, which has been observed ever since at the close of 
 harvest. It is now confined to one day which we celebrate 
 in November as Thanksgiving Day. 
 
 New Arrivals from England.— Not long after this a vessel 
 was seen sailing into the bay. The Pilgrims were alarmed 
 fearing it was a French ship coming to attack them. Stand- 
 
MILES STANDISH 111 
 
 ish called the men to arms and prepared for defense. As 
 the vessel drew near they saw the English flag flying from 
 the mast head and knew they had nothing to fear. The 
 ship proved to be the Fortune and had on board thirty-five 
 passengers come to join the colony. Some of the men 
 were welcome but for the most part the others did not add 
 to the strength of the settlement. They brought neither 
 supplies nor weapons and would not work until forced to do 
 so. But Captain Standish thought he could use them in 
 case of trouble with the Indians, which in fact came soon 
 afterwards. 
 
 Challenge of Arrows and Snake Skin. — The Narra- 
 gansetts who had always been unfriendly to the whites began 
 to make threats of attacking the colony. One day an Indian 
 messenger came and left a bundle for Squantum. On open- 
 ing the package there was found a number of arrows around 
 which was wrapped the skin of a snake. Squantum knew 
 the meaning of these articles. He explained that the 
 arrows meant warfare, and the skin of the rattlesnake gave 
 warning like the rattle of the reptile when about to attack. 
 •, Standish accepted the challenge by returning to the Indian 
 chief the snake skin stuffed with powder and bullets. 
 Meanwhile they built a strong palisade around the entire 
 settlement, including the hill on which the cannon were 
 posted. The message had its effect upon the natives and 
 no attack was made at that time. 
 
 To show his importance, Squantum brought a rumor 
 that Massasoit had turned against his white friends and was 
 marching to attack them. This was found to be false. Mas- 
 
112 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 sasoit was so angry at being accused of unfaithfulness that he 
 asked for the surrender of Squantum that he might put him 
 to death, but Governor Bradford would not consent to this. 
 
 Word came soon after this time that Massasoit was sick 
 and likely to die. Mr. Winslow and Mr. Hampden were sent 
 to visit the sick chief. It was a perilous journey but they 
 took it bravely. When they reached his bed-side and found 
 the nature of his illness they gave him medicine that helped 
 him for which he was grateful. Massasoit told them that 
 many of the Indian tribes were planning to attack the 
 Plymouth colony and they were thus put on their guard. 
 No general uprising happened, although Captain Standish 
 and his men had many encounters with the savages, whom 
 they always defeated by the use of their firearms. 
 
 The Colony Increases. — One vessel after another arrived 
 bringing new people to the colony. On one of the ships was 
 
 The Settlement at Plymouth. 
 
 a young woman named Barbara. Captain Standish fell in 
 love with her, and they were soon married. Captain 
 Standish made a visit to England on some business affairs 
 and after an absence of five months returned to Plymouth. 
 
NEW ENGLAND SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS 113 
 
 The colony had now outgrown the space on the land as 
 first laid out. Many felt they needed more ground and 
 they began a settlement on the north side of the bay, naming 
 it Duxbury. Miles Standish was one of those who settled 
 here and built a house on what is known as Captain's Hill. 
 Here he died in 1656 and on this lofty hill has been erected 
 a splendid monument to the memory of the brave soldier 
 who gave such valuable help in the planting of a Christian 
 colony in the New World. 
 
ROGER WILLIAMS 
 
 AN OUTCAST FOR CONSCIENCE' SAKE 
 
 The man who is willing to risk his comfort and perhaps 
 his life for what he believes to be right is a great man, whether 
 his name has been written in books of history or not. Such 
 a man was Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. 
 
 A Bright Boy. — Roger was born in London, England, 
 when James was king — at least this is so to the best of our 
 knowledge, for all record of his birth has long ago been lost. 
 He was a bright boy and one fond of study, for we find him 
 at the age of fourteen in the "Star Chamber," one of the 
 great court rooms of England, taking notes of the speeches 
 which were made there. This probably meant that he had 
 friends among the wealthy and noble men of the country, 
 for no others belonged to this court. 
 
 An Influential Friend. — Among these men was Sir 
 Edward Coke, at one time said to be the greatest lawyer in 
 England. Sir Edward took a fancy to Roger Williams, and 
 used his influence to have him placed in a new school which 
 had just been founded in London. In those days there were 
 no public schools as we have them to-day. Rich boys were 
 taught at home by tutors, but poor boys had small chance of 
 receiving any education at all. This school to which Roger 
 was allowed to go was for such poor boys as had ability and 
 were willing to work hard at their studies. Roger was 
 certainly one of these. So well did he succeed that in two 
 
 114 
 
ROGER WILLIAMS 
 
 115 
 
 years he was ready to go to the great English university at 
 Cambridge where lawyers and teachers, doctors and clergy- 
 men, and learned men of all kinds were trained. 
 
 Young Roger Williams taking notes in "Star Chamber." 
 
 Roger Becomes a Puritan. — Of course, Sir Edward Coke 
 wanted Roger to be a lawyer like himself, and at first this 
 was the plan. Later, however, Roger became very fond of 
 the study of the Bible and of matters connected with the 
 church. At last he decided not to be a lawyer but a clergy- 
 man. He refused to believe many of the things taught in 
 the English church, so he had a great deal of trouble in find- 
 ing a parish which would have him as its minister. One 
 story told about Roger is that he was very much in love with 
 a rich young lady, but could not ask her to be his wife for he 
 
116 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 could find no position that would pay him enough to support 
 a family. The young lady married someone else and Roger 
 was for a time very sad. This was probably the first sacri- 
 fice which he had to make for the sake of his conscience. 
 Although later he found both a position and a wife, he never 
 was happy as a clergyman in the Church of England and 
 soon became a Puritan. The Puritans were those who did 
 not desire to leave the church, but who felt it should be 
 "purified" or improved." 
 
 He Sails to America. — We have already learned from 
 our story of Miles Standish how the Pilgrims sailed to the 
 bleak shores of Massachusetts to find a home where they 
 could worship God as they pleased. Some while after the 
 Pilgrims had settled at Plymouth another band of people 
 secured a grant of land in the new world and settled where 
 the city of Boston now stands. These were Puritans. 
 When Roger Williams heard of their colony he decided to 
 join them. He accordingly set sail and arrived in the 
 spring of the year 1631. At first the colonists at Boston 
 were happy at the coming of so learned a man who was 
 thought to believe just as they did. 
 
 His Liberal Opinions Cause Trouble. — Very soon, how- 
 ever, he got into trouble with the authorities at Boston, and 
 went to Salem, a town some miles north of Boston, and be- 
 came assistant pastor there. He insisted, however, that the 
 magistrates had no right to punish men for not going to 
 church, as that was a matter a man must decide for himself. 
 This made him objectionable to the leaders at Salem, and he 
 was forced to go to Plymouth, where he assisted the minister. 
 He also made a study of the language of the Indians, in 
 
ROGER WILLIAMS 
 
 11' 
 
 whom he took a very keen interest. It was not long before 
 the people of Salem asked him to come back and be their 
 minister. This was opposed by the governor at Boston, and 
 although Williams did return to Salem, his teaching raised 
 a storm of protest from the leaders of the colony at Boston. 
 For instance, Williams said the king had no right to give 
 away the land in America which really belonged to the 
 Indians and that the colo- 
 nists should therefore buy it 
 from them. He also said 
 that the magistrates could 
 not make a wicked person 
 pray, as prayer was a form 
 of worship, and worship was 
 a matter of conscience ; mag- 
 istrates only had authority 
 over the bodies and not over 
 the souls of men. For these 
 liberal notions, which seem 
 •to us very reasonable, Wil- 
 liams was tried by the gen- 
 eral court and was banished 
 from the colony. 
 
 In Exile. — In the middle 
 of winter he left Boston, with its snug little houses and its 
 warm hearths, and walked out into the snow-clad forest. 
 But Roger Williams was not afraid. He would have died 
 rather than give up his beliefs. In his study of the language 
 of the Indians he had made friends with many of the sav- 
 ages, and this friendship was now to stand him in good 
 
 Roger Williams exiled in the woods. 
 
118 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 stead. On the shores of Narragansett Bay he lived with 
 his Indian friends, sleeping in their tents and eating their 
 food. Finally he bought from two of their chiefs, Canonicus 
 and Miantonomah, a strip of land on which he determined 
 to build a colony. 
 
 Freedom of Worship. — The new colony [was to be free 
 to all, whatever their opinions. The Pilgrims and Puritans 
 had fled from England to find a land where they could wor- 
 ship as they pleased. But apparently they were unwilling 
 to give anyone else that privilege, for in their own way they 
 were as intolerant of others as ever England had been of 
 them. At last a colony was to be founded, however, which 
 was to let a man worship God as he pleased. The new 
 colony was at first called Providence, in token of Roger 
 Williams' thankfulness to God for his preservation in the 
 wilderness. Many people came, and as they represented 
 different beliefs, there was at first much quarreling, but later 
 the settlements prospered, as they well deserved to do. 
 
 Roger Williams Saves Massachusetts from the Indians. 
 — At one time some years later the settlements around 
 Massachusetts were threatened with attack by the sur- 
 rounding Indian tribes. They were very much frightened 
 and formed a league of protection, but they would not allow 
 Roger Williams' colony to join the league, for they had not 
 forgiven him for his troublesome opinions. Nevertheless it 
 was Williams they had to thank for saving them from a 
 terrible Indian massacre. When he heard of the Indians' 
 plan to attack the other settlements he went to their chiefs 
 and because of his friendship for them and because they 
 trusted him Roger Williams was able to persuade the In- 
 
ROGER WILLIAMS 
 
 119 
 
 dians not to make the attack. Thus the people who turned 
 him out into the winter wilderness owed their lives to his 
 influence with their savage enemies. 
 
 Rhode Island, as the new colony was later called, con- 
 tinued to grow and prosper until at last it became a state 
 in the United States of America. The smallest state of all, 
 it gives the largest liberty to its people; and the freedom of 
 worship which we to-day enjoy all over the great country is 
 due in no small part to the courage and determination of 
 the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams. 
 
 THE NEW ENGLAND SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 continued to be the 
 During a war between 
 
 The Pequod War. — Massasoit 
 friend of the people of Plymouth, 
 the settlers and the Pequod In- 
 dians, a fierce tribe from the west, 
 Massasoit's people were on the 
 side of the English. The Pequods 
 were defeated, those who were 
 left alive taking refuge where they 
 could. Most of the Indian tribes 
 were afraid to receive these fugi- 
 tives because they were the ene- 
 mies of the English with their 
 wonderful guns and steel armor. 
 
 So the poor Pequods wandered about from place to place 
 until the tribe was lost altogether. In this war the Wampa- 
 noags, Massasoit's tribe, were safe from attack but they 
 too, began to fear the white men. They thought that some 
 
 Indian Warrior. 
 
120 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 day the white men would want all their land and they 
 would have to give it up or be wiped out as were the 
 Pequods. 
 
 The Sons of Massasoit. — When Massasoit died, he left 
 two sons, Wamsutta and Pometacom. He had more than 
 once taken these boys to Plymouth, where the white people 
 had renamed them Alexander and Philip. The older of 
 these sons, Alexander, succeeded his father as chief but 
 lived only about a year. His wife, Wetamoo, and his brother, 
 Philip, believed that his death was caused by poison given 
 him by the whites. There seems to be no reason for think- 
 ing this, but it was believed by many of the Indians. 
 
 Trouble Begins. — Philip, Massasoit's second son, now 
 became sachem of the Wampanoags. Philip, although he 
 
 pretended to be 
 friendly to the 
 white men, in 
 his heart hated 
 them. He be- 
 
 Indian Bow and Arrows. . 
 
 gan secretly to 
 gather the tribes together to drive the whites from the land. 
 The English heard of his plot and ordered him to appear 
 before them. He came in his war paint accompanied by a 
 band of warriors. At first he was very haughty, refusing 
 to answer the questions asked him, but after a time he broke 
 down and confessed. He then made a treaty with the Eng- 
 lish and promised to punish any of the Indians who did 
 them harm. 
 
 It was soon shown that Philip had no intention of 
 
NEW ENGLAND SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 121 
 
 keeping this treaty. There were at this time in New 
 England over a thousand Indians who had been converted 
 to Christianity and who were living in peaceful villages 
 where they were becoming somewhat civilized. One of 
 these Indians named Sassamon heard that there was to be 
 another uprising of the tribes and brought the news to the 
 settlers. He begged them not to tell who had informed 
 them. But the secret leaked out, as secrets have a way of 
 doing, and a few days later Sassamon was found drowned 
 in a creek. The English were very angry and caught 
 several Indians who were suspected. These men were 
 tried and found guilty. They were then put to death. 
 
 King Philip. — When Philip heard of this he decided to 
 wait no longer. He feared he might be the next whom the 
 whites would arrest and put to death for his crimes. All 
 was ready. Philip was a man of much ability. He had 
 formed a league of most of the 
 New England tribes and was him- 
 self chosen as the leader. He was 
 now called King Philip. Begin- 
 ning with the white settlers near- 
 est his own home in Rhode Island, 
 his braves began to burn and kill 
 in the terrible way the whites had 
 already learned to fear. Troops 
 were immediately raised in Boston 
 and Plymouth and marched against the Indians. Philip 
 kept his warriors safely hidden. One band of English under 
 Captain Church was at one time surrounded near the coast 
 
 Captain Church and His Band. 
 
122 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 and only escaped by fleeing to a ship which had been sent 
 to rescue them. 
 
 A Merciless War. — At last Philip and the main body of 
 his warriors took refuge in a swamp. The English who 
 had received reinforcements decided to surround the 
 swamp and starve the Indians out. They were so con- 
 fident of catching the Indian king that they became care- 
 less and under the cover of darkness Philip and many of 
 his followers made their escape. 
 
 At another time a little settlement called Brookfield 
 was attacked by the Indians. The settlers all crowded into 
 a blockhouse, from the loopholes of which they fired upon 
 the Red Skins. The Indians set fire to the other houses, 
 shot the cattle, and made every effort to burn the 
 blockhouse. At last they filled a wagon with hay and 
 pine boughs. Setting this afire they ran it against the 
 blockhouse. Seeing that their only place of safety was 
 about to catch fire, the white people were ready to sur- 
 render when rain began to fall and the flames were ex- 
 tinguished. For three days the little garrison held out 
 until troops from Boston arrived and drove the Indians 
 away. 
 
 At Deerfield, in western Massachusetts, there was a 
 large quantity of grain gathered in the barns. When the 
 people got news of the coming of the Indians the women 
 and children fled. Captain Lathrop and a body of picked 
 men stayed to guard the grain as it was loaded upon wagons 
 and carried away. While they were traveling along, glad 
 that they had succeeded in saving the grain, they were 
 
NEW ENGLAND SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS 123 
 
 suddenly attacked by the savages and the captain and 
 nearly all of his troop were slain. 
 
 The Indian Fort. — Many other towns suffered as did 
 these and all the settlers were in terror. Winter was now 
 coming on and King Philip gathered his followers to- 
 gether in a fort which he had had built on an island in the 
 middle of a swamp. This fort was so well made that it 
 was believed it could not be captured. Within the fort was 
 a great quantity of grain and supplies for the winter and 
 about five hundred wigwams in which nearly three thousand 
 Indians lived. All around it were palisades or rows of long 
 stakes driven close together into the ground and sharpened 
 at the upper ends. Between two rows of these stakes 
 was a mass of twigs and branches with their tops pointing 
 outward. 
 
 Anyone attacking this fort would have to climb over 
 these sharpened stakes, through the hedge of branches, 
 over another row of stakes, and then into the fort. While 
 this was being done the Indians would, of course, have 
 plenty of time to drive off the attacking party. But there 
 was just one place where an opening in the palisade allowed 
 the Red Men themselves to get in and out. This entrance 
 was always guarded and could be approached only by 
 means of a fallen log across which only one man could 
 walk at a time. The Indians felt very safe about this 
 entrance. 
 
 The Capture. — Yet it was here that the English gained 
 entrance to the fort. Their bravery was splendid. The 
 first who crossed the log were shot down by the Indian 
 
124 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 arrows, but others followed . A hand-to-hand struggle took 
 place in the narrow entrance. For three hours they fought 
 and then the English began to win. The Indians were 
 driven back and their wigwams set on fire. Many were 
 burned. A few escaped to a nearby swamp but they had 
 no food and perished of cold and hunger. 
 
 The End of King Philip's War. — Philip, however, was 
 not caught. He lived to raise other bands of Indians and 
 carry on his war against the whites. But the capture of 
 the fort was the beginning of the end. The Indians had 
 lost heart and one tribe after another made peace with the 
 English until Philip had few left who were faithful to him. 
 His wife and son, his sister and many 
 of his relatives were prisoners; but still 
 he fought on. He saw that he could 
 never drive the white men from the 
 land and that he must lose in the end. 
 Yet he would not give up. At last one 
 of his followers proved to be a traitor 
 and told of his hiding place to the Eng- 
 lish. He died fighting his life-long foes. 
 About one hundred other Indians were 
 killed or taken prisoners at the same time. This, of course, 
 ended King Philip's War. Hundreds of lives had been lost 
 but the Indian power was broken. For many years the 
 settlers had faced the danger of savage raids but never 
 again was Massachusetts threatened as she had been in 
 this struggle with the hostile son of the friendly Massasoit. 
 
 Puritan. 
 
LORD BALTIMORE 
 
 THE WISE PROPRIETOR 
 
 In the years long past and gone when new countries were 
 being discovered in various parts of the world it was the 
 habit of kings to bestow large tracts of these lands upon their 
 favorites. 
 
 Sometimes these grants were made to the bold and brave 
 men who had discovered the new land, and at other times 
 they were given as a reward for some service rendered to the 
 king by one of the noblemen of the court. 
 
 Colonies in the Time of King James. — When James the 
 First was king of England two large colonies were already 
 settled on the coast of America; Virginia on the south and 
 New England on the north. 
 
 Between these two settlements there was a tract of land 
 on which no human beings lived but tribes of Indians. The 
 colonies to the north and south had grown and become quite 
 prosperous by this time, and America was regarded as a 
 land of riches and great promise. 
 
 Lord Baltimore Receives a Grant of Land. — The king, 
 wishing to reward Sir George Calvert for faithful services, 
 first created him Lord Baltimore, and then granted him a 
 tract of land directly to the north of the colony of Virginia. 
 Before the necessary papers were made out and the great seal 
 affixed King James died, but his son, King Charles the First, 
 
 125 
 
126 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 promptly renewed the gift of land to Lord Baltimore, who 
 gave to his new possessions the title of Maryland, in honor 
 of King Charles' wife, Queen Mary. 
 
 Lord Baltimore's private life and public career proved 
 him to be fitted for the high honors bestowed upon him. 
 He was educated at Oxford University and afterward held 
 positions of trust under the government. 
 
 Cecil Calvert Becomes Lord Baltimore. — When the grant 
 of land for the colony in America was awarded to him he 
 began at once to make plans and to prepare laws, but before 
 these were completed Lord Baltimore suddenly died, and 
 the charter for the possession in the new world passed to 
 his son Cecil, who became the second Lord Baltimore. 
 
 Cecil at once started to fit out an expedition with settlers 
 for the colony, but met with strong opposition from the 
 beginning. The members of the Virginia Company, both 
 in America and in England, objected to the new colony and 
 tried in every way to stop it. 
 
 The Ark and the Dove Set Sail. — However, two vessels, 
 the Ark and the Dove, set sail for the new world with settlers 
 and supplies. 
 
 Lord Baltimore wished and fully intended to accompany 
 this expedition, but his enemies at home so actively opposed 
 his charter and his plans that he thought it wise to remain 
 in England and watch over his affairs there. 
 
 He regretted this necessity, for it prevented him from 
 ever seeing the colony which he established with so much 
 care and expense. 
 
 Although Cecil was not able to join the party on their 
 
LORD BALTIMORE 
 
 127 
 
 voyage to the new possessions, he carefully prepared a code 
 of laws and appointed his brother, Leonard Calvert, deputy 
 governor of the province. Leonard took the leadership of 
 the expedition, and the two little vessels, the Ark and the 
 Dove, started on their stormy voyage across the Atlantic. 
 Tribute of Two Indian Arrows. — The terms of the charter 
 required that two Indian arrows be delivered every year to 
 
 Delivering the arrows to King Charles. 
 
 the King of England at Windsor Castle, and this contract 
 was always faithfully kept. 
 
 When the Ark and the Dove, after a rough passage across 
 the ocean, reached the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay new 
 troubles began to arise. Some distance up the bay and 
 within the boundary lines of the new province of Maryland 
 
Indian woman showing the use of corn. 
 
 12S 
 
LORD BALTIMORE 129 
 
 was Kent Island, upon which William Clayborne, a former 
 Virginian, had settled and established a trading post. 
 Clayborne felt by reason of his discovery and settlement of 
 the island he was not only the owner, but he bitterly ob- 
 jected to having anyone in authority over him. During his 
 whole life he resisted the governor and council of Maryland, 
 refused to obey their laws, and in many ways succeeded in 
 causing much annoyance. 
 
 Friendly Relations with the Indians. — With the Indian 
 tribes in the neighborhood Lord Baltimore's colony obtained 
 at once friendly relations due to the just laws prepared by 
 Cecil and carefully followed by the colonists. The Indians 
 living in this section of the country were peaceable and well- 
 behaved farmers. They raised large quantities of maize 
 or Indian corn and taught the colonists how to use it for 
 cooking into delicious food, such as corn-bread, pone, and 
 hominy. The Indians also showed the white men where to 
 hunt for the best game and fish, and in return received from 
 the settlers metal goods, tools, and pieces of cloth brought 
 with them from England. The bright colors were especially 
 attractive to both the men and women of the tribes. 
 
 Thus for many years the colonists continued to live in 
 pleasant and peaceable relations with their Indian neigh- 
 bors, sometimes assisting them in fighting the more savage 
 tribes who came to attack them. They cultivated their 
 farms together and many of the Indians were converted 
 to Christianity. 
 
 After King Charles the First was put to death and Eng- 
 land was governed without a king some disturbances arose 
 
130 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 in the Maryland colony, and Lord Baltimore was deprived 
 of his power as proprietor. When Charles the Second be- 
 came king of England the charter of Maryland was restored 
 and Lord Baltimore again given control. 
 
 Charles Calvert Becomes Proprietor.— When Cecil, Lord 
 Baltimore, died, his son Charles succeeded to the title and 
 estates. The new proprietor had been governor of the col- 
 ony for many years and he continued to reside in the 
 province and direct its affairs in person. The tribute of 
 two Indian arrows continued to be paid and delivered to the 
 King of England. The province grew in numbers and 
 wealth under the wise and liberal rule of the Calverts until 
 the Declaration of Independence, when Maryland became 
 one of the United States of America. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT 
 
 The Settlement on Manhattan Island. — Peter Stuyve- 
 sant, who had been in command of one of the Dutch West 
 India Islands, was appointed governor of New Amsterdam. 
 New Amsterdam, as you probably know, is now called New 
 York and included all the land about New York Bay and the 
 Hudson River. After Henry Hudson had discovered this 
 country the Dutch had organized a company and placed in 
 charge Peter Minuet, the same man whom the Swedes later 
 employed. 
 
 Manhattan Island, where New York City now is, was 
 chosen for the settlement. It stood at the mouth of the 
 Hudson River and at the head of New York Bay, one of the 
 greatest harbors in the world. This river flowed through the 
 richest fur-trading country of the Indians. For a trading 
 post it was the best location on the American continent. 
 Minuet bought the whole island from the Indians for twenty- 
 four dollars. To buy this land now would take many hun- 
 dreds of millions of dollars. Another fort was built on the 
 Hudson where the city of Albany now is. A treaty was 
 made with the Indians and a brisk trade in furs began which 
 soon became very profitable. You can see from this that 
 Peter Minuet made a very good Director, as he was called. 
 But after him came two other men. The first was lazy and 
 the second cruel. New Amsterdam did not prosper under 
 these men and the settlement was both poor and weak when 
 Peter Stuyvesant came. 
 
 131 
 
132 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Peter Stuyvesant. — He had been a soldier all his life, 
 
 having lost a leg 
 while fighting for his 
 country. This was 
 replaced by a wood- 
 en one handsomely 
 mounted with silver. 
 Governor Stuyves- 
 ant was rather proud 
 of this leg and he 
 must have been quite 
 a sight as he stamped 
 about, red in the face 
 and shouting orders 
 at everybody in a 
 loud voice. He was 
 
 Peter Stuyvesant in New Amsterdam. accustomed to have 
 
 prompt obedience when he gave commands. This the peo- 
 ple of New Amsterdam were not used to and they had many 
 quarrels with the new director. But he was wise and ener- 
 getic and the colony prospered under his leadership. 
 
 Stuyvesant Visits Printz. — The news which he received 
 from South River, as the Delaware was then called, annoyed 
 him and he determined to make a visit to Governor John 
 Printz of New Sweden. It had happened that both the 
 Dutch and the Swedes had behaved rather badly to each 
 other on the Delaware. Wars have often begun with far 
 less excuse. But Holland and Sweden were close friends at 
 this time and neither Printz nor Stuyvesant cared to fight. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT 133 
 
 So they were very polite and Printz entertained his Dutch 
 neighbor with those wonderful meals of which he was so fond. 
 
 The Coming of the English. — The Swedes and Dutch 
 liyed peaceably together for many years carrying on a brisk 
 fur trade with the Indians. But the people who were to 
 drive the Dutch away were already established in New 
 England to the north and in Virginia to the south. These 
 were the English. England had already had one war with 
 Holland and in 1664 another war broke out between the two 
 countries. King Charles of England decided that it would 
 be a good time to capture New Netherland, as the Dutch 
 country in America was called. He therefore gave this 
 land, which, of course, hardly belonged to him, to his 
 brother, the Duke of York. The Duke was the Lord High 
 Admiral of England and he lost no time in fitting out a fleet 
 of four ships under the command of Colonel Richard 
 Nicolls. The preparations for the expedition were kept 
 secret so that the Dutch might not hear of it and send their 
 own fleet to interfere. 
 
 Stuyvesant Prepares to Defend New Amsterdam. — When 
 Colonel Nicolls reached America Governor Stuyvesant was 
 away up the Hudson River at Fort Orange where Albany 
 now is. When he heard of the English fleet be hurried to 
 New Amsterdam and prepared to defend the town. The 
 people were ordered to strengthen the fort and to take time 
 from their daily work for military drill. But they did not 
 take kindly to Governor Stuyvesant's orders. In the first 
 place they did not like him. In the second place they did 
 not care whether England or Holland owned New Nether- 
 land as long as they were allowed to continue their trade 
 
134 HEROES OP EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 with the Indians. Of course, Governor Stuyvesant was 
 loyal to Holland and the Dutch West India Company and did 
 his best to make the people fight against the English fleet. 
 
 The Dutch Force Stuyvesant to Surrender. — When 
 Colonel Nicolls' ships sailed into the harbor he sent a letter 
 to the Dutch people demanding the surrender of the land to 
 the English and promising not to interfere with the people 
 or their trade. As soon as the letter was received an angry 
 crowd gathered about Governor Stuyvesant urging him to 
 surrender to the English. At first he was very angry, but 
 he soon saw that there was no use holding out against the 
 wishes of the people. He accordingly surrendered and was 
 treated very politely by Colonel Nicolls who at once came 
 ashore. The Dutch flag was run down, the English flag run 
 up, and the Dutch colony of New Netherland became the 
 English colony of New York. 
 
 The Dutch Remain in New York. — The Dutch people 
 continued to live there and indeed some of the best known 
 men of New York today are descendants of these early 
 Dutch Settlers. Mr. Roosevelt, Mr. Vanderbilt, Mr. Van 
 Rensselaer and many other prominent men had ancestors who 
 lived in New Amsterdam in the days of Peter Stuyvesant. 
 
 Peter Stuyvesant Returns to New York. — Governor 
 Stuyvesant himself returned to Holland to report the 
 capture of the colony by the English, but in a little while he 
 returned to New York where he lived the rest of his life 
 cultivating his farm called the Bouwerij (Bowery). Here 
 he died and years afterward the stone which marked his 
 grave was built into the wall of St. Mark's Church in New 
 York City and may be seen there today. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 THE GREAT QUAKER 
 
 A Statue. — On top of the great tower of the city hall in 
 Philadelphia is a huge bronze statue. When it stood in the 
 court-yard before being lifted to its high place on top of the 
 tower it was seen to be as tall as a three-story house. A 
 man could stand at its foot and see its great extended hand 
 far above his head. Workmen could walk with ease upon 
 the brim of the hat the statue wears. This 
 great figure towering over the city reminds the 
 people of the great man whom it represents. 
 His name was William Penn and he founded 
 the city of Philadelphia. It is of him that we 
 are now going to learn. 
 
 A Happy Home. — Boys and girls are often 
 what their parents make them and so it is in- 
 teresting to know something of the fathers and 
 mothers of great men and women. William 
 Penn's father, whose name was also William, 
 was a British admiral. He had been a seaman all his life and 
 had risen to the highest place in the English navy. He was 
 rich and prosperous. The King and the Duke of York were 
 among his friends. Penn's mother was the daughter of a 
 Dutch merchant and was so happy and full of fun that she 
 seemed to be always laughing and dancing. William had 
 
 135 
 
 Penn Statue. 
 
"-%«*•; 
 
 
 
 #'';%V''1 ,; ^ 
 
 &! ,; ' 
 
 Big 
 
 ■1-*W 
 
 ' " wfcrcu i 
 
 t ■ 
 
 136 
 
 ''""OiliU 
 Independence Hall, Philadelphia. 
 
 
 P0fH 
 
WILLIAM PENN 137 
 
 a younger brother Richard and a little sister Margaret who 
 was so much like her mother that the house was very merry 
 all day long. Although born in London, William went to 
 a country school in the east of England where he learned 
 Latin and Greek. He grew to be a strong sturdy boy who 
 played in all the boys' games and was not afraid of hard 
 knocks and falls. 
 
 When William was twelve years of age his father was 
 arrested for treason and shut up in the Tower of London. 
 His family left the country and came to live near the Ad- 
 miral in his trouble. After some time he was found to be 
 innocent and was released but he did not wish to stay in 
 London and took his family to Ireland where he owned a 
 large estate. Here William was taught by private teachers, 
 called tutors. He learned his lessons so well that at sixteen 
 he was ready to go to the great university at Oxford. 
 
 At Oxford. — This university is really a group of sep- 
 arate colleges, each teaching about the same things. Wil- 
 liam Penn went to the one called Christ Church College. 
 Most of the colleges at Oxford were very old and even in 
 William Penn's time their stone walls were covered with 
 ivy. The fine old trees and grassy walks, the stately build- 
 ings and shadowed arches are very beautiful. William who 
 was a thoughtful boy as well as a strong and active one, 
 was impressed by the quiet beauty of the place. 
 
 One evening he went with some other students to hear 
 a preacher named Thomas Loe. This man belonged to the 
 Society of Friends. He preached that each man's con- 
 science must be his guide and that all men were equal in 
 
138 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the sight of God. He said it was wrong for a man to take 
 off his hat or to bow to any other man, no matter who he 
 was, and that no one should wear any badge or dress of 
 rank or position. 
 
 Now it happened just at this time that the authorities 
 of the university had ordered the students to wear gowns. 
 It had always been the custom to wear these gowns but 
 some years before they had been given up. Penn and some 
 
 of his friends who had 
 
 mr-s i. 
 
 
 heard Loe decided they 
 would not wear gowns 
 no matter what the au- 
 thorities said. When a 
 group of other students 
 appeared in gowns Penn 
 and his friends set upon 
 them and tore the gowns 
 off. For this offense 
 Penn was expelled from 
 the college. 
 
 Sent to France. — His father, of course, was very angry. 
 It was against the law in those days for people to worship 
 in any way but the king's way or go to any church but one 
 of the king's churches. Admiral Penn had plans for his 
 son which could never be carried out if the boy insisted 
 upon breaking the law. His first thought was, therefore, 
 to get young William away from Thomas Loe and his 
 teachings. So he sent him to France with a group of other 
 young men. They had plenty of money and letters to 
 
 Tearing the Gowns from Students. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 139 
 
 -ill > 
 
 nobles at the court of the French king. William appeared 
 to forget about the Society of Friends. He learned to dance. 
 He became skillful with his sword and dressed in the height 
 of fashion. 
 
 One night as he was passing along a dark street he was 
 stopped by a man who said Penn had insulted him. A 
 crowd gathered and William was forced to draw his sword 
 and fight. It soon became clear that Penn was the better 
 swordsman. With a 
 skillful twist of his wrist 
 he sent his opponent's 
 sword flying from his 
 hand. All thought he 
 would then kill him. 
 Instead of this Penn 
 picked up his enemy's 
 sword and handed it to 
 him with a polite bow. 
 This ended the quarrel 
 and Penn was much 
 praised for his gallant 
 conduct. 
 
 The Great Plague. — War now broke out between Eng- 
 land and Holland. Admiral Penn had to take command 
 of the fleet and so he sent for William to come home and care 
 for the family. While living with his mother in London, 
 the plague, a terrible disease, swept over the city killing 
 hundreds of people. It was perhaps worst in the neighbor- 
 hood where the Admiral's house stood. People died by 
 
 The Duel in France. 
 
140 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the score and there were few with courage enough to nurse 
 the sick. William Penn did not hesitate to go from house 
 to house helping where he could. He was made very sad and 
 serious by this awful calamity. He remembered the teach- 
 ings of Thomas Loe and began to dress in plain clothes. 
 
 Off to Ireland. — This alarmed his father who had now 
 returned from the war and he determined to try once more 
 
 to make his son forget the sol- 
 emn preacher. This time he 
 sent him to Ireland where he 
 was to care for his father's 
 estate and was given several 
 important positions as well. 
 His father had many good 
 friends among the ruling men 
 of Ireland and Penn soon be- 
 came popular with them. On 
 one occasion a mutiny broke 
 out in the garrison of Carrick- 
 fergus. Lord Arran was given 
 the task of suppressing it. 
 Penn asked to be permitted to serve with him and conducted 
 himself so well that he was said to be the coolest of the cool 
 and the bravest of the brave. The mutiny was put down 
 and Penn was congratulated by Lord Arran. Proud of his 
 success, he decided to have his portrait painted in full 
 armor. This is the only portrait for which he ever sat. It 
 is interesting that the man who devoted his life to the cause 
 of peace should be best known in the armor of a soldier. 
 
 William Penn — from the Portrait in 
 Armor. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 141 
 
 Yet many who love the memory of William Perm are proud 
 that he was not afraid to fight for a cause he believed to be 
 right. 
 
 Penn Becomes a Quaker. — Just when it seemed likely 
 that Penn would become a soldier he again heard Thomas 
 Loe preach in the city of Cork in Ireland. That very night 
 William Penn became a Quaker. He gave up his gay life 
 and himself preached to the people. He was arrested for 
 this and his father was told of his conduct. He had to 
 
 Penn in Prison. 
 
 return to London. When William refused to remove his 
 hat in his father's presence it made the Admiral very angry. 
 Penn was asked if he would take off his hat in the presence 
 of the King or the Duke of York. After some thought he 
 replied that he would not. His father, more angry than 
 ever, ordered him out of the house. 
 
 In Prison. — William now openly associated with the 
 Quakers. He became a preacher of the Society of Friends. 
 He was wealthy and well educated, had many friends at 
 
142 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 court, had studied law and could help the Friends when 
 they were in trouble. These people were mild and gentle 
 and never did any harm. They did, however, think it wrong 
 to take an oath and because Penn refused to swear allegiance 
 to the king he was placed in prison. While in prison he 
 wrote a number of books in which he described the teachings 
 of the new sect. Admiral Penn, who was a close friend of 
 the King and of the Duke of York, had enemies who were 
 jealous of his good fortune. These men were only too glad 
 to make things uncomfortable for the Admiral's son. 
 
 A Royal Debt. — In time Penn was released from prison. 
 Although he continued to remain a Quaker, his father, 
 who loved him very dearly, received him back into his home. 
 While William was still a young man his father died and, 
 as the eldest son, he received most of his father's fortune. 
 Part of this fortune was a debt of £16,000 which the king 
 owed to the Admiral. As King Charles was in debt to many 
 people there seemed very little hope of Penn ever receiving 
 the money which was owing to him. To be sure he had 
 plenty of money without this sum and probably would have 
 thought little about it if he had not had a plan in his mind. 
 For years he had tried to win for the Friends the right to 
 live in England and worship as they pleased. He had many 
 times served terms in prison and had seen other Quakers 
 suffer even worse hardships. At last he gave up hope of 
 justice in England. He thought fondly of the new country 
 across the Atlantic of which there were many reports and 
 to which many Englishmen had already gone. There, 
 indeed, he might establish a government of his own where 
 
WILLIAM PENN 143 
 
 every man would be free to think as he pleased and where 
 all who behaved themselves could have justice and live 
 in peace. Virginia was already settled and so was Massa- 
 chusetts, but Penn knew of a tract of land between the 
 Connecticut and Delaware Riv- 
 ers which had been given to the 
 Duke of York and in which there 
 was very little settlement. He 
 
 asked the king to give him some of this land in payment of 
 the debt which he owed his father. The King hesitated for 
 a time, but finally consented. He was glad to be so easily 
 rid of a troublesome and long-standing debt. 
 
 The Grant of Land. — The new colony was to extend 
 along the west bank of the Delaware River about one 
 hundred fifty miles and back into the country three hun- 
 dred. It is now the State of Pennsylvania. Later Penn 
 secured from the Duke of York the grant of the land on the 
 west' bank of the Delaware River down to its mouth. This 
 land is now the State of Delaware. In the 
 beginning and for many years afterward it 
 was part of Pennsylvania and shared in 
 the wise laws of Penn's happy province. It 
 was necessary that Penn have this ground, 
 for, if it fell into the hands of an enemy, his 
 Coat of Arms of the prov j nce C0lu d nave been shut out from the 
 
 Penn ramuy. ^ 
 
 sea. 
 The king signed the grant of land in February, 1681, 
 and the next month Penn sent his cousin, Colonel William 
 Markham, to select a site for a city and to tell the people 
 
144 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 who were already settled there of the good wishes of their 
 new governor who was called the proprietor. Penn told 
 Markham to treat the Indians kindly and to buy from them 
 any land which they held and which he might need. He 
 also sent a message to the white people who had already 
 settled along the Delaware. As we already know, there were 
 Dutch and Swedish people living on the Delaware's shores. 
 Their home countries had had bitter wars to fight with Spain 
 and Austria and had had little time or money to give to their 
 colonies, so they had to get along as best they could. They 
 grew slowly and by the time the Quakers began to come there 
 were not very many Swedes or Dutch to greet them. These, 
 however, were very glad to hear the message that William 
 Penn sent. In it he said the people of his colony were to 
 make their own laws and were to lay their own taxes. This 
 was good news indeed and Penn had no trouble with his 
 foreign citizens when he set up the government of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Pennsylvania. — It is interesting to know how Pennsyl- 
 vania got its name. Penn wished his province called New 
 Wales because he said it was hilly like the country of Wales in 
 Great Britain. The secretary, who was a Welshman, objected 
 to this name and Penn then suggested Sylvania which means 
 " woodland." The king insisted that it be called Pennsyl- 
 vania. This was partly to compliment old Admiral Penn 
 and partly because the word Pen means "highland," for the 
 new country was high, rolling land just as we see it to-day. 
 William Penn was afraid people would say he was vain if 
 he allowed the province to bear his name in this way. He 
 went to the secretary and offered him twenty guineas, about 
 
WILLIAM PENN 145 
 
 one hundred dollars, to omit the "Penn" from the name. 
 Fortunately the secretary refused. Thus the name became 
 Pennsylvania and this is the only state that bears the name 
 of its founder. 
 
 The First Emigrants. — In the autumn of 1681 several 
 vessels sailed from England for Penn's new colony. While 
 two of these ships were going down the Thames River the 
 King's barge passed by. The King was told these ships 
 were the first Quakers going to America. Rowing close 
 to the vessels the King raised his hand and, while the voy- 
 agers stood with bowed heads, he gave them his blessing. 
 
 It was December before they reached the Delaware 
 and, sailing up the river, they came to a little settlement of 
 Swedes at Upland which is now Chester. There they stop- 
 ped for the night. In the morning they awoke to find the 
 river frozen and the ships fast in the ice. The hospitable 
 Swedes gave them what shelter they had, but many of the 
 Quakers were forced to build mud huts or dig caves for 
 themselves near the river bank. In this way they lived until 
 the Spring. 
 
 Penn Sails on the "Welcome." — All this time William 
 Penn had remained in England looking after the affairs of 
 his colony and anxious for the time when he himself might 
 cross the Atlantic. At last in the autumn of 1682, nearly 
 a year after the first colonists had left, the "Welcome," the 
 stately ship that was to bear the proprietor of Pennsylvania 
 to his new home, lay ready to hoist her anchor and sail to the 
 westward. About one hundred others were to go with Penn 
 on this voyage. The ship was well provisioned with sheep 
 and hogs, fish and fowl, flour and fruit, the best to eat and 
 
146 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 -VN 
 
 ^ 
 
 the best to drink, for the voyage would be a long one. There 
 was also on board the carved doors and window-frames, 
 the carpets and furniture, for the Proprietor's house at 
 Pennsbury. This was a fine estate which Colonel Markham 
 had bought of the Indians and which lay along the river 
 
 bank some miles 
 above the city. 
 Mrs. Penn and 
 her children were 
 to remain in Eng- 
 land and Wil- 
 liam was busy at 
 the last arrang- 
 ing for their com- 
 fort. A voyage 
 across the Atlan- 
 tic was a very 
 
 Penn Landing from the "Welcome." i t 
 
 dangerous under- 
 taking in those days and it was possible he might never 
 return. 
 
 At last all was ready and the ship set sail. Before they 
 had been long at sea it was found that one of the passengers 
 was sick with the small-pox. This terrible disease is dread- 
 ful at best but in the crowded quarters of an old-time ship 
 it was sure to spread. Nearly everyone on the vessel was 
 sick. For two weeks someone died almost every day. During 
 this terrible time Penn nursed the sick without thought 
 of the danger to himself. He used up his store of medicines 
 and supplies. Night and day he sat with the suffering and 
 dying, comforting them with his wise and gentle religion. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 147 
 
 Penn Lands at Newcastle. — It was late in October when 
 the sad voyage was over. On the* twenty-seventh the 
 "Welcome" anchored off the town of Newcastle. The Dutch 
 and Swedes and English who made up the little town 
 crowded to the landing place to see the new governor. On 
 the next day Penn called the people together and made a 
 speech to them. He told them how he had long dreamed of 
 
 The Old Swedes' Church, Philadelphia. 
 
 founding a free country where the people might rule them- 
 selves. At last that dream had come true and they were 
 about to share in the advantages of such a land. The people, 
 who were mostly simple farmers, were delighted with these 
 words. They asked only that Penn would remain with them 
 and rule over them himself. 
 
148 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Friendship with the Indians. — Unlike the other white 
 men who had settled in the new world, Penn did not fear 
 the Indians and from the first was friendly with them. 
 He would not allow his colonists to carry firearms. He 
 would walk alone into the woods and sit with the Red Men. 
 He ran races with the young braves in which he usually won, 
 
 ^*^pg=~^ for he was strong and 
 athletic as we al- 
 ready know. The 
 Indians called him 
 Onas and believed 
 that he was their 
 friend. Colonel 
 Markham when he 
 first came to Penn- 
 sylvania had met the 
 Indians and had told 
 them what kind of 
 man Penn was. He 
 said he would not steal their hunting- 
 Indian Warrior. ground nor would he allow the white 
 men to injure their red brothers. Mark- 
 ham had already purchased a small tract of land and made 
 a treaty with the Indians. The time had now come for a 
 larger purchase and a better understanding between the 
 savages and the white men. One of the first things Penn 
 did when he was settled in his province was to call a coun- 
 cil of the Indian chiefs. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 149 
 
 The Shackamaxon Treaty. — The place selected for the 
 great Council was the spot where Markham had first met 
 the Indians. It was on the banks of the Delaware, north 
 of the then little city of Philadelphia, and below Pennsbury, 
 the estate of the governor. The place was called Shack- 
 amaxon, which meant the place of kings. It had been used 
 for many years by the Indians as a meeting place of the 
 tribes. On this field stood an aged elm tree, at least one 
 hundred and fifty 
 years old, a rarely 
 beautiful tree, a 
 king itself among 
 the monarchs of 
 the woods. It was 
 no wonder this 
 place should be 
 selected for sol- 
 emn council. 
 
 William Penn 
 
 with his followers was the first to arrive. On his right 
 was Colonel Markham, in the scarlet uniform of the Brit- 
 ish officer. Pearson, the man who had named Chester, 
 stood on his left. Behind him were the leaders of the 
 little colony, Dutch and German emigrants, Quakers in 
 their plain costumes, Swedish soldiers in armor and uni- 
 form. Then came the Indians. Taminent, the chief 
 sachem, led the way. Behind him strode the other chiefs 
 bright in their feathered head-dresses and the yellow, red 
 
 Penn Treating with the Indians. 
 
150 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 and blue paint on their bodies. Other braves followed. 
 Penn received them graciously. Many of the Indians al- 
 ready knew him and there was a spirit of friendship in the 
 air. Taminent then placed upon his head a chaplet or 
 leather band into which was twisted a piece of horn. By 
 the custom of the Lenni Lenape this made the spot sacred 
 and all who were there were safe from injury. Everyone 
 then sat down. After a few moments of silence Penn arose 
 and made a speech to the Indians. He was still a young 
 man, slender and graceful, with a frank, handsome face 
 which made all who saw him like him. He was dressed in 
 the best fashion of the times. His clothes w r ere rich and 
 well-fitting and he wore a blue sash as the badge of his 
 office. A lady who was present at the time called him 
 " the handsomest, best-looking, lively gentleman ever 
 
 seen." 
 
 Penn's Speech. — Penn told the Indians that the Great 
 
 Spirit who knew every secret thought that was in the heart 
 of white man or red man wished them to live in peace to- 
 gether. If ill were done to one, all w r ould suffer; if good 
 were done to any, all would gain. Each should help the 
 other in time of danger and neither should believe any evil 
 of the other till it were proved true. Justice would be done 
 to all who were accused of crime. Both white men and red 
 men were to tell their children of the league and chain of 
 friendship that it might keep clean and bright and free from 
 rust while the sun and the moon and the stars endured. 
 This treaty was not sworn to by solemn oaths but was 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 151 
 
 simply stated in honest friendship and was kept by both 
 sides for seventy years. 
 
 The Belt of Wampum. — To seal the treaty gifts were 
 made by Penn to the Indian chiefs and they in turn gave to 
 Penn a belt of wampum. Wampum was regularly used by 
 the Indians instead of money. Shell beads, carefully polished 
 and pierced, were sewed to a backing of cloth or leather. 
 These beads were of two colors, white and purple, the purple 
 being the more valuable. In all cases of agreements and 
 treaties pieces of wampum were used as records of the agree- 
 ment. The wam- 
 pum belt given to 
 William Penn had 
 eighteen strings of 
 beads woven to- 
 gether in such a 
 way that in the 
 centre were the figures of a man with a hat, understood to 
 be Penn, and of another man, supposed to be an Indian. 
 The two are grasping hands in token of friendship. This 
 belt has been carefully preserved and is now in Philadelphia. 
 It can be seen in the building of the Pennsylvania Historical 
 Society at Thirteenth and Locust Streets. 
 
 The Treaty Elm. — The great elm under which the treaty 
 was made blew down in 1810. A piece of the tree is kept 
 in a case in Independence Hall. Where it once stood at 
 Beach Street and Columbia Avenue the city has made a 
 pleasant park called Penn Treaty Park. On the site of the 
 famous tree has been placed a monument as a reminder 
 
 Er l . J J!!!".!' ■.■.:il|l l iti iniHlllilillil .••.:i,M......;v:r..ir. J Wit»)i»:IQ.:)o 
 
 Penn's Belt of Wampum. 
 
152 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of the great tree and the still greater treaty which was made 
 beneath its spreading boughs. 
 
 The Meaning of Philadelphia. — The name Philadelphia 
 was chosen by William Penn even before he crossed the 
 ocean on his first visit to his new r province. It is made up of 
 two Greek words which together mean "Brotherly Love. ,, 
 As we know, Penn was a good Greek scholar and he also 
 remembered that the name occurs in the Bible as one of 
 the seven cities referred to in the Book of Revelation. It was 
 indeed a suitable name for the kind of city which Penn meant 
 to make it. It expressed in its meaning the belief of the 
 Society of Friends that all men should be brothers and should 
 respect and love one another. 
 
 The Quakers. — In the beginning most of the citizens 
 of Philadelphia were Friends or Quakers as they were called. 
 This name was given to them by their enemies to taunt 
 them because they would not fight. Like many another 
 name first given as an insult, the word Quaker brings re- 
 spect wherever it is heard. The Quakers prefer to be called 
 Friends but the name by which they are more generally 
 known has for hundreds of years been an honorable one. 
 We have already learned that they believed that every man 
 should be guided bj^ his own conscience. They did not 
 believe in war and refused to carry arms. This practice 
 seemed to others foolhardy. That any people should settle 
 in a wilderness inhabited by savages and not arm them- 
 selves was hard to understand. Yet an unarmed Quaker 
 was never known to be injured by the Indians of Pennsyl- 
 
WILLIAM PENN 
 
 153 
 
 vania. Indeed, Pennsylvania was more successful in her 
 
 dealings with the Red Men than any other colony and it 
 
 was not until the western lands began to 
 
 be taken up by people other than the 
 
 Quakers that any serious trouble arose. 
 We have seen how the Quakers were 
 
 persecuted because they refused to take 
 
 an oath. It was not that they did not 
 
 believe in the Bible, the book upon which 
 
 the oath was taken ; or in God, in whose 
 
 name the oath was 
 made. They said a 
 man's word should 
 be sufficient in his 
 dealings with his 
 fellows. 
 
 Their Plain 
 Dress. — At first the 
 Quakers were sup- 
 posed to merely dress plainly without 
 any special costume, but later they 
 wore a dress which was almost a uni- 
 form. The women wore wide plain 
 skirts of gray, gray waists with white 
 scarfs crossed at the neck and gray 
 
 Fancy Dress of the Times, i , mi i 1 i 
 
 bonnets, lne men wore knee breeches 
 of plain dark material with coats and waistcoats to match 
 and plain broad brimmed hats. These costumes were all 
 made on much the same pattern and it was easy to tell the 
 
 Quaker Dress. 
 
154 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Quakers from others on the streets. In those days such 
 dress was even more remarkable than it would be to-day. 
 It was a time of gay colors, of silks and ribbons and velvets, 
 of silver buckles and feathered hats. Men as well as women 
 dressed in the gayest, brightest hues so that the plain Quaker 
 garb must have been very noticeable. 
 
 Their Plain Language. — The Quakers had also a pecu- 
 liar way of speaking. Instead of saying, "you" and "yours' ' 
 they would say, "thou" and "thine." This was to them a 
 simpler and more friendly way of speaking and it was the 
 form of speech found in the English Bible. There was a 
 yet more strange custom which they had. They did not 
 believe in titles of any kind. They refused to call a man 
 Captain or Judge or Senator, or even "Mister," for they 
 said all these were vain titles. On the contrary, they called 
 everyone by their first names. Even young children would 
 address old gentlemen and ladies by their first names. To 
 many people this seemed disrespectful but it was not in- 
 tended so. Quaker boys and girls were taught to be thought- 
 ful of their elders and always to treat them with respect. 
 
 The names of the days of the week are taken, as you 
 doubtless know, from the names of old gods whom our 
 heathen ancestors used to worship. The months of the 
 year are also named after old Roman gods who were wor- 
 shipped by the Romans hundreds of years ago. This seemed 
 wrong to the Quakers. They refused to use these names. 
 Instead they called Sunday, First Day; Wednesday, Fourth 
 Day, and so on. The months, too, were numbered: First 
 
WILLIAM PENN 155 
 
 Month, Tenth Month, and so on. This method of naming 
 the days and months is used by the Society of Friends to-day 
 and you will always see the date written in this way on any 
 letters which they write. 
 
 Quaker Meeting. — Instead of having churches like 
 most other religions, the Quakers called their places of 
 worship Meeting Houses. These were usually one-story 
 buildings containing pews or chairs. There was no altar 
 or chancel, often not even a platform. No regular clergyman 
 took charge of the meeting. After the people had met, any 
 one who felt inclined would rise and speak or pray, the 
 others silently listening. The meeting would close when 
 two of the older men would rise and solemnly shake hands. 
 There was no musical instrument or any singing by a choir 
 or by the congregation. Everything was plain and simple 
 and sincere. 
 
 The first of these meeting houses was built at Centre 
 Square where High Street met Broad Street. In those days 
 this Square was in the middle of a forest and far from the 
 built-up portion of the city. As it was inconvenient and 
 even dangerous to go there at night another meeting house 
 was built on Front Street above Sassafras. This was to be 
 for night meetings but it was soon found that the Centre 
 Square meeting house was too far away and it had to be 
 abandoned. Another meeting was established at Haverford 
 beyond the Schuylkill by the Welsh Quakers who early 
 moved to that region. It was not long before many others 
 appeared in other parts of Penn's colony. 
 
156 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Troubles in England. — William Penn was not able to 
 enjoy his new home very long. The Duke of York who had 
 been his good friend had since become King James the 
 Second. He was not a wise king and the people of England 
 became very angry with him. His enemies at length raised 
 an army and drove him from the country. When the news 
 came to Pennsylvania that the king was in trouble Penn 
 decided that he must return to England to protect the 
 interests of his colony. He did so but it was almost too late. 
 Because he had been a friend of King James, the new king, 
 William, did not trust him. For a time his province was 
 taken away from him and he was arrested for treason. 
 
 It was not long, however, 
 before he was released and 
 Pennsylvania given back 
 to him. 
 
 In 1699, fifteen years 
 after he had sailed away, 
 William Penn returned to 
 Philadelphia. By this time 
 the city had grown to be a 
 big town. When not living at Pennsbury, the proprietor 
 used "The Slate Roof House," a fine big residence at the 
 corner of Second Street and Norris Alley. This was then 
 the largest house in the city and in it John Penn was born, 
 the only son of William Penn to be born in America. 
 
 The people of Pennsylvania were not as loyal to the 
 Proprietor as they might have been and Penn was much 
 
 Perm's Slate Roof House. 
 
WILLIAM PENN 157 
 
 saddened because they would not grant his requests. In 
 the midst of his trouble with the Assembly, Penn had to again 
 return to England. His enemies at court were doing all 
 in their power to rob him of his colony and he had to go 
 back to defend himself. Although he did not know it, he 
 was never to see Pennsylvania again. When the Indians 
 heard that he was going away they came in numbers to 
 bid him farewell. He had been their friend; one of the few 
 white men whom they could trust. They feared he might 
 never return and sadly took the gifts he gave to them. 
 Long years afterward it was found that the "Good Onas" 
 was still remembered with love and respect by the Indians 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
 William Penn's Last Years. — Penn sent his oldest son 
 William to take his place as governor of the colony. But 
 he was not a man like his father. He drank, gambled and 
 kept bad company. It was not long before he even gave 
 up pretending to be a Quaker. Everyone was disgusted 
 with him and after he had done all the harm he could in 
 Pennsylvania he returned to England. He did not care to be 
 with his father and crossing over to France he died there 
 in poverty and disgrace. 
 
 Penn's last years were sad ones. Accused of having 
 debts which he did not owe, he was thrown into prison. 
 His friends succeeded in having him released but his health 
 had been broken. A few years later he had a stroke of 
 paralysis and his mind was never again clear. He died in 
 England, with his wife and daughter and two of his sons 
 
158 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 at his bedside. He had founded a great state and had un- 
 selfishly given his time, his money, and his thought to its 
 people. There is no man who deserves so high a place in 
 the affection and respect of the people of Pennsylvania. 
 
 THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 The relations which the colonists had with the Indians, 
 sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile, form an interest- 
 ing chapter in the history of each of the colonies. We have 
 not time in this little book to tell each of these stories in de- 
 tail, yet it is only when details are given that stories are worth 
 while. We have, therefore, decided to choose but one of the 
 colonies, whose experience was in many ways like that of the 
 others. Pennsylvania, of whom we have already learned 
 much in the story of her great founder, William Penn, shows 
 in her history all the many experiences with the American 
 Indian which were had by the other colonies from Maine to 
 Georgia, and therefore to know how Pennsylvania dealt with 
 her Indians is to have a general picture of colonial Indian 
 history. 
 
 The Lenni Lenape. — The Indians of Eastern Pennsyl- 
 vania belonged to the great Algonquin family whom Cham- 
 plain befriended when he first explored the St. Lawrence 
 River. They were called Delawares by the white men, but 
 they called themselves Lenni Lenape, which meant "true 
 men." At one time they had been the foremost tribe among 
 
THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 159 
 
 the Algonquins and had been called "grandfather" by the 
 others. But some time before the coming of Penn the 
 
 powerful Iroquois, always the 
 enemy of the Algonquins, had 
 forced them to obey their com- 
 mands. 
 
 The Delawares were di- 
 vided into three groups each 
 with a different totem or sacred 
 symbol. The first were the 
 Minsi who had a wolf for their 
 totem. These Indians lived 
 in eastern New York and had 
 little if anything to do with 
 Pennsylvania. The second di- 
 vision had a turtle as their to- 
 tem and lived along the Del- 
 aware river where it flows 
 through Pennsylvania. They were called Unami, and it 
 was with these Red Men that William Penn had most of 
 his dealings. The last group were the Unalachto and lived 
 on the Delaware below the Unami. Their totem was a 
 turkey. 
 
 The Delaware Indians were more advanced than their 
 neighbors. Their huts were round and roofed with mats 
 of woven maize leaves or flags. Each family had a separate 
 hut and a piece of ground on which to raise corn. They 
 made pots and jars of clay and wove belts and ornaments 
 
 War Clubs and Scalping Knives. 
 
160 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Tomahawk and Moccasins. 
 
 of beads. They were also skilled in dressing skins and in 
 making feather mantels for their chiefs and leading men. 
 The warriors fought with war clubs, tomahawks, bows and 
 arrows, and spears. When a member of the tribe died he 
 was always buried in a sitting 
 position facing the rising sun. 
 These Indians had special burial 
 grounds. One of these was un- 
 covered some years ago on the 
 Neversink River in New Jersey. 
 Buying Land. — The idea 
 of owning land was a white 
 man's notion and was at first 
 scarcely understood by the Indians. They lived chiefly 
 by hunting and fishing and had to keep moving from 
 place to place as the game fled from their arrows, their 
 traps and their fishing lines. Therefore they had no cities 
 but lived in tents or huts which were easily moved or 
 replaced. When Penn wished to buy land from them they 
 did not realize that he and his people would build per- 
 manent cities and would drive the deer and the wild tur- 
 keys forever from the places where they settled. They did 
 not realize either that there were going to be more white 
 people and that they would want more and more land. 
 Because they did not realize these things they were willing 
 to let the white men use their land and were glad to receive 
 in return for this favor glass beads, cloth, knives and other 
 things which seemed to them very fine. 
 
THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 161 
 
 The Beginning of Trouble. — For a while everything 
 went well. Penn was very careful not to offend the natives. 
 
 They knew he was an honest 
 man and they respected him. 
 From time to time he bought 
 more land from them. Each 
 time an agreement was drawn 
 up in writing, and gifts were 
 made to the Indians. They 
 were apparently satisfied. But 
 as we have learned, William 
 Penn returned to England and 
 there died. In his place came 
 his sons to take charge of Penn- 
 sylvania. First William came 
 and then John and Thomas. 
 These men were not like their 
 father. John and Thomas 
 were much better than Wil- 
 
 Indian War Bonnet, Shield, Bow and li ani) but all Were chiefly inter- 
 ested in their own fortunes. 
 Penn's wisdom in his treatment of the Indians was bear- 
 ing fruit and Pennsylvania was long free from the Indian 
 warfare which disturbed the other colonies. But many 
 people of all kinds were coming to the prosperous little 
 colony. Some of those who settled on the frontiers cared 
 little for the rights of the Red Men. They settled on their 
 lands and killed those who dared to interfere. Whenever 
 
162 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 more land was needed Perm's sons were careful to buy it 
 from the Indians, but they were not always fair to them. 
 They would sometimes deceive them about the amount of 
 land and at other times they would obtain deeds of sale 
 when the Indians were drunk and did not know what they 
 were doing. This was of course very wrong, yet the white 
 people were coming so fast that they would often settle on 
 land that had not been bought and where they had no right 
 to be. 
 
 The Walking Purchase. — There was one very famous 
 purchase of land which you should know about because it 
 later led to the first Indian warfare in Pennsylvania that 
 broke the long period of peace and prosperity which they 
 had enjoyed. It was called the " Walking Purchase." It 
 seems that the proprietors, John and Thomas Penn, had 
 called the Indian chiefs together to buy from them another 
 piece of land to the north of Philadelphia. The amount 
 of land was to be measured by the distance "a man could 
 walk in a day and a half. ' ' Just how the walk should be made 
 and in just what direction was not clear. Certainly the 
 Indians did not understand it as the white men did. Some 
 time before the real walk the proprietors had sent men to 
 take a trial walk to see just what direction was the best to 
 go the farthest distance. The Indians knew nothing of this 
 trial walk. 
 
 When the time came three Indians and three white men 
 started from Wrightstown, in Bucks County, now marked 
 by a stone near Wrightstown meeting house. The white 
 
THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 163 
 
 men were trained athletes. Other men on horseback fol- 
 lowed behind them with food and provisions. Scarcely 
 any stops were made to rest. Part of the time, instead 
 of walking, the white men ran. Then, too, they did not 
 keep to the river bank, which is the usual way of going 
 into a new country, but traveled by aid of a compass in 
 the straightest possible line. All this the Indians said was 
 unfair, and they became very much disgusted before the 
 walk was finished. When it was over it was found that 
 the walkers had travelled over sixty miles and had secured 
 three times as much land as the Indians had intended to 
 sell. Nothing much was said at the time but the Indians 
 did not forget. Though Penn had made such firm friends 
 of the Indians that it was twenty years before serious trouble 
 broke out, yet they refused to leave the lands included in 
 the walking purchase. 
 
 The Appeal to the Iroquois. — There seemed to be only 
 two ways of making them go. One was to organize an army 
 and drive them out. The other was to have the Iroquois 
 Indians, who claimed to be the conquerors of the Delawares, 
 make them go. This second plan seemed the easier. The 
 chiefs of the Iroquois were invited to a conference at Phila- 
 delphia in 1742. They were given rich presents, and at 
 last promised to drive the Delawares away. The chiefs of 
 the Delawares were told that they were "women," that 
 they had no right to sell the land in the first place as it 
 belonged to the Iroquois. They were then ordered to go. 
 They were given, by the Iroquois, a large tract of land in the 
 
164 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Wyoming valley, along the upper Susquehanna. They 
 went, but there was hatred in their hearts for the Proprietors 
 who had called on their enemies to drive them from their 
 hunting grounds. They patiently waited for their revenge. 
 
 Teedyuscung. — Meanwhile the white settlers began to 
 push west into the Indian lands until they finally invaded 
 the Wyoming valley, this new home of the Delawares. 
 This made the Indians very angry. Their chief, Teedyus- 
 cung, was a very 
 able man. He 
 made up his 
 mind that the 
 whites must be 
 driven out of all 
 the land which 
 the Indians 
 claimed. To 
 carry out his 
 plan it was nec- 
 essary to get the 
 help of other In- 
 dian tribes. Quietly he succeeded in binding the neighbor- 
 ing tribes together in a league to kill the white people. All 
 the branches of the Lenni Lenape united and elected Teedy- 
 uscung head chief over all. The Shawnees and Mohicans 
 joined and also accepted Teedyuscung as their leader. 
 
 The Indian Massacres. — When all was ready the Indians 
 began to move eastward. It was October and the brown 
 leaves stirred under the tread of hundreds of moccasins 
 
 Attack on a Block 
 House. 
 
THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 
 
 165 
 
 as the Red Men gathered for their deadly work. Suddenly 
 all along the Blue Ridge defenceless settlers were attacked. 
 Men working in the fields were tomahawked; women killed 
 and scalped in their cabins; children murdered or carried 
 away from their play as captives. Homes and barns were 
 set afire; fields of grain destroyed; cattle and horses killed 
 or driven away. The attacks were usually made at night 
 and they were swift and fierce. Help, hard to get and far 
 away, seldom arrived in time. The poor 
 terror stricken settlers fled back to the larger 
 settlements of the east. Teedyuscung re- 
 membered the wrongs done his people, and 
 in the land of the Walking Purchase the set- 
 tlers suffered the most. 
 
 The leaders of the people saw that some- 
 thing had to be done. A regiment of soldiers 
 was hastily raised, and Benjamin Franklin 
 was made its colonel. They marched to the 
 frontier and built a fort at a place where 
 ten men had been murdered by the In- 
 dians. Another regiment of soldiers was 
 raised by Conrad Weiser, a Pennsylvania German. This 
 man had learned the Indian language by living among 
 them for many years, and had often acted as interpreter 
 between the whites and the Red Men. After the death of 
 William Penn, Weiser had probably done more than any 
 other person to keep the friendship of the Indians. He had 
 more than once complained of the white frontiersmen who 
 had stolen the lands of the Indians. He succeeded in keeping 
 
 A Colonel of Militia. 
 
166 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 many of the Indians from joining Teedyuscung and later 
 was helpful in making peace with that chief. But he now 
 felt that the Indians could only be stopped by force. While 
 Franklin undertook to defend the Lehigh valley, Weiser 
 took his men farther westward between the Susquehanna 
 and the Schuylkill. 
 
 Teedyuscung Appeals to the King. — The Quakers de- 
 cided to try another way. They had always been opposed 
 to taking the Indian lands, and, indeed, they had not suffered 
 at the hands of the Red Men. But, as we have already 
 learned, there were many other people in Pennsylvania 
 besides the Quakers. These other people carried rifles and 
 believed in fighting for what they wanted. It was they who 
 caused most of the trouble. The Quakers now formed a 
 "Friendly Association," as they called it, and sought to have 
 the Indians meet them in a conference. With the help of 
 Sir William Johnson, a great friend of the Indians, they 
 succeeded in getting Teedyuscung to come to a meeting at 
 Easton. There the Indian chief made a speech in which 
 he accused the white men of fraud. He said the walking 
 purchase was unfairly made. He pointed out that the 
 Indians had repeatedly been given lands of their own and 
 then had been asked to give them up. When the Iroquois 
 chiefs tried to force Teedyuscung to make peace he replied, 
 "We are men and warriors. We will acknowledge no supe- 
 riors upon earth." These were brave words, and the Iroquois 
 were afraid of the many tribes who accepted Teedyuscung 
 as their leader. So the meeting broke up to meet again a 
 year later and meanwhile there was to be a truce. 
 
THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS 167 
 
 When the next year came Teedyuscung made the same 
 complaints. His terms were very reasonable. He wished 
 a fair payment for the lands taken by the white men. He 
 also said the Indians must have a place to call their own in 
 which the white men would never settle. He insisted that 
 the King of England should hear his case and decide it. 
 All the papers of the meeting, the treaties and deeds of sale, 
 were sent to the king. The case was so clear, and Teedyus- 
 cung's demands were so reasonable, that the king decided 
 everything in his favor. He had won a great victory for his 
 people. 
 
 Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right. — The success of 
 Teedyuscung was not pleasing to some of the Iroquois who 
 were his enemies. Going to the Wyoming valley, where 
 he had again settled with his people, they treacherously 
 set fire to the chief's hut, burning him to death. They then 
 told his followers that he had been killed by the whites. 
 The Indians were furious. Seizing their tomahawks they 
 fell upon the innocent whites and massacred about thirty 
 of them, burning their homes and driving away their cat- 
 tle. The governor of Pennsylvania sent soldiers to the place, 
 but they arrived too late. The Indians had gone. It was 
 now the white man's turn to become mad with anger. A 
 band of whites, unable to find the guilty Indians, determined 
 to wreak vengeance upon some innocent and harmless In- 
 dians who had had nothing to do with the matter. Falling 
 upon them unawares they killed all upon whom they could 
 lay their hands. Some, however, escaped and were lodged 
 for protection in the jail at Lancaster. There the blood- 
 
168 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 maddened men followed them, and dragging them out 
 murdered them in cold blood. It was horrible and some- 
 thing for which the white people of Pennsylvania have 
 reason to be greatly ashamed. Gradually the Indians 
 moved westward across the mountains. They saw that the 
 white men had come to stay and that they could not hold 
 the ground against them. Slowly and sadly the Dela- 
 wares moved to new hunting grounds and Pennsylvania 
 knew them no more. 
 
JAMES OGLETHORPE 
 
 THE DEBTORS' FRIEND 
 
 The Son of a Soldier. — Many years after John Smith had 
 died there came to America an- 
 other soldier colonist who was 
 as unselfish and noble minded 
 as was Captain Smith. His 
 name was James Edward Ogle- 
 thorpe. Even when he was 
 a very small boy he knew of 
 the army and had seen many 
 English soldiers. His father 
 was a general in the service of 
 the king, and wore the bright 
 scarlet uniform of the English 
 Army. This delighted the boy 
 and made him long for the time 
 when he too might wear an 
 officer's coat and drill his troops 
 as he often saw his father do. 
 Indeed, it was not long before 
 his wish was gratified, as it was 
 the custom to allow boys whose 
 fathers were men of importance 
 to become officers in the army 
 at a very early age. James was only fourteen when he was 
 made an ensign in the British Army. 
 
 169 
 
 James Oglethorpe, ensign in English 
 Army at fourteen. 
 
170 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Just about this time England went to war with several 
 countries over the question of who should be the king of 
 Spain. It seems a very silly thing to fight a war about, but 
 it gave young Ensign Oglethorpe an opportunity to show 
 
 that he Avas a brave young 
 man. When the war was over 
 he returned to England and 
 some years later was elected 
 to Parliament, a body of men 
 who act for England much 
 as our Congress at Wash- 
 ington does for us. He was 
 still a very young man, but 
 he had traveled much and 
 had learned to meet danger 
 bravely, so that the people 
 chose him to represent them 
 in the great Parliament at 
 London. 
 
 Oglethorpe Learns of the 
 Debtors' Prisons. — While he 
 was a member of Parliament 
 James Oglethorpe had a very 
 sad experience. A dear friend 
 of his died in a London prison 
 where he had been put be- 
 
 A debtor in prison. 
 
 cause he was not able to pay his debts. When Oglethorpe 
 learned how his friend had died he became very angry and 
 had himself made the head of a committee to investigate 
 these "debtors' prisons." 
 
JAMES OGLETHORPE 171 
 
 He found that they were even worse than he feared. 
 Men who owed money, often very small debts, were thrown 
 into prison until they paid what they owed. Of course, as 
 long as they stayed in prison they could earn no money with 
 which to pay the debt and so they had to stay in prison. 
 Unless they happened to have rich friends who would help 
 them they died in jail. But this was not the worst of it., It 
 seemed that the jailers were accustomed to make their 
 prisoners pay for their food and even for their bedding. 
 If they were not able to pay, as happened in many cases, 
 they were allowed to starve and were forced to sleep on the 
 floor. Some of the jailors were very cruel men and tortured 
 the poor prisoners who were unable to pay for what they 
 needed. Because they did not have enough fresh air and 
 exercise they frequently contracted a terrible disease called 
 "jail fever." This was so contagious that the judges and 
 other court officers sometimes caught it in the court rooms 
 and themselves died. 
 
 You can easily see how dreadful were the conditions in 
 these prisons and how necessary it was that someone like 
 James Oglethorpe should tell the English people about all 
 this wickedness. He was not afraid to say what he thought, 
 and as a result the condition of the poor prisoners was much 
 improved. However, it was many years after Oglethorpe's 
 time before laws were passed that made it impossible to put a 
 man in prison because he could not pay his debts. Even up 
 to the time of the Revolutionary War we had prisoners for 
 debt in this country. 
 
 He Founds a Colony for Released Debtors. — Oglethorpe 
 
172 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 was not satisfied with what he had done for the poor debtors, 
 but determined to do even more. Together with a group of 
 kind men like himself he secured from the king the grant of a 
 large tract of land south of the Carolinas, where the state 
 of Georgia now is. Here he determined to establish a 
 home for poor debtors where they might begin their lives 
 over again free from the fear of the debtors' prisons. The 
 king was the more willing to grant this land because it 
 bordered on the land which the Spaniards held. It would 
 therefore act as a shield for the other colonies against the 
 attacks of the Spaniards. Parliament gave £10,000 or 
 $50,000 and Oglethorpe and his friends also gave money. 
 They adopted as the motto for the new colony four Latin 
 words which meant "Not for ourselves, but for others." 
 
 He Makes Friends with the Indians. — In November, 
 1732 they set sail ; and in the following May they founded 
 the city of Savannah on the river to which they gave the 
 same name. They chose as a site for the city a high bluff 
 overlooking the river and which was called, after the Indians 
 who lived near there, Yamacraw Bluff. The chief of these 
 Indians was called Tomochichi, and one of the wisest of the 
 many wise things which Oglethorpe did was to make a firm 
 friend of this Indian chief. On one occasion when Ogle- 
 thorpe was going back to England he took Tomochichi with 
 him, and the Indian was treated so well by the people in 
 London that he became an even better friend of the white 
 men than he had been before. Through Tomochichi's 
 help a council of all the chiefs of the Indian tribes in that 
 country was called. Oglethorpe bought the land of them 
 
JAMES OGLETHORPE 173 
 
 and made a solemn treaty with them which was kept faith- 
 fully by both sides, so that Georgia, as the colony was 
 called after King George of England, enjoyed more peace 
 with the Indians than any other colony except Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 A Successful Colony. — There were several other fine 
 things about Oglethorpe's colony. One was that slavery was 
 prohibited. Slavery had already been introduced into the 
 Carolinas just north of Georgia. I am sorry to say that 
 many years later it was allowed in Georgia too, but that was 
 long after the time of James Oglethorpe. We can be very 
 sure he would not have approved of any such action. An- 
 other fine thing was the religious freedom which was to be 
 allowed to the colonists. People had not yet learned to let 
 others worship God as they pleased ; there was still much per- 
 secution of one sect by another. Unfortunately, Roman 
 Catholics were not allowed in Georgia, but all other people 
 might come and worship as they pleased. Not long after 
 the founding of Savannah a band of Lutherans from the 
 city of Salzburg fled from their persecutors to the new 
 colony of Georgia, while about the same time there came 
 other people from central Europe, called Moravians. 
 
 War with the Spaniards. — The colony prospered, but 
 it was not long before the Georgians had to fight with the 
 Spaniards to the south of them. Led by General Ogle- 
 thorpe, for he had now become a general, they crossed into 
 the Spanish territory and attacked the city of St. Augustine. 
 It was well defended, however, and the English were forced 
 to give up the attempt. A little later the Spaniards re- 
 
174 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 ft 
 
 turned the attack, but were badly defeated by General 
 Oglethorpe and his followers. 
 
 A Friend to the Oppressed. — After spending nine years 
 in the colony Oglethorpe returned to England. There he 
 fought in several battles and was for a time accused of trea- 
 son, which is the crime of being untrue to your own country. 
 This charge was not proved against him and after being 
 arrested he was set free, and lived to a ripe old age, honored 
 by all who knew him. We in America may well remember 
 the founder of Georgia as a brave soldier and a true gentle- 
 man who was through all his life a friend to the oppressed. 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 THE FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY 
 
 A Virginia Plantation. — When George Washington was 
 a small boy he lived in a big, old fashioned house in front 
 of which a meadow sloped gently down to a lazy river. 
 Back of the house on both sides as far as he could see the 
 land belonged to his father, Mr. 
 Augustine Washington. Tobacco 
 grew on this land and potatoes and 
 corn. There were horses and cows 
 in the pastures and pigs in the pens 
 by the barn. To care for the to- 
 bacco, the fields and the cattle, and 
 to do all the work that had to be 
 done on such a big place, were col- 
 ored people . They were slaves ; that 
 is, they belonged to Mr. Washing- 
 ton and he could sell them if he 
 chose. But he was kind to his 
 slaves and they were glad to work 
 for him. There were other men, 
 though, who were cruel, and whose slaves were very un- 
 happy. 
 
 The Homestead. — The house, itself, had a broad porch 
 or veranda whose roof was supported by big white coi- 
 ns 
 
 George Washington. 
 
176 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 umns. Inside were large cool rooms and deep fire-places 
 where roaring fires of hickory logs were kept burning on 
 cold winter days. The dining room had a big table and 
 many chairs for the many people who sat down to each 
 meal. George had seven brothers and sisters and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Washington usually had a guest or two visiting them, 
 so it took plenty of space and lots of food to feed so large 
 a family. 
 
 How much there was for a boy to do on a farm like this! 
 All through the long summer days George would wander 
 in the meadows and play Indians in the woods. He would 
 hide behind the trees and imagine every breaking twig was 
 a red-skinned warrior seeking his life. Then he would 
 watch the slaves as they sowed the corn or picked the 
 leaves of the tobacco plants and hung them in long rows to 
 dry. Every day he learned something more about the 
 woods or the farm and all this knowledge became very 
 useful to him when he grew to be a man. 
 
 A Fire. — One day the -house caught fire. All was ex- 
 citement; slaves running back and forth; George's older 
 brothers helping their father put out the flames. Some 
 brought water to be poured on the fire, while others carried 
 furniture and valuable things from the burning building to 
 places of safety. But all their efforts were in vain. They 
 had no water mains or fire engines as we have today and the 
 house burned down to the ground. Mr. Washington for- 
 tunately owned a number of estates and the family moved 
 to a new home on the Rappahannock river, thirty-five 
 miles away. This was a two-story house like the others 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 177 
 
 and was -painted red. It was from here that George first 
 went to school. 
 
 George Goes to School. — In those days it was thought 
 that any one was good enough to teach little children. 
 Mr. Washington on one of his voyages to England brought 
 back a convict who became the sexton of the church and 
 also the schoolmaster 
 for the children of the 
 neighborhood. He was 
 a short man with only 
 one eye. The children 
 called him "Hobby" 
 and were not very re- 
 spectful to him. In- 
 deed, he taught them 
 very little for he knew 
 very little himself. As 
 the school was two 
 miles away George 
 rode there each day on 
 horseback, in front of 
 a slave named Peter. 
 
 A Sad Loss. — It was not Mr. Washington's intention to 
 keep George long at this school. He probably would have 
 sent him to England to school as he did his older sons, 
 Lawrence and Augustine, but when George was twelve 
 years old his father died. This made a great change in the 
 plans for George. His mother was either unwilling or un- 
 able to send him abroad to school. Lawrence now became 
 
 The Fire. 
 
178 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the head of the family and secured most of his father's 
 property, but Mrs. Washington was given a large estate 
 on which she lived with George and her other children. 
 
 Perhaps it was this early responsibility that made 
 George such a grave and serious boy. Whatever it was 
 we find him acting as though he were much older than he 
 really was. 
 
 The Rules of Conduct. — One day he found a book that 
 was full of very useful information. It told how to write a 
 
 letter, how to tell 
 
 whether or not rain 
 was coming, what 
 was the best way 
 to build a barn, 
 and lots of other 
 interesting things. 
 In the back it gave 
 a list of rules for 
 the conduct of a 
 
 Fox Hunting in Virginia. 
 
 gentleman; how he should behave at the table, what he 
 should do and say in company, and many other things that 
 George felt were important. These rules he carefully 
 copied down and we have them today in his boyish hand- 
 writing to show how hard he tried to learn things that 
 would be to his advantage. 
 
 George Wants to Go to Sea. — Like many boys in those 
 days George was very anxious to go to sea. He had often 
 seen his father's ships lying at the wharves taking on car- 
 goes of tobacco and had talked with the officers and crews 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 179 
 
 about their life at sea. His mother did not wish George 
 to go as she feared the danger in which he would be placed. 
 She wrote of the matter to her brother, a London lawyer, 
 asking his advice. He wisely advised against it. He said 
 the pay was poor and the chances of advancement slight, 
 while the dangers were many and great. Today we are 
 very glad that George Washington had so wise an uncle 
 and that he was saved to be of such splendid service to his 
 country. 
 
 Learning Surveying. — George was now a strong sturdy 
 boy and he determined to learn surveying, which is the 
 science of accurately meas- 
 uring land. There was much 
 need for those skilled in this 
 knowledge for the farms and 
 estates were large and their 
 boundaries indefinite. 
 
 There was a good school 
 on Bridges Creek near the Po- 
 tomac where George's brother 
 Augustine now lived with his 
 family. The teacher, Mr. 
 Williams, knew mathematics, which was very necessary in 
 the study of surveying. George was therefore sent to live 
 with his brother while he attended this school. Meanwhile, 
 in the evenings he had the advantage of being with his 
 brother who was an educated man and frequently enter- 
 tained guests who, like himself, were used to the ways of 
 the world. From these men Washington learned much 
 
 Washington Surveying. 
 
180 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 that was useful. While at school he steadily gained the 
 knowledge that was to make him a successful surveyor. 
 
 A Great Opportunity. — It was not long before he had 
 an opportunity to show his skill. Lord Fairfax, a great 
 English nobleman, had inherited a large estate in Virginia. 
 His handsome house and grounds called Belvoir were not 
 far from Mount Vernon, the estate which Lawrence Wash- 
 ington had inherited from his father. The two families at 
 Belvoir and Mount Vernon became intimate. Lawrence 
 fell in love with Anne, Lord Fairfax's daughter, and they 
 were soon married. George was a frequent visitor at 
 his brother's home and he too was well known at Belvoir. 
 Lord Fairfax took a great fancy to the strong, quiet boy of 
 fifteen and they often went hunting together. This friend- 
 ship grew so strong that Lord Fairfax determined to entrust 
 the surveying of his vast lands to young Washington. 
 
 The Young Surveyor. — George gladly accepted the 
 task. The estate was very large and extended far into the 
 forests of western Virginia. For weeks Washington never 
 saw a white man except his companions in this work. They 
 travelled through trackless woods and climbed mountains 
 carrying their instruments with them and camping at 
 night under the stars. 
 
 One night, indeed, they did seek shelter in the rough 
 cabin of a Dutch mountaineer. The cabin itself was filled 
 with smoke and bad smells. They had the choice of lying 
 on a bundle of very dirty straw or sharing a skin on which 
 the man of the cabin, his wife and his dirty children had 
 already lain down. After this Washington was glad to 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 181 
 
 The Mountain Cabin. 
 
 sleep in the fresh open air wrapped only in his blankets 
 with the leafy trees over head for a covering. 
 
 At last the work was finished and so well had it been 
 done that Lord Fairfax highly praised young Washington. 
 George was very proud of his 
 first big job. 
 
 Lord Fairfax was well edu- 
 cated and an accomplished gen- 
 tleman. From him George learn- 
 ed many of the graces of speech 
 and manner that made him the 
 cultured man he later became. 
 Besides these polite customs 
 we know he also learned the hard life of the forests and 
 stream. He there gained the courage and endurance which 
 were also to serve him so well in his later fife. 
 
 A Public Position.— Washington now decided he would 
 like to be the public surveyor. This was an office of much 
 responsibility. Washington, only 16 years of age, was very 
 young to seek such a place, but his work for Lord Fairfax 
 had been so well done and was so well known that he 
 secured the position. This gave him a great deal of work to 
 do and he was very busy managing his mother's estate 
 and his public duties as well. 
 
 Lawrence Washington Dies. — About this time, how- 
 ever, George's oldest brother was taken sick and the 
 physicians advised a sea voyage. Someone must go with 
 the sick man and as Lawrence was very fond of his brother 
 George, it was arranged that he should go. They sailed to 
 
182 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the Bermuda Islands and stayed there some time. But 
 Lawrence was not benefited by the trip and George brought 
 him back to die. 
 
 Mount Vernon. — In his will it was found he had left 
 most of his property to his brother George. Among much 
 else was the fine place which Lawrence had named Mount 
 Vernon after a dear friend of his, Admiral Vernon, of the 
 British Navy. This was where the fire had occurred 
 
 Mount Vernon. 
 
 when George was a small boy. Lawrence had rebuilt the 
 house and improved the grounds. George now made 
 Mount Vernon his home and it continued to be so until 
 his death. Today this beautiful homestead with the stately 
 house and handsome grounds belongs to the government 
 of the United States which George Washington was chiefly 
 responsible for founding. 
 
 A Militia Officer. — Before his death Lawrence had 
 secured for his brother George a commission as major in 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 183 
 
 the Virginia militia. Just as each state now has its national 
 guard whom we so often see on the streets and at their 
 armories, so did the colonies have their soldiers. George 
 was very young to hold so high a rank, but he was soon 
 able to prove that his appointment had been no mistake. 
 
 Governor Dinwiddie's Messenger. — The French and 
 their Indian allies had been making trouble on land which 
 Virginia said belonged to her. Governor Dinwiddie de- 
 cided to send someone to warn them to keep off. It was 
 a task full of danger, requiring a man of courage and also 
 one who would not needlessly offend the French officers. 
 Fairfax suggested young Major Washington and the gov- 
 ernor accordingly chose George as his messenger. 
 
 Through miles of forests, over swollen streams, making 
 friends with the Indians as they went, the little party 
 finally reached the French post and gave Governor Din- 
 widdie's letter to the French commander. 
 
 The Return. — On the way back, Washington and 
 Christopher Gish, a bold Virginian frontiersman, left their 
 horses and traveled on foot. The French Indians lay in 
 wait for them and tried to murder them. In the fight 
 which followed they captured one of the Indians and put 
 the rest to flight. Gish wanted to kill their prisoner, 
 but Washington would not allow it and later let him 
 escape. 
 
 At another time, in crossing, on a raft, a stream filled 
 with floating ice, Washington fell into the water. With 
 much difficulty both men got to land where they had to 
 remain all night with their clothes frozen on them. It was 
 
184 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 well for them that each was accustomed to all kinds of 
 hardship and exposure. 
 
 Preparations for War. — When Washington returned to 
 Governor Dinwiddie and reported the result of his journey 
 the governor saw that it meant war with the French and 
 their Indian allies. Washington was made lieutenant- 
 colonel of the Virginia militia. Soon afterward his regi- 
 ment was sent west to hold the forks of the Ohio where the 
 city of Pittsburgh now stands. There was much trouble in 
 raising the necessary number of men, as the farmers did 
 not wish to leave their farms. At last, however, the troops 
 were ready and began the long, dangerous journey. On 
 
 the way Colonel Frey, the 
 commander of the regi- 
 ment, died and Washington 
 became the leader of the ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 Great Meadows. — It was 
 not long before he learned 
 that a force of French and 
 Indians had captured the 
 English post on the Ohio. 
 Although they had over a 
 thousand men and Wash- 
 ington scarcely two hun- 
 dred, he pushed forward to meet them. On the Mononga- 
 hela river not far from the Ohio an open space called the 
 Great Meadows seemed to Washington a good spot to build 
 a fort. A rude log and earth stockade was hastily thrown 
 
 Washington as an Officer. 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 185 
 
 up which Washington called Fort Necessity. Soon news 
 was received that the French were encamped a short dis- 
 tance away. Advancing with the greatest caution Wash- 
 ington and his men surprised the French and forced them 
 to surrender. In the battle ten Frenchmen were killed in- 
 cluding the brave commander, Jumonville. This was not 
 the main body of the French troops and Washington was 
 soon forced to take refuge in his little fort by the approach 
 of the larger French army. 
 
 Fort Necessity. — It would have been wiser had he 
 retreated until Virginia sent him more soldiers, but he was 
 young and brave. He preferred to fight rather than rim 
 away. The French attacked the fort and the English 
 fought bravely, but when night put an end to the fighting 
 Washington saw that he could not hold out. The French 
 had three men to his one. The Virginia troops were ex- 
 hausted. They were hungry and discouraged, and their 
 rifles, wet from the rain, would not fire. 
 
 In the morning Washington surrendered. The French 
 allowed him and his soldiers to keep their guns and to 
 return home, making them promise they would not fight 
 against the French for a year. This promise was kept and 
 they returned to Virginia. 
 
 Washington Resigns His Commission. — Washington 
 was hailed as a hero for his gallant conduct and prepara- 
 tions were at once begun to win and hold the Ohio valley 
 for the English. England herself now took a hand and 
 sent officers and men to help the colonies. But they did a 
 very unfair thing. It was decided that all the king's offi- 
 
186 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 cers, even their lieutenants, should "outrank," that is, rank 
 higher, than any of the colonial officers. This angered Wash- 
 ington who was now a colonel and he resigned his commis- 
 sion in the Virginia militia and returned to his estates at 
 Mount Vernon where he spent a year as a private citizen. 
 Once More a Soldier. — At last there appeared in Vir- 
 ginia an English army with General Braddock at its head. 
 They camped near Mount Vernon and Washington would 
 often ride to the camp and watch the red-coated soldiers 
 
 drilling. He longed to be 
 again an officer and lead his 
 troops to battle. He several 
 times mentioned his wish to 
 his friends. One of them took 
 the news to General Braddock 
 and he at once offered Wash- 
 ington a position on his staff 
 with the rank of colonel. He 
 had heard much of young 
 
 Soldiers of the Expedition. < ^ 
 
 Washington's dashing bravery 
 as well as of his wide knowledge of the land through which 
 the march must be made and was only too glad to have him 
 as one of his officers. Washington was delighted and imme- 
 diately accepted the general's appointment. He was again 
 a soldier. Much time had yet to be spent in getting recruits 
 and in securing wagons and stores for the long march. 
 
 The Expedition Against Fort Duquesne. — At last every- 
 thing was ready and the journey began. Braddock kept 
 his men in close order and the progress was very slow. 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 187 
 
 Washington suggested a different arrangement. Part of 
 the army was to remain with the baggage wagons while 
 the rest, in light marching order, pushed on ahead. This 
 seemed a good plan to General Braddock and after that 
 the troops moved much faster. 
 
 Washington Taken Sick. — Washington, however, was 
 taken sick; so sick that he had to be left behind. He asked 
 the general not to have a battle until he could be with the 
 army. This the general promised and George remained 
 with Colonel Dunbar. He wrote to a friend at this time 
 that he would not miss 
 the battle for five hun- 
 dred pounds. 
 
 When still too sick 
 to ride his horse Wash- 
 ington insisted on being 
 taken to the front in a 
 carriage. In this way 
 he joined General Brad- 
 Clock Braddock Mortally Wounded. 
 
 The Battle. — The battle had not yet been fought, but It 
 was not long before the French appeared with their Indian 
 allies. The English regulars were drawn up in line. They 
 made a brave show with their red coats and flashing bayo- 
 nets and Washington's heart beat faster as he thought of 
 the fighting soon to take place. With drums beating the 
 English marched forward, shoulder to shoulder and in per- 
 fect step. 
 
 An Invisible Enemy. — Suddenly a volley of musket 
 
188 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 balls struck them. The enemy were completely hidden by 
 the trees and rocks from behind which they had fired. 
 The English were not used to this kind of fighting. There 
 was no one at whom they could shoot. Urged by their 
 officers they continued to advance only to be met again 
 by that murderous fire from unseen guns. 
 
 Braddock Refuses a Suggestion. — Washington, who 
 had closely watched the English soldiers, saw that they 
 would be defeated unless they found cover. He begged 
 Braddock to give the order, but the general was obstinate. 
 He had fought in many battles and had always kept his 
 men in close ranks. He refused to change his plans. 
 
 A Panic. — Meanwhile the poor soldiers were being shot 
 down without a chance to reply. After several volleys from 
 the French they turned and fled. General Braddock was 
 mortally wounded and the command fell to Washington. 
 He rode up and down the fine utterly careless of the flying 
 bullets, trying to bring order back to the panic stricken 
 troops. 
 
 The Virginians Cover the Retreat. — The Virginians who 
 had accompanied the expedition wisely had fired from 
 behind the trees. Under Washington's leadership they were 
 able to hold back the French while the regulars retreated. 
 The French showed no desire to follow up their victory and 
 so those of the English who had not fallen on the field were 
 able to reach Virginia in safety. General Braddock died on 
 the march back and Washington read the burial service at 
 his grave. 
 
 It was due alone to the skill and courage of Washington 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 189 
 
 that any of the army which had marched so bravely away 
 some months before reached home again. 
 
 A Splendid Reputation. — The people of Virginia had 
 learned two things. First, that the British regulars of 
 whom Braddock had boasted so vainly were only men after 
 all and could be beaten if you went about it in the right 
 way. Second, that George Washington had proved him- 
 self a better soldier than a trained English general. It 
 was not to be many years before this young Virginia colonel 
 was to become one of the greatest military leaders the world 
 has ever known. 
 
 We have seen how this young man developed a char- 
 acter which not only earned him many friends but also 
 saved him in many times of danger. Later we will tell the 
 rest of the story of his life, how he saved the United States 
 and became our first president. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 THE MANY SIDED CITIZEN 
 
 A Large Family. — How would you like to be the young- 
 est boy in a family of thirteen children? Perhaps you are. 
 
 If so you know pretty 
 well the kind of fam- 
 ily in which Benja- 
 min Franklin lived 
 as a little boy. His 
 father had once lived 
 in England, but be- 
 cause of his religious 
 opinions he had come 
 to America way back 
 in 1682, about the 
 time that Philadel- 
 phia was founded by 
 William Penn. Mr. 
 Franklin did not 
 come to Philadelphia 
 but went to Boston 
 which had already 
 been settled many 
 years and whose people worshipped God about as he wished 
 to. As he was not a wealthy man he had to work very hard 
 
 190 
 
 Franklin — from an Aquatint by F. Janinet. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 191 
 
 to support his large family. In England he had been a dyer 
 of cloth which was a regular trade requiring skill and expe- 
 rience, but in America he found there was very little need for 
 such work. Most of the cloth was brought from Europe and 
 was already dyed. He had, therefore, to find another trade. 
 He selected that of tallow chandling which simply means 
 making candles. The hot tallow was poured into metal 
 moulds into which the wicks had already been placed. By 
 this work Benjamin's father was able to keep his family 
 comfortably. 
 
 At School. — When Benjamin Franklin was eight years 
 old he was sent to the grammar school. This meant, not 
 what it means today, but a school where boys went who 
 were to go to college and be learned men. The plan was 
 to make Benjamin a clergyman. He had always been fond 
 of study and had learned to read at a very early age. He 
 said at a later time when he was a grown man that he was 
 unable to remember a time when he could not read. His 
 uncle, Benjamin, after whom he had been named and 
 who was himself an educated man, advised that little 
 Benjamin be trained for the ministry. When Benjamin 
 started at school he was placed in the middle of his class. 
 In a very little while, however, he went to the head of the 
 class and a month or so later was promoted to the next 
 higher class with the understanding that he would go to 
 the third class at the end of the year. You can see from 
 this how bright he was. But his father was unable to bear 
 the expense of such a school and at the end of the year Benja- 
 min had to go to the common school for the poorer children. 
 
192 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Selecting a Trade. — When he was ten years old Benja- 
 min was taken home to help his father make candles. He 
 was not interested in this work, but, like so many boys 
 
 who live in sea-port towns, he 
 wanted with all his heart to go 
 to sea. He had learned to 
 swim quite well and was never 
 happier than Avhen in a boat 
 or canoe with his playmates. 
 His father, however, was very 
 much opposed to this idea. 
 Josiah, an older brother of 
 Benjamin's, had run away to 
 sea and Mr. Franklin was de- 
 termined that no more of his 
 sons should do so. Accord- 
 ingly Benjamin was now sent 
 to work for his cousin Samuel 
 who was a cutler — that is, he 
 made all kinds of knives. But 
 Samuel Franklin demanded 
 too much money for teaching 
 the boy this trade and so Ben- 
 jamin once more returned 
 home. All his family, of 
 course, knew how fond he 
 was of books. One of his brothers, James, was a printer. 
 It was thought that Benjamin would like this trade. At 
 last they were right. So well did Benjamin take to this 
 
 Franklin a? a Printer. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 193 
 
 new work that he remained a printer for many years of 
 his life. 
 
 An Apprentice. — He was now made an apprentice to 
 his brother. That meant that he signed a paper promis- 
 ing to work for his brother for a certain number of years 
 in return for which he was to receive his food and lodging 
 and to learn the business of printing. We do not have 
 many apprentices now. Instead, we have trade schools 
 and vocational schools where boys are taught to use tools 
 and to do certain kinds of work so that when they 
 are employed they do not have everything to learn. 
 But there were no such schools then and all tradesmen had 
 first to be apprentices. When Benjamin Franklin died he 
 left a large sum of money to the city of Boston and another 
 large sum to Philadelphia to be used for young apprentices 
 when they were ready to go into business for themselves. 
 
 His Love for Books. — Benjamin now had the oppor- 
 tunity to gratify his love for books. He had long been 
 spending all the money he could for them. At first he did 
 not choose wisely, but as he grew older he learned to buy 
 better ones. He never regretted the money so spent. 
 One of his brother's customers, Mr. Matthew Adams, who 
 used to come often to the printing house, took a liking to 
 Benjamin. He invited the boy to his home where he had 
 an excellent library. Nothing could have pleased Benja- 
 min more. His friend, seeing how fond he was of reading, 
 allowed him to borrow as many books as he pleased. This 
 was a great privilege as there were no public libraries at 
 that time and not so many books as there are now. 
 
194 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Franklin Writes Poetry. — Poetry was very popular 
 and young Franklin set himself to write ballads, which are 
 stories told in poetry. This pleased his brother James who 
 saw a chance to make some money by the sale of these bal- 
 lads. After they were printed Benjamin was sent about the 
 town to sell them. Although they were not very good poetry, 
 as they told about events which had recently happened in 
 Boston, many were sold and Benjamin was quite proud of 
 himself. His sensible father, however, told him that what 
 he had written was not good verse and that such poets sel- 
 dom became wealthy. Benjamin was wise enough to see 
 that his father was right. He now tried to improve his 
 writing and studied the best models. 
 
 A Young Author. — Very soon Franklin began to con- 
 tribute articles to his brother's paper. At first he feared 
 they would not be received if it were known that a boy 
 had written them, so he used to slip them under the door 
 at night after the others had gone. For a long time it was 
 thought they were written by a certain clever man who 
 often contributed to the "New England Current," as 
 James Franklin's paper was called. After a time, how- 
 ever, Benjamin admitted that he had written the articles. 
 He was praised for his skill and was, of course, very proud 
 of himself. 
 
 He Runs Away from Home. — His brother James still 
 considered Benjamin but a boy and treated him with very 
 little respect. Often, when he was angry, he would beat 
 him. Benjamin resented this treatment very much and 
 complained to his father. Mr. Franklin took Benjamin's 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 195 
 
 part, but James had a violent temper and was not wise 
 enough to see that his younger brother was a boy of un- 
 usual ability. 
 
 At last, after Benjamin had saved some money, he de- 
 termined to run away. With the help of a friend and the 
 captain of a ship sailing from Boston to New York he bought 
 passage on the vessel and bade goodbye to his native city. 
 This looks like a very serious step for a boy of seventeen 
 to take, but it seemed to be the only thing that he could do. 
 
 A Long Journey. — When Franklin reached New York 
 he went at once to William Bradford, the printer of that 
 city, of whom he had heard in his brother's office. Mr. 
 Bradford had no work for the boy, but told him of his son 
 who was a printer in Philadelphia and who had just lost 
 his helper. The boy at once decided to go to Philadelphia. 
 Today, to go from New York to Philadelphia means a 
 two-hour ride in a railroad train. There were no railroad 
 trains then, so it took Franklin five days to make the trip. 
 He began the journey in a sailboat which took him to 
 Amboy, New Jersey. Before reaching there a storm arose; 
 the sail was badly torn and the boat in danger of sinking. 
 One of the passengers fell overboard and was rescued by 
 Franklin who pulled him in by his hair. The sea was so 
 rough that they could not land and had to anchor all night 
 with the wind howling around them and the waves dash- 
 ing now and again over the boat. When they finally landed 
 the next day they had been thirty hours without food or 
 water. 
 
 It was not surprising that Benjamin was taken sick 
 
196 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 and went to bed the next night with a fever. He had 
 heard that drinking plenty of cold water was the best 
 medicine for fever, and sure enough this wise treatment and 
 his own good constitution made him well by morning. He 
 now had to travel on foot across New Jersey to the Dela- 
 ware river a distance of fifty miles. He there found a 
 row-boat bound for Philadelphia. No one in the boat 
 
 seemed to know just where 
 Philadelphia was. By night- 
 fall they had not yet reached 
 the city and had to camp for 
 the night on the bank, but by 
 nine o'clock the next day the 
 city was reached. 
 
 Franklin's Arrival in Phil- 
 adelphia. — As Franklin was 
 to become one of the most 
 distinguished citizens of Phil- 
 adelphia as well as one of the 
 greatest men in the country, 
 I want you to have in his own 
 words the story of his first 
 appearance in the city. After paying the boatmen for his 
 passage he had entered a baker shop and asked for three- 
 penny worth of bread. They gave him three big puffy 
 rolls. He says, "I was surpriz'd at the quantity, but took 
 it, and, having no room in my pockets, walk'd off with a 
 roll under each arm, and eating the other. Thus I went 
 up Market-street as far as Fourth-street, passing by the 
 
 Franklin Arrives in Philadelphia. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 197 
 
 door of Mr. Read, my future wife's father; when she, 
 standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I 
 certainly did, a most awkward, rediculous appearance. 
 Then I turned and went down Chestnut-street and part of 
 Walnut-street, eating my roll all the way, and, coming 
 round, found myself again at Market-street warf, near 
 the boat I came in, to which I went for a draught of the 
 river water; and, being filled with one of my rolls, gave 
 the other two to a woman and her child that came down 
 the river in the boat with us, and were waiting to go farther. 
 
 "Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which 
 by this time had many clean-dressed people in it, who were 
 all walking the same way. I joined them, and thereby was 
 led into the great meeting-house of the Quakers near the 
 market. I sat down among them, and, after looking round 
 awhile and hearing nothing said, being very drowsy thro' 
 labor and want of rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, 
 and continu'd so till the meeting broke up, 
 when one was kind enough to rouse me. 
 This was, therefore, the first house I was 
 in, or slept in, in Philadelphia." 
 
 He Finds Work. — When Franklin ap- 
 plied at Bradford's, the Printer's, he found 
 the position filled. There was, however, 
 another printer in the town, named Keimer, 
 with whom he got work. Keimer' s printing house had in it 
 one old press which Keimer did not know how to use. He 
 had also one small worn out font or set of type. He was a 
 peculiar man and not likely ever to be very successful. He 
 
198 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 was dirty and untidy in his habits; careless in his accounts, 
 and did very poor work. Young Franklin helped him, 
 however, and actually taught him to use his press. 
 
 A Visit from the Governor. — It happened that one of 
 Benjamin's sisters had married the master of a ship that 
 sailed between Boston and Delaware. His name was 
 Robert Homes. At one time when his vessel was at New- 
 castle, Delaware, he heard that Benjamin was in Phila- 
 delphia and wrote to him, urging him to come back to his 
 family in Boston. Franklin replied telling him why he had 
 left home and said that he would remain where he was as 
 he was doing very well. Sir William Keith, governor of 
 Pennsylvania, happened to be with Captain Homes when 
 he received this letter. When he learned that the boy 
 who had written it was less than eighteen years old he was 
 surprised. He said the letter showed him to be a young 
 man of promise and ability; that there were no good printers 
 at Philadelphia and if this boy would set up there a print- 
 ing shop of his own he was sure he would succeed. The 
 governor even promised him the public printing. 
 
 It was not long before Governor Keith paid a visit to 
 Keimer's place, but, instead of asking to see the pro- 
 prietor, he called for young Franklin. They went to a 
 hotel nearby and there the governor suggested to Benja- 
 min that he get his father to forward the necessary money 
 to start a printing shop for his son. Franklin was very 
 proud of the interest which the governor took in him and 
 after a little persuasion he took ship back to Boston bear- 
 ing a letter from Governor Keith to his father. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 199 
 
 A Return to Boston. — His unexpected appearance sur- 
 prised his family and his brother James was not a bit 
 pleased to see him so well dressed and so independent. 
 His father read the governor's letter which praised Benja- 
 min very highly, but he was not willing to advance so 
 much money to a boy so young. He rather thought the 
 governor unwise in urging such a thing. So Franklin had 
 to return disappointed to Philadelphia. 
 
 A Governor's Promise. — When Governor Keith heard 
 of Mr. Franklin's refusal he said he would supply the 
 money himself. He asked Franklin if it would not be 
 better for him to go to London himself to select his press 
 and types. Of course, there were no such things made in 
 this country at that time and all machinery had to be 
 brought from England. Franklin said he thought it would 
 indeed be better for him to make his own purchases. The 
 governor then made arrangements to have him sail on the 
 next ship and promised to supply him with the necessary 
 money. 
 
 At last the day for the sailing of the ship arrived. 
 Franklin had asked several times for the money, but each 
 time the governor had been too busy. Now he sent word 
 by his secretary that he would send it with the necessary 
 letters on board the ship. Franklin, therefore, went on 
 board and the ship sailed. When the governor's mail-bag 
 was opened there were no letters nor was there any money 
 for Benjamin. How frightened and disappointed he must 
 have been. Captain French, a friend of the governor's 
 and whom Franklin had met in Philadelphia, was a pas- 
 
200 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 senger on the same ship. He told Franklin that the gover- 
 nor frequently broke his promises. He did not mean to be 
 dishonest, but he always pretended to have more money 
 and more influence than he had. This did not help Benja- 
 min, however, and it was a contemptible trick for a man 
 
 like Keith to play on a poor 
 innocent boy. 
 
 In London. — Franklin was 
 now in London and it was 
 necessary for him to find some 
 employment to support him- 
 self. As he was a printer he 
 went to one of the large print- 
 ing houses where he not only 
 found a position but was able 
 to advance himself quickly be- 
 cause of his skill and industry. 
 Franklin soon made friends in 
 London as he had in Philadel- 
 phia. One of these friends 
 borrowed so much money from 
 Franklin that he was unable 
 to save enough to pay his 
 passage back. 
 
 Mr. Denham, a Quaker merchant, who had come over 
 on the same ship and who had become friendly to Franklin 
 on the voyage, continued to take an interest in the boy. 
 At last, after about a year and a half in London, Mr. Den- 
 ham proposed to Franklin that he should return with him 
 
 Franklin in London. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 201 
 
 to Philadelphia and become his clerk. Franklin liked Mr. 
 Denham and was anxious to return to America, so arrange- 
 ments were made. 
 
 Back in Philadelphia. — When they got back to Phila- 
 delphia Franklin decided that he had given up the print- 
 ing business forever. He worked hard for Mr. Denham as 
 he had always done for all his employers, but it was not 
 long before both Franklin and Mr. Denham were taken 
 seriously sick. Franklin, after a long illness, recovered, but 
 Mr. Denham died. In his will he left some money to the 
 boy, but the business passed into other hands and young 
 Franklin was again without a position. 
 
 A Printer Again. — Keimer now offered him the place 
 of foreman in his shop at a good salary. Although Franklin 
 did not like Keimer, he accepted. He soon found he was 
 to teach a number of new hands and when they had learned 
 the work he would be discharged. It happened, however, 
 that one of these men whose name was Meredith, liked 
 Franklin and suggested to him that they go into the 
 printing business together, he to supply the money which 
 he would get from his father, and Franklin to supply the 
 skill and knowledge. Nothing was said to Keimer. The 
 press and types were secured from England and a shop rented 
 in the rear of 53 Market street. Here the two young men set 
 up in business, a business in which two printers were already 
 failing. Young Franklin, however, had made many friends 
 and was not afraid of hard work and, although his partner 
 was too fond of drinking, the new firm succeeded from the 
 first. 
 
202 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 THE 
 
 Numb XL. 
 
 Pennfylvania GAZETTE. 
 
 Containing the frejhejl Advices Foreign and Dome flick. 
 
 From Thurfday, September aj. to Thurfday, October a. 1720. 
 
 T 
 
 H E Pennfylvania Gazette Vcittg ndw to 
 be (arrj'i on by other Haua% the Reader, 
 may expetlfemc Account of the Method we 
 
 There are many who have hug defired to fee a 
 good Neva-Taper tn Pennfylvania, and vis hope 
 thofe Gvtlemen who are able,, will contribute to- 
 
 The Pennsylvania Gazette. — It was determined to pub- 
 lish a newspaper. Bradford had already published one for 
 some years. It was a very poor paper, but, because it was 
 the only thing of its kind, it was a success. Keimer, too, 
 hearing of Franklin's scheme, decided he would print a 
 paper. It was not successful, however, and in a short time 
 the new printers were able to buy it. It was now called 
 the Pennsylvania Gazette. We have already seen that 
 Franklin was a skillful writer and his contributions made 
 the paper popular at once. 
 
 Poor Richard's Almanac. — Besides publishing a news- 
 paper Franklin determined to print an almanac. Almanacs 
 were very popular in those days when there were no maga- 
 zines and people had very little to read. Almanacs not only 
 told when the sun would rise and set each day of the year, 
 but they were filled with a lot of other useful information. 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 203 
 
 Poor Richard, 173?. 
 
 A N 
 
 Almanack 
 
 Foi thcVcarofChrift 
 
 1 
 
 733 
 
 Franklin's almanac, besides the usual things, contained bits 
 of wise and homely advice that rank with the most famous 
 proverbs of any language. He called it Poor Richard's 
 Almanac and the wisdom 
 of Poor Richard is today 
 known all over the world. 
 
 In Business for Him- 
 self. — It was not long- 
 before Franklin's friends 
 came to him and sug- 
 gested that he buy out 
 his partner, Meredith. He 
 was not suited to the bus- 
 iness and despite all that 
 Franklin could do he 
 would frequently be seen 
 drunk in the streets. 
 franklin's friends offered 
 to lend him the necessary 
 money. Meredith, who 
 saw that he was not suited 
 to the printing business, 
 was willing to sell. In 
 this way Franklin became 
 the sole proprietor of the 
 little shop. 
 
 The First Book Shop. — In connection with his 
 
 Being the Firft after I E AP YEAR: 
 
 jfnJ moles Jinrr thr Creotiem Years 
 
 Bythe Accounr of the E flfn G*e*k$ 3241 
 
 By the Latin Church, <*hen O cm t <$032 
 
 By the Computation of Hf H? 5742 
 
 By the Roman Chronology j6"8z 
 
 By the Jewifb Rabbit* ' ^04 
 
 Wherein is contained 
 The Lunations, "Eclipfcs, Judgment of 
 
 the Weather, Spring Tide<, Planets Morion* & 
 mutual AfpcQs, Sun and Moon's Rifing and Set- 
 ting, Length of Days, Time of High Water, 
 Fairs, Courts, and obfcrvable Day* 
 
 Fitted tothe Latitude. ol Porn Degrees, 
 and a Meridian- of Five Hour* VVrft fiat* /a*d<m. 
 hut mav without lenfiMe Error (crveah the ad- 
 jacent Place*, even, from Newfoundland to South- 
 Carolina. 
 
 By RlCH4RDSJUNDERS,Ph\\om. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 Punted and fold by B FRJNKllH. at the New 
 Printing Office neai the Market 
 
 little 
 
 business Franklin now opened a stationery store next to 
 Christ Church where blanks, paper, pens and books were 
 
204 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 sold. This was the only book store in Philadelphia at that 
 time and it soon became famous. Indeed, Franklin says at 
 the time he established himself, there was not a good book- 
 seller's shop in any of the colonies south of Boston. Those 
 
 i who loved reading were obliged to send to England for their 
 
 ' books. 
 
 The Philadelphia Library. — All his life he had loved 
 books. It was his knowledge of their contents and the 
 graceful speech which he learned from them that made 
 him, even when a boy, the favorite of wise and able men. 
 There were no libraries at that time and he determined to 
 found one. A group of young men, who, like himself, were 
 fond of reading, were each persuaded to subscribe ten 
 dollars and to pay five dollars a year. With this money 
 books were bought in London and were loaned to sub- 
 scribers. The idea quickly became popular. People gave 
 books to the library in order to have its privileges. Libra- 
 ries were founded in other towns. Today this same 
 library that Franklin began in the eighteenth century is 
 housed in a fine building at Juniper and Locust Streets and 
 is called the Philadelphia Library. It is now so easy for 
 anyone to have the best books to read by going to the 
 public libraries that it is hard to believe that there was 
 ever a time when books could not be borrowed in this way. 
 It is to Benjamin Franklin that we owe the first library in 
 Philadelphia and the idea which has spread to every city 
 of the country. 
 
 A Useful Citizen. — The boy Franklin had now become a 
 man, and although young was respected by all the sub- 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 205 
 
 ^ 
 
 stantial men of the city. Although he was very indus- 
 trious in his own business he was also interested in every- 
 thing that happened in the city and was willing to give his 
 time and thought to any improvement that was suggested. 
 
 The Streets. — He saw that the streets were very dirty. 
 In those days no one ever thought of sweeping the streets, 
 and it was seldom that they were even paved. Each man 
 took care of the street in front of his own house if he chose 
 to. Franklin decided this important matter ought to be 
 cared for by the city. He succeeded in having the streets 
 paved and regularly swept twice a week. 
 
 There was also no method of lighting the streets at 
 night. The public houses had lanterns in front of them 
 and now and then a private 
 house would have a lantern 
 at the gate. Franklin said the 
 city ought to light the streets 
 by lamps placed at regular in- 
 tervals and tended to by men 
 employed by the city. Of 
 course they had no gas, but 
 Franklin invented an oil lamp 
 which would not blow out nor 
 would it smoke, because of a 
 current of fresh air which pass- 
 ed through it . The streets were 
 then lighted by these lamps. 
 
 The Night Watch. — In those days there were no police- 
 men and it was frequently unsafe to go abroad at night, 
 
 The Night Watch. 
 
206 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Franklin organized the night watch as it was called, a 
 group of men who patrolled the streets at night and made 
 it safe for people to walk about. Out of this night watch 
 has grown o.ur present police department with its hundreds 
 of uniformed officers and its station-houses all over the city. 
 
 A Fire Company. — Neither were there fire-engines in 
 those days. Fires were put out by carrying water in buck- 
 ets and pouring it on the fire. As most of the buildings 
 were made of wood there was much loss from fire, so Frank- 
 lin organized a fire company. The men who belonged to 
 the company drilled every week and held themselves ready 
 to go at once to any fire and help put it out. Later, engines 
 which were at first simply hand pumps on wheels, were 
 used to force the water through hoses to the upper stories 
 of burning buildings. These volunteer fire companies con- 
 tinued for many years and were finally organized into the 
 fire department as we have it today. 
 
 The Academy of Philadelphia.— His interest in books 
 made him interested in education. He was responsible for 
 the founding in 1751 of an academy on Fourth Street which 
 many years later was to become the University of Penn- 
 sylvania now housed in its many buildings in West Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 The Franklin Stove. — Franklin was interested in all 
 sciences and his active mind was always ready to examine 
 into a new idea. We have already seen how he invented a 
 smokeless street lamp. With the same idea in mind he 
 also invented an open stove for the better warming of 
 rooms. You must know that coal as fuel was unknown in 
 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 207 
 
 Franklin's Stove. 
 
 those days. The only means of heating houses was the 
 open fire-place in which logs of wood were kept burning. 
 This was never a very satisfactory method 
 and houses were usually very cold in win- 
 ter. Franklin's stove also burned wood, 
 but by means of a special draft it kept an 
 even fire and consumed far less fuel. It was 
 an instant success and in a few years there 
 was scarcely a house in the city which did 
 not have one of Franklin's stoves. Indeed, 
 they are used even yet in parts of the coun- 
 try where coal is very expensive and wood 
 is still used for fuel. 
 
 Experiments with Electricity. — By making experiments 
 
 with glass tubes and jars he de- 
 cided that electricity came from 
 the clouds. This he proved by fly- 
 ing a silken kite with a key and a 
 piece of silk ribbon fastened to the 
 string near his hand. During a 
 thunderstorm while the kite flew 
 high in the air he got a spark from 
 the key. From this came the use 
 of lightning rods which are fast- 
 ened to the sides of buildings. The 
 pointed end at the top draws the 
 electricity from the clouds and car- 
 ies it to the ground. 
 Postmaster. — Franklin was chosen Postmaster of Phila- 
 
 Franklin's Kite Experiment. 
 
208 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 delphia and filled the office so successfully that he was 
 appointed by the government to be the general postmaster 
 for the colonies. At this time the postal service was very 
 poor. The government lost money on it and the people 
 were not satisfied with the service. Franklin so improved 
 the service that he not only made it profitable to the gov- 
 ernment but also pleased the people who received their 
 mail more regularly and more often. 
 
 All this time while he was planning and working on 
 these things for the public good his printing business and 
 book shop continued to prosper. Benjamin Franklin may 
 well be regarded as a very busy man and a very useful 
 citizen. He had justly earned the confidence which his 
 fellow citizens had placed in him and was ready for the yet 
 greater work which was to distinguish his later life. 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 
 
 Homes of the People 
 
 If your family were to move to Boston next week you 
 would make no plans to build a house when you got there. 
 Boston has many houses just like Philadelphia and your 
 father would probably rent one of these, where your mother 
 and your brothers and sisters, and you, would be quite as 
 comfortable as you are here. But in the colonial days this 
 was not so. Men then left comfortable homes to go out into 
 the wilderness where there was not even a tent to shelter 
 them. Let us see what kind of homes these men built. 
 
 Building the Home. — At first there was always the ship 
 in which they had come. To this they could return each 
 night until houses had been built. Each day the men would 
 go into £he forests carrying axes; certain trees of the proper 
 size would be marked and these felled and cut to the desired 
 length. Each man planned his own house, but they were 
 all much alike. At first a space had to be cleared; the trees 
 cut down and the stumps burned. Then four stout posts 
 were planted in the ground where the four corners of the 
 house were to be. Two other shorter posts made the door- 
 way. Logs were now laid lengthwise and fitted at the 
 corners. Square spaces were cut for windows. A sloping 
 roof of lighter logs and twigs was laid on top. Mud and 
 sticky clay mixed with twigs and grass would now be smeared 
 
 209 
 
210 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 in the spaces between the logs. This would keep out the 
 wind and rain and snow. 
 
 The Fire-place. — Most important of all, however, was 
 the fire-place. This was made of stones if possible, other- 
 wise of clay. It was built into one side of the house, usually 
 opposite the door, and the chimney, made of logs cov- 
 ered with clay, reached up through the roof. This was the 
 usual house that the settlers built when they first arrived 
 in America. Occasionally 
 circumstances would change 
 
 
 the plan. In New England i[[ i-ft5^^ 7r-^=^. £pSf ■'' 
 
 round smooth stones are to 
 be found in great quanti- 
 ties. There it was often 
 easier to build the whole 
 house of stone. We have 
 already seen how the early 
 settlers in Philadelphia 0Id Fire "P lace - 
 
 made caves in the river bank. These had log fronts and 
 doors and their chimneys extended through the earthen roof. 
 A Cozy Room. — Although a log hut does not sound very 
 comfortable, many of them were quite cozy and the boys and 
 girls who lived in them were just as happy as you are today. 
 In the first place there was lots of good food to eat and it was 
 much cheaper then than now. When the boys came home 
 from school or were tired of playing in the clearing they 
 would find the log cabin a fine place. From the ceiling 
 hung strings of dried apples, pumpkins and peppers; a 
 smoked ham and a side of bacon; or perhaps a piece of fresh 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 211 
 
 venison from the deer father shot the day before. Around 
 the fire-place hung all kinds of pots and kettles which mother 
 used in cooking. In the fire-place itself was the crane, a 
 heavy iron frame with a long iron hook which extended over 
 the fire, on which to hang the kettle. 
 
 Around the Fire. — Usually the fire-places were so big 
 that seats were built into each side on which the family could 
 sit on cold winter nights and toast their toes before the 
 blazing logs. Late in the summer when the harvest had 
 been gathered the men would cut the fire-wood and pile it 
 up near the kitchen door to be within easy reach on the 
 cold and stormy winter days. These were the times when 
 father would tell stories of life across the sea, of kings and 
 queens and palaces, of knights in armor and brave deeds in 
 battle. Or, perhaps, he would tell of persecution, of long 
 months in foul prisons, of flight and hiding from the danger 
 of death. How the children must have thrilled at the ter- 
 rors which their parents faced, for the men and women who 
 came to America had needed much courage and great faith 
 to bring them to the wilderness and keep them strong and 
 happy there. 
 
 But if you have had much experience with fire-places 
 you know that the heat does not reach far. Near the fire 
 you are warm enough, but in the corners of the room away 
 from the blaze it remains cold. To keep a whole room warm 
 stoves were invented. At first Dutch stoves from Holland 
 made of iron or china tiles, and then the Franklin stoves of 
 Philadelphia, in which coal as well as wood could be burned. 
 
 Light. — The fire-place not only provided heat, but most 
 
212 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of the light as well. Lamps were unknown and blazing 
 pine-knots held in a forked stick and stuck in the wall were 
 used to light a room. These were also carried whenever 
 anyone needed to go out of doors at night. Later, oil made 
 from fish came into use and was burned in Betty lamps which 
 were like a shallow bowl with a spout for the wick. These 
 gave very little light and smelt rather badly, but they were 
 better than nothing. Candles then came into fashion made 
 of tallow poured into molds. The best light came from the 
 use of sperm or whale oil. Hunting for whales on long 
 voyages in the north Atlantic Ocean became a great industry 
 and many whaling vessels sailed from New England and 
 brought back rich cargoes of oil. A new lamp with centre 
 draft invented by a Frenchman named Argand, used with 
 sperm oil, gave a very bright light. 
 
 It is hard for us to realize the great difference between 
 our homes today and those of our ancestors in the days of the 
 colonies. Yet home life is much the same now as it was then. 
 If boys and girls have loving fathers and mothers to care 
 for them it makes very little difference whether they live in 
 a brick house with all the modern conveniences or in a log 
 hut in a forest clearing. 
 
 PREPARING MEALS 
 
 Nowadays mother looks at the clock to see whether it is 
 time to get ready the dinner for her hungry boys and girls. 
 
 When There Were No Clocks.— In the days before 
 clocks were invented time was told by sun-dials out of doors 
 and within the house by noon marks on the cabin floor 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 213 
 
 and by hour-glasses. When mother found by these signs it 
 was time to start the kettle boiling she did not strike a 
 match to light the fire for these handy little helps had not 
 been thought of. 
 
 Starting the Fire Without Matches. — They tried to keep 
 the fire on the hearth always burning, for if it happened to 
 go out much trouble was caused in starting it again. This 
 was the way it had to be done. A piece of flint and a piece 
 of steel were struck together on the edges and the spark 
 caught on soft linen rags and then blown into a flame. 
 It was not easy to do this and as one writer has said, "If 
 you had good luck you could get a light in half an hour." 
 
 Matches came slowly into use because at first they were 
 very expensive, but they are now so cheap and useful we 
 wonder how people ever got along without them. 
 
 Dutch Oven or Roasting Kitchen. — When father brought 
 home the deer or the bear he had shot while hunting in the 
 woods it would be cut into proper sized pieces which mother 
 would roast in the Dutch oven. This was a sort of iron box 
 open on one side which would be turned to the fire. 
 
 The roast would hang in these ovens fastened to a spit 
 and turned by a handle on the outside of the box so that the 
 meat was cooked on all sides and all through. 
 
 Plenty of Food for the Keen Appetites. — Many wild ani- 
 mals roamed through the forests and quantities of birds were 
 always flying about. These, with the fish that were caught 
 in abundance in the sea and rivers, gave the early settlers 
 plenty of good food at small expense. We are told that a 
 fine Thanksgiving turkey could be had for twenty-five cents. 
 
214 
 
 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The little fellows, hungry from their long tramp from 
 school through the snow and cold wind, would stand before 
 the big fire-place. With eager faces they watched the 
 venison roasting in the oven or the soup boiling in the 
 kettle which hung on the crane. The delicious odors from 
 the roast would reach their hungry noses while the sparks 
 from the blazing logs flew up the great chimney to the cold 
 air of the winter night. 
 
 At the Table. — Furniture was very simple and mostly 
 home-made in the American colonies. The dining table 
 was merely boards laid on 
 trestles such as you see at 
 picnic grounds in the park. 
 The good things to eat were 
 not always served on china 
 plates but in trenchers, 
 which were blocks of wood 
 hollowed out into a sort of 
 bowl. There were spoons 
 and knives but no forks, so 
 the people at the table used their fingers to take the choice 
 bits from the trenchers to their mouths. We are now told 
 that it is not polite to touch the food with our hands, but 
 this change of manners is simply due to our having better 
 tools to eat with. 
 
 DRESS 
 
 In the early days the clothes worn by most of the settlers 
 were truly home-made. Some of the Virginia men and 
 women who wanted to dress in fine style would send to 
 
 Colonial China. 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 215 
 
 England for linens, silks, and cloth and have them made into 
 handsome clothes as was then the fashion in Europe. 
 
 The Gay Cavaliers. — When dressed up in these fancy 
 clothes the men looked as gay as the women. They wore 
 bright colored velvet coats and waistcoats, velvet or silk 
 breeches, silk stockings, plumes on their hats, ruffles on 
 their shirts, and silver buckles on their shoes. But these 
 were not the men who first cleared the forests and built the 
 rough cabins we have learned about. Silks and velvets 
 would not last long under such conditions, and the men who 
 wore them were usually careful to live in the larger cities 
 where they were protected from the Indians and where they 
 could find others to work for them while they lived their 
 gay lives of pleasure. 
 
 Most of the men who came to America had to work hard 
 building their homes, hunting food for their families, and 
 protecting their wives and children from savage foes. The 
 women, on the other hand, worked just as hard at the many 
 things to be done inside the house. Such people were not 
 pleased with the fine looking folks who were always hand- 
 somely dressed and who did very little work. Some of the 
 colonies made laws against the wearing of these fine clothes. 
 
 Home Grown and Home Spun. — In those days the 
 farmers raised wool and flax. Their wives and daughters 
 spun them into yarn and thread, knit these into stockings 
 and mittens or wove them into linen or cloth. This was 
 then made into clothing. Many housewives had hand 
 looms to weave cloth at home and in almost every cabin or 
 cottage could be found a spinning wheel for making yarn out 
 
216 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of wool or thread out of flax. Tailors were few and the 
 women of the household made most of the clothing for the 
 husband, the children, and themselves. You can well 
 imagine there were not many idle moments in such a home. 
 Hard work was the price of success then as it is now. 
 
 Peculiarities of Dress. — The various people who came to 
 America dressed as they had been accustomed to in their 
 home country. The Swedes who settled on the Delaware 
 wore short leather breeches, while the women wore leather 
 jackets and leather skirts. The Dutch, on tLe other hand, 
 wore the loose baggy trousers, heavy woolen stockings, and 
 wooden shoes of Holland. Their wives and daughters dressed 
 in the tight waists and full skirts still to be seen in that 
 country. 
 
 The English people did not seem so strange in their 
 plain clothes of heavy woolen goods. To be sure the men 
 wore Knickerbockers with heavy stockings and stout shoes, 
 but, of course, no one wore long trousers in those days. 
 
 Now and again you might see a trapper who was used 
 to taking long trips into the forest. He dressed much as 
 the Indians did, in deerskin coat and leggings, moccasins on 
 his feet and a fur cap on his head. But only the restless 
 hunters and trappers dressed in this way and they never 
 stayed long in the big settlements. They were always 
 anxious to get back to the forest whose silence and danger 
 they seemed to love. 
 
 Washington's Soldiers in Home-made Uniforms. — When 
 we look at our soldier bo} r s today in their fine well-fitting 
 uniforms of good khaki cloth we may think of the soldiers 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 217 
 
 of the Revolution who fought under General Washington. 
 There were no big mills then to quickly make the cloth 
 needed for the soldiers' clothes. In many of the cottages 
 throughout the country the spinning wheel and the hand 
 loom were kept at work by the busy American women, 
 making cloth for uniforms. Perhaps the coat and breeches 
 did not look as neat and well fitting as they would if made 
 by machines in a mill, but they kept the patriot army warm 
 in the cold days of winter while the war lasted. 
 
 Home Spun Still Worn in Philadelphia. — Not many of 
 the farmers' wives in these days spend their time in this 
 kind of work. Big factories now turn out cloth and knit 
 goods cheaper and better than they can be made at home. 
 In some parts of Pennsylvania the German settlers who came 
 to this country soon after William Penn arrived still use the 
 spinning wheel and hand loom in their homes. These 
 Dunkards and Menonites are often seen in the streets of 
 Philadelphia. Their odd clothes of home spun are very 
 different from the present day fashions and make them at 
 once peculiar and interesting. 
 
 TRAVELING IN THE COLONIES 
 
 How strange it would be if there were no trolley cars or 
 automobiles or steam railroad trains! How could we go to 
 Willow Grove Park and hear the fine music and see the 
 beautiful fountain? How could we get to Fairmount Park 
 in the hot summer time and enjoy a picnic in the shade of 
 the fine old trees? How could we take a summer trip to the 
 country or to the seashore? 
 
218 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 When Travelling was Done on Horse-back. — Yet there 
 was a time when the only way of travelling was on horse- 
 back or else by paddling a canoe on one of the many 
 streams. There were no parks in those days and people 
 did not go far away from home. The roads were simply 
 paths through the forests and travelling was not safe because 
 of wild beasts and Indians. 
 
 Rivers the Best Highways of Travel. — At first the set- 
 tlements were along the banks of rivers and boats could 
 be used in going from one place to another. In fair 
 weather with good wind a sail was raised to help the boat 
 along. As more people kept coming into the country from 
 the old world they settled farther inland where there were no 
 waterways to make travel easy. 
 
 The Sedan-chair. — Wealthy ladies and gentlemen who 
 did not wish to travel far but wanted to avoid the mud and 
 dirt of the unpaved streets went about in 
 Sedan-chairs. These were closed boxes large 
 enough to sit in. They had windows and 
 were often handsomely cushioned. They 
 were carried by servants in uniform who 
 
 Sedan-chair. i i tc 1 c i 
 
 would lilt them irom the ground by long 
 stout poles passed through rings on each side. In this way 
 the lady or gentleman could go about without soiling hand- 
 some satin shoes in the mud of the city streets. 
 
 A Ride On the Stage Coach. — When the roads were wide 
 enough it was possible to travel by stage coach. These 
 coaches were not very large nor were they very comfortable 
 notwithstanding the huge springs that curled up in front and 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 
 
 219 
 
 behind. Inside were two wooden seats on which the pas- 
 sengers sat looking out of the small high windows as the 
 coach lurched along. High in front and up in back were the 
 seats for the driver and footman or guards. These men 
 were usually armed with muskets and pistols, for the roads 
 were lonely and highwaymen not unknown, even in the 
 more thickly settled districts where there was little danger 
 from the Indians. The wheels of the coach had very wide 
 tires for the roads were not paved and frequently became so 
 
 Old Time Stage Coach. 
 
 muddy that a narrow wheel would sink in above the hub and 
 have to be dug out before the coach could continue. 
 
 It was nevertheless lots of fun, especially if you were a 
 boy and were allowed to ride up with the driver and see him 
 crack his long whip over the four prancing horses. The coach 
 would rattle over the cobble-stones of the city streets until 
 the open country was reached when the only sounds would 
 be the thud of the horses' hoofs and the creak of the wheels. 
 You had to sit tight and keep a sharp lookout, for the ruts in 
 the road would often lurch the coach enough to throw you off 
 
220 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 if you were not holding on. The driver who had to use both 
 hands was usually strapped to his seat to save him from just 
 such an accident. 
 
 When noon-time came you would be glad to stop at a 
 wayside inn and eat a good dinner while fresh horses were 
 hitched to the coach. Many of these journeys took several 
 days. Perhaps you were going to grandfather's farm in 
 Virginia where the children were to spend a happy holiday. 
 If so you would eagerly watch as you rolled along up hill and 
 down dale for the lane that led to the old homestead. The 
 coach would pull up with a great stamping of horses' hoofs 
 and you would be helped down from the high seat. One of 
 grandfather's colored servants would be there to help you 
 with your luggage and soon the coachman would crack his 
 whip and the coach would be off down the road in a cloud of 
 dust. 
 
 The Post Chaise. — Another way of travelling beside the 
 stage coach was by post chaise. If you had plenty of money 
 you could hire a chaise which was simply a two wheeled 
 carriage drawn by a horse on whose back sat the driver who 
 was called a post boy. As the various inns would be reached 
 along the road the horse and rider would be replaced by 
 fresh horses and other post boys until the journej^'s end. 
 This was probably the fastest way of travelling and was 
 used by government officials and business men who had to 
 move quickly from place to place. 
 
 The Conestoga Wagon. — As the country began to be 
 filled up with people some way had to be found for carrying 
 heavy goods such as furniture, boxes of food, and other 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 221 
 
 things which could not be carried on the backs of horses or 
 were too large for the stage coach. To meet this need there 
 came into use in Pennsylvania the Conestoga wagon which 
 has been called "the finest wagon the world has ever known." 
 It had broad wheel tires and over the top was stretched a 
 canvass cover tied down to the sides and ends with cords. 
 It was drawn by four and sometimes six horses. These 
 wagons were large and strong. They carried not only all the 
 household goods but the women and children as well. The 
 meals were cooked in them and at night when they were in 
 camp, while one of the men watched, all the others slept in 
 the wagon. 
 
 Whenever a band of people would decide to go far west 
 each family would have its own wagon. They travelled 
 one behind the other and to see a long train of these white 
 canvass tops crossing the plains reminded one of a fleet of 
 ships and they came to be called "prairie schooners." 
 
 SCHOOLS 
 
 It is hard for boys and girls who go to school today in the 
 handsome fire-proof buildings with their heating and 
 ventilating systems, their assembly rooms, shops, kitchens, 
 and play rooms, with every convenience and every comfort, 
 to realize the kind of schools that children attended in 
 colonial days. 
 
 School Houses. — Like the homes, the school houses were 
 often log cabins. The floor was of earth and often became 
 thick with dust which the scholars would take delight in 
 stirring up to the annoyance of the teacher, Into the spaces 
 
222 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 between the logs of the walls two or three feet from the 
 floor, poles were driven upon which a board was laid. This 
 was the desk at which a pupil sat with his back to the teacher 
 who sat in the center of the room. As glass was expensive 
 and hard to get, the windows were closed with oiled paper 
 which let in a feeble light even on bright days. A fire-place 
 gave what heat there was. The wood had to be provided by 
 the pupils and those who brought no logs for the fire were 
 forced to sit in the cold corners of the room. 
 
 Books, too, were scarce. Each child began school with 
 what was called a horn book. This was a board two inches 
 wide and three or four inches long to which was fastened a 
 single sheet of printed paper. On the paper was the alphabet 
 in both small and large letters, some syllables, and the Lord's 
 Prayer. To keep the paper clean and to prevent its tearing 
 a thin piece of horn completely covered it and was bound to 
 the board by a brass edge. At the lower side was a stubby 
 little handle. This handle usually had a hole in it through 
 which a string passed. This was then hung about the neck 
 of the child. It was important that he should not lose his 
 horn book, for after he had learned his letters and could read 
 the Lord's Prayer the book would be passed on to his small 
 brothers and sisters for them to have the same experience. 
 
 Slates were used and slate pencils, but it was not un- 
 likely that the pupils of a school would have to go out into 
 the nearby woods and find birch bark on which to write and 
 cipher. Occasionally the pupils would have paper upon 
 which they would write with quill pens. The teacher would 
 have to sharpen these pens with a "pen"-knife which he 
 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES 
 
 223 
 
 kept on his desk. There were no text-books except for the 
 older pupils and there were no globes or maps, and no black- 
 boards. 
 
 School Teachers. — Few people had more than a very 
 simple education in those days. To read a little and write a 
 little less; to cast accounts, which meant the easiest exercises 
 in arithmetic; this was all that most people knew and all that 
 was taught in most of the schools. In many places people 
 
 were opposed to 
 having their 
 children edu- 
 cated. Even the 
 Quakers, who 
 were among the 
 first to establish 
 schools, did not 
 wish their chil- 
 dren to learn 
 more than every 
 child in the 
 Fourth Grade knows today. The Pennsylvania Germans 
 said it spoiled their children for work on the farms if they 
 had much schooling. 
 
 Of course, when people felt this way about their schools 
 they cared very little what kind of teachers they had. The 
 teachers were often criminals or indentured servants which 
 were little better than slaves. They were ignorant and, as 
 no one expected much of them, they made no effort to do their 
 work well. The schoolmasters were often cruel men and the 
 
 Old-time School-room. 
 
224 HEROES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 children would be thrashed for the slightest offences. Some- 
 times the teacher would whip every child in the school before 
 they went home for the day. The poor children had to learn 
 for themselves as well as they could without much help from 
 the master and with still less help from their parents at home. 
 It is wonderful that they learned anything at all and we are 
 not surprised to find that very few could write well and none 
 knew how to spell. This was even true of the wisest and 
 best men of the times. Boys and girls of today may be very 
 glad they do not live in colonial times and have to go to 
 school in those old log school houses. There was not much 
 pleasure and very little profit to be gained from the long 
 hours spent in such schools. 
 
 THE END 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS