LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PRIMARY HISTORY ATTACK ON A PURITAN HOME. PRIMARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR INTERMEDIATE CLASSES Copyright, 1885. by A, S. BARNES & COMPANY NEW YORK AND CHICAGO BARNES' BRIEF HISTORY SERIES. BAPvXES" BRIEF HISTOHY OP THE IGNITED STATES, FuK THE USK OF SCHOOLS. 12M0. ILLUSTRATED. BARXES' BRIEE HISTORY OF FRANCE, For the use of Schools and for Private Reading. 12mo. Illustrated. BARNES' BRIEF HISTORY OF ANCIENT PEOPLES For the use of Schools and for Private Reading. 12mo. Illustrated. BARNES' BRIEF HISTORY OF GREECE, With Select Reading-s from Standard Authors, 1'2jio. Beautifully Illustrated. BARNES' BRIEF HISTORY OF ROME With Select Readings from Standard Authors. 12.MO. Beautifully Illu.strated. liARNES' BRIEF HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL AND MODERN PEOPLES, For the use t>F Schools and for Private Reading. 12mo. Illustrated. BARNES' BRIEF GENERAL HISTORY. The Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Peoples. Bound in One Yolume. 12mo. Illustrated. BARNES' POPUTLAR HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, FoK Private Reading and for Reference in Schools and Families. Royal 8vo. Beautifully Illustrated. ffjace The most casual observer can not have failed to notice that ^vithin a few years past a taste for the study of Amer- ican History has been rapidly growing in this country. To ixieet the demand which this taste has created, historical works are coming from the press almost as profusely as popular novels ; and no articles that appear in the magazines and newspapers of the day, are more accept- ahle or more generally read than those which treat of historical subjects. A most gratifying feature of this tendency is that it has reached our common schools, and that pupils in the lower grades, where history has never before been taught, are eagerly seeking to know something of their country's history. The great difficulty, however, in the way of teaching history in the intermediate and primary grades, heretofore, has been the want of a proper text-book. This little book is designed to meet this want. In its preparation, an effort has been m.ade to tell the story of our country in a simple and natural manner. The language used, while it is not above the comprehension of pupils of the grades for which it is intended, is not, on the other hand, beneath them — an error too generally committed in works of this character. That there is a fundamental difference between simplicity of thought and simplicity of expression, is a fact Which has been borne in mind throughout. VI PEEFACE. At the end of each chapter will be found a series of carefully prepared questions, and references to historical poems and ballads, which embody incidents treated of in the text. The judicious teacher will find the latter of great service in selecting material for reading or recitation in connection with the history lesson. Nothing, it may be said, will aid more in fixing a fact of history in the memory of a boy or girl than a stirring ballad or poem, in which the fact or inci- dent is pictured before them with all the charms of imagination. When, for example, the story of the fight between the "Constitution and the G-uerriere " is being studied, the teacher will find au added stimulus given to the lesson by causing some bright pupil to read or recite Holmes' fine poem of "Old Ii-onsides". Where, in any par- ticular instance, the ballad or poem is considered too difficult for the pupils, it should be read or recited by the teacher. That the current of the story might be impeded as little as pos- sible, many minor topics and incidents, generally found in school histories, have been omitted from this little book altogether. This has afl"orded opportunity for a fuller and broader treatment of the more important events than is usually given in elementary works on historj'. While dates have been freely supplied at the beginning of each paragraph, to indicate the chronological sequence of the story, few have been introduced in the body of the narrative ; for experience teaches that nothing tends more to confuse and bewilder the his- torical student, young or old, than a naultiplicity of dates. The dates of the great events, the turning points of history, are the only ones really necessary to be committed to memory by any student. It is infinitely more important that the pupil should be able to give the causes of an historical event, and its relation to or dependence on other events, than the date when it occurred. The youth of the present age are bright and inquisitive. They are not to be put off with a mere recital of facts, but want to know the why and the wherefore of everj^ thing. Recognizing this wholesome propensity, an attempt has been made throughout this little book to diffuse, in a familiar way, just enough of the philosophy of history to give the young beginner an idea of cause and effect in human affairs. The superior artistic and mechanical execution of this work, on which no expense has been spared, show that the publishers realize their responsibilities as educators of the public taste. PAGE The Indians H The Mound-Builders 13 INTRODUCTION. The Northmen. PAGE ... 14 Part I. — Early Discoveries and Settlements. Pour Hundred Years Ago 15 Marco Polo and his Travels 15 The Compass and the Astrolabe 16 Columbus' Idea 16 Columbus in Search of Help 17 The Voyage 17 The Discovery 18 Columbus Returns to Spain 20 Later Voyages of Columbus 20 The Voyages of the Cabots 21 Amerigo Vespucci 21 Ponce de Leon 22 Verrazani 22 De Narvaez 23 Jacques Cartier 23 Ferdinand de Soto 23 The Mississippi River 24 Pifty Yeai's after the Discovery of America 25 The First Colony in America 25 Menendez 25 Frobisher 26 Sir Francis Drake 26 Sir Humphrey Q-ilbert 26 Sir Walter Raleigh 26 One Hundred Years after the Dis- covery of America 27 The Beginning of a New Century... 27 The First English Settlement 28 Henry Hudson 28 Part II. — The Colonies Virginia. | Character of the Colonists 31 Captain John Smith 32 The Starving Time 33 Slavery 35 G-rowth of the Colony 35 The Indian War 3.5 Oppression of the Colony 36 Bacon's Rebellion 37 Vlll CONTENTS. Paet II. — Continued. PAGE New York. The Dtitcti in New Netherland 38 Tlie Dutch Grovernors 40 New Amsterdain "becomes New York 40 English Rule 40 Leisler's Rebellion 41 Oppression of the Colony 41 Massachusetts. The Plymouth Company 42 The Pilgrims 42 The Landing of the Pilgrims 42 Hardships of the Colonists 43 Massachusetts Bay Colony 45 King Philip's "War 46 Atrocities of the Indians 46 The Indian Power Broken 47 Effect of the War 47 Character of the Colonists 47 Union of Plymouth and Massachu- setts Bay Colony 48 New Jersey, Original Grants 48 Troubles with New York 49 Division of New Jersey 49 Dissatisfaction of the Colonists 49 Maryland. Lord Baltimore 50 Religious Preedom 50 Clayborne's Rebellion 50 Civil Troubles 51 CivH War 51 Rhode Island. Roger Williams 51 Williams' "Views 51 Governor Winthrop's Kindness 52 The Providence Plantation 52 The Rhode Island Plantation 52 PAGE The Charter of the Combined Col- onies 53 Religious Freedom 53 Connecticut. The Connecticut Colony 53 The Pequod War 53 An Appeal to Roger Williams 54 The Pirst Bloodshed. 54 Destruction of the Pequods 55 The New Haven Colony 55 The New England League 55 Union of the Connecticut Colonies.. 56 The Charter Concealed 56 NcAV Hampshire, Pirst Settlements 56 The Charter Withdrawn 57 Changes in Government 57 Difficulties of the Colony 57 DelaAvare. The Pirst Colony 58 Settlement of New Sweden 58 Conquered by the Dutch 58 Captured by the English 58 Pennsylvania. The Grant to William Penn 59 Pirst Settlement 59 The Quakers and the Indians 60 Government of the Colony 62 Growth of the Colony 62 The Carolinas. Pirst Settlements 62 The Albemarle Colony 63 The Plans of the Proprietors 63 The Carteret Colony 64 Character of the Colonists 64 Government of the Colony 64 CONTENTS. IX Part II. — Continued. Georgia. James Oglethorpe's Scheme. The First Settlement Troubles with the Spaniards ■Government of the Colony... Go Go 06 07 The French in North America. Early French Explorations 09 Champlain G9 Marquette 69 Xia Salle 71 PAGK The Colonial Wars. King William's War 73 Queen Anne's War 74 King George's War 75 The French and Indian War 76 How the War Came About 77 The First Fight 77 Braddock's Defeat 78 The War in the North 80 The Battle of Lake George 80 English Disasters 81 How a Change Came About 82 The Capture of Quebec 82 End of the War 83 Part III. — The Revolutionary War. other Events of 1775. Treatment of the Colonies 85 The Navigation Act 86 Acts of Trade 87 Eestricting Foreign Trade 87 Writs of Assistance 88 Training the Colonists 89 Origin of the Trouble 90 The Stamp Act 90 The Mutiny Act 92 The Boston Massacre 92 The Tea Tax 92 Getting Ready for War 93 The " Minute Men " 93 How the War Began 94 The Rally after Dexington 97 Battle of Bunker Hill 97 Capture of Ticonderoga 98 99 Early Events of 1776 100 The Declaration of Independence.. 100 New York taken by the British 100 Washington's Retreat 101 Battle of Trenton 101 Battle of Princeton 102 Philadelphia taken by the British. 102 Burgoyne Captured 104 Hardships at Valley Forge 106 Aid from France 107 Progress of the War 107 The Treason of Arnold 109 The War in the South 110 Greene's Campaign in the South. . . 112 Siege of Yorktown 113 The End of the War 115 Part IV. — Development of the States The State of the Country 117 The First Effort toward Union 118 Political Parties 119 The Constitution 119 Formation of the Government 119 Washington'.s Administration. The First President 120 The Work of the Administration.. 121 Foreign Affairs 122 Political Parties 122 CONTENTS. Part IV. — Continued. PAGE John Adams' Administration. Condition of the Country 124 The Quairel with France 124 The Alien and Sedition Laws 125 Jefferson's Administration. The War wdth Tripoli 126 The Louisiana Piu'chase 127 The Slave Trade 128 The Quarrel with England 129 The Embargo Act 129 A New State 131 Introduction of Steam-boats 131 3Iadison's Administration. AVar with England 131 Opposition to the War 131 General Hull's Surrender 132 The War on the Water 133 Invasion of Canada 134 Perry's Victory on Lake Erie 134 Battle of the Thames 135 The Creek War 135 Battle of Lake Champlain 136 Battle of New Orleans 137 Peace Declared 139 Punishing the Pirates 139 Politics 139 New States 140 Monroe's Administration. The Era of G-ood Peeling 140 The Missouri Compromise 140 Florida 141 New States 141 Politics 141 The Tariff Question 142 John Quincy Adams' Adminis- tration. Condition of the Country 143 The Tariff Question 144 PAGE Jackson's Administration. Troubles over the Tariff 144 The Bank Troubles 145 Indian Wars 147 New States 147 The Election 147 Van Buren's Administration, The Panic of 1837 148 Politics 149 Harrison and Tyler's Adminis- tration. Death of Harrison 149 Tyler's Vetoes 149 Annexation of Texas 150 Florida 151 The Telegraph 151 Pollc's Administration. War with Mexico 151 Plan of the War 152 General Taylor's Campaign 154 General Scott's Campaign 156 Result of the War 156 Discovery of Gold in California 157 Slavery Agitation 159 New States 160 Taylor and Fillmore's Adminis- tration. Compromise of 1850 160 Politics 161 Pierce's Administration. Kansas-Nebraska Bill 161 Civil War in Kansas 162 Politics 162 Buchanan's Administi-ation. Quarrel about Slavery 16.'5 The Dred Scott Case 163 CONTENTS. Part IV. — Continued. XI PAGE John Brown's Raid 164 Politics 164 PAGE Secession of Southern States 166 New States 168 Part V.— The Civil War. Condition of the Country 171 Bombardment of Fort Sumter 172 The Effect 172 First Movement of the Armies 173 Battle of Bull Run 174 Effect of Bull Run 175 Other Events of the Summer 175 Battle of Ball's Bluff 176 Plan of the War 176 War on the Coast 176 Blockade-Running 177 Progress of the War 179 Ports Henry and Donelson Capt- ured 179 Battle of Shiloh 180 Operations on the Mississippi 181 War on the Coast 181 The Monitor and Merrimac 182 McClellan's Plan 184 Battle of Williamsburg 184 Siege of Richmond 185 Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley 185 Battle of Fair Oaks 186 The Seven Days Battle 186 Lee's Movement to the North 187 Lee Invades Maryland 187 Battle of Antietam 188 Battle of Fredericksburg 188 War in the West 189 Battles of luka and Corinth 189 Battle of Murfreesborough 191 The Vicksburg Expedition 191 Emancipation of the Slaves 192 Battle of Chancellorsville 192 Battle of Gettysburg 194 Capture of Vicksburg 195 Capture of Port Hudson 196 AVar in the Center 197 Siege of Chattanooga 197 Red River Expedition 199 Plan of Campaign for 1864 199 Campaign in Virginia 200 Battle of Cold Harbor 201 Grant's Plan 202 Early's Campaign 202 The Alabama and the Kearsarge.. 202 The Campaign in the West 203 Sherman's March to the Sea 204 The Situation 204 End of the War 204 New States 206 Assassination of Lincoln 206 Part VI. — Reconstruction and Passing Events. Johnson's Administration. Reconstruction 211 Impeachment of the President 212 Constitutional Amendments 212 Purchase of Alaska 213 A New State 213 The Ocean Telegraph 213 Politics 214 Xll CONTENTS. Part VI. — Continued. PAGE Grant's Administration, The Pacific Railroad 214 The Treaty of Washington 215 The Great Eires 215 Pontics 216 The Panic of 1873 217 The Centennial Exhibition 217 Indian "Wars 217 The Disputed Election 218 Hayes' Administration. Domestic Affairs 219 PAGE The Railroad Riots 219 The Yellow Fever Epidemic 219 Pontics 220 A New State 220 Garfield and Arthur's Adminis- tration. Assassination of President Garfield 221 Vice - President Arthur becomes President 222 Civil Service Reform 222 Pontics 224 ^^^fr^ ^0^.^ \ ' i ILLUSTRATIONS NO. PAGE 1. Erontispiece— Attack on a Puritan Home 2. Chapter Heading 11 3. Scene in Indian Life 12 4. Northmen Landing in America 13 5. Chapter Heading 15 6. Portrait of Columbus 17 7. Columbus taking Possession of the Country 19 8. Burial of De Soto 24 9. Hudson Exploring the Hudson River 28 10. Portrait of Henry Hudson 29 11. Chapter Heading ,31 12. John Smith Trading with the Indians 32 13. A Method of Indian Burial 36 14. Ruins of Jamestown 37 15. A Scene in New Amsterdam 39 IG. Puritans on the Way to Church 44 17. Canonicus Receiving the Powder and Bullets from Governor Bradford.. 45 18. Indian Attack on a Settlement 54 19. Portrait of William Penn 60 20. Penn's Treaty Tree 61 21. Cartier Banding at Montreal 68 22. A Colonial Pamily Fleeing from the Indians 73 23. Chapter Heading 85 24. British Tax Stamps 91 25. The Retreat of the British from Lexington 95 26. Going to Boston 96 27. The Patriots Building Fortifications around Boston 97 28. Capture of Fort Ticonderoga 99 29. Battle of Saratoga 103 30. Battle of Bennington 105 31. In Camp at Valley Forge 106 XIV ILLUSTRATIONS. NO. PAGE 32. Benjamin Franklin 107 .33. Capture of Stony Point 109 34. Portrait of Marion 110 35. Marquis de la Payette 113 3G. Storming a Port at Yorktown 114 37. Chapter Heading 117 38. Portraits of Hamilton, "Washington, and Jefferson 121 39. Pulton's Steam-boat 130 40. Battle between the Guerriere and Constitution 133 41. Battle of New Orleans 137 42. Portrait of Andrew Jackson 145 43. Portraits of Calhoun, Clay, and Webster 146 44. Portrait of Zachary Taylor 154 45. G-eneral Taylor at Buena Vista 155 46. Washing out Gold 157 47. San Francisco in 1835, and now 158 48. Abraham Lincoln 165 49. Jefferson Davis 167 50. Chapter Heading 171 51. Battle of Bull Run 174 52. Gun-boats Attacking Fort Donelson 180 53. The Merrimac and the Monitor 183 54. General Grant on the Battle-field 190 55. Battle of Missionary Ridge 198 50. Grant Writing the Order for Sherman's Advance 200 57. Union and Confederate Heroes 205 58. Chapter Heading 211 59. Landing the Atlantic Cable 213 60. Portrait of President Garfleld 221 61. Portrait of President Cleveland 224 LIST OF MAPS. 1. Map to Illustrate Early Explorations ., . 20 2. Map of French Explorations along the Mississippi River. , 70 3. Map to Illustrate the Colonial Wars , 79 4. Map to Illustrate the War in the South . Ill 5. Map to Illustrate the War of 1812-1814 132 6. Map to Illustrate the War with Mexico 153 7. Map to Illustrate the War in the West 178 8. Map of McClellan's Campaign in the Peninsula 184 9. Grant's Campaign around Richmond 201 I i Iif92 rpgMW^OISTdgv White peo- ple first came to this country from Europe. „_^ Vast forests then covered the land. There were no cities, towns, or pleasant farms, such as we see to-day. The only people they found living here were a wild race of men whom they called Indians. The Indians. — Perhaps you may have seen some of these people. They are of a reddish or copper color, and dress in a strange way. They like to wear beads, feathers, and other trinkets. In times of war, they paint their faces and make themselves look as fierce as possible. The huts or tents in which they live are made of bark or skins and a.re called wigwams (wig'wairiitz). Hunting, fi^shing, and war are the occupations of the men. All the hard work is done by the women. n A PRIMARY H I S T O R r No one knows where the Indians came from ; but they must have hvecl in this country many hundreds of years, as they do not look like any other people in the world. Possibly, they first came from Asia. SCENE IN INDIAN LIFE. All the tribes of Indians found in the country that is now the United States, were such as we have de- scribed. The Indians of Mexico, and of Central and South America, however, were a very different people. They had many of the arts of civilization, and lived in cities and towns. Their manners and customs were not at all like those of the savage races of the North. Nearly INTRODUCTION. 13 one half the people of Mexico, to-day, are Indians, and they probably live in about the same way as their fore- fathers did hundreds of years ago. NORTHMEN LANDING IN AMERICA The Mound Builders. — There must have been still another race of people here, before the Indians. This is shown by the remains of weapons and tools which are quite different from those made by Indians. They were 14 A PRIMAKY HISTORY. probably the builders of those great mounds of earth which are found in some of the Western States. Pitchers and bowls of burnt clay, and many other curious articles, have been found in these mounds. We know, therefore, that the Mound Builders must have been partly civilized. They were doubtless driven away or killed by the Indians Avho afterward took possession of the country. The Northmen. — The people of Iceland and Norway claim that their ships sailed across the Atlantic a thousand years ago, and that they planted settlements along our coast. None of their settlements could have prospered, however, since the people did not remain in the country. Even the fact of their coming was for a long time forgotten. QUESTIONS. 1. What people were found in this country when white men first came here? 2. How do Indians dress? How do they live? .'J. "WTiat are their houses called? Of what are they made? 4. Among Indians, who do the work? What do the men do? 5. Are Indians found anywhere else? Where? 6. AVhat is said of these Indians? 7. What other race of people lived here before the Indians? 8. Were they wild? How do we know they were not? 9. What have been found in the mounds? 10. Who were the Northmen? 11. How long ago are they supposed to have been here? 13. How do we know that tlie Northmen made no settlements here? FOR READING OR RECITATION. A Chipperva Legend.— Ijovtel,!.. An Indian at tfie Buriai-place of his Fathers.— J^ryaht. The Skeleton in JLrwor.—L.ONOFEi.LOW. P^i^ 1 EARliY DISGOVERies AI\(0 '^^=a^^^ Europe Four Hundred Years Ago. — Four hundred years ago, the people of Europe did not know that a great conti- nent lay on the other side of the Atlanti(\ Indeed, they knew very little even about that part of the world in which they lived, for travel was not common in those days. A great change, however, was soon to take place. Printing had been invented and books were being made and read. A few daring travelers had found their way into distant lands and, returning, told of what they had seen. People soon became eager to learn more about other parts of the world. Marco Polo. — One of those great travelers was Marco Polo. He had written a book in which he gave a won- derful story of his adventures in Japan, China, and other parts of Eastern Asia. All those countries were then 16 A PRIMARY HISTORY. spoken of by the people of Europe under the general name of India. Marco Polo's book caused much talk, for it told too of the wondrous riches of the East and made the great merchants of Europe wish to go there to trade. But in order to trade with India, it was necessary for them to make long and dangerous journeys. It is true that laces, silks and spices were brought, in small quantities, by caravans across the deserts to the Mediterranean Sea, and thence by ships to Europe ; but articles obtained in this way were very costly. No one had yet thought of reaching India by ships. When at sea, sailors could not tell how to find their way and, therefore, did not trust themselves far from land. The Compass and the Astrolabe. — Some years later, however, there came into use the mariner's compass, which showed in what direction a ship was moving, and the astrolabe, an instrument which enabled sailors to know where they were. With these two instruments to guide them, thej^ were no longer afraid to sail out of sight of land. A number of men under a bold leader named Diaz (dee'ath) Avent around the most southerly point of Africa, and came back to tell of their adventures. Columbus' Idea. — At about the same time, a sailor named Christopher Columbus (kris'tofer komm'bus) was trying to make people believe that the world was round, and that to reach India, all they need do was to sail west- ward, instead of making a long journey eastward by land. Columbus had no idea of the real size of the EAIILY DISCOVEKIES ANL> SETTLEMENTS. 17 world, and thought it much sinaher than it is. He felt quite sure that by following his plan, he could reach India in less than one half the time required in going the old way. Columbus in Search of Help. — Anxious as people were to get to India, they could not believe that Columbus was right ; and so, after talking about his plans for some years, they came to consider him as a half-crazy fellow who Avas not to be trusted. He tried to get ships and men from Ferdi- nand, King of Spain, but failed. He then made up his mind to go to England or France. But as he was about to depart, he was per- ■^ ' ^ COLUMBUS. suaded to lay his plans before the Spanish queen, Isabella. The queen believed what Columbus told her about the shape of the world and the short way to India. She said he should have both ships and men, even if she had to give up her jewels to get them. The Voyag'e. — With so good a friend to aid him, Columbus found himself, a few months afterward, in command of a fleet of three small ships. He joyfully io A PKIMAKY HISTORY. set out over an unknoNvii ocean, led on by the hope of finding a shorter way to India. A voyage across the ocean, even when made in the ships of the present time, is not altogether free from danger. We may easily imagine, then, how frightened those sailors must have been who went with Columbus. Their minds were full of the foolish stories, common at that time, of " the lands of fire and boiling seas lying near the setting sun". Every day, they thought, was only bringing them nearer certain death. The ships of the time were not much larger than the small sloops now used on our rivers, and in a storm, were hard to manage. Only a very brave man would have ventured on a long voyage in one of them. After three weeks, Columbus reached the Canary Isles, where he took on jDoard fresh supplies of food and water, and repaired one of his ships that had lost a rudder. The Discovery. — After leaving the islands, he sailed westward for many days without seeing any signs of land, till the terror of the sailors became so great, that they begged him to return home. They even planned to throw him overboard, when he would not go back. In spite of all dangers, however, the brave leader kept on ; and, at last, on the 12th of October, 1492, landed on an island that he named San Salvador (san sal vador'). Now that land had really been found, the sailors were glad they had come Avith Columbus. Those who had behaved badly on the voyage begged his pardon, whicli he now, in the hour of success, freely granted. EARLY DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS 19 Columbus, supposing that the island on which he landed was a part of India, called the people whom he found there Indians. They were much frightened when they saw the ships, which they supposed to be great birds, and for some time, hardly dared approach the white men who had come upon their shores. The kindly manner of Columbus gave them courage, and they then C!OLUMBUS TAKING POSSESSION OF THE COUNTRY. welcomed the strangers and brought supplies of fruit and other kinds of food. Columbus and his men set up a great cross on the shore, and, after giving thanks to God for their safe voyage, took possession of the country in the name of 20 A PRIMARY HISTORY. the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand and Isa- bella. Leaving San Salvador, Columbus again sailed west- ward, hoping to reach the main-land. Instead of this, he discovered a number of other islands, among which were Cuba and Hayti (ha'ti). Ever3^-where Columbus inquired for gold and precious stones, but could not find them. Columbus Returns to Spain. — At length, he set out to return to Spain, taking with him some Indians and many kinds of fruit, birds, and animals, to shoAV to the people at home. He reached Spain in safety after a stormy and dangerous voyage, and was received with great honor by the king and queen. They listened with joy to his account of the wonderful country across the ocean. The day of his arrival was made a general holiday, and those who had formerly been his enemies now seemed the most anxious to become his friends. Later Voyages of Columbus. — Columbus soon sailed westward again in the hope of finding other lands. He made four voyages in all. During one of them (1408), he reached the main-land, near the O ri no'co Eiver. It was not known, however, until some years later, that a new continent had been discovered. Columbus him- self died, believing that he had only found a short way to India. Columbus was treated very badly during the last few years of his life. His enemies became jealous of his success and tried to rob him of the honors he had gained. Once he was sent home in chains ; and he finally EARLY DiSCOVP:RIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 21 (lied (1506) of a disease brought on by his many troubles and sufferings. The Voyages of the Cabots. — Now that some one had shown the way, others were anxious to explore the w^onderful land across the ocean. A year before Columbus saw the main-land, it had been discovered (149 7) by two bold sailors, John and Sebastian Cabot (se bas'tian cab'ot), who sailed under the flag of En- gland. The object of their voyage also was, by sailing to the north-west, to find a short way to India. After landing on the coast of Labrador, the Cabots sailed southward as far as Newfoundland. On returning to England, they carried with them two Indians and some turkeys. During the next year (1498), Sebastian Cabot explored the same coast, from Newfoundland southward as far as North Carolina. By reason of these two voyages, En- gland afterward claimed as her own, not only all the coast, along which the Cabots had sailed, but also all the land back of it even to the Pacific Ocean. Amerigo Vespucci (a ma ree'go ves poot'chee). — How a Printer named this Continent. — No name had yet been given to the new land which had been discovered ; for it was still supposed to be a part of India. A year later (1499), a man named Amerigo Vespucci, a friend of Columbus, visited the main-land, and wrote an account of the country. Some years afterward this account was published in Oermany, and the printer, in giving the title to the book, called the new country America. This 22 A PEIMARY HISTORY. book received much attention from learned men in all the countries of Europe, and the name America soon came into general use. Ponce de Leon (pon'tha da la on'). — Yoyages to the New World soon became frequent. Men of other nations, besides Spain and England, set out to find wealth in a land supposed to be as rich as India itself. Once in a while, too, some one went for a different pur- pose, as was the case with Ponce de Leon. He had been with Columbus on one of his voyages, and had heard about a magical fountain supposed to be somewhere in America ; so now in his old age, he resolved to find it. It was said that whoever bathed in the water of this fountain, became young again. Ponce de Leon did not, of course, find the fountain ; but he discovered (1512) a new country which he called Florida. On account of his discovery, Spain afterward claimed the southern part of the United States and all the country west of the Mississippi River. Balboa (bai bo' a), another Spaniard, crossed the isth- mus between North and South America (1513), and was the first white man to look upon the Pacific Ocean. The Spaniards visited and conquered Mexico (1519), and afterward explored Central America and parts of South America. The result of all this enterprise on the part of Spain, was to make her the richest and most powerful nation of Europe. Verrazani (ver a za' nee). — AYhen the French king found that Spain and England were adding so much EAKLY DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 23 new country to their possessions, he thought that France also ought to have a share. He therefore sent (1524) a sailor, named Verrazani, to claim some part of America. Verra.zani sailed along the coast from North Carolina northward to Newfoundland, entering during the voyage the harbor of New York. This was exactly the same country the Cabots had discovered for England ; but Verrazani did not know it. He therefore took possession in the name of the French king and called the region New France. De Narvaez (da narva'eth). Some 3^ears after these events, a party of Spaniards, under a leader named De Narvaez, landed in Florida (152 8), and tried to conquer the country. Only four of these men lived to return. Jacques Cartier (zhak car te a') was the next explorer after Verrazani, sent by France to America. After reaching Newfoundland (153-1), he sailed up the St. Law- rence River to Avhere Montreal now stands. All the country he saw he claimed for France, although the En- glish already claimed it on account of its discovery by the Cabots. The dispute between England and France about this land was settled, as we shall see, long years afterward, by bloody wars. Ferdinand De Soto (da so' to). — In spite of the fate of De Narvaez and his men, the Spaniards again sought to take possession of Florida. Ferdinand de Soto, with a small army, passed through the country and had many battles with the Indians. 24 A PllIMARY HISTORY He traveled (153 9) over the region now covered by the States of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. He found the Indians partly civilized, and hoped by going farther, to discover a nation as rich as the one in Mexico. Like all the Spaniards, he, too, was looking for gold, silver, and precious stones, but did not find them. BURIAL OF DE SOTO Al The Mississippi River. — After wandering about for two or three years in a useless search for gold, he finally discovered the Mississippi River. A few weeks later he died, and was buried at midnight beneath the waters of that mighty stream. His company, discouraged by the loss of their bold EARLY DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 25 leader, now tried to find their way to their countrymen in Mexico. They met with many dangers on the way, and suffered much from hunger and sickness. Scarcely one half of them lived to get to the Spanish settlements. The attempt to conquer Florida had again failed, and there were no Spaniards left in that part of the country. Fifty years after the discovery of America, no perma- nent settlement had been made within the present limits of the United States. The people who had come here were in search either of gold or adventure, and had no desire to remain. Many others, however, were only wait- ing to learn more about the country, before leaving Europe to make for themselves happier homes in the New World. The First Colony in America was attempted by some French Protestants, called Huguenots (hu'gen oz). A com- pany of them, under Jean Ribaut (zhon re bo'), landed (1562) on the coast of South Carolina, and built a fort, called Port Royal. This attempt at settlement proved a failure, and those of the colonists who survived returned to France. The French planted another colony, two years later, on the St. John's River, in Florida. Menendez (ma nen' deth), with a company of Span- iards, in the following year (1565), settled at St. Augus- tine (aw'gus teen'). He attacked and destroyed the French colony on the St. John's River. St. Augustine is the oldest town in our country. Many people go there every year to see the queer old ruins and the fort the Spaniards built so long ago. 26 A PKIMARY HISTORY. Santa Fe (san'ta fa), the second permanent settlement in our countr}^, was founded (1582) by the Spaniards. During all this time, the English had not taken pos- session of the country discovered by the Cabots. Too man}^ stirring events had been occurring at home to permit them to devote much attention to the planting of colonies. But they had not given up the dream of a shorter way to India. Frobisher (frob'isher) in trying to find a passage to India, sailed (1576) into Baffin Bay and took possession of the country for England. lie made two attempts to plant colonies in Labrador, but failed because the cli- mate was too cold for farming. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to sail (1579) around the world. He explored the coast of Oregon and California, and passed a winter near the spot where San Francisco now stands. The English now began to think of making settle- ments in America. Sir Humphrey Gilbert tried to plant a colony in New- foundland, but did not succeed, and, in returning to En- gland, was lost at sea. Sir Walter Raleigh (ra^A^'ii), a half-brother of Gilbert, was greatly/liked by the English queen, Elizabeth. She gave him a grant of a large tract of country, in the New World, which, in her honor, was called Virginia. Raleigh then sent out a colony, which settled on Roa- noke Island (1583). Instead of working, the colonists spent their time looking for gold and pearls. They soon EARLY DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 27 wasted their supply of food, and would have starved had not Sir Francis Drake happened to pass that way with his ships. He took them back to England, and thus this colony also failed. Three or four years later, Raleigh made another at- tempt to plant a colony in Virginia. This proved even a worse failure than the former one. Raleigh had now spent a fortune in these attempts at colonization, with no result except that the men first sent out took pota- toes and tobacco back to England and taught people there how to use them. One Hundred Years after the Discovery of America, there were but two towns in the country, and they were Spanish. England had not yet made a permanent settlement. The Beginning of a New Century brought a change. The English were now in earnest, and their ships made frequent voyages to America for the purpose of trading with the Indians. The French had already begun to fish on the banks of Newfoundland, and they, as well as the English, were anxious to secure permanent colonies. Virginia was the name given by the English to all the country from Nova Scotia to Florida. \ King James of England gave this land to two compa- nies, on their promise to send people to settle there. A part of southern Virginia was given to the London Company, and a part of northern Virginia to the Plyin- outh Company. 28 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. The First English Settlement was made by the Lon- don Company (1607) at Jamestown, on the James River, in South Virginia. This was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. HUDSON EXPL,OK1JNO THE HL■Df^ON RIVEK. A second English settlement was made (1620) hy the Pilgrims (or Puritans) at Plymouth, in North Vir- ginia. Henry Hudson, an English sailor, was sent out by the Dutch (1609), to secure some part of America for them. Sailing along the coast from Delaware Bay northward, he entered the harbor of New York, and discovered the EAllLY DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS, 29 noble river which bears his name. Afterward he cruised along the coast of Connecticut. The Dutch made a set- tlement at New Amsterdam (1613), and claiming all the region explored by Hudson, called it New Netherland. You will learn more of these colonies hereafter. Before going on with their story, let us take a look at the map (page OO)) ^^^ see just Avhere the first settlements we^^*^ planted. The Spanish towns were at St. Augustine, Florida, and at Santa Fe, New Mexico. The English settlements were at Jamestown, Virginia, and at Plymouth, Massachusetts. New Amsterdam, a Dutch set- tlement, was made on the island where the city of Nev/ York now stands. These are all we can find on the map, showing the country as it was a hundred and twenty-eight years after Columbus discovered America. Our great country, — extending over the continent, in one direction, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and in another from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico, — with its fifty-five million of people, has grown from these five little colonies, which, at first, could scarcely raise food enough to keep their people from starving. HENRY HUDSON. 30 A PRIMARY HISTORY QUESTIONS. 1. ^Vho was Marco Polo ? Give an account of his travels. Of his book. 3. In what way did the compass and astrolabe prove useful to sailors? 3. Who first thought of sailing westward to reach India? Tell about Columbus' theory and the difficulties he met with in trying to get ships. 4. Give an account of Columbus' first voyage and discovery of America. 5. How many voyages did Columbiis make ? ^Vhen and under what circum- stances did he die ? 6. "When did the Cabots make their voyages ? '\^niat did they discover ? AYliat nation was benefited by their labors? 7. After what discoverer was this continent named? Who named it? 8. Who went in search of a wonderful fountain, and discovered Florida ? "VNTiat nation based its claim to a part of North America on that discovery? 9. Who discovered the Pacific Ocean? 10. What voyages to America were made under the authority of the King of Prance? Why were the claims of Prance to territory unjust? 11. "\^^lo was De IsTarvaez ? What did he do ? Give an account of De Soto's expe- dition. 12. "S^Hiat object had the early explorers in view, in coming to the New AVorld ? 13. What nation first attempted to make settlements In Aixierica? What was the result of those attempts? 14. Who was Menendez, and where did he plant a colony? What was the name of the town he founded ? 15. Name the two oldest towns within the present limits of our country. 16. Give some account of the English explorers— Porbisher, Drake, Gilbert. 17. Who was Raleigh? What attempts did he make to found colonies? A\Tiat was the only result of his efforts? 18. What were the limits of A^irginia? AVhat companies received permission to settle the country? 19. WTiere was the first permanent English settlement made ?— the second ? 20. Who was Henry Hudson, and what did he do? 21. Name the different settlements within the present limits of the United States, one hundred and twenty-eight years after the discovery by Columbus. FOR READING OR RECITATION. Columbus. — Ijowell. iVore»i6e(70.— Whittier. Sir Humphrey ^276e;Y.— Longfellow. j/ /¥ H.T FROM 1607 TO 1775 eVelo pm r NT' '- r T- HI FIRST Set- tlements. — The first settlements in this country were at long distances from each other, and the country between them was a wilder- ness. The people in one col- ony, therefore, knew very little about what was going on in the others. Each colony had its own history, its own ideas, and its own way of managing its affairs. Until we come to the time when all the colonies began to act together, we must tell about them separately. VIRGINIA. Character of the Colonists.--The first settlers at James- town were not the kind of men likely to get along in a new country. They were gentlemen who had lost their 32 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. fortunes, and had come to America thinking that here they could gain riches without labor. Strange stories must have been told by the agents of the London Com- pany to induce such people to cross the ocean. SMITH TRADINd WITH THI] IXDIANS. Few of the colonists had ever done any hard work, and most of them were unwilling to learn. If there had not been one man of wisdom and energy among these helpless people, they would soon have starved to death. Captain John Smith had been a great traveler, and had learned how to get along with all sorts of people. In their distress, the colonists turned to him as their leader, THE COLONIES. 33 and his way of managing soon showed that he was the right man for the position. Smith traded with the Indians and obtained a supply of food. He then forced the settlers to build themselves houses, to erect a fort, and to plant corn. He marked out for each man his daily labor, and saw that it was performed. The secret of his being able to do all this was, that he would give no food to any one who would not work. Every thing went on well while Smith remained at Jamestown. He was, however, fond of wandering about in the new country, and when he was away the colonists would spend their time in idleness, and neglect matters generally. On one occasion, Smith was captured by the Indians. He was taken before the great Indian king Powhatan (povs^ ha tan') 7 and condemned to die. Just as the death- blow was about to fall, Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas (po ka hon'tas), rushed forward and begged that his life might be spared. Smith was released and sent back with an escort to Jamestown. Pocahontas became the friend of the whites, and after- ward married a young Englishman named John Rolfe. Smith explored the coast, and made maps of the country which were of great service in explaining to the people of England about the new world. The Starving Time. — Some two years after the settle- ment of Jamestown (1609), Smith was badly wounded by an explosion of gunpowder and returned to England. 34 A PRIMARY HISTORY. His departure was unfortunate for the new settlement ; for the colonists, left to themselves, gave up work alto- gether, and during the following winter about four hun- dred of them died of starvation. In the spring, the sixty who were left alive embarked for England, but as they were about to sail. Lord Delaware arrived with several ship-loads of new colonists and plenty of food. They turned back with their friends, and so the colony was saved. After that, the settlers learned to be more industrious, and were no longer threatened with starvation. The land was now divided up among them, and each settler was given a farm of his own, and he did the best he could to raise good crops. This proved to be much better than the old way of working together and sharing every thing in common. Besides food, the colonists raised large crops of tobacco. The people of Europe had adopted the Indian custom of smoking, and were willing to pay a large price for all the tobacco the colonists could send them. There was at that time very little money in the colony, and the value of all services and of all kinds of goods was reckoned in pounds of tobacco. When the London Company first sent out a number of young women as wives for the colonists, they charged one hundred pounds of tobacco as passage -money for each ; but the colonists were so anxious to get wives, that they gladly offered as much as one hundred and fifty pounds. As soon as the colonists had wives, they THE COLONIES. 35 became happy and contented and gave up all thought of leaving America. Slavery. — Some years afterward (1619), a Dutch s'hip landed twenty negroes at Jamestown, and these were sold as slaves to the colonists. This was the beginning of negro slavery in America. The labor of the negroes was found very profitable, and large numbers were brought into the country. When Sir G-eorge Yeardley (yeerdMy) became governor, he granted the colonists (1619) the right to choose some of their own number to help him make laws. The body of law-makers thus chosen was the first of the kind in America. It was called the House of Burgesses. Growth of the Colony. — Under good laws the colony so prospered, that fifteen years after the first settlement at Jamestown, there were (1622) four thousand white people in Virginia, and plantations extended along both sides of the James River for more than one hundred and fifty miles. The Indian War. — The Indians being now afraid that they would lose their lands if the colonists kept coming, decided to kill all the white people in the colony. So they planned and made (1622) a furious attack upon the scattered settlements, and in one day killed more than three hundred men, women, and children. A terrible war followed, in which the savages were severely punished. After that, there was peace for more than twenty years. But the Indians were still jealous of the growing power of the whites, and were not willing to 86 A PEIMARY HISTORY. give up their lands. Another war took place (1644), and many settlers were killed ; but the result was dis- astrous to the Indian tribes, and they were driven far back into the wilderness. A METHOD OF INDIAN BURIAL. Oppression of the Colony. — If England had allowed the Virginia colonists to manage their own affairs and to go on in their own way, all would have been well. But the people of the mother country were too anxious to make money, and seemed to think that the colonies had no rights whatever. As a result of this selfish policy, many unwise laws had been made which the colonists THE COLONIES. t1 did not like. Some of these laws interfered with their personal freedom, while others almost destroyed their trade. All this caused much distress and hard feeling on the part of the colonists. The king finally rid himself of all trouble by giving the whole colony to Lords Cul- pepper and Arlington for a period of thirty-one years. Bacon's Rebellion. — A governor named Berkeley (berk'li) was sent out to Virginia, who by his tyr- anny and dishonesty nearly ruined the colony. Once the Indians threatened the colony, when Berkeley, who had a profitable trade of his own with them, and feared to lose it, refused to send a force against them ; nor would he permit the |^ colonists to defend them- selves. The people then took matters into their own hands, and under a young leader named Nathaniel Bacon, drove away the hostile Indians. Bacon and his followers were declared traitors by Berkeley, and a civil war followed. During these troubles, James- town was burned. Bacon had almost succeeded in gaining control, when he suddenly died. Berkeley, as soon as he got back into RUINS OF JAMESTOWN. 38 A PRIMARY HISTORY. power again, revenged himself by hanging more than twenty of the leading men who had opposed him. This last wicked act was too much even for the king. He at once recalled Berkeley and took control of the colony himself. For the next hundred years, it was ruled by royal governors, and in spite of many difficulties, con- tinued to grow and prosper. NEW YORK. The Dutch in New Netherland. — ^^Only a few years after the settlement of Jamestown, some Dutch traders landed (1613) where New York City now stands, and after building a fort and a few small houses, began to buy furs from the Indians. This settlement was called New Amsterdam. In a short time, a company of traders, pushing out in various directions from New Amsterdam, had built forts and established trading stations on the Hudson, Connecticut, and Delaware rivers. The Dutch laid claim to all this region, and gave to it the name of New Netherland. The Dutch West India Company a few years later secured a charter for all this territory, and at once began to colonize it. Large numbers of colonists were sent out from Holland, and settled near Albany, and at several points on Long Island. A governor, named Peter Minuit, afterward came over (1626) to govern the colony, and purchased the whole island of Manhattan from the In- dians for trinkets valued at about twenty-four dollars. THE COLONIES. 39 :—- ^T^ ^#-,^, M I 111 M Ml \ 111! 1 ^\\ \ \\\ W I llMllilllllll I nil THE ENGLISH LANDING AT NEW AMSTEEDAM. 40 A PRIMARY HISTORY. The settlers worked hard, Hved simply, and for a time prospered. New neighbors, however, soon caused them trouble, and obliged them to defend their rights in the new world. The Dutch Governors. — Under its four Dutch gov- ernors, the colony rapidly increased in numbers and in wealth. The last and best of these governors was Peter Stuyvesant (sti've sant). Under his rule, peace was made Avith the Indians, the English colonies at the east be- came friendly, and the Swedish settlers on the Delaware were brought under Dutch sway. Although Stuyvesant had arranged the boundaries of jSTew Netherland with his English neighbors, the English king, Charles II., spoiled all the good governor's plans, by giving the territory to his brother, the Duke of York. New Amsterdam becomes New York (1664). — Only a few months afterward, an English fleet entered the harbor of New Amsterdam and took possession. Stuy- vesant tried to rouse the Dutch settlers to resistance. His people, however, had become tired of him and of Dutch laws, and were quite ready for a change. He was compelled, therefore, to surrender, and so New Amsterdam became New York. During the same year, all the other Dutch possessions in the new world were given up to the English. English Rule. — The reason why the Dutch colonists were so willing to submit to the English, was that they had heard a great deal about English freedom. They soon found out their mistake, however, and regretted THE COLONIES. 41 that they had not obeyed their old governor and driven the ships away. Heavy taxes were imposed on the colonists, but they were not permitted to take any part in making their own laws. In a war between England and Holland, some years later (1673), a Dutch fleet captured New York, and restored the old laws and the old name of New Am- sterdam ; but when the war was over, the colony was again surrendered to the English. Leisler's (lis'lerz) Rebellion. — Many disputes arose be- tween the Dutch people and their English governors. On one occasion the governor was driven away, and a man named Leisler was chosen ruler. The English soon sent out a new governor named Sloughter (slaw' ter), who caused Leisler to be tried for treason and hanged. Oppression of the Colony. — The severe treatment which the colonists received at the hands of their gov- ernors aroused in them a desire for liberty, and only an opportunity was needed to lead them to get rid of their unjust rulers altogether. MASSACHUSETTS. We must now go back again to the early part of the century in which the settlement at Jamestown was made, and tell about some of the other events that took place in the new world. You remember that two companies, the London Com- pany and the Plymouth Company, were given land by 42 A PRIMARY HISTORY. the King of England. While the London Company was striving to plant a colony in southern Virginia, the other Company was inclined to wait and see whether such an attempt Avould prove successful. The Plymouth Company. — Captain Smith had re- turned to England with his maps and given a good account of the part of the country belonging to the Plymouth Company, which he called New England. That Company then decided to send out colonists as soon as possible. The king gave it a new charter, and the right to make laws for all the colonies that might thereafter be planted in New England. The Pilgrims, — But before the Plymouth Company was ready to send out colonists, a band of Puritans sailed in the Mayflower for the coast of New England. These Puritans, or Pilgrims as they are sometimes called, were people who had been harshly treated in England because of their religious views, which differed from those of the king and the people in power. Their idea in coming to the new world was to find a place where they could worship God in their own way, Avithout being obliged to observe the forms of the English Church. The departure of the Mayflower was watched with great interest by the friends of the daring little band who so boldly sought for religious liberty ; and many families of Puritans made ready to go to the new country, should the success of those going first make it prudent. The Landing of the Pilgrims (1620). — After a long voyage, the Mayflower reached the coast of New England THE COLONIES. 43 in midwinter, and the Pilgrims landed upon a shore cov- ered with snow. Plymouth was the name given to the first settlement of these brave colonists. Although the winter proved a mild one, the hardships of the settlers were very great. Before spring, the little band of one hundred and two had been reduced by cold, famine, and disease to less than sixty. Still the colony struggled on. The Indians were friendly, and their king, Massasoit (mas' sa soit), made a treaty of friendship with the settlers which remained unbroken as long as he lived. From him they learned the art of raising Indian corn. Had it not been for the friendship thus shown them, all the colonists would have perished. Instead of wasting time in looking for gold, the Pil- grims built houses, planted corn, and tried to make good homes for themselves and their children. They lived in a quiet, orderly, and religious way. They made their own laws, chose their OAvn governors, and from the first were a free people. In spite of their hard work and careful living, how- ever, the colonists at Plymouth suffered great hardships. The climate was severe, and the amount of corn raised the first year was not enough to keep them from actual hunger. Luckily the fishing was good, and clams were plentiful, so they had something to eat. After sharing every thing with one another for a time, as the Virginians had done, they divided up their land, and each man then worked for his own family. This A PRIMARY HISTORY. PURITANS ON THE WAY TO CHURCH. THE COLONIES. 45 was found to be a far better plan, and the colony hence- forth grew slowly but steadily in prosperity. The year after the settlement was made, the Nar- ragansett (nar ra gan ' set) Indians sent Governor Brad- ford a bundle of arrows tied together with a snake-skin, as a threat that they would make war upon the strangers. CANONIC us BECEIVING THE POWDER AND BULLETS FROM GOVERNOR BRADFORD. Governor Bradford sent back the snake-skin filled with powder and bullets, and Canonicus (kanon'i kus), chief of the Narragansetts, finding that the white people were ready for him, decided to remain at peace. Massachusetts Bay Colony (162 9).— Nine years after the settlement at Plymouth, five ship-loads of colonists 46 A PRIMARY HISTORY. were brought out by John Endicott and landed at Sa- lem and Charlestown. The king had given to Endicott and five others the power to make laws. But these men wisely thought that the people ought to govern themselves, and so from the first, the colony was per- mitted to manage its own affairs. During the next year (1630), a thousand more people came over with John Winthrop, and Dorchester, Boston, and other places on Massachusetts Bay were founded. All of these later settlements were soon afterward united under the name of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. King Philip's War. — For many years colonists had been coming over in great numbers, and as white settle- ments were extended back into the country, the Indians were driven farther and farther into the wilderness. On the death of Massasoit, his son Philip, a man of great wisdom and courage, became king of his tribe. King Philip had long thought over the wrongs of his people. He feared, if settlers kept coming, that his tribe would in the end be destroyed. He therefore determined to make war upon the settlements. Atrocities of the Indians. — King Philip won over the Narragansetts and some smaller tribes to join him in his purpose. The war was then begun with savage fury. Settlers were every-where attacked, their houses burned, their cattle killed, and their crops destroyed. Sometimes the savages, watching their opportunity, would swoop down upon a settlement, in the absence of the men, and THE COLONIES. 47 cruelly butcher the women and children. To protect themselves, men carried arms wherever they went. Women and children had to be guarded on the way to church, and during the service armed sentries were posted outside of the church that the people inside might not be surprised and massacred. The Indians, by their atrocities, struck terror through all New England. At last the white people made up their minds that they must destroy the Indians, or be destroyed themselves. The Indian Power Broken. — During the winter, a large body of men was organized, and the Indians were followed to their hiding-place in a swamp, where, after a desperate battle, not less than a thousand of them were slain. After this the Indians were too weak to fight much, but parties of them prowled around villages and farms throughout New England, murdering whole fam- ilies whenever they found them off their guard. The white people now hunted their savage foes like wild ani- mals. Philip and some of his followers were for months chased from place to place. Finally, he fled to Mount Hope, in Rhode Island, where, in an attack, he was killed by one of his own tribe, who was friendly to the whites. Effect of the War.— The death of Philip brought the conflict to an end, but the devastation caused by it was wide-spread, and its effects were felt by the colonists long years afterward. Character of the Colonists. — The people of Massachu- setts Bay Colony were mostly Puritans, and believed in the union of civil and church government. They had 48 A PRIMARY HISTORY. come to America to enjoy religious freedom, but they did not wish to have people of different religious views come to live with them. To protect themselves in their religion, they drove Quakers and others not believing as they did, from the colony, and allowed no one to vote who was not a member of their Church. Though narrow-minded in this respect, still they were a noble people. They were stern in manner, strict in morals, and frugal and temperate in their habits. Their love of education was second only to their love of re- ligion. Schools were early established in every settle- ment, and only eighteen years after the first landing on the bleak shore at Plymouth, the great college of Harvard had been founded. Union of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. — A union of the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay was furmed in 1692, under the name of Massa- chusetts. NEW JERSEY. When King Charles II. gave New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York, that territory included what is now known as the State of New Jersey. The Duke, in turn, made a grant of New Jersey to two English noblemen — Lords Berkeley and Carteret. A few trading posts had already been established by the Dutch ; but the new owners brought to the colony a number of settlers from New York and from Massa- chusetts Bay, and an English settlement was made at THE COLONIES. 49 Elizabethtown (1664). Sir Philip Carteret, a brother of Lord Carteret, was appointed governor. The colony grew rapidly, and in a few years flourish- ing settlements had sprung up at Newark, Middletown, Freehold, and Shrewsbury. Troubles with New York. — From the first, a spirit of opposition was shown by the royal governor of New York, who thought that a large share of the revenue of his province would be drawn away by the new colony. He made many efforts to bring it under his control, but each time was stoutly resisted by Lord Carteret. This, with a bitter political quarrel which became wide-spread among the people, created a feeling of unrest, and for a long time checked the prosperity of the colony. Division of New Jersey. — A dispute arising between the owners, the territory of New Jersey was divided (1677) into two parts by a line running north and south. These two parts were named East Jersey and West Jersey. The former went to Lord Carteret and the latter to Lord Berkeley. Both afterward came into the possession of a com- pany of Quakers, who established a settlement for their people at Burlington, on the Delaware. Dissatisfaction of the Colonists. — The people suffered much on account of the many changes in their govern- ment. They became somewhat better off, however, when the queen reunited both East and West Jersey (1702) and gave the control to the governor of New York ; yet they were not altogether satisfied. 50 A PRIMARY HISTORY. After ten years' delay over a petition for a separate governor, the wish of the people was granted (1738). From that time forward, there were no further troubles for the colony. MARYLAND. Lord Baltimore. — A settlement in the present State of Maryland was made at St. Mary's (1634) by English Catholics, under the leadership of Lord Baltimore. The Catholics were treated as severely in England at that time as were the Puritans, and for that reason many of them sought a refuge in America. Religious Freedom. — The people from the outset were given the right to make their own laws, and remem- bering the cause of their troubles in England, they passed (1649) an act giving full civil and religious free- dom to every one coming to the colony. This was very different from the course adopted by the Puritans in Massachusetts. Clayborne's Rebellion. — Early in the history of the colony, certain people in Virginia laid claim to a portion of Maryland. To enforce this claim war was begun by a body of Virginians, under a leader named Clayborne ; but he and his followers were routed in the first contest. Ten years afterward, Clayborne returned at the head of a larger force, drove out the governor, and held control of the colony for a brief period. Much confusion fol- lowed, but Clayborne was finally overthrown and obliged to flee for his life. THE COLONIES. 51 Civil Troubles. — Many Protestants came into the col- ony, but they did not hke the Catholics any the better on account of their fair laws. As soon as they were in the majority, they took control of the government, and passed laws forbidding Catholics to vote. Civil War. — A civil war followed (1691), and finally the King of England took away the rights of the Balti- mores and made the colony a royal province. These rights were restored (1715) after more than twenty years, and religious freedom was once more allowed to all. RHODE ISLAND. Roger Williams. — You will remember that no one was permitted to remain in the settlements on Massachusetts Bay whose religious opinions did not agree with those of the Puritans. One of the men driven away from the colony was Roger Williams, a young Salem min- ister. He Avas an outcast in the wilderness, in the depths of winter, until Massasoit, the Indian friend of the white people, received him and gave him shelter. In the following spring, he made his way to Rhode Island, where Canonicus, chief of the Narragansetts, received him as a brother. Williams' Views. — Perhaps you may wonder why the Indians were so friendly to a man whom the white people had thus driven away. They knew that he was a good man who had never wronged any of their people ; and 52 A PRIMARY HISTORY. it was on account of this that they were now so ready to befriend him. One of the reasons for sending Williams into exile was because he said that the colonists had no right to take the land of the Indians unless they paid for it. The Puritans, however, seemed to think that the Indians had nothing to say in the matter. Williams said also that every man ought to be allowed to vote, no matter in what way he chose to worship God. As Williams was a minister, the Puritans thought that if he were to continue to teach such dangerous views as these, the colony would be ruined. Governor Winthrop's Kindness. — Governor Winthrop was a friend to the young minister, and gave him a letter saying that he was a good man and asking help for him. The governor knew that this letter would save from trouble those who should treat him kindly. There were many people in the colony who believed in these opinions of Roger Williams, and were even ready to follow him into exile. The Providence Plantation. — Williams received from Canonicus a large tract of land, on which he with five companions settled (1636) Providence Plantation. Soon after, a number of families followed from Massachusetts Bay Colony, and though the new settlement was for a time weak in numbers, it finally prospered. The Rhode Island Plantation. — Another band of exiles came, about two years afterward, and buying a small island from the Narragansetts, settled (1638) Rhode Island Plantation. That colonj^ also prospered, THE COLONIES. 53 The Charter of the Combined Colonies. — About eight years after the settlement of Providence, Williams went to England, and obtained (1644) a charter uniting the two Plantations. Religious Freedom. — One of the first things the peo- ple did on receiving their charter, was to make a law allowing every one to worship God in his own way. The new colony now became a safe home for all who were ill-treated elsewhere. CONNECTICUT. Connecticut Colony (1633-36). — At about the same time that Rhode Island was settled, parties from Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were moving westward to the rich valley of Connecticut. Some of them settled Wind- sor, Hartford, and Wethersfield, and these settlements were shortly afterward united under the name of the Connec- ticut Colony. As the land occupied by the new colony was claimed by the Dutch, the settlers had to fortify their homes against them as well as against the native Indians. The Pequod War. — One of the Indian tribes, the Pequods, watched the recent advance of the white set- tlers with angry feelings, for they saw that they would soon lose their hunting-grounds. They resolved to destroy the new settlements, and tried to get the Narragansetts to join them in a war against the whites. 54 A PRIMARY HISTORY. An Appeal to Roger Williams. — When the Governor of Massachusetts learned of these warhke preparations, he appealed to Roger Williams to help keep the Narragan- setts from joining in the war. That noble man, for- getting all about his cruel banishment, set out for the INDIAN ATTACK ON A SETTLEMENT. Indian settlements, on a stormy winter's night, to do as the governor wished. Arriving at the wigwam of the king, he found that a favorable reply was about to be given to the Pequod messengers, but, after much pleading, he finally persuaded the Narragansetts to re- main at peace. The First Bloodshed.— The Pequods then began the war alone and made an attack (1637) upon the white THE COLONIES. 55 people, killing thirty of them. This savage deed nerved the colonists to vengeance. Captain Mason was now sent with a small band of settlers to punish them. Destruction of the Pequods. — Finding the Indians encamped on the Mystic River, he resolved to attack them at night. Mason set fire to their camp and then surrounded it with his men. As the savages rushed from their burning wigwams, they were met with a deadly fire from Mason and his band. Hardly a Pequod escaped ; the tribe was almost completely destroyed. After such a terrible lesson, the other tribes remained at peace for nearly forty years. The New Haven Colony. — The New Haven Colony was settled (1638), the year after the Pequod war, by a large number of wealthy families from Ijondon. The New England League.— The Pequod war taught the New England people a valuable lesson. They learned from it how weak each colony was alone, and what great perils really beset them. Any one of these colonies, they saw, might easily be overcome in a single night by a com- bined attack of the Indians and the Dutch. A union or league of the New England colonies was therefore formed for a common defense. The Rhode Island and the Provi- dence settlements, however, were not admitted into this union, because the Plymouth Colony claimed that its charter covered their territory. This was the first Union of Colonies in America ; and, in later years, we shall see how this plan was again resorted to when their liberties were in danger. 56 A PRIMARY HISTORY. Union of the Connecticut Colonies. — The two colonies were afterward united (1662), and received a very liberal charter from the king. This charter was highly prized by the people of the Connecticut Colony, for it gave them all the rights and liberties of English citizens. The Charter Concealed. — Twenty years later, the king of England made up his mind that the colonies had too much freedom, and resolved to take the control of them into his own hands. He made the whole of New England one royal province, and sent out a tyrant to govern it. The royal governor came to Hartford (1687) in great pomp and demanded the charter of the colony ; but the precious paper was carried off and hidden away in the hollow trunk of an oak-tree, long known as the Charter Oak, where it remained for nearly three years. After a new king came to the English throne, the charter was brought from its hiding-place, and the colony was allowed once more to enjoy its freedom. NEW HAMPSHIRE. First Settlements. — Shortl}^ after the settlement of Plymouth, two men named Gorges and Mason, secured a patent for a large tract of country lying between the Merrimac and Kennebec rivers. They brought two com- panies of colonists from England, and settled them at Portsmouth and Dover. These settlements were feeble and made so little progress that for many years they continued to be nothing more than fishing and trading THE COLONIES. 57 stations. A few years later, more tiouhshing settlements were made along the coast of Maine. The Charter Withdrawn. — The country thus occupied was for a long time the subject of bitter dispute, so much so, that the charter was withdrawn, and the terri- tory divided. The part now known as New Hampshire was given to Mason, while Grorges received the part now comprised within the State of Maine. Chang"es in Government. — The whole region was after- ward (1641) taken by Massachusetts. Forty years later, New Hampshire became a royal province and continued such for a period of ten years. It then once more came under the control of Massachusetts, until (1741) it be- came an independent colony, Maine, however, continued an unbroken connection with Massachusetts, down to the early part of the present century (1820), when it became a separate State. Difficulties of the Colony. — The early settlers of New Hampshire had many difficulties to contend with. The soil was poor and unproductive, and for many winters food was very scarce. The titles to their lands were for a long time insecure, owing to the many changes in the govern- ment of the colony. Their nearness to Canada brought them often into collision with the French, while the small- ness of their settlements and their remoteness from each other, laid them open to frequent attacks by the Indians. Indeed, during King Philip's War, the whole region was overrun by the savages, who destroyed many towns and settlements, and murdered hundreds of the settlers. "58 A PRIMARY HISTORY. DELAWARE. The first colony in Delaware was established (1631) by the Dutch, near Cape Henlopen. It had a brief existence ; for three years after its settlement, it was at- tacked and destroyed by the Indians, not a soul escaping to tell the story. Settlement of New Sweden. — A colony of Swedes and Finns, under Peter Min'uit, made a settlement (1639) and built a fort on Chris ti an'a Creek, near the place where the city of Wilmington now stands. The colonists bought land of the Indians on the west side of the Delaware River, the latter taking articles of merchandise in pay- ment for it. They named the country New Sweden. The new colonists were a simple-minded, religious, and thrifty people. They soon became contented and happy in their new homes, and built up a flourishing trade with the Indians and the colonies near by. Conquered by the Dutch. — The Dutch now became jealous of their new neighbors, and disputed their right to settle in that territory, claiming all the lands on the Delaware for themselves, by right of discovery and pre- vious settlement. Much trouble consequently followed. Finally, Peter Stuyvesant, who was then governor of New Netherland, sent a large force of soldiers from New Amsterdam (1655), which subdued the Swedish colony, and brought it under Dutch rule. Captured by the English.— When the Duke of York took New Netherland (1664), Delaware also came into THE COLONIES. 59 his possession. The Duke made a grant of the colony to Wilham Penn (1682), who at once merged it in his larger colony of Pennsylvania, of which it remained a part for twenty years. The people of Delaware then (1703) received the right to choose a separate legislature of their own, but still continued under the control of Pennsylvania. They afterward declared their independ- ence of Pennsylvania and formed a government for them- selves. PENNSYLVANIA. The territory west of the Delaware River was granted to Vfilliam Penn by the English king, Charles 11. , in pay- ment of a large debt due his father. William Penn was a member of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they are sometimes called. The Quakers in England, at that time, were persecuted for their be- lief, as cruelly as had been the Puritans and the Cath- olics at an earlier period. In securing this grant of land in America, Penn's purpose was to found there a colony as a refuge for his people, where they could worship G-od as they pleased, without fear or restraint. First Settlement. — The Quakers had suffered much for conscience sake, and now that a way of escape was opened to them, were ready to flock to the new world in great numbers. During the first year (1682), two thousand of them came over and made their homes 60 A PRIMARY HISTORY. along the Delaware, some in rude huts, and others in caves cut in the banks of the river. Penn him- self came over the following year (1783), and pur- chased from the Swedes a broad strip of land at the junction of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, on which he proceeded to lay out the city of Phila- delphia. About this time, he secured control of the Colony of Delaware, Avhich was thereafter, for more than twenty years, gov- erned as part of Pennsyl- vania. The Quakers and the Indians. — We have seen what a constant source of trouble the Indians proved to be to the people of the Massachusetts and the Connecticut colonies. When the Quakers made their settlement in Pennsylvania, they too found a fierce tribe of savages occupying the country ; but they had no such trouble with them as had the settlers in the New England colonies. The Quakers were an honest, religious, and peaceful people, and from the first treated the Indians kindly, and dealt with them fairly. The result was that they were never threatened with terrible massacres and had to wage no bloody WILLIAM PENN. wars. THE COLONIES. 61 Soon after his arrival, Penn inAdted the leading Indian chiefs to meet him for a friendly talk. He and a few of the settlers met them under a great elm-tree, on the spot where his monument now stands in Philadelphia. He told the dusky savages that the white people had come to live among them as brothers, in peace and friendship, and promised to pay them for all land which the colonists should occupy. The Indians were pleased with the Quakers and called them brave men, because they did not come to the meet- ing with guns in their hands. When presents were given them, they were filled with joy, and in turn assured Penn of their friendship toward him and his people. "We will live," said they, " in love with the children of William Penn while the sun and moon shall shine." And this prom- ise, they violated. In all the subse- quent wars between penn's treaty tree. 62 A PKIMARY HISTORY. the white and the red men, the latter always spared the Quakers. Government of the Colony. — Instead of governing his province himself, as he had power to do, Penn called an assembly of the people to make laws, and the colony at once became a free and happy one. He retained a few rights as proprietor, the most important of which was the appointment of the governor. After Penn's death, his heirs continued to exercise this right until it was pur- chased (1779) of them by the State of Pennsylvania. Growth of the Colony. — The Quaker settlement grew rapidly from the beginning, both in numbers and in wealth. Its fame spread all over Europe, and a large band of settlers from Germany were among the first to come, and making a settlement near Philadelphia, called it Grermantown. Philadelphia itself became, in a few years, one of the largest and most prosperous of the colonial cities. THE CAROLINAS. The Virginia Colony increased so rapidly that forty years after the settlement at Jamestown, the whole country bordering on the Atlantic was occupied by plantations and settlements. As fresh settlers came, some went far back into the wilderness; while others, keeping to the sea-coast, struck southward, toward the great unoccupied country beyond the Virginia border. In this way, many of the THE COLONIES. 63 poorer planters and laborers of the Virginia Colony, sometimes singly and sometimes in companies, drifted into that wild region (1651) and made rude homes for themselves along the banks of the Chowan River. The Albemarle Colony. — A little later, enterprising emigrants from other parts were attracted to the new country, many coming from New England, and some from the Bermuda Islands. Most of these purchased land of the Indians and settled at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. A number of scattered settlements had thus sprung up (1653), and the country occupied by them received the name of Albemarle. This was the be- ginning of the present State of North Carolina. Twelve years after the first settlement (1663), King Charles II., who we remember had given away a good deal of land in America, made a grant of this whole region, which, in his own honor, he called Carolina, to eight of his favorite courtiers. The Plans of the Proprietors. — These proprietors formed a grand scheme for dividing the country into provinces, each of which was to be governed by a great Lord, called a Landgrave. Under these were to be sev- eral orders of nobility, and beneath these still knights, freemen, and slaves. The colonists could not all be nobles, and none were willing to be slaves. Accordingly the foolish scheme, so ill suited to a new country, where every man had to work hard for a living, came to noth- ing. The Albemarle colonists only laughed at it and proceeded to set up a government of their own. 64 A PRIMAKY HISTORY. The Carteret Colony. — Seven years later (1670), the proprietors sent a company of emigrants from England, who made a settlement at Port Royal, where Ribaut, a hundred years before, had m.ade an nnsuccessful attempt to plant a colony. After living there awhile, they re- moved to a more favorable situation, at the mouth of the Ashley River, where they founded the present city of Charleston. This was called the Carteret Colony; and Charleston, also named after Charles 11. , was the first permament settlement in South Carolina. Character of the Colonists. — The earlier settlers were largely composed of rough and lawless adventurers, who were the cause of a great deal of trouble and discord in the colony. Bands of pirates infested the coasts for years, encouraged and often aided, in their work, by the colonists. But a marked change in the character of the colony took place when a better class of settlers began to come. These were the Huguenots, or French Protest- ants, who were persecuted at home and fled to Caro- lina in great numbers. These jDeople were refined, intel- ligent, and industrious, and formed a valuable accession to the colony. Many of the Dutch came from New York, small companies of settlers came from other colo- nies, and soon the country filled up with a mixed, but desirable, population. Government of the Colony. — The people of the Caro- lina colonies had the making of their own laws, and consequently enjoyed a large degree of freedom. Relig- ious toleration was early guaranteed to all. Like all the T PI E C () L O N T K S . 65 other colonies, Carolina had much trouble with its gov- ernors, many of whom were not only tyrannical, but greedy and dishonest as well. The proprietors experienced so much difficulty in trying to rule the Carolina colonists, that at length they gave up in despair and surrendered their rights to the king, who divided (172 9) the territory into two royal provinces — North Carolina and South Carolina. GEORGIA. Georgia, the last of the colonies founded (1733), was so named in honor of the English king, George the Second. It was the custom in England at that time, to im- prison merchants who failed in business, and persons who, for any reason, could not pay their debts. These unfortunate people were often confined in filthy jails for many years, and were subjected to the most brutal and inhuman treatment. James Oglethorpe (o'gi^ thorp), an English officer, and kind and benevolent man, took great interest in these people, and did much to lessen the misery of their condition. He formed the idea of founding in America a colony where not only they, but the poor and dis- tressed of all nations, might have an opportunity of redeeming themselves and bettering their fortunes. The first Settlement. —Oglethorpe laid his plans be- fore the king and received from him a grant of the 66 A PRIMARY HISTORY. unoccupied country lying between the Oarolinas and the Spanish colony in Florida. He then obtained the release of a large number of these debtors, and sailing with them to America, made a settleiTient at Savannah. The land was divided among the settlers, houses were built, a fort was erected for de- fense, and the people worked with so much energy and spirit that rapid progress was made, and Savannah, in a short time, became a pretty and flourishing town. Imi- tating the example of William Penn, Oglethorpe by kindness soon won the good-will of the neighboring Indians and entered into friendly treaties with them. The story of the success of this colony soon spread, and fresh colonists, among them many Scotch and Ger- man laborers, poured in from all parts of Europe. Troubles with the Spaniards. — The Spaniards who claimed the territory occupied by the new colony, were not disposed to allow the English settlements to extend southward without a struggle. A long and angry dispute followed the settlement of the colony ; and when war broke out between England and Spain, Oglethorpe, anticipating a Spanish attack, promptly invaded Florida (1740) and laid siege to St. Augustine. But his plans, though well laid, miscarried from the start, and he was forced to return to Georgia with a broken and discouraged army. Two years later, a large Spanish force attempted to destroy the Georgia colony, but it was met with such determined resistance hj Oglethorpe and his small army, that, after one or two encounters, THE COLONIES. 67 the Spaniards fled in a panic to their ships and the colony was saved. Government of the Colony. — By the charter of the colony, the settlers were guaranteed all the rights and privileges of Englishmen. Freedom of religion was granted to all, except Catholics. Each man held his land under a promise to render military service when called on. The importation of rum was strictly forbidden, and no slaves were, under any circumstances, to be brought into the colony. But after a while, the people complained that they could not till their lands in so warm a climate without slaves, and slavery was accordingly introduced seven years after the first settlement. Many laws and regulations were made which dis- pleased the colonists and bred discontent. The trustees, at last, finding the colony hard to manage, surrendered the charter, and Georgia became (1752) a royal province. You haA^e now read the history of the origin and development of the thirteen English colonies. There is a great deal more to be told about them, but before we proceed with our story let us commit their names to memory in the order in which they were founded. They are as follows: — 1. Virginia; 2. New York; 3. New Jersey ; 4. Massachusetts ; 5. New Hampshire ; 6. Mary- land ; 7. Connecticut; 8. ItHODE Island; 9. Delaware; 10. Pennsylvania; 11. North Carolina; 12. South Carolina; 13. Gteorgia. A PRIMARY HISTORY. THE FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA. From the date of the first settlement in Virginia (1007), to the landing of Oglethorpe in Georgia (1732), was a period of one hundred and twenty-five years. During that time, England had been steadily planting settlements along the Atlantic coast, until now a chain of rich and prosperous English colonies extended from New Hamp- shire southward for a distance of a thousand miles. CAKTIER LANDING AT MONTREAL. But while the English were planting these colonies along the coast, the French had not been idle. They had firmly established themselves in Canada— then called New France — and were diligently exploring the great lake region of the West and the Mississippi valley. THECOLONIES. 60 Early French Explorations. — We have already learned how Verrazani explored the coast of North America (1524) and claimed the country for France. We learned, also, how Cartier, ten years afterward (1534), discovered the St. Lawrence River and, ascending it as far as Mont- real, took possession of all that region for the French king. After Cartier, many others came over from France to explore and colonize the conntry. There were three of them whose names are interwoven with the history of French exploration in the New World, and whose romantic lives and adventures deserve to be remembered. Champlain (sham plan') explored the St. Lawrence River and made a settlement in Nova Scotia (1604), nearly three years before the first English settlement at Jamestown. He founded Quebec (1608), and in one of his many tours discovered the magnificent lake which bears his name. Champlain was the first governor of New France ; and, under his wise and prudent guidance, the seeds of French power were carefully planted in Canada. Forts and settlements were established at vari- ous points, a profitable trade in furs was carried on with the natives, while zealous Jesuit (jez'u it) missionaries penetrated the forests at the risk of their lives to preach Christianity to the Indians. Marquette (mar ket') went to New France at an early age, as a Jesuit missionary. He spent many years among various tribes of Indians, learning their languages, study- ing their habits and customs, and teaching them the truths of the Christian religion. He had often heard the 70 A PRIMABY HISTORY, Indians speak of a great river to the south which emptied into the ocean, and he determined to find it. He made his way (1673) on foot to the Wisconsin River. Here he and his countryman, Joliet (zhoMe a), with five attendants, embarked in two frail canoes and floated along for seven days, when, to their great joy, they found them- selves on the broad waters of the Mississippi River, which De Soto had dis- covered one hundred and thirty years before. They continued their solitary journey down the Missis- sippi, discovering the Mis- souri and Ohio rivers, until they reached the mouth of the Arkansas River. Retracing their course, they entered and ascended the Illinois River, visited the site of THE COLONIES. 71 Chicago, and at length reached Green Bay, on Lake Michigan (16 74), after a journey of twenty-five hundred miles. La Salle (sal), on hearing of Marquette's discoveries and his romantic journey through the wilds of America, became seized with a desire to extend the boundaries of New France by discoveries of his own. He explored lakes Ontario and Erie, and selected the spot on which the city of Detroit now stands, as a desirable place for a colony. (See map on page 70.) After planting a settlement at Mack' i naw, he visited Green Bay, where Marquette had stopped five years before. He wandered all over the region of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan, going boldly among tribes of savage Indians, often beset with difficulties and enduring sufferings, but always sustained by his indomitable cour- age and his pride in the grandeur of his undertaking. After exploring the great rivers that flow into the Mississippi, he sent a small party of his followers, under Hen 'ne pin (1680), to explore the sources of that river. Hennepin and his company ascended it as far as the Falls of St. Anthony. Two years afterward (1682), La Salle himself descended the Mississippi to its mouth. Here he set up a cross and a column bearing the royal arms of France, and formally claimed all the country along the Mississippi and its tributaries, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, for his royal master. To this vast territory he gave the name of Louisiana, in honor of the French king. 72 A PRIMARY HISTORr. Returning through the wilderness to Montreal, he sailed for France. There he described to the delighted king and his court, the marvelous country he had dis- covered. He soon sailed again (1684) for America with three hundred settlers, with whom he proposed to found a colony in Louisiana. When his ships reached the Gulf of Mexico, they missed the mouth of the great river, and La Salle and his company landed in Texas and made a settlement. La Salle now endeavored to find the Mississippi River. But disasters followed thick and fast. One of his ships abandoned him, another was wrecked ; while disease and hunger on the one hand, and the Indians on the other, were rapidly thinning his ranks. His companions, on account of their sufferings, became mutinous, and one of them, in a spirit of revenge, killed him. The few survivors of the colony fell into the hands of the Spaniards and were j)ut to the sword. Though La Salle was no more, his scheme had not died with him ; for, thirt}^ years after his death, pros- perous settlements had been made at Mobile and New Orleans. THE COLONIAL WARS. The French and the English colonists differed from each other in almost every respect. They were of a different race, they differed in ideas, in feelings, and in religion. They were bitter rivals in the fur trade and THE C0L0N1ES„ 73 on the fishing-grounds. Owing to all this, an intense jealousy and liatred had gradually grown up between them. They were now, moreover, in close proximity, and it rec^uired but a slight cause to provoke blood- shed. So, whenever a war broke out in Europe between lit k. ^M-=^%. ■ 1 \_>5|^i A COLONIAL FAMILY FLEEING FROM THE INDIANS. England and France, their American colonies at once took sides in the quarrel and became involved in bloody conflict with one another. King William's War (1689-1697) was brought about by a great event that took place in England. You will remember the English king who thought the colonies 74 A PRIMARY HISTORY. had too much hberty, and who took away their charters and made them all into one royal province. That same monarch became so unpopular in England, that he was driven from the throne, and a new king, William III., put in his place. The King of France took offense at this action of the English people and at once declared war against England. The governor of New France promptly gathered a large body of Indians, who, joining with the French, carried the war into New England and New York. The defenseless settlements in New Hampshire and Maine were ravaged by fire and sword. Scenes of ferocious barbarism took place all along the frontier. A party of French and Indians descended into New York, and, in the dead of night, fell upon the quiet village of Schenec- tady (sken ek'ta dy). A most horrible massacre followed, after which the village was fired. All the northern colonies now united and, in return, made war on the French. Two expeditions were planned ; one for the capture of Montreal and the other for the capture of Quebec ; but both of them were feebly con- ducted and failed. Acadia, however, was taken. The war lasted eight years, and was carried on by the French with heartless cruelty. When peace was declared, Acadia was given back to the French. Queen Anne's War (1702-1713). — Four years after- ward, war broke out again. This time England was arrayed against Spain as well as against France ; so that, while the people of New England had to contend against THE COLONIES. 75 the French and Indians of Canada, as during King Will- iam's War, the colonists in South Carolina were compelled to fight the Spanish and their Indian allies in Florida. The governor of South Carolina sent a force (1702) to Florida to capture St. Augustine. The place was about to surrender, when, a Spanish fleet appearing upon the coast, the victors were forced to retreat. A com- bined French and Spanish fleet, in return, made an attack on Charleston four years afterward, but was gallantly driven out of Charleston harbor. All the horrors of Indian warfare were again enacted on the advanced settlements of Massachusetts, Connec- ticut, and New Hampshire. Village after village was desolated ; men, women, and children were murdered without mercy, while great numbers were carried off into captivity. Few escaped by flight. The New England colonies now carried the war into Canada, and ravaged the French settlements on the border. Acadia was again captured and its name changed to Nova Scotia. It has ever since been held by England. King George's War (1744-1748). — After thirty years of jDcace, France and England had another quarrel which resulted in war. An expedition was organized by the governor of Massachusetts for the capture of Louisburg, on Cape Breton {hrW un) Island, one of the strongest fortresses in Canada. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire readily entered into the project, and contributed men and money freely. An English fleet 76 A PRIMARY HISTORY. bore the colonial army and landed it before Louisburg. Desperate fighting took place before the town was sur- rounded ; but the valor of the colonial troops prevailed, and the French were driven behind their strong defenses. Louisburg was now regularly besieged and, after a heroic resistance of six weeks, was forced to surrender. The rude soldiers of New England had thus reduced the greatest stronghold in America, the key to the French possessions in Canada. The news of the victory sent a thrill of joy throughout the English colonies ; but, when peace was declared (1748), and Louisburg given back to the French, the colonists were deeply chagrined. They had learned, however, how well they could fight against trained soldiers, and, thereafter, they had greater confidence in themselves. The French and Indian War (1754-1763).— But a greater war than any of these was close at hand. It was to be a struggle to decide whether the French or the English were to be supreme in North America. We have already seen that the English, when they planted colonies along the Atlantic coast, claimed the country back of them to the Pacific Ocean, while the French, whose main colonies were in Canada, claimed all the territory east of the Mississippi, not occupied by the English, from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. These claims, of course, conflicted, and the time was now approaching when they must be decided. The French had watched the growth of the English colonies with jealous eyes, and sought, by erecting a THECOLONIES. 77 chain of forts and military stations, to hem them in and keep tliem from extending westward. How the War came About. — As the English colonies grew, small parties of men from Virginia and Pennsyl- vania crossed the Alleghany Mountains, to make settle- ments in the Ohio River region. The French sent sol- diers to break up the English settlements as fast as they were made, and to drive away the colonists. Governor Dinwid'die, of Virginia, sent a young man named George Washington with a message to the French commander on Lake Erie, demanding the withdrawal of French soldiers from the disputed ground. But that offi- cer replied that the country belonged to France, and refused to withdraw from it. It was now clear that the French colonies and the English colonies could not live in peace Y\^ith each other in this country. One or the other must control it all, and war must decide which should go and which should stay. TJie First Fight.— In. the spring (1754), the French drove away some English settlers from the spot where Pitts- burgh now stands, and built a fort there which they called Fort Duquesne (du kan'). Washington was sent with a small force to see what they were about, and one night he surprised and defeated a party of French and Indians who had been sent against him. But the fort was too strong for him to take with his small command. He there- fore built a stockade fort, which he called Fort Necessity, and resolved to hold his ground until other troops could 78 A PKIMARY HISTORY. come to his assistance. Before help could reach him, however, a large body of French and Indians attacked him, and, after a severe fight, he was forced to surrender. Bradcloch's Defeat. — During the next year (1755), a British general named Braddock took command, and marched against Fort Duquesne with a strong force, com- posed partly of regular soldiers from England and partly of colonial volunteers. He took Washington with him as his aid. Like all British officers of that time, Braddock thought very little of the colonial officers and soldiers. Washington informed him that the French had large bodies of Indians with them, and told him that it would not do to fight Indians in the way that white soldiers had to be fought. The Indians never come out in regu- lar order and fight a battle ; they hide behind trees and rocks, and pick off men with their rifles, taking care never to show themselves openly. Washington kncAv the Indian method of fighting, and he begged Braddock to allow his soldiers to fight in the same manner. But Braddock sneered at this advice, and marched on, as if on parade, with drums beating and flags flying. When the army came within ten miles of the fort, the Indians, who were hidden in the woods, suddenly opened fire. They were all around the English, pouring in a shower of bullets from every side, and yet scarcely one of them could be seen. Still, Braddock would not take advice. He kept his regulars together, firing volleys which did no good, while the Indians, from behind trees and rocks^ were shooting his men down by scores. THE COLONIES. 79 The whole army would have been de- stroyed but for Washington's cour- age and good sense. With his little body of colonial volunteers, he rushed into the woods and held the Indians back until Braddock's regulars could retreat. Braddock himself was mor- tally wounded, and so Washington took com- mand in time to save what was left of the army It 80 A PRIMARY HISTORY. had been so badly beaten that even the demorahzed remnant could not have retired but for Washington's skill and the courage of the colonial troops. Tlw War in the J^orth, — Fort Duquesne was only one of the points to be fought for. This war, as we already know, was not a mere fight for certain pieces of territory, but was a last, fierce struggle to decide whether America should belong to England or to France. So the French tried to hold their own, not only west of^the Alleghany Mountains, but marched down from Canada to conquer the English in New York and New England, while the English tried to take Canada from the French. The English, at the opening of the war, had planned four expeditions to take four important points. Braddock was to seize Fort Duquesne, but he failed. General Shirley was to take Fort Niagara, and he also failed. The other two expeditions were a little more successful. One of them took the French forts on the Bay of Fundy, and cruelly forced the people of Acadia to leave their homes and all they had in the world. These un- fortunate people were driven on board of English ships and scattered through the colonies wherever the English chose to send them. They had thus to begin life over again among strangers, after having labored for years to make good homes for themselves in Acadia. The Battle of Lahe George.— The other expedition was led by General Johnson, and its object was to capture Ticonderoga (ti kondero'ga), at the northern end of Lake George, and Grown Point, at the southern end of Lake THE COLONIES. 81 Ghamplain. These places would be of great importance to the English, and so Johnson marched with an army to take them. When he reached the head of Lake George, he met the French, and a fierce battle was fought. Success seemed at first to be altogether with the French ; but after awhile, Johnson was slightly wounded, when Q-eneral Lyman, a bra\^e colonial officer, took command and beat the French terribly. It was a great victory, but, instead of pushing on to Ticonderoga and Crown Point, Johnson remained where he was and built a fort, which he named William Henr}^ English Disasters. — During the next two years every thing went badly with the English. Montcalm (mont kahm')? the French general, took Fort Oswe'go, on Lake On ta'ri o, and Fort William Henry, on Lake George (1757). Montcalm promised the English commander of Fort William Henry that his men should be allowed to march in safety down to Fort Edward, but just as they began their march, the Indian allies of the French fell upon them and killed many, in spite of all that Mont- calm could do to save them. The following year (1758), General Abercrombie (ab'- er crumby), with a very strong force, sailed down Lake George to attack the French at Ticonderoga ; but, al- though his army was much stronger than Montcalm's, he was badly beaten, losing tAvo thousand men. During the fight, which he ought to have led, he hid himself in a safe place, and when it was over, although he still had more men than the French, retreated as quickly as he could. OA A PRIMARY HISTORY. Row a Change came about. — Abercrombie's defeat was the last of the Enghsh disasters. The colonists now had arms enough, and were allowed to fight in their own way, and a series of brilliant victories followed. General Amherst (am' erst) stormed and took Louisbm^g, the French stronghold on Cape Breton Island, while a month later Colonel Bradstreet, of New York, with a small body of colonial soldiers, took Fort Fron' te nac, at the lower end of Lake Ontario. Before the close of the year, Washington captured Fort Duquesne ; and so, when the year ended, the English were better off than they had been at any time since the war began. During the next year (1759), the war still went well with the English. General Amherst succeeded in taking Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux (prld'o) captured Fort Niagara. The French were now completely shut out of the ter- ritory of the English colonies, but they still held Quebec, the strongest place in America, and so long as they held that town Canada Avas secure. General Wolfe, therefore, made up his mind to attack Quebec. Tlve Capture of Quebec. — This was a very daring under- taking, because the city was built on the top of a high bluff, and it was strongly defended. Wolfe had under him an army of eight thousand men, but Montcalm, the French commander, had as many on his side, and that, too, behind the fortifications. For several months Wolfe could not find a way even to get before the French Avorks. At last, he discovered a narrow path that led to THE COLONIES. 83 the top of the bhiff, and one night he landed, surprised and captured tlie guards, and led his men up this path. When morning came, Wolfe, with his army, was on the Plains of Abraham, with level ground between him and the town. The French came out and made a fierce charge. Wolfe's men held their ground and drove the French back. After a severe battle, in which both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed, the French were beaten, and a few days later the English marched into the town. From that day to this, the English have held Quebec, which they call the Gibraltar (gi hraVter) of America. IJjid of tliG War. — About a year later, the English took Montreal, and when peace was made between England, France, and Spain (1763), it was agreed that the English should have all the country east of the Mississippi Kiver, and Spain all the country west of it. The French thus gave up all their possessions in North America. QUESTIONS. 1. Why did the first settlers in the different colonies know little about each other? 2. What was the character of the Virginia colonists? Who was Captain John Smith? What did he do for the colony? Tell about Pocahontas. "What plant was largely raised by the colonists? Grive an account of the wars with the Indians. What happened during "Bacon's Rebellion"? 3. "Who first settled New York? Which one of the Dutch governors was the most able ? What did he do ? AVhen did the English take possession ? 4. By whom was the first settlement in Massachusetts made? With what diffi- culties did the Plymouth colonists meet? When was Massachusetts Bay Colony founded ? Give the cause and chief events of King Philip's War. 5. When was New Jersey settled by the English? When was the colony divided? When re-united? When did it obtain a separate governor? 6. When and by whom was Maryland settled? Tell about "Claybome's Re- bellion". What troubles took place between Catholics and Protestants? 84 A PEIMARY HISTORY. 7. Wlio settled Providence? G-lve the story of Roger Williams, "WTien was Rhode Island Plantation settled V "When did the colonies receive a charter ? 8. When and at what places were the first settlements in Connecticut made? What was the cause of the Pequod War? Give an account of the war. Wlien and by whom was New Haven Colony settled ? Describe the New England League. Tell the story of the Charter Oak. 9. What were the first New Hampshire settlements? What difBciilties did the settlers experience from the Indian wars? 10. \Vho were the first settlers in Delaware? When did the Swedes establish a colony? Give an accoxmt of its conquest by the Dutch; — by the English. "Wlien was the territory granted to Penn? 11. ^Vhen and under what grant did the Quakers settle Pennsj^lvania ? When was Philadelphia founded ? Tell about the treaty with the Indians. How was the colony governed? WTiat was the growth of the colony? 12. ^Vhen were the first settlements made in the Carolinas? Who founded the Albemarle Colony? "Wliat were the plans of the proprietors? When was the Carteret Colony founded? When were the colonies separated? 13. Who was the founder of Georgia, and what was his purpose? When was the first settlement made? When did trouble with the Spaniards occur? How was the colony governed? When did it become a royal province? 14. Name in the order of settlement the thirteen original colonies. 15. Who were the early Prench explorers? Give an account of Champlain;— Marquette ;— Da Salle. What was the result of the French explorations ? 13. What were the causes of ill-feeling between tho Erench and the English in America? In what manner did wars in Europe affect the colonies? 17. When did King William's War take place? Give an account of the chief events. When was the next war ? "What were the important events ? Tell about King George's War. What was the cause of the Erench and Indian War? Give an account of the events of 1754 ;— 1755 ;— 1756 ;— 1757 ; — 1758 ;— 1759. "When was peace made ? "What were the results of the war? FOR READING OR RECITATION. Pocahontas.— Lj. H. Sigourney. Ode to Jamestown.— J . K. Paulding. Landing of tlie Pilgnms. F. C. Hemans. The Tiventy-second of I)ecembe7\— Bryant. Boger Williams. — Mrs. Whitman. The ^oi/e*.— Whittier. The King''s Missive. — Whittier. An Interrie%D with Miles Standish.—TjO'WY.iA.. The Old Thirteen.— C. T. Brooks. i-rf"_k: ^REVOh Uf lONARY WAR <*,. The French and In- dian War had decided that Enghsh ideas were to prevail in North America. By the energy, courage, and patriotism of her colonies, England had now acquired a splendid empire in the new world. And while she reaped all the glory of the war and its fruits, it was the hardy colonists who had, throughout, borne the brunt of the conflict. Treatment of the Colonies. — The colonies being re- lieved from the anxiety which their hostile neighbors had hitherto caused them, were now free to extend their settlements to the west. But there was something which troubled their peace quite as much as their for- mer neighbors had done. This was their treatment by England. You will remember that almost every colony had had cause for complaint. Sometimes the colonists 86 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. had been assailed in their personal liberty ; sometimes in their political rights. Dishonest governors had plundered them, and tyrannical governors had again and again grossly abused and oppressed them. Their wrongs had been forgotten in the excitement of the war ; but now that the war was over, the people began to remember them. Let us see what was the nature of some of the wrongs of which the colonists complained. The Navigation Act. — The New England people, liv- ing as they chiefly did along the sea-shore, had early entered into the business of building ships, which they sent with valuable cargoes to the West Indies, to En- gland, and to other parts of the world. In a few j^-ears, a large and profitable trade had been developed, and, as new markets opened to the enterprise of the colonists, they made money and grew wealthy. The English people after a time, however, became jealous of the prosperity of the colonists, and having many ships of their own, began to devise plans by which to grasp for themselves a share of the wealth that was thus rolling in to the colonists. Accordingly, a law was passed in England which prohibited any thing being brought into that country from the colonies unless taken there in an English ship, commanded by an English captain, and sailed by an En- glish crew. This was called the Navigation Act. The effect of this unjust law was severe upon the colonists. They had invested a great deal of money in ships, and THE KEVOLUTIONAKY WAR. 87 now their ships must rot in idleness, in order that English merchants might make all the profits of carry- ing American goods to England. Thousands of brave American sailors were now to remain idle that English sailors might have steady and profitable employment. Acts of Trade. — All this was hard enough on the Americans. Still they could send part of their products to other countries in their own ships, and so, in spite of that unjust law, they continued to make money and to prosper. But the increasing prosperity of the colonies only increased the jealousy of the English merchants ; and, in order to make them still more dependent on En- gland, another and even more mijust law was made. This law forbade them sending their most valuable products, such as sugar, cotton, rice, and tobacco, to any other country than England. It placed the Americans at the mercy of English merchants, forcing them to take whatever those merchants saw fit to pay them for their products. For their cotton, tobacco, sugar, and rice, they received only about one half of what they could have got for them from other countries. Restricting Foreign Trade. — These two laws gave England control of the colonial shipping trade, as well as of almost every thing raised in the colonies. But this did not satisfy the greed of the English merchants. They must not only control every thing coming from the colonies, but they must control every thing going to the colonies as well. So another law was passed, prohib- iting the colonies importing any thing whatever from 88 A PRIMARY HISTORY. any country in Europe, unless it was shipped from an English port and in an English ship. Besides these, many other harsh laws were made which oppressed the people almost beyond endurance. The mountains of Pennsylvania were full of iron ; but the people were forbidden to use it, or even to sell it to England. In the great forests of the Carolinas they were not allowed to make turpentine or rosin or barrel staves. Hats or woolen goods could not be sent from one colony to another. Even on his own land, a farmer could not cut down a single tree without the king's consent. Indeed, the English people acted from the first as if the colonies existed only for the purpose of help- ing them make money. All these lavv^s were severely oppressive. They interfered with the trade of the col- onists, upon which their happiness and prosperity de- pended. And, moreover, these laws, hard as they were in themselves, became doubly odious to the people when tyrannical governors, with a swarm of petty officers, were sent over from England to enforce them. Writs of Assistance (1761). — The trade and industries of the colonies were now so unlawfully hedged about by these oppressive laws and regulations that many of the colonists evaded them whenever they could safely do so. Smuggling, therefore, was largely resorted to in every colony. American merchants would send their own ships to France or Spain, at the risk of capture, with a valuable cargo of rice or tobacco. These ships would return from those countries laden with goods. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 89 which were secretly landed without the knowledge of the British officers. During the French and Indian War, England was greatly in need of money, and so sought to put a stop to smug- gling by the colonists. She might easily have done this in a way that would not have offended the Americans. But she did not understand the spirit of the people, and resorted to a course which was certain to make them angry. A law was made which gave any British officer the right to search the stores and houses of the people for smuggled goods. This law, of course, was very ob- noxious to the colonists, and they resisted it in every way possible. Training of the Colonists. — The colonists, at first, were feeble, and unable to help themselves ; but now that they had become quite strong, they chafed under this injustice. They had fought bravely during the long French and Indian War, and the experience gained in that struggle had given them a confidence in themseh^es which they lacked before. They had discovered that they were quite as valiant as the British regulars. They had learned, too, that their own officers, among whom were Washington, Gates, Put- nam, and Montgomery, could manage an army just as well as the British officers who had treated them with contempt all through the war. But this was not all. During the war, the colonists had, in a measure, learned to govern themselves. They had made and enforced their own tax laws, and had 00 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. raised large armies and paid them ; so that now they felt confident that, if necessary, they could manage all such matters for themselves. But, notwithstanding the harsh treatment they had received, they still loved the mother country, and had no thought of separating from her. Origin of the Trouble. — When the French and Indian War was over, England insisted that the colonists should aid in paying the heavy debt caused by it. The colo- nists thought that if money was to be raised from among them for that purpose, they, themselves, should be permitted to say, at least, in what manner it should be done. While they were perfectly willing to tax them- selves for England, they denied her right to tax them, because she would not allow them to be represented in the British Parliament, where the tax laws were made. In this the colonists were only insisting on their rights as Englishmen. The British would not listen to this reasonable argument, but continued to treat the Americans as though they had no rights whatever. The Stamp Act. — In 1765, a law called the Stamp Act was passed. It required the Americans to buy Brit- ish tax-stamps, and put them on all their deeds, bonds, and notes, as Avell as upon their newspapers and alma- nacs. This was more than the Americans would endure. They, therefore, mobbed the men who were sent over from England to sell the stamps, and resolved to resist not only this law, but all other unjust laws. The day the stamps arrived in Boston, so profound was the sor- row of the people, the church bells were tolled, minute- THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 1 guns were fired, and the vessels in ttie liarbor hung tlieir flags at half-mast. The people in every colony now pledged themselves not to use British goods of any kind, and manufactures soon started up in spite of the laws forbidding them. A Congress was held in New York to declare the rights of the colonies, and societies called Sons of Liberty, were formed to resist their wrongs. From Massachusetts to Caro- lina, the people were full of indigna- tion. The British government, seeing the determined opposition of the col- onists, repealed the Stamp Act the following year (1766). This, however, did not make mat- ters better, for Great Britain still claimed the right to tax the Amer- icans, and it was this claim alone which the Americans were resisting. They did not care for the stamp tax any more than they cared for any other, but they denied the right of the Brit- ^ ^ STAMPS. ish government to tax them at all, unless they had a voice in making British laws. When, therefore, the Stamp Act was repealed, and, instead of it, taxes were laid on tea, glass, paints, and other articles brought into the country, the Americans resisted as stoutly as ever. Soldiers were then sent over from England to compel them to obedience. 92 A PKIMARY HISTORY. The Mutiny Act (1768).— This was bad enough, but, to make matters still worse, a law called the Mutiny Act was passed, which required the colonies to support these soldiers who had been sent to overawe them. Of course the colonists refused to obey this law, and became more indignant than ever. They at last began to think of uniting against the British, as they had done against the French and Indians. The Boston Massacre (1770). — In Boston, people were incensed at the insolence of the British soldiers ; and, in March, 1770, during a quarrel, the soldiers fired upon the citizens, killing three and wounding two. At once the bells were rung, and the country people came run- ning into town with guns in their hands, to the defense of their countrymen. After a little time, however, the excitement was allayed, and the city grew quiet again. The Tea Tax (1773). — Seeing by the temper of the people that there was danger of war, the British now decided to take a different course. They repealed all taxes except a small duty on tea. That tax was small, but it was large enough to keep up their claim of a right to tax the Americans. The English thought, of course, that so paltry a tax would be paid without trouble. But again they were mistaken. The Americans did not care for the amount of the tax, but they did care for their rights. A great principle was involved in the dispute. They now not only refused to pay duty on tea, but would not submit to be taxed at all. The Charleston THE KEVOLUTIONARY WAR. \) 6 people permitted the tea which had been sent to that city to be landed, but they stored it in damp ware- houses, Avhere it soon molded. The people of Philadel- phia and New York sent the tea-ships in their harbors back to England. Boston would have done the same thing, but the British officers would not permit them ; whereupon a body of men, painted and dressed like Indians, boarded the ships one night and emptied the tea into the harbor. Getting Ready for War (1774). — The Boston Tea- party, as it was called, occurred in December, and, from that time forward, the quarrel grew more and more bitter. To punish the Boston people, a law was passed forbidding ships to enter or to leave their harbor. Under this law, boats were not permitted to pass from one side of the harbor to the other, or even from one dock to another. Americans every-where were angry that the British should thus try to ruin a town and starve its people into submission. With its harbor closed, very little busi- ness could be done in Boston, and the laboring people, unable to procure vfork, were soon suffering ; but other colonies soon sent them money and food, Georgia and South Carolina sending ship-loads of rice. Marblehead and Salem promptly gave Boston the free use of their wharves, so that the chief result of that law was to embitter the people more than ever. All the other colonies were thoroughly aroused by this treat- ment of Massachusetts, and began to prepare for war. The "Minute Men."— Military companies were formed 94 A PKI MARY HISTORY. and drilled, and the men held themselves in readiness to fight at a minute's warning. Hence they were called "minute men". One day it was reported that the British ships were firing on Boston. Within a few hours, thirty thousand men from the country around Boston were marching toward the town. The report was not true, but the promptness with which the alarm was responded to encouraged the American leaders to contimie resistance. They saw from it how ready the people were for war. In September of the following year (1774), a congress of all the colonies, except Georgia, was held in Philadelphia, and it was there agreed that they should unite in resist- ing all unjust laws and in defending themselves. How the War Began (1775). — The war began at Lexington, near Boston. G-eneral Q-age, who had been appointed royal governor of Massachusetts, sent a force from Boston, during the night, to destroy some military stores which the Americans had gathered at Concord. A young patriot, named Paul Revere, was apprised, by a signal light in a church steeple, that the British were about to start. He then set out toward Lexington on his famous ride. He alarmed the people of the villages through which he passed, and the men, taking their muskets with them, hurried on toAvard Lexington. At daylight, the next morning, many of them were found assembled on the green at that place. When Gage's soldiers arrived, the Americans were ordered to disperse, but they silently maintained their ground. Immediately the British fired upon them, killing THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 95 seven men. The British soldiers then marched on to Concord, but most of the stores liad in the meantime been safely removed beyond their reach. The news of the morning spread like wild-fire, and during the day, the brave '^ minute men " were rapidly collecting from all the neighboring country. THE EETREAT OF THE BRITISH FROM LEXINGTON. When the British started back toward Boston, they were shot at from behind fences, rocks, and trees, and from all sides. Their men fell at every step, and so great was their peril that General Gage found it neces- sary to send a large body of infantry, with artillerj^ to 96 A P 11 1 IVr A 11 Y II I S T () 11 Y GOING TO BOSTON. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 97 sustain them. At last, they reached the town, but all along the road lay three hundred of their men. The Rally after Lexington. — Such a glorious deed as this aroused the people every-Avhere throughout the col- onies. Farmers left their work in the fields and, going Yi THE PATRIOTS BUILDING KORTIFICATIONS AROUND BOSTON. home for their rifles, hastened on to the scene of danger. From every farm and village, brave men and boys were marching toward Boston. There was soon an American army of twenty thousand men around that city, in which they determined to keep the British if they could. Battle of Bunker Hill (1775). —The patriots built 98 A PRIMARY HISTORY. earth-works around Boston, and one night about twelve hundred of them, under Colonel Prescott, marched across from Cambridge to fortify Bunker Hill, which stood near Boston. But finding that Breed's Hill, close by, was a better place from which to command the town, they made intrenchments there. When the British, the next morning, discovered what had been done, Q-eneral Howe crossed over with three thousand men to capture the hill, while the ships of war in the harbor rained shot and shell on the devoted patriots. Twice the British advanced to the attack, and twice they were sent reeling back by the terrible fire of the Americans. Thej rallied for the third time, and again they marched up the hill. By this tim.e, the Americans had only one round of ammunition left, and after firing that in the faces of the British, they used their guns as clubs, and with them tried to beat them back. But without ammmiition, the patriots could not stand long before the enemy, and so they were driven, step by step, from their breastworks at the point of the bayonet. The Americans had proved, however, that they h^d the courage to stand against British regulars, and they fairly counted that quite as valuable as a victory. Capture of Ticonderoga (1775). — About a month be- fore, the Americans had gained another very important Adctory. Ethan Allen, with a small body of farmer boys, from the Green Mountains of Vermont, undertook, early in May, to capture the fort at Ticonderoga. The fort was very strong, but the Americans, by a sudden dash. THE K E V O L U T I O N A ]i Y WAR. 99 took it without the loss of a man. The place being full of cannon, powder, and other valuable stores much needed by the Americans, its capture was a great gain. Crown Point was taken two days later. Other Events of 1775. — Washington, who had been made commander-in-chief of the American army, went to Boston and took command. The army was made up of farmers, poorly clothed and armed, having very little pow- der, and no reg- ular supply of food. It was Washington's first duty t o drill the men, teach them how to fight, and get together stores of food and pow- der. While he was doing all this, he was careful to keep Howe's force closely shut up in the town, so that it could do nothing. Late in the summer, Montgomery and Arnold led two small armies into Canada, and laid siege to Quebec. After besieging the city for three weeks, it was decided CAPTUKE OF FORT TICONDEROGA. 100 A PEIMARY HISTORY. to carry it by storm. The men fought well, but the place was too strong for them. Montgomery was killed and Arnold wounded. The army, under General Wooster, continued to besiege the city until spring, and then retreated. Early Events of 1776. — In the spring, Washington posted his army so that his guns threatened the British camp in Boston, and after a brief bombardment from Dorchester Heights, forced the enemy to leave the city. On the 17th of March they sailed away, and Boston Avas free. In June, a strong British force tried to take Charleston, South Carolina ; but the gallant Colonel Moul- trie, in a fort built of palmetto logs at the mouth of the harbor, gained a brilliant victory. He drove off the fleet on one side, and repelled a strong land force on the other. The British were so badly beaten that they gave up their attempt and sailed for New York. The Declaration of Independence (1776). — Thus far, the colonists had been fighting only for their rights as British subjects ; but they now resolved to set their country altogether free from British rule. Accordingly, on the 4th of July, 1776, Congress adopted the Declara- tion of Independence. By it they declared that the col- onies were colonies no lunger, but free and independent states. This was a very bold step, but it pleased the people, and gave them a new object for which to fight. New York taken by the British (1776). — During the summer, the British sent all their armies and fleets against New York. At first, Washington tried to defend THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 101 the city ; but, having only seventeen thousand men, he could not hold out long against thirty thousand. On the 27th of August, the British attacked the Americans on Long Island, and defeated them after a hard fight. But they did not follow up their victory, and two days later, during a fog, Washington, with great skill, safely with- drew his army to New York City. The British crossed over from Brooklyn to New York, whereupon Washing- ton moved up the Hudson. He afterward crossed to New Jersey, but not until he had given battle several times to the British and their Hessian allies. Washington's Retreat (17 76). — Winter had now come, and with it a sad time for the Americans. New York was in the hands of the enemy, and Washington and his ragged little army were fleeing across New Jersey, closely pursued by the British under Cornwallis. The whole country was in despair ; for every thing seemed lost. Early in December, Washington reached the Dela- ware River, and, seizing all the boats within his reach, got his army safely across just as the advance guard of the British made its ajppearance. He was now safe until the river should freeze over, when he knew that the British would advance on Philadelphia. Battle of Trenton (1776). — But Washington was not yet beaten. He kept quiet until Christmas. The river was then full of floating ice, and a flerce storm had begun. Nobody supposed that an army would attempt to move at such a time, and the Hessians at Trenton, in fancied security, were making merry in honor of Christ- 102 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. nias. As night was falling, Washington took twenty-four hundred men, and with them silently crossed the river in spite of ice and storm. Landing on the New Jersey side, he fell upon the Hessians and quickly overcame them, taking a thousand prisoners. The Hessian com- mander, Colonel Rail, was mortally wounded, and died a few days afterward. Battle of Princeton (1777). — Two dajH afterward, Washington again crossed to New Jersey with his whole army and occupied Trenton. At sunset, on the 2d of January, Cornwallis, with a large army, attacked him. Night coming on, the battle was stopped. During the darkness Washington quietly withdrew his army, leaving his camp-fires lighted in order to deceive the enemy. He marched around Cornwallis to Princeton, where he defeated a British force in a severe fight. Before Cornwallis could overtake him, Washington's army was strongly posted on the heights at Morristown. By a series of skillful movements, Washington, early in the spring, forced the British to leave New Jersey and retire to New York. Philadelphia taken by the British (1777). —These brilliant victories revived the patriotic ardor of the Americans every-where ; l)ut before the close of the sum- mer, they suffered a great loss. The British fleet sailed from New York with a large army on board, and soon after entered Chesapeake Bay. Washington, surmising the object of this expedition, hurried southward with his little army, and met the British on the Brandy wine. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 103 BATTLE OF SARATOGA. near Philadelphia. After a desperate fight, the Amer- icans were beaten, and Philadelphia was lost. In October, Washington attacked Germantown, opposite Philadelphia, but failed to drive the British from it. 104 A PElMARY HISTORY. Burgoyne (burgoin') Captured (17 7 7). — Although the Americans had lost Philadelphia, they had won a splendid victory in the north. In June, Burgoyne, with a large army, set out from Canada to invade New York. He intended to get control of the Hudson River, and so cut off New England from the rest of the country. Crown Point, Ticonderoga, Fort Edward, and Whitehall fell, one after another, into his hands ; and for a time, he appeared to have every thing his own way. But the Americans, see- ing the danger, hurried forward to oppose him. Day by day, men came in from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York, so that the patriot army constantly grew stronger. The American forces had fallen back slowly to Bemis' Heights, near Saratoga, where General Grates took com- mand. Burgoyne's main army had gone steadily for- ward ; but small bodies of his men, sent out to collect supplies, had been repeatedly attacked by the Amer- icans. In one of these fights, near Bennington, Ver- mont, General Stark, with his " Green Mountain boys ", beat the British, and took six hundred prisoners. At the beginning of the battle, Stark, whose wife was called Betty, cried out to his men, "We must beat the red- coats to-day, boys, or Betty Stark is a widow ! " At Bemis' Heights both armies threw up earth-works, and the British made a fierce attack on the Americans. But after fighting all day, they gained nothing. They lay still in their intrench ments for two weeks, but their food meanwhile, was rapidly giving out. They found, then, that THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 106 BATTLE OF BENNINGTON. they must either crush the Americans, or give up their plans. Making another attack, they fought desperately ; but the Americans, at every step, opposed them like 106 A PRIMARY HISTORY. heroes. The British and Hessians were driven back in confusion to Saratoga, where they were soon completely hemmed in by the army under G-eneral Gates. Burgoyne, seeing escape impossible, was now forced to surrender. This was a great success. Nothing that had happened since the war began, did so much to encourage the patriots and to give them conlidence in the final success of their cause. IN CAMP AT VALLEY FORGE. Hardships at Valley Forge (1777). — The winter which followed was a terrible one. Washington's army was in winter-quarters at Valley Forge, near Philadelphia. The men suffered intense hardships. They had hardly any clothes or blankets, and often they were compelled to walk through the snow barefooted, marking their trail by bloody foot-prints. Cold, starvation, and disease had carried off almost one half of Washington's men before the winter was over. Still the patriots meant to win. THE R K V O J . U T I () N A II V \V A II . 107 British aij^ents went aiTiong Washington's starving men at Valley Forge and offered them good pay, and plenty of food and clothes, if they would desert ; but none of them would listen to the shameful proposal. Aid from France (1778). — A number of able French and German officers came over from Europe to help the Americans ; and, in the spring, France made a treaty of alliance Avith the new nation against England, and sent out a large fleet of ships to assist in the war. These ships did little good; but the British gov- ernment became alarmed at this turn of affairs and tried to bring the war to an end. England offered to set aside all the laws to which the Amer- icans objected, provided they would lay down their arms ; but the latter would not now listen to any proposal of the kind. They had declared themselves free, and nothing but independence would now satisfy them. The British then tried to bribe American generals to betray their countr}^ They offered Q-eneral Joseph Reed, of Philadelphia, fifty thousand dollars if he would forsake his country's cause. General Reed sent back the noble answer, "I am not worth purchasing ; but, such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to buy me." Progress of the War (1778). — When the news that ^JNJAMIN FRANKLIN. 108 A PRIMARY HISTORY. the British had taken Philadelphia reached Franklin, who was then in France, he said : " That is not the right way to say it ; it is Philadelphia that has taken the British." It was not long before the British found that this was true. As long as they were there, they could do noth- ing, because Washington was watching them closely, and was ready to fall upon them, at any moment, should they attempt to move out of the town. In the summer of 1778, they saw that if their army stayed in Philadelphia much longer, it would be shut up, as Howe's army in Boston had been at the beginning of the war, or perhaps forced to surrender. They therefore abandoned that city, and retreated across New Jersey to New York. Washington was in close pursuit all the way, and captured about two thousand of their men. Finding that nothing could be done in the north, the British then sailed south, and again took Savannah. From that point they intended to overrun the Southern States ; but they were beaten at Charleston, and for a long time thereafter could do nothing in that section. Indeed, during that and the following year, there was little done anywhere by either side. G-eneral Wayne, who was called "Mad Anthony", made a brilliant dash and captured a British fort at Stony Point, on the Hudson River. Paul Jones fought a desperate battle on the sea. In September, his ship, the Bon Homme Richard (bo nom' pee shar'), fell in with the British ship Serapis. Jones lashed the two vessels together, and fought the British hand to hand. His ship was so badly disabled THE R E V O L U T I O N A K Y W A II . 109 that it was sinking under hiiu ; but nevertheless he con- tinued to figlit until the Serapis surrendered. He then sailed away on the captured vessel, leaving his own to sink. The captain of the Serapis fought with so much braverv that, althoug:h he lost his ship, the British made CAPTURE OF STONY POINT, him a knight. When somebody told Paul Jones of this, he said : " Well, he deserved the honor ; and if I meet him in his new ship, I'll make a lord of him." The Treason of Arnold (1780). — The war was now carried on mainly in the south. But while neither side did much fighting at the north, the British resorted to another plan to compass the ruin of the patriot cause. 110 A PRIMARY H 1 S 1^ O R ^' General Benedict Arnold, who had performed many brave deeds in the war, was then in command at West Point, the most important post on the Hudson River. Some time before, he had been reproved by Washington for misconduct, and was very angry. The British sent agents to him, with whom he conspired to surrender West Point, provided they would give him a large sum of money and a high position in their army. The bargain was made ; but the Americans fortunately capt- ured the British agent, Major Andre, as he was returning in disguise to New York, and so discovered the treasonable plot. Arnold at once fled and joined the British, and Andre was condemned and hung as a spy. ,,,^,^,. Arnold afterward fought against his country, but he was forever disgraced ; for even the British, who had bribed him, despised and openly insulted him. The War in the South. — During this year, the British captured Charleston after a siege of forty days, and then rapidly overran South Carolina. There was at first no regular force to oppose them, the patriot army under General Lincoln having surrendered at Charleston. But the men of South Carolina were brave, and eager to share in the fight for freedom. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Ill Marion, Pickens, Sumter, and other daring men, of that State, enlisted companies of their neighbors, and gave the British a great deal of trouble. They would t/Cape Fear. ..^ ^» Monk's^i lVin//aw Bay 'Corne- ' V K^Sea, >CJiarleston ^V ^ ^r.MO.ULTRlE ^^fe •bur;* \ ^''i>: MAP TO ILLUSTRATE WAR WITH MEXICO SCALE OF MILES lUO 2(JU ijuu 400 154 A PKlMARY HISTOHY, At the same time, General Philip H. Kearney (kar'ni), starting with a force from Fort Leavenworth, was to cross the Rocky Mountains and take California and New Mexico. All this, as we shall see, was brilliantly carried out, although the Mexicans always had two or three times as many men as were sent against them. General Taylor's Campaign (1846). — General Taylor crossed the Rio Grande, and began his campaign by taking Matamo'ras. In Sep- tember, he pushed forward with six thousand men to attack Monterey (i-non ta ra'). This was a very daring movement. Monterey lay among the mount- ains, and it was difficult even to get near it. The Mexicans had built a series of strong forts on the surrounding hills for its defense, and had ten thousand men ready to oppose Taylor's army. But the American general, with his in- ferior force, boldly attacked the place. The Americans fought for four days before they could drive the Mexicans from their outer works, and when that was done, they had to take the town little by little, fight- ing them from street to street, and from house to house. During the winter, General Taylor was compelled to send part of his army to the assistance of General Scott. Santa Anna (san'ta an'a), the Mexican commander, learn- ZACHAEY TAYLOR. POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 155 ing of this movement, thought it a good opportunity to capture or destroy Taylor's small force. Santa Anna now marched, with twenty thousand men, to the mountain pass of Buena Vista (b^va'na vees'ta), where the Americans were posted. His army GENERAL TAYLOR AT BUENA VISTA. was SO large, and Taylor's so small, that he thought Taylor would certainly surrender without a battle. When he was told by an American officer that " Gen- eral Taylor never surrenders ", he made a fierce attack. For a while, it seemed as though the Americans would be slaughtered; but Taylor, at a critical moment in the 156 A PKIMARY HISTORY. battle, ordered up Captain Bragg's artillery, which began to pour a fire of grape-shot into the Mexican ranks. Seeing the Mexicans waver, he cried out, "A little more grape, Captain Bragg", and a few minutes later the Mexican army was running in confusion from the field. General Scott's Campaign (184 7). — Q-eneral Scott, with twelve thousand men, landed at Vera Cruz in March, and immediately invested the place. After four days of fighting, the town and the fortress that guarded it surrendered. He then began his march inland toAvard the City of Mexico. The road led through mountain gorges, and swarms of Mexican soldiers stood ready to fight at every available point. But Scott, knowing that he could trust in the valor and endurance of his men, marched boldly on. He took by storm Cer'ro Gor'do, where the Mexicans had an army of fifteen thousand men behind earth- works, and captured three thousand prisoners, among whom were four general ofiicers. Then he pushed on to Pueblo (pueb'io), which yielded without resistance, and, after waiting there some time for re-enforcements, again marched toward the City of Mexico. He stormed one great fortress after another, and in September entered in triumph the capital of the country. He had, with his small force, overcome an army of thirty thousand men, and now, with less than six thousand men, he marched into, and held, a hostile city containing one hundred and forty thousand people. The Result of the War (1848).— This ended the war. POLK'S ADMINISTRATION 157 Kearney and Fremont had taken C/alifornia and New Mexico, while Scott and Taylor had conquered Mexico itself. When a treaty of peace was made, it was agreed that the Rio Grande should thereafter be the boundary line between Texas and Mexico, and that the United States should have all the region then known as California and New Mexico. This vast territory included what we now call California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Kansas. For all this, the United States agreed to pay fifteen millions of dollars. Discovery of Gold in California (1849).— The country thus bought was very thinly settled, and at first did not seem to be of much value. The Spaniards, as we may remember, tramped all over it three hundred years before, searching every-where for gold. They had held it ever since, first as Spanish and then as Mexican terri- tory, but had found no gold, and really made no serious attempts toward settling the country. WASHIJvG OUT GOLD. 158 A PRIMAKY HISTORY Almost as soon as it came into the possession of the United States, a great change took place. A workman, while mending a mill-dam on the Sacramento River, ac- cidentally found the gold which had been so long sought SAN FRANCISCO IN ^KVo, AND NOW. in vain, and it soon became known that the richest gold mines in the world were in California. The news of this discovery spread swiftly all over the world. Men flocked to California by thousands and tens of thousands. Towns grew up there almost in a night. At first, everybody wanted to dig for gold ; but there were such swarms of people to be fed and clothed, that many POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 159 found it even more profitable to open shops and stores, and to cultivate farms. In 1846, the population of San Francisco did not exceed 600 souls; but within two years it had increased to nearly 35,000. Its beautifid bay, which before the war was only frequented by an o(^ca- sional Avhaling ship, was now white with the sails of vessels from almost every nation. Indeed, California had grown so rapidly in population that, in less than three years after the Mexican War, it was ready to come into the Union as a great, rich State. Slavery Agitation (1848). — The old difference of opinion about slavery had been growing all this time. Consequently, when the Mexican War was over, one of the first things people thought about was whether the territory wrested from Mexico should be slave or free. David Wilmot, a representative from Pennsylvania, had tried, in 1846, to induce Congress to make a law that slavery should not be allowed in any part of the region that might be acquired from Mexico as a result of the Avar. The proposed law was popularly known as the Wilmot Pr(jviso. Congress did not make the law ; but the violent discussion of the subject which followed, by newspapers and politicians, kept the entire country, for almost tAvo years, in a ferment of excitement. As a result of this agitation, many Whigs and Demo- crats, anxious to stop the spread of slavery, now left the old parties and formed a new one, calling it the Free-soil party. This party was very small at first; but its numbers 160 A PRIMARY HISTORY. held together, and, in 1848, voted for Martin Van Buren, of New York, for President. The Democrats voted for Lewis Cass, of Michigan, and the Whigs for General Zachary Taylor, who had won so much fame for himself in the Mexican War. Taylor was elected, with Millard Fillmore as Vice-President. New States. — Three new States were admitted to the Union during Polk's administration — Texas, in 1845 ; Iowa, in 1846 ; and Wisconsin, in 1848. TAYLOR AND FILLMORE'S ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1849-1853.) The Compromise of 1850. — The western part of Cali- fornia filled up with people so rapidly that it was ready, in 1850, to enter the Union as a State, leaving the east- ern part to be divided into Territories. The people then made a constitution for themselves, and asked Congress for admission to the Union as a free State. This at once stirred up again the old controversy about slavery, which became so angry and bitter that Henry Clay, who had settled the dispute of 1820 by the Missouri Com- promise, now came forward with a plan to arrange this difficulty. After a warm debate, Congress passed the measures which he proposed. California was to be admitted as a free State, and all slave-trading in the District of Columbia, where Washington City stands, was to be stopped. This was to satisfy the people in the North. PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION. 161 To satisfy the Southern people, a law was passed that if slaves ran away, their masters might go after them into any of the States, and take them back without recourse to a jury trial. This law was called the Fugitive-Slave Law. General Taylor died in July, before the bill was passed, and Fillmore, the Vice-President, became President. Politics. — The new law, which was meant to settle the quarrel about slavery, only made it worse, and many people abandoned the old parties and joined the new one. The Free-soil party, however, was still small, and when the election took place, in 1852, the Democrats elected Franklin Pierce (peers'), of New Hampshire, for the next President. PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1853-1857.) The Kansas-Nebraska Bill (1853). — Pierce's term was a time of great excitement. Stephen A. Douglas, a Senator from Illinois, brought a bill into Congress to organize the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. These Territories were north of the Missouri Compromise line, and so, according to the terms of the compromise, slav- ery was forbidden in them. But the bill put forward by Senator Douglas provided that, when the two Territories should get ready to come into the Union as States, the people living in them, who were called "squatters", might decide for themselves 162 A PRIMARY HISTORY. whether they wished them to be free States or slave States. A storm of angry debate arose over this bill, and the people all over the country became greatly excited. The bill was passed in 1854. Civil War in Kansas (1856). — As soon as this bill be- came a law, men from all parts of the country hurried to Kansas. The Northern men hoped to outnumber the Southerners, and so outvote them when the time should come to make a constitution. If they could do that, Kansas would come into the Union as a free State. On the other hand, the Southerners hoped to outnumber and outvote the Northern men, and so make Kansas a slave State. Kansas was now the scene of a desperate struggle between the friends and the opponents of slavery. Bitter passions were aroused on both sides, and the State was soon plunged in a civil war. Two different constitutions were formed by two rival conventions, each of which claimed to be legally elected by the people. One constitution was for a slave State, the other for a free State. The fighting continued, towns were burned, and many people were killed. Politics (1856). — Although the fighting was confined to Kansas, the excitement spread to every part of the country, and the slavery question, which had been so long allayed by compromises, became the most important one in politics. Most of the Whigs in the North had joined the Free-soil party, which now changed its name to the Republican party. The Southern Whigs joined BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 168 the Democrats, while many Northern Democrats went over to the Repubhcans. The Whig party was now extinct. In the Presidential election of 1856, there were three candidates. The Democrats voted for James Buchanan (bu kan'an), the Republicans for John C. Fremont, and the Know-Nothings, or Native-American party, for Mil- lard Fillmore. Fillmore carried one State, Fremont eleven, and Buchanan nineteen. Accordingly, James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, was elected. BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1857-1861.) The Quarrel about Slavery (1857). — Buchanan's term was, from the outset, a stormy one. The excitement about slavery grew greater every day. The law that Congress passed in 1850, giving slave-holders the right to go into free States for their runaway slaves, was so offensive to the Northern people that some of the North- ern States passed what were known as Personal Liberty laws which, in effect, nullified the national law. In many cases, mobs rescued negroes who had been caught by their owners, and who were about to be taken back to the South. Finally two events occurred which made both sides more angry than ever. The Dred Scott Case (185 7). — One of them was called the Dred Scott decision. It was the law in the free States that, if the owner of slaves brought any of them into a free State, they should be free ; but in the Dred 164 A PRIMAKY HISTORY. Scott case, the Supreme Court of the United States de- cided that all such laws made by the States were uncon- stitutional, that is to say, they were contrary to the constitution and therefore had no force, and that a slave- owner might take his slaA^es to any part of the country without losing his right to them. The Northern people loudly protested against this decision. They said that it simply removed all barriers against the extension of slavery, made all the States slave States, and that they would never submit to so great an injustice. John Brown's Raid (1859). — The other event Avas what is known as John Brown's raid. John Brown was one of the leaders of the free State men in Kansas. He was an ardent anfci-slavery man, and, in 1859, he re- solved to wage war against slavery in the South itself. He got together a small body of men, suddenly entered the town of Harper's Ferr}^, in Virginia, and seized the arsenal there, which belonged to the United States. He proposed to overthrow the State government, set the negroes free, and place arms in their hands. But his little company was soon overcome and capt- ured by a force of United States marines sent from Washington, while Brown was delivered up to the Vir- ginia authorities, by whom he was tried for treason and hanged. Politics. — The John Brown raid fanned the flame of sectional passion to such a degree that there was now no question in politics except that of slavery. The BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 165 Democratic party was still the strongest political party in the country ; but the slavery controversy rent it in two, and in 1860, when the time for election came around, it had two candidates for President, Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, being one, and John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, the other. Douglas represented the Northern Democrats, who, though not in favor of the extension of slavery to the Territories, yet be- lieved that the inhabit- ants of each Territory, and they alone, had the right to say whether it should come into the Union as a slave State or as a free State. Breckinridge, on the other hand, represented the extreme Southern Democrats, who insisted that neither Congress nor the people of the Territories had the right to prohibit slavery in any Territory. The Republicans, who were determined to exclude slavery from the Territories at any cost, voted for Abra- ham Lincoln, of Illinois, while a small party of old Whigs and others voted for John Bell. The election was carried by the Republican candidate, who secured the electoral vote of every free State except New Jersey. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 166 A PRIMAEY HISTORY. Secession of the Southern States (1860). — Abraham Lincoln was elected in November, 1860; but his term of office did not begin until the following March. As soon as the election was over, several of the Southern States preiDared to leave the Union. A great many of the lead- ing men of the South had always held that the Union was not perpetual, but only a league or partnership among the States, and that any State had the right to withdraw from the Union whenever it chose to do so. The people of that section, therefore, believing that the election of Mr. Lincoln was a menace to slavery, now de- cided to secede and set up a government for themselves. South Carolina led the movement, and declared her- self out of the Union in December. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, quickly fol- lowed, seizing such forts, arsenals, and navj'-yards of the government as were within their respective borders. The other Southern States waited, in the vain hope that the trouble would be settled in some peaceful way. The States that had passed acts of secession united and formed a government, calling themselves the Con- federate States of America. A convention of delegates, or representatives from these States, met at Montgomery, Alabama, and drew up a constitution for the new gov- ernment, which closely followed that of the United States, except that slavery was forever legalized, and a pro- tective tariff prohibited. They chose Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, for their President, and Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia, for Vice-President. BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 167 The whole country was now anxious. Many plans were proposed to adjust the trouble, but they all failed ; and, through that long winter, every day brought the country nearer and nearer to the verge of civil war. The position of the administration in this emergency was one of great difficulty and perplexity. The various officers, representing the United States in the revolted States, judges, marshals, col- lectors of customs, postmasters, and dis- trict-attorneys, had all resigned, to follow the fortunes of their States ; and there was, therefore, no Yv^ay in which the government could ' exercise its authority in those States. Mr. Buchanan, as President of the United States, could not and would not admit that it was within the power of any State to secede at its pleasure, and yet he doubted his right, under the Constitution, to force the seceding States back by warlike measures, even if he had an army and a navy large enough to do so. But he had neither, and Congress refused to give him au- thoritv to raise them. It was evident, therefore, that JEFFERSON DAVIS. 168 A PRIMARY HISTORY. nothing would be done, one way or the other, until the new President should take his seat on the 4th of March following. New States. — Three new States were added to the Union during the administration of James Buchanan — namely, Minnesota, in 1858 ; Oregon, in 1859 ; and Kansas, in 1861. QUESTIONS. 1. When did England make a treaty giving np all claim to the colonies? 2. How many States were there at the close of the Revolutionary War? What powers did each claim for itself? What control did the general govern- ment have over the States? AVliat was the condition of trade?— of the people ? 3. What State took the lead in trying to better matters ? What was the result of the first convention? When and whei-e did the second convention meet? Explain the views of the two political parties of the time. 4. When was a national Constitution agreed upon? What powers were granted to each State ?— to the general government ? When was this Constitution accepted by the States ? What was the extent of the national territory ? 5. Who was chosen as the fii'st President of the United States? What duties were to be performed by the new government? How did the people feel toward the President? In what ways did they show their affection? 0. AVhom did Washington select as his chief advisers in carrying on the govern- ment? What was the cause for the Whiskey Rebellion? What effect did its suppression have lapon the nation ? Tell about the treaty with Spain ;— the treaty with England. What was the feeling of the American people toward Prance? What two political parties were formed? What were the opinions held by the Republicans?— by the Pedei^alists ? Who were the candidates for President at the close of Washington's term? Who was elected ? 7. How many States were there in the Union when Adams went into oflace? Give the names of the new States, and the year when each was admitted. What was the condition of the country? WTiat was the cause of the quarrel with France? Explain the Alien and Sedition Laws. What did the people do at the next election ? How was Jefferson, the third Presi- dent, chosen? 8. When did the war with Tripoli take place? What was the cause of the war? How many ships were sent against Tripoli ? Tell about Decatur's advent- ure. What was accomplished afterward ? When was Liouisiana purchased BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 169 from the French? Why was that territory of so much importance to the United States ? Name the States and Territories formed from it. In what manner, and when, was the slave-trade declared unlawful ? What was the cause of our quarrel with England ? What was the Embargo Act ? How did it affect our shipping interests ? What were the grounds of contest between parties at the next Presidential election ? Who was chosen Presi- dent? Who ran the first steam-boat on the Hudson River? 9. What acts of the British led the United States to declare war? When and where did General Harrison defeat the Indians ? How did the Federalists act in regard to the war with England? Tell about General Hull's sur- render;— the fight between the Constitution and Guerrifire ;— the invasion of Canada in 1813 ; — Perry's victory on Lake Erie; — the battle of the Thames ;— the Creek War ;— General Scott's victories in Canada ;— the battle of Lake Champlain ; — the battle of New Orleans. When was peace de- clared? How were the pirates of Northern Africa punished? Why was the Federalist party broken up? Who was elected as the fifth President? Wliat States were added to the Union during Madison's two terms? 10. Why was Monroe's administration called the "Era of good feeling"? What was the condition of slavery in the North?— in the South? What dispute took place when Missouri asked to enter the Union? How was it settled? Give the particulars of the Compromise. When was Florida purchased of Spain? Give names of the five new States admitted during Monroe's ad- ministration. What were the names of the great political parties? What were the views of the Whigs?— of the Democrats? Explain the two sides of the Tariff question. How many candidates were voted for at the next election? Whom did the House of Representatives choose as President? 11. What improvements were made during Adams' administration? Tell aboiit the first railroad. What were Adams' views about the tariff? How was the country divided upon the question? Who was chosen as the seventh President ? 12. What was the character of Jackson ? When did South Carolina try to abolish the duties on foreign goods ? What did Jackson do ? How was the trouble finally settled? Tell about the United States Bank. What action did Jackson take against the bank? What Indian war took place in 1832?— in 1835? AVhat new States came into the Union? — give dates of their admission. Who was elected as the next President? 13. What was the condition of business? Tell aboiit the "Panic of 1837". Who was elected as the ninth President? 14. When did President Harrison die ? Who succeeded him as President ? What biUs did Tyler veto ? When did Texas apply for admission to the Union ? What objections were made to admitting her? In what way did the nation express its wishes? WTien was the bill to admit Texas passed? When did the new State enter the Union ? When was Florida admitted as a State? Tell about the telegraph. 170 A PEIMARY HISTORY. 15. What was the cause of the war with Mexico? When did Polk send Taylor into Texas? What were the first two battles fought with the Mexicans? What plan was adopted for the war ? Tell about the battle of Monterey ;— Buena Vista ;— Vera Cruz ;— Cerro G-ordo ;— the capture of Mexico, What was the result of the war? What territory was ceded by Mexico to the United States? When was gold discovered in California? What was the effect of the discovery? When did California apply for admission to the Union? AYhat troubles then grew out of the slavery question? What was the Wilmot Proviso? What new political party was formed? Who was elected as the twelfth President? IG. What were the terms of the Compromise of 1850? When did President Taylor die? Who succeeded him? What effect had the Fugitive Slave Law upon politics? Who was elected as the fourteenth President? 17. Tell about the Kansas-lSTebraska Bill. What difficulties arose in Kansas? What effect had the slavery excitement upon politics? Name the candi- dates of each party for President in 1856. Who was elected? 18. What feeling in regard to slavery grew up between the North and the South? State the facts in regard to the Dred Scott decision. Grive an account of John Brown's Raid. How were politics affected by the result ? Tell about the different candidates for President in 1860. WTio was elected ? What action did South Carolina take? What other Southern States followed her example ? What name was given to these States ? Who were chosen as their President and Vice-President ? What was the condition of affairs in the North? What course did President Buchanan follow? Por what event did the whole country wait? Name the new States admitted into the Union. In what year was each received? 19. Name in their order the States admitted to the Union from the adoption of the Constitution to the election of Liincoln. Name the Presidents in their order from Washington to Lincoln. How many of them were elected for a second term?— how many and which of them for only one term? FOR READING OR RECITATION. Old Ironsides.— TLoiMiEs. Peri^''s Ylctorij on Lake Eme.—J. Q-. Per- Osceola.—K. B. Street, cival. The Biglow Papers. — Lowell, Hail Columbia.— J . Hopkinson. The Angels of Buena Ffe^a.— Whittier. TJie /Stot^e-s/ii2^.— Montgomery. The American Flag.— Drakb. The African C'Me/".— Bryant. The Arsenal at Spjingfleld.-ljo-SGFELLOw. The Ship of /Stofe.— Longfellow. lYeedom. —IjOwej.l. The Defenders of New Orleans.— Djiakb. The Star Sjyangled Banner.— 'F. S. Key. The Present Crisis (1845).— Lowell, M gPApT? V.pte^ ^-^Hti -iJL^-_WAi^;, WHEN Lincoln took his seat as President (1861), seven Southern States had declared themselves out of the Union, and had set up a government for themselves. The otlier Southern States were quietly awaiting the course of events. It was not certain what they would do ; but they all claimed that any State had a right to leave the Union whenever it pleased. In the North, most people held that no State could leave the Union ; but there Avas a great difference of opinion as to what ought to be done. Some said that the Southern States should be brought back by force, while others thought it would be better to let them go in peace. Many of the most eminent and patriotic men of the country held the latter opinion for a while. President Lincoln, who was a man of calm wisdom and discretion, hoped to settle the question peaceably. 172 A PEIMART HISTORY. He declared in his inaugural address that he did not intend to interfere with slavery in the Southern States, and, furthermore, that he had no right to do so ; but at the same time he made it plainly understood that he was determined to enforce the laws every-where, and to recover the forts and arsenals, the property of the United States, which the people of the South had seized. The matter had gone too far to be settled peaceably, however. The Southern States had determined not to come back into the Union on any terms, and the United States would not agree to this. Bombardment of Fort Sumter (1861). — While matters were in this uncertain state, an event occurred which made war certain. Major Robert Anderson, with a small company of United States troops, held Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor. This was one of the few fortresses in the South which had not been captured by the seced- ing States. The Confederates, as the Southerners were called, demanded its surrender. Major Anderson refused, whereupon the Confederates, under General Beauregard (bo' re gard), bombarded the fort. The fire was kept up for nearly two days and nights, when Anderson, finding his supply of food and ammunition almost exhausted, was forced to surrender. He was allowed to salute his flag with the honors of war, and take his men to the North, instead of giving them up as prisoners. The Effect. — When this news was telegraphed over the country, everybody, on both sides, abandoned all hope of peace, and began to get ready for war. Presi- THE CIVIL WAR. 173 dent Lincoln called for volunteers, and three hundred thousand men offered themselves at once. There was a similar effect in the South. Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee, hesitating no longer, severed their connection with the Union and joined the Confederacy. Virginians seized the arsenal at Harper's Ferry and the navy-yard at Norfolk (nor'fawk), with its vast stores of cannon and war materials. While all this was going on, Southern volunteers were pouring into Richmond, and Northern volunteers were hurrying on to Washington. The greatest war of modern times was now about to begin. It was to be a terrible conflict, for it was to be a struggle of Americans against Americans. The armies were made up of the very best inen in the North and the South ; and when the war was once fairly begun, it was certain that neither side would submit until forced to do so. First Movements of the Armies (1861). — The volun- teers on both sides were good material of which to make soldiers, but at first they were not good soldiers. They had to be taught many things ; they had to learn how to march and how to fight battles. For a while, there- fore, very little was done on either side except to get ready. The Union troops crossed the Potomac at Wash- ington, and took Alexandria and Arlington. There they threw up fortifications to prevent the Confederates from reaching Washington. The Southerners had established their chief camp at Manas'sas Junction, in Virginia, and 174 A PEIMARY HISTORY. their line was along a creek, called Bull Run, about twenty-five miles from Washington. During the spring and early summer. General McClel- lan, with a Union army, marched into western Virginia, where the people were mostly on the Union side. He and General Rosecrans (ro'ze krans) having gained sev- eral small battles, secured control of that region. About two years later, while the war was still going on, Virginia was divided, and the western part of it came into the Union as the State of West Virginia. Battle of Bull Run (1861).— The first real battle of the war was fought at Bull Run, on the 21st of July, THE CIVIL WAK. 175 1861. The Confederate army, under General Beaure- gard, was stretched along Buh Run Creek, and General Irvin McDowell, with the Union army, went out to attack it. Each army numbered about thirty thousand men. The men on both sides were new to the work of fight- ing ; but they were brave and full of enthusiasm. For many hours the battle was so hotly contested that it was doubtful which side would win ; but, at a decisive moment, a part of the Union army was suddenly attacked on its flank by a force of Confederates that had just arrived on the field. These Union troops, thinking they were about to be surrounded, wavered and retreated, and presently the whole army broke into a wild panic and fled in great disorder to Washington. The Effect of Bull Run.— The effect of this battle on both sides was very great, but in different ways. The Southern people, wild with the joy of victory, thought the war was over, and consequently became careless. In the North, at first everybody was much dis- couraged; but in a little while they began to realize the magnitude of the undertaking before them, and saw that a greater effort must be made. Congress promptly voted to raise half a million men and five hundred mill- ions of dollars. Volunteers poured into the camps every- where, and General George B. McClellan, who was made Commander-in-Chief, spent several months in training the men and making soldiers of them. Other Events of the Summer (1861). — Drmng the first summer, there was a great deal of fighting in Mis- 176 A PKIMARY HISTORY. souri. The people of that State were divided in their allegiance. Some sided with the Union and some with the South, so that for a while it was not certain which side would succeed in gaining control. After many small battles, however, the Confederates were finally forced out of the State. Battle of Ball's Bluff (1861).— On the 21st of October, exactly three months after the battle of Bull Run, a Union force of two thousand men crossed the Potomac at Ball's Bluff, above Washington, and there came unex- pectedly upon a body of Confederates. In the battle that followed, the Union troops were badly defeated and driven from the field. In trying to get back across the river, many of them were killed and many were drowned. While this disaster was very discouraging to the people at the North, it stimulated them to a more vigorous prosecution of the war. The Plan of the War (1861).— By this time, the Union generals had formed a plan for carrying on the Avar. There were three important things to be done, if possible. One was to take Richmond, Virginia, which had been made the Confederate capital ; another was to blockade the Southern ports and land an army on the Southern coast, and thus shut off the Confederates from the sea ; the third was to secure possession of the Mississippi River, and, by so doing, cut the South in two. The War on the Coast (1861). — During the fall, a part of this plan of operations was successfully carried out. Two armies were safely planted on the Southern THE CIVIL WAR. 177 coast ; one of them at Hatteras Inlet, in N(jrth Carolina, and the other along the coast from Port Royal, in South Carolina, to the mouth of the Savannah River. Ah this was a great gain to the Union side; and, from that time till the end of the war, the stretch of coast thus taken was securely held. The Confederates still held Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington ; but the ships of the navy watched their harbors closely and stopped all trade between the South and the rest of the world, except what could be carried on by blockade-runners. Blockade-Running. — The people of the South had always been an agricultural people — that is, they lived wholly by cultivating the ground. They had few fac- tories of any kind, and depended upon the North and upon Europe for their supplies of manufactured goods, for which they exchanged their cotton, rice, tobacco, and other products. With their ports closed by a stringent blockade, so that vessels could neither enter nor leave them, the Southern States were now effectually cut off from com- munication with the rest of the world. As a result, all goods that could not be made in the South rose to fabulous prices, while in England, cotton could not be had at all. If,* therefore, a ship-owner succeeded in tak- ing a cargo of goods into a Southern port, and bringing out a cargo of cotton, his profit would be very great. In the hope of making such profits, a great many foreigners went into the business of blockade-nnming. 178 A PRIMARY HISTORY. cavenworlL^ l^ 3Iason > Qiiincy y Lj^^^ MAP TO ILLUSTRATE PRiNGFiELu THE WAR EN THE WEST '-«'7«'^oii Vv,oi >T 1 , v^ I *^ AND ^exinS^ 'pOiasgow >M.erly ^, S > iair^ (Kansas City ^ L^ V (J \- ON THE MISSISSIPPI St(\Genevievp ^^ ) I V ( ^"^"N^ 'Pilot XnotVi- ^."^' irie '^ Praili^, f-i'ayettevffle jjh 0, 1 ! Smith BelDiontiroN^^^''^'"' "v. Elizaljefhtown ^ j! A^H^'^'Tinian XT'Tf'" pq-'m— rr, ^ - Jolinsonville^NASHVILIi. ^Fran-klin. A°=' 1 V^ ^^^T E^ N|/NV^^'.;S E E y, f ^ '--^'V/o,, •jaclson/ Coh^mbi2'''W^'-''es^oro - / 4 T> -r^ ^ ? 3r°refi.iaiM.n,plis ^'"^I'-fJ^ln-S Tula.!.!, paveUevme'%^'^'' ; ""'spru.,^ POCK? ^3^^ £.j Spring ^'^"^f^::^5irs^v 7 \ I Arkadelphiai ^^"Vl M f^ ^T /«» V / '^ ^ "^^ "^ -"Fulton l^ Aapoleo^.^' /^\ r-/^ ^l^erd, J 2 Camden IT:- s5 nvT '^ < I > ^ i,-^ ?y '■'^«ada I -'^ THE CIVIL WAR. 179 They built small, fast-sailing steamers, and painted them a dull gray color, so that they could not be seen very far at sea. Loaded with goods, they made their Avay into Charleston, Savannah, Wilmington, or Mobile. These goods were exchanged for cotton, to carry to for- eign countries. Many of these ships were captured by the vigilant war-ships guarding the entrances to the Southern harbors ; but a great many escaped, and the business of blockade-running continued until all the Con- federate ports on the Atlantic coast were finally closed in the last year of the war. Progress of the War. — We can not, of course tell, in a little book like this, all about the movements of the various armies, nor can we describe all the battles, marches, and sieges that occurred during this great war. We shall tellonly in a general way what was done. Forts Henry and Donelson Captured (1862). — In Feb- ruary, General Ulysses S. Grant, with the help of some gun-boats under the connnand of Commodore Foote, captured two strong Southern forts. Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River, taking fifteen thousand prisoners. This was a severe blow to the Confederates, and seriously interfered with their plan of operations in that region. Without these forts, they could not maintain their armies in Kentucky, and so they retreated, abandoning all of that State and most of Tennessee to the Union troops. These successes, so brilliantly won in the first cam- paign in the West, gave great encouragement to the 180 A PRIMARY HISTORY Union side, for they more than offset the disasters of Bull Run and Ball's Bluff. Battle of Shiloh. — Grant uoay took his army to Pitts- burg Landing, on the Tennessee River, where he waited to be joined by an army under Buell, before making an ^^5%^^ GU^-BOATS ATTACK.I>'G l-OltT DONELSON. advance upon Corinth, Mississippi, In April, the Confed- erates from Corinth, under G-enerals A. S. Johnston and Beauregard, made a stealthy march of tvfenty miles, and falling unexpectedly on the Union army, drove it from its camp. For twelve hours the battle raged. Grant's force was pushed back, slowlj^ but steadily, toward the river. The Union men fought with the pluck and tenac- ity of old soldiers ; but the Confederates i)ressed themx THE CIVIL WAR. 1ehind which more than two hundred pieces of artillery poured an incessant fire of shot and shell upon the be- 196 A PRIMARY HISTORY. leaguered city and its inhabitants. The navy on tlie river side threw great bombs into the streets of Vicks- burg at night, so that, between the fire of tlie fleet on one side and that of tlie army on the other, the people were in constant fear and terror. To escape the dreadful storm of fire that swept over the place, the people abandoned their houses, and dug caves in the sides of the hills, in which they continued to live all during the siege. Soon the store of food ran low, when mules, and horses, and other animals Avere killed, to eke out the scanty rations of the besieged. Famine and pestilence stalked the streets, while all around was a circle of fire. The end finally came. After seven weeks of heroic defense, Vicksburg surren- dered on the 4th of July, and 2 7,000 men were taken prisoners. Siege and Capture of Port Hudson (1803). — Vicks- burg, as we have learned, was not the only place on the Mississippi to be taken before the control of the great river was wrested from the Confederates. Port Hudson, two hundred miles below, was also strongly fortified, and the reduction of that stronghold was also i3art of the plan of campaign for this year. About the time that Grant began his movement against Vicksburg, a Union army, under General Banks, crossed from New Orleans into western Louisiana, and, routing the Confederates under Taylor, pursued them far into the country. Turning about, a swift jnarch along the Bed River brought Banks to the Mississippi. Here O^HE CIVIL WAR. 197 the fleet from Vicksburg met him and carried his army across to a point a few miles north of Port Hudson. In the meantime a large forc^e, under General Augur, had been gathered at Baton Rouge, south of Port Hud- son. Banks advancing on the doomed town from the north and Augur from the south, Boon invested it. Two desperate attempts were made to carry the Confederate works by storm, but both were repulsed with frightful loss. The place sustained, for more than forty days, all the horrors of a siege, when, on the 7th of July — three days after the surrender of Vioksburg — Port Hudson also succumbed. The Mississippi was now free, and the Confederacy cut in two. The War in the Center (1863). — The rest of the fighting during this year took place around Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rosecrans marched against that place, and Bragg, fearing that he might be cut off and shut up in the town, retreated on the 8th of September. Lee, see- ing the danger, hurried Longstreet with a large force from Virginia to the assistance of Bragg. With this help, Bragg suddenly turned on Rosecrans at Chickamauga Creek, September 19th. The battle lasted two days, and the Union forces were badly worsted. General Thomas, who had command of the left wing of the Union army, held his ground, however, and so prevented the victory of the Confederates from being complete. Siege of Chattanooga (1863). —During the night, Thomas fell back to Chattanooga, and Bragg followed. 198 A PRIMARY HISTORY. For two months the Union army was closely shut up in the town, until it was nearly starved. In November, re- lief came. General Hooker was sent from Virginia with two corps, and Sherman brought his army from luka, Mississippi, while General Grant took command. The BATTLE OF MISSIONAKY RIDGE. fighting began on the 23d of November, and lasted until the 25th. The Union troops took the Confederate works on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge in two of the most brilliant battles of the war. Bragg was driven from his position with great loss, and had to fall back into Georgia, where lie relinquished the command of his army to General Johnston. THE CIVIL WAR. 199 Q-rant now ordered Sherman to march at once into East Tennessee, to the relief of Burnside, who was besieged in Knoxville by a Confederate army under Longstreet. After making a desperate effort to take the town before Sherman could reach it, Longstreet with- drew. The Red River Expedition (1864). — In the spring of 1864, an army under General Banks, with a fleet of gun- boats under Admiral Porter, went from New Orleans up the Red River, where they were joined by a part of Grant's army from Yicksburg. The purpose of this ex- pedition was to conquer upper Louisiana and Texas. The Union army was badly beaten by General Richard Taylor in one battle, but held its ground in another the next day. The expedition proved a failure, however, and, as soon ns they could, the forces went back to New Orleans. The Plan of Campaign for 1864. — General Grant, whose brilliant series of victories had stamped him as the ablest general in the Union army, was now appointed Commander-in-Chief of all the Union forces. He had most of the troops brought together into two great armies, one in Virginia, under Meade, and the other near Chattanooga, Tennessee, under Sherman. Grant's plan was to have both armies operate against the enemy at the same time. The Eastern army was to make Rich- mond its objective point, while the Western one was to march into Georgia, rout the Confederate army in that section, break up the railroad system of the South, 200 A PRIMARY HISTORY destroy its foundries, arsenals, and store-liouses, and, if possible, cut the Confederacy in two again. The South was now nearly exhausted with the contest, and Grant hoped by this plan to end the war that year. He ordered the advance to begin early in May. GRANT WRITING THE ORDER ¥0]l SH KliMAN'S ADVANCi The Campaign in Virginia (1864). — On the -ith of May, the Eastern army crossed the Rapidan River, in Vir- ginia, and marched into a desolate and thickly-wooded region called the Wilderness. It was a perfect jungle. There Lee was met the following morning, and for two days the two armies were locked in deadly combat. THE C I \ i L W A li 201 surging and swaying through the tangled woods, as now one and then another of the combatants advanced or re- ceded. The fighting was terrible. The woods resounded with the cries of the wounded and the dying. Finding that Lee could not be dis- lodged, Grant marched to the left, and Lee, marching at the same time, met him again at 'Spottsylvania Court House, There the two armies fought for four days, when Grant, swinging his army to the left again, once more outflanked Lee. In this way, the two marched south, until they found themselves facing each other at Cold Harbor. Battle of Cold Harbor (18(34:).— At this place, Grant made a fierce assault u^Don Lee's works, just at daybreak on the 3d of June. The battle lasted only twenty minutes, but the slaughter was fright- ful. The Union troops, charging upon impregnable earth- works, lost more than ten thousand men, while the Con- federates, protected by the works, lost only a thousand. Moving to the left again. Grant rested at last before Petersburg and Richmond. GRANTS CAMPAIGN AROUND RICHMOND. 20^ A PEIMARY HISTORY. Grant's Plan. — His plan now was to hold his works there and gradually push his left wing farther and far- ther round the town of Petersburg, till Lee should be forced to retreat. Both sides knew that if Grant could get Petersburg, Richmond would be cut off, and the Confederates forced to evacuate it. For the next eight months the siege went on, with almost constant fighting, while little by little Grant's left was pushed forward so as to encircle the Confederate armies. Early's Campaign (1864).— In July, Lee sent Early to threaten Washington, hoping in that way to divert Grant's attention and compel him to raise the siege of Petersburg. Early went into Maryland, and, for a time, Washington was really in danger. Very few Union troops were there, but forces were hurried forward from various points, and Early had to give up his attempt. Sheridan pursued him into Virginia, and a sharp cam- paign in the Shenandoah Valley followed. Three great battles were fought ~ Winchester, Cedar Creek, and Fisher's Hill — in which Sheridan lost about seventeen thousand men, but when the campaign was over, he held complete control of the valley. Grant, meanwhile, firmly holding his position in front of Richmond and Peters- burg, was steadily tightening his lines around Lee and his army. The Alabama and the Kearsarge (1864).— While these brilliant victories were being achieved in the field, the commerce of the United States was being rapidly de- stroyed on the sea by armed cruisers carrying the Con- THE CIVIL WAR. 20B federate flag. These vessels were built in England, and sent out to sea unarmed. Other ships took out arms and ammunition for them, and when these were placed on board. Confederate officers took command. The chief of these ships was the Alabama, com- manded by Captain Raphael Semmes, She scoured the seas for many months, capturing American merchant vessels, and making it dangerous for unarmed ships to sail under the United States flag. At last, on the 19 th of June, 1864, the Kearsarge, a United States man-of- war, under Captain Winslow, met the Alabama near Cherbourg, France, and, after a battle of two hours, the Confederate vessel was sunk. Captain Semmes was taken on board an English yacht, which witnessed the fight, and made his escape. The Campaign in the West (1864). — When Grant crossed the Eapidan on his campaign in Virginia, Sher- man began his march into Georgia. Johnston slowly fell back before him, fighting stubbornly wherever he could make a stand. There were four great battles fought before Johnston at last took up his position in front of Atlanta. There he meant to stay and force Sherman to attack him behind his earth-works, but Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, just then removed him from command, and placed Hood in his place. Hood attacked Sherman again and again, but with- out success. Sherman, instead of resorting to the slow process of a siege, marched past the town and cut its line of supplies. Hood was now forced to abandon 204 A PKIMAKY HISTORY. Atlanta at once, to save his army from captm^e, leaving Sherman and his army in possession of the great railroad center of the South. On leaving Atlanta, Hood at once marched north and attacked Nashville. For two weeks he kept Thomas closely besieged in that town. At the end of that time, Thomas forced his way out, and a terrible battle, lasting two days, followed. Hood's army fought desperately, but was at last beaten and broken to pieces. Sherman's March to the Sea (1864).— As soon as Hood moved toward Nashville, Sherman set out to march through the heart of the So]ith, from Atlanta to Sa- vannah. Without opposition, he marched through the middle of the Confederacy, his army spread out over a wide expanse of country, destroying railroads, and capt- uring the few stores that were left. Finally, on the day after Hood's defeat at Nashville, Sherman entered Sa- vannah, and finished his famotis " march to the sea ". The Situation (1865). — It was now plain that the South could not hold out much longer. The Confed- eracy, which had been cut in two when the Mississippi River was opened, was again divided by Sherman's tri- umphant march across Greorgia. Admiral Farragut had taken the forts in Mobile Bay, and in January, 1865, a land and a sea force, after a desperate fight, took Fort Fisher, and so closed the harbor of Wilmington, North Carolina. The End of the War. — The Union armies now pressed the Confederates at every point. Cavalry forces swept THE CIVIL WAK. 205 UNION AND CONFEDERATE GENERALS OF THE CIVIL WAR, 206 A PRIMARY HISTORY. through the country in all directions. Shermun, with his army, set out from Savannah, passed through Co- lumbia, South Carolina, and, after some battles with the Confederates under Johnston, entered Raleigh, North Carolina. As soon as Sherman took Columbia, the Confederates withdrew from Charleston. The South was now com- pletely cut off from all access to the sea. On the 1st of Aprils , General Sheridan pushed a force around Lee's right flank, and gained the decisive battle of Five Forks. The next day an advance was ordered all along the Union lines, which broke Lee's front, and forced him to retreat from Petersburg to Richmond. Lee now struggled hard to free himself from the toils in which Grant had enveloped him, and to get away with the last remnant of his army. Pressed on every side, he was compelled, at last, to abandon Richmond ; and, after marching and fighting day and night for seven days, he found his men actually starving. On the 9th of April, Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court-House, Virginia. He had only eight thousand men left of his once magnificent army. As soon as it was known that Lee had surrendered, the Southern forces, one after another, laid down their arms,, and the civil war was over. New States. — Two new States were added to the Union during the civil war — West Virginia, in 1863, and Nevada, in 1865. The Assassination of President Lincoln. — As soon as THE CIVIL W All. 207 the news of Lee's surrender reached President Lmcoln, he began to lay plans for settling the quarrel, and making the whole country once more peaceful and friendly. He had asserted, all through the war, that the only thing he cared for was to bring the Southern States back and preserve the Union. In his second inaugural address, about a month before, he had uttered these noble words, "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." And nov\^, that the conflict was ended, he meant, in the same generous spirit, to do all that he could to make the people forget the past, and be again friends. Nobody else could have done so much to bring this about as he, and, had he lived, it would have been much easier than it was to settle matters. But a terrible tragedy was enacted on the 14 th of April, just five days after Lee's surrender. Mr. Lincoln was sitting in a box in a theater, looking at the play, when an actor, named John Wilkes Booth, crept up be- hind, and shot him through the head. The news of this shocking deed sent a thrill of horror through the whole country, but there was no rioting of any kind. Mr. Lincoln's second term began on the 4th of March — 208 A PRIMARY HISTORY. a little more than a month hefore his death — so that the Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, had neany four years to serve as President. QUESTIONS. 1. When did Lincoln enter on his deities as President? What right had the Southern States always claimed? What diflPerent opinions in regard to secession wei'e expressed at the North? \\rhat declarations did Lincoln inake in his inaugural address? ~\Yliat determination had been arrived at hy the seceded States? 2. Who commanded Eort Sumter when it was attacked by the Confederates? Who was in command of the forces attacking Tort Sumter? Tell about the bombardment of Fort Sumter. What was its effect upon the whole country? Give the names of the States added to the Confederacy. At what place did the volunteers of the North collect? — the volunteers of the South ? 3. Wliat was the first movement of the Union army ? Where was the Southern army located? Tell about McClellan's campaign in Western "Virginia. When was the State of West Virginia admitted to the Union? Describe the battle of Bull Run. What was its effect upon the South ? What was its effect upon the North? Who w^as appointed commander-in-chief of the Union forces? "N^Tiat was the condition of affairs in Missouri? When did the battle of Ball's Bluff take place? A^Hiat was its effect \ipon the North ? 4. What plan of action had been formed by the Union generals? "Why was the possession of the Mississippi River by the Union side considered impoii;ant? "What events took place on the coast in 1861? Name the principal sea-ports of the South. "What was the object of blockading the Southern ports ? Tell about blockade-running. Why was blockade-running resorted to? 5. Give an account of the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson ;— the abandon- ment of Kentucky by the Confederates ;— the battle of Shiloh. Who com- manded the L^nion forces at Shiloh? "Who the Confederate? Give an account of Farragut's expedition against New Orleans ; — the capture of Baton Rouge and Natchez. "WTiy were Vicksburg and Port Hudson of great importance to the Confederates? 6. "What places on the coast were captured by General Burnside? Tell about the Merrimac; — the Monitor. ■\^Tiat did the Merrimac do on the 8th of March, 1862? Describe the fight between the iron-clads. What is said of the importance of this fight? THE CIVIL WAR. 209 7. Wliat was McClellan's plan of campaign against Richmond ? Tell about the battle of Williamsburg ;— the siege of Richmond ;— Jackson's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. Why was Jackson sent there V Tell about the battle of Fair Oaks ; — the Seven Days' Battles. What was the result of the Peninsular campaign? 8. When did Lee march northward? Wliat battle was fought with General Pope? What Northern State did the Confederates enter? Who was t^ent to oppose them? Tell about the battle of Antietam. What did the battle of Antietam decide? Tell about the battle of Fredericksburg ;—Bragg's expedition into Kentucky ;— the battles of luka and Corinth;— the battle of Murfreesborough ;— the Vicksl:)urg expedition. Why was this expedi- tion unsuccessful? 9. What proclamation did President Lincoln issue on January 1st, 1863? What were its effects upon the war? AVhat was President Lincoln's purpose in issuing that proclamation? Tell about the battle of Chan- cellorsville; — the death of "Stonewall" Jackson; — the advance of Lee into Maryland and Pennsylvania; — the battle of Grettysburg ; — the siege and capture of Vicksburg ; — the siege and capture of Port Hudson. What great object was accomplished by the capture of these two places? Tell about the battle of Chattanooga ;— the battle of Chickamauga ;— the siege of Chattanooga ; — the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. 10. When did the Red River Expedition take place? What was its object? What was its result? Who was appointed commander-in-chief of the Union armies? What were his plans for 1864? What was the condition of the Confederacy? 11. When did the Eastern army cross the Rapidan River? Tell about the battle of the Wilderness ; — the battle of Spottsylvania Coui't House ;— the battle of Cold Harbor. How did Grant intend to capture Richmond? How did Lee endeavor to raise the siege of Petersburg? What were the chief events of Early's campaign? What three great battles were fought and won by Sheridan in that campaign ? Give an account of the cruise of the Alabama;— of her fight with the Kearsarge. 13. Describe the advance of Sherman upon Atlanta. Who commanded the Con- federate army opposed to Sherman ? Who succeeded him ; — and why ? Tell about the expedition of Hood against Nashville ;— Sherman's march to the sea. What was the situation of affairs in February, 1865? TeU about Sherman's march from Savannah, Georgia, to Raleigh, North Caro- lina ; — the battle of Five Forks ; — the retreat and surrender of Lee. At what place did Lee surrender? 13. What two new States were added to the Union during the war? What were Lincoln's intentions after the war was over? What was his great object during the war? When and by whom was he assassinated? Who became President? How long had he to serve? 210 A PRIMARY HISTORY FOR READING OR RECITATION. Battte Hymn of t?ie JRepublic.—JvhiA Wabd Howe. Our PnvUege—BnET Harte. Our Coufitry's Call.— Bryant. The Union— Bight or Wrong.— Gteo. P. MOKKIS. At Port Eoyal. — "Whittieb. John Broion.-'Ei. C. StedmaN. Three Hundred Thousand More. The Brummer Boy.— 3. T. Trowbridge. TJie Color Bearer.— 'H.. H. Brownell. Th^ Floiver of Liberty. — Holmes. The Little Brummer.— 'K. H. Stoddabt. Th£ Cumberland. — Longfellow. On Board the Cumberland. — Geo. H. BOKER. Barbara Frietchie.—WHiTTiER. John Burns of Gettysburg.— Bret "FT arte. Shefidan's Ride.—T. B. Read. The Cavalry Charge.— 'E. C. Stedman. Abraham Lincoln.— Bryant. The Fight Above the Clouds. — 'W. R. Wallace. Tfie Bay Fight.— JL. H. Brownell. T?ie EeveiUe. — Bret Harte. The Blue and the Gray.—F. M. Pinch. ©J yj^HIF vl. .REeONSf RUCTION AND m i A^m^^4 PASSINQ EVENfS Z^K^^^^ -'"^ FROM ia63 THE PRESGNT DATE JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1865-1869.) RECONSTRUCTION.— Although the war was over, there were still many questions that grew out of it to be settled. In the first place, since there might be some question as to the right of the President to abolish slavery, an amendment to the Constitution was passed, which prohibited slavery every-where in the country. But the most perplexing question of all was how to treat the Southern States. President Johnson main- tained that, as they had no right to secede, they were never out of the Union at all. He wanted thein to resume their old places again, and send their represent- atives to Congress as soon as they should comply with certain terms which he laid down. The majority of Congress, on the contrary, thought that the Southern States by seceding had forfeited their rights as States, that they were now to be regarded as 212 A PRIMARY HISTORY. conquered provinces, and that it remained with Congress to say what they must do to get back into the Union. This difference of opinion led to a bitter controversy between the President and Congress. Impeachment of the President. — In 1868, the Presi- dent was tried before the Senate for removing the Secre- tary of War from office without the consent of the Senate. It was claimed that in doing this he violated one of the laws passed by Congress, and was therefore guilty of a high crime and misdemeanor. There was great excitement throughout the country over the trial. When the Senate voted, the President was acquitted. After that, the work of bringing the Southern States back into the Union went on steadily. One by one they conformed to the conditions which the laws re- quired, and were allowed to come back into the Union. It was several years, however, before they were all ad- mitted, and in the election of the next President, three of them were not allowed to vote, because they had not been fully restored to their places in the Union. Constitutional Amendments.— The Thirteenth Amend- ment to the Constitution simply abolished slavery. It did not determine what rights the negroes should have, and so another amendment— the Fourteenth— was adopted by Congress. This gave the negroes all the rights and privileges of white men, except the right of voting. Being ratified by the necessary number of States, this amendment became, in 1868, part of the Constitution. But as this did not give the negroes the right to vote, JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION, 218 a Fifteenth AmendiuHiit was passed, which bestowed upon them all the rights of citizens of the United States, and of the States in which they lived. It became a part of the Constitution in 1870, after Johnson's term had LANDING THE ATLANTIC CABLE AT HEARTS CONTENT. expired. These three changes in the Constitution were all that the war had made necessary. Purchase of Alaska. — In 186 7, the United States bought Russian America, which we now call Alaska. The country is cold and barren ; but it is rich in furs, and there are valuable fisheries on its coasts. New State.— Nebraska was added to the Union during 1867, making the total number of States thirty-seven. 214 A PRIMARY HISTORY. The Ocean Telegraph (1866). — For many years, Mr, Cyrus W. Field, of New York, had been trying to lay a telegraph under the Atlantic Ocean. One was laid in 1858, but it soon broke. Most people believed that a cable could not be successfully laid and worked across so wide an expanse of ocean. But Mr. Field (who is a man of great patience and perseverance) had faith in the undertaking. He continued his efforts, and at last, in 1866, after many failures and discouragements, suc- ceeded in his great enterprise. The cable was laid by the G-reat Eastern, the largest steam-ship ever built in the world. Since that time, many other cables liaA^e been stretched under the ocean, and now we would not know how to get along without them. Politics. — As the time for the next election approached, the Republicans nominated G-eneral U. S. Grant for Pres- ident, while the Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour, of New York. The contest mainly turned upon the right of Congress to establish laws for the admission of the Southern States to the Union. The Republican candi- date was elected. G-RANTS ADMINISTRATION. (TWO TERMS-1869-1877.) The Pacific Railroad (1869). — General Grant took his seat as President, in March, 1869. During the first year of his term, the railroad across the continent, which had been a great while in process of construction, was fin- GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION. 216 ished. For six years, two companies had been building this road, one working from the east and the other from the west. In May, 186 9, they met at Ogden, Utah, and the last spike was driven between two locomotives, one headed toward the east and the other toward the west. The great Pacific Railroad was at last finished, and lines of rails, stretching without a break all the way across the continent, realized Columbus' dream of a short route to India. The Treaty of Washington (1871). — There were sev- eral matters in dispute between England and the United States. The most serious of them grew out of the oper- ations of the Confederate cruiser Alabama, which had done so much damage to American shipping during the war. The United States claimed that England, as a friendly nation, ought not to have permitted the Ala- bama to sail out of a British port, and therefore was responsible for all the harm the Alabama had done. The British government, however, would not yield to this view, and for a while it seemed that a war was im- minent between the two countries. But, in 1871, it was agreed to submit the whole matter to fair men, and to let them decide the questions in dispute. This agree- ment was called the Treaty of Washington. All differ- ences between the two countries were amicably adjusted. This was much more sensible than fighting, and made the two countries better friends than ever. The Great Fires (1871). — In October, 1871, a great fire broke out in Chicago, and in a night swej)t away 21(i A PRIMARY HISTORY. the best part of that city. The property destroyed was worth two hundred mihion dollars, and a hundred thou- sand people were left homeless. This terrible disaster elicited an outburst of generosity among the American people, such as had never before been witnessed in uny country. Within twelve hours after the story of the fire had been flashed over the wires, trains, laden with food and clothing, were running from all points toward the desolated city. In every hamlet, town, and city of the United States, the people were at work devising means for the relief of their stricken brethren in Chicago. About the same time a disastrous fire swept through the great lumber region of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, burning villages and farm-houses, and destroy- ing thousands of people. The next year, in November, a fire occurred in Boston, which consumed the finest part of that city. But the country was rich and thriving, and so Chicago and Boston were soon built up again, even better than before. Politics. — About this time many Kepublicans, who had zealously supported General Grant at the preceding elec- tion, became dissatisfied with his administration. They organized as the "Liberal Republican Party", and nomi- nated Horace Greeley for President. The Democratic convention endorsed this nomination, while the Repub- licans re-nominated General Grant. When the election took place, the Democrats, disliking Mr. Greeley because of his erratic ideas, mostly refrained from voting, and General Grant was accordingly re-elected. GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION. 217 The Panic of 1873.— The prosperity of the country was now to receive a severe shock. There had been a great deal of wild speculation throughout the country, and, in the fall of 1873, a crash came similar to that of 1837. Banks failed, railroad-building stopped, factories shut their doors, money became scarce, business almost came to a stand, and thousands of people all over the country were thrown out of employment. Very hard times fol- lowed, and for six years the people felt the effects of that terrible panic. The Centennial Exhibition (1876). — In spite of the hard times, however, a great exhibition, in celebration of the hundredth year of our country's history, was held in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, in 1876. Vast buildings were erected for the purpose, and the people of all na- tions sent goods to be exhibited there. Visitors came from all parts of the world, and everybody in the coun- try who could do so went to Philadelphia to see the wonderful sights. The exhibition lasted from May to October, and during that time it was visited by nearly ten millions of people. Indian Wars (1873-76). — There were two wars with the Indians during Grant's term. The first was with the Modocs of Oregon, m 1873. When the Indians were surrounded, General Canby went with a flag of truce to meet their chiefs and make terms of peace. While they were talking together, the chiefs suddenly fell upon Canby's party and tried to kill them. General Canby and a clergyman were instantly killed ; but the rest of 218 A PRIMARY HISTORY. the party escaped, although one of them was wounded. Nothing could be done after that but conquer the Indians, and force them to surrender. When that was done, their chiefs were tried and hanged for their treacherous deed. The other Indian war was in 1876, with the Sioux of Dakota. It was in this war that the terrible Custer massacre took place. General Custer, with about three hundred men, was surrounded by Sitting BulFs band of Indians, and could not cut his way out. Every man of the party was killed. This disaster was a great shock to the people of the country. The war, however, was vigor- ously continued till the Indian bands were broken up or driven into British America. The Disputed Election (1876). — The next election for President was a very close one. The Republicans had nominated Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio, for President, and the Democrats, Samuel J. Tilden, of New York. After the election, there arose a dispute as to which can- didate was entitled to the electoral votes of Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. For several months the question was a burning one in Congress and among the people, and many were afraid that it would result in another civil war. Congress finally agreed to refer the matter to a commission of fifteen men — five Senators, five Representatives, and five Justices of the Supreme Court. This commission decided that the votes of the disputed States should be counted for Mr. Hayes. He was therefore declared elected by a majority of one electoral vote. HAYES' ADMINISTRATION. 219 HAYES' ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1877-1881.) Domestic Affairs (1877). — During Hayes' term, much of the old feehng of bitterness between the North and the South passed away. The people, for a time, forgot all about politics, and became interested in other mat- ters. New questions, too, were coming up. In 1879, the government began to pay gold for the paper money which had been in use ever since the war. This made the paper money every-Avhere worth as much as gold, and helped business a great deal. The Railroad Riots (1877).— In the summer of 1877, the workmen on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad refused to work without higher wages, and when the railroad company decided not to accede to their demands, the workmen prevented the running of trains. This "strike", as it was called, soon developed into a riot, and spread over a large part of the country. Militia and regular troops were called out to subdue the rioters, and a good deal of bloodshed followed. In Pittsburgh, one hundred men were killed, many buildings and cars were burned, and much valuable property was destroyed. In Chicago, and other places, there was sharp fighting, and even after the riots were quelled, the government considered it necessary to retain troops in the mining districts of Pennsylvania to prevent a new outbreak. The Yellow Fever Epidemic. — In 1878, and again in 1879, yellow fever raged with great violence in many 220 A PRIMARY HISTORY. Southern cities and villages. Thousands of people died of the disease ; and as business was suspended in the cities where it prevailed, there was much suffering among the people. Money, food, clothing, and medicines were badly needed for the smitten ones, and the people of the North poured out their wealth like water to help their plague-stricken brethren of the South. Eich men gave large sums, men of small means gave what they could, and even the poor dropped their coins into the boxes that were set up in public places to receive them. Phy- sicians and nurses from all parts of the country volun- teered their services and went South, many to lose their lives by the dreadful scourge. There was more danger in going into the fever cities than there is in the fiercest battle, and those who thus endangered their lives to help the sick and suffering displayed a heroism worthy of the highest honor. We have said that the people of the North and South grew naore friendly during Hayes' administration. Nothing • did more to make them so than what happened in the yellow fever time. Politics. — At the election of 1880, which was char- acterized by great excitement and bitterness, General James A. G-arfield, the Republican candidate, was chosen as the next President. The Democratic candidate was General W. S. Hancock. New State. — Colorado was admitted to the Union as a State, in 1876. GARFIELD'S ADMINISTRATION. 221 G-ARFIELD AND ARTHUR'S ADMINISTRATION. (ONE TERM— 1881-1885.) Assassination of President Garfield (1881). — General Garfield took his seat on the 4th of March, 1881, and his administration prom- ised to inaugurate an- other era of good feel- ing. The people of both parties liked the new President, and be- lieved that he meant to do what was best for the country. But, on the 2d of July, 1881, a man named Charles J. Guiteau, who had endeavored to obtain an office from the Pres- ident and failed, went up behind him while he was standing in a railroad sta- tion at Washington, and shot him in the back. For nearly three months, President Garfield lay wounded, while the whole country waited and watched eagerly for the news that was sent out from the sick- room twice a day. At last, on the 19 th of September, the President died, and throughout the United States the people were in mourning. Every man, woman, and child felt that a friend was gone. JAMES A. GAKF1L.LI). 222 A PRIMARY HISTORY. Vice-President Arthur becomes President. — On the death of Garfield, the Vice-President, General Chester A. Arthur, became President for the rest of the term. The death of President Garfield produced a profound impression among the people of the country, and for a time put a stop to all political bickerings and strife. Mr. Garfield was a statesman with broad and liberal views. He knew wha.t the country needed to make it prosperous and happy. His inaugural address outlined a policy which, had he lived to carry it out, would have made his one of the most brilliant and successful administra- tions in the history of the country. Called suddenly to the Presidency, therefore, as Mr. Arthur was, he came into power without any well defined policy of his own, but he nevertheless conducted the affairs of the govern- ment with so much wisdom and discretion as to win the respect and confidence of even his political opponents. Civil Service Reform. — One of the questions now uppermost in the public mind, is that of Civil Service Reform. By this is meant the regulation of appoint- ments to positions in the service of the government. In the earlier days of the republic, on the accession of a new President, few changes were made in the minor offices in the public service ; but when Andrew Jackson was elected, what is known as the principle of rotation in office, was introduced. Jackson claimed that the various public offices under an administration should be filled by the friends of the administration, and not by its avowed enemies, or by men who were indifferent to ARTHUR'S ADMINISTRATION. 223 its success. He, therefore, on coming to the Presidency, removed many of the government office-holders through- out the country, and appointed his own personal and political friends in their stead. From that time forward, every President in turn has followed his example. This pernicious policy has been the source of much corruption and disorder at the begin- ning of each successive administration, and many reme- dies have been, from time to time, proposed for its cor- rection. Finally, in 1871, a law was passed by Congress authorizing the President to institute a reform of the Civil Service. Commissioners were appointed by Presi- dent Grant, to pass upon the qualifications of applicants for positions under the government. This plan was tried until 1874, when, Congress refusing longer to provide the necessary means for its continuance, it was aban- doned. The subject was then buried out of sight until the tragic death of President G-arfield, at the hands of a dis- appointed office-seeker. This aroused popular attention to the necessity of decided action on the question, and a strict Civil Service law was accordingly enacted in 1883, during the administration of President Arthur. Under this law, applicants for office are compelled to undergo a competitive examination before a special board of ex- aminers. The system is yet in a crude state ; but should it prove acceptable to the people, two great results will have been attained, — the public offices will hereafter be filled by a better class of men, and the President, 224 A PRIMARY HISTORY. relieved from the care and anxiety of filling the offices, will be at liberty to devote more of his attention to great questions of public policy. Politics. — At the next election there were four candi- dates for President before the people. The Republicans nominated James Gr. Blaine, of Maine, who had been Secre- tary of State for a short time under the Garfield-Arthur administration. The Democrats nomi- nated Grover Cleve- land, who was then Governor of New York State. Ben- jamin F. Butler, of Massachusetts, was the candidate of the "People's Party", and John P. St. John, of Kansas, the candidate of the "Prohibition Party". The contest was carried on with great enthusiasm on all sides. Many questions were discussed before the people, and monster processions paraded through the streets of the principal cities. When the votes were finally counted, the Democratic candidate was declared elected ; and thus the Democratic party, after an interval of almost a quarter of a century, was restored to power. GROVER CLEVELAND. AirniUK'S ADMINISTRATION. 22( QUESTIONS. 1. Ill what manner was slavery abolished throughout the United States? What question in regard to the Southern States caused much trouble? What were President Johnson's views upon the subject ? What stand did Con. gress take? For what action was the President impeached? How did the trial result? Tell about the restoration of the Southern States. How many of them were not allowed to take part in electing the next Presi- dent? How many amendments were made to the Constitution ? What did the thirteenth amendment provide for?— the fourteenth ?— the fifteenth? When, and from what nation, was Alaska purchased ? Of what value is that territory to this country ? When was Nebraska admitted as a State ? Who planned and carried out the laying of an ocean cable ? Tell about the different attempts that were made, and their success. Who were the candidates for President in 1868? -WTio was elected as the eighteenth President ? 2. What great enterprise reached completion in 1869? Whose dream did the Pacific Railroad realize? What was the Alabama Question? In what way was the difficulty finally settled ? "What effect did this result have upon the people of the two countries ? When did the Chicago fire occur ?— the fire in the lumber regions ?— the Boston fire ? Give particulars in regard to each. Why was the " Liberal Bepublican Party " formed ? Who were candidates for President at the next election? Which was successful? 3. Tell about the "Panic of 1873". When and where was the "Centennial Ex- hibition " held ? G-ive an account of its success. What Indian war took place in 1873 ? What act of treachery was committed by the Indians ? What was the result of the war? 'WTien did the Sioux war occur? "Wliat terrible massacre took place ? How was the war terminated ? Who were the candidates for President at the next election ? In what manner was the dispute about the election set at rest ? AVho was declared elected ? 4. What was the condition of the country in 1877? When did paper money become equal in value to gold? What was the cause of the "Railroad Riots"? Tell about the " Yellow Pever Epidemics ". How did they pro- duce better feelings between the North and South ? A^io was elected as the next President? What State was admitted to the Union in 1876? 5. In what way was President Garfield looked upon by the people of all parties ? Tell about his assassination. Who became President? In what way did Arthur perform his duties? Give an account of "Civil Service Reform". "VVTien was the " Civil Service Bill " passed ? What was the object of the law? Name the four candidates at the next election. Who became the twenty-second President? What party thus came again into power? G. Name the Presidents in their order from Washington to Cleveland. Name in their order the States admitted to the Union from the close of the Revo- lution to the present time.