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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The lamented death of President Adams entails on me the duty of writing the preface to our joint work,—a duty which, had he lived, would naturally have fallen to him, since to his initiative and energy the volume owes its existence. Fortunately, the entire manuscript had the benefit of his wisdom and experience as teacher and investigator, and the proofs of about half the book passed under his watchful supervision. Five years ago, in a letter to me proposing the book, Dr. Adams gave, among his r
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CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.
Distribution of the Barbarous Tribes East of the Mississippi...
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CHAPTER I. discovery.
CHAPTER I. discovery.
Specimen of Indian Pottery , from a mound near Pecan Point, Arkansas. Now in the National Museum at Washington. Diego de Landa’s Maya Alphabet. 1. The Aborigines. —When America became known to Europe at the end of the fifteenth century, it was by no means an uninhabited country. Wherever the discoverers effected a landing, and however far they pushed inland, they found themselves confronted by native inhabitants of varying degrees of savagery. Hence the settlement of both Americas, from first to
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CHAPTER II. the first plantations and colonies, 1607–1630.
CHAPTER II. the first plantations and colonies, 1607–1630.
21. The Virginia Company. —At the beginning of the seventeenth century England undertook in earnest to plant colonies in North America. Her only important rival was France. Efforts were first directed toward the vast unoccupied stretch of country between Canada and Florida. The upper part of this region was explored, with favorable results, by Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602, by Martin Pring in 1603, and by George Weymouth in 1605. These enterprises were encouraged by the new king, James I., and Ral
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CHAPTER III. spread of plantations, 1630–1689.
CHAPTER III. spread of plantations, 1630–1689.
First Lord Baltimore. 39. The First Lord Baltimore. —Among the most important counsellors of James I. was his Secretary of State, George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, [30] who had been connected with both the London and Plymouth Companies. His interest in colonial matters was such that he obtained a patent for a colony in Newfoundland; but the enterprise failed in spite of his personal efforts (1621). Later he tried to get a footing in Virginia with some of his fellow-religionists (for he w
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CHAPTER IV. the country at the end of the seventeenth century.
CHAPTER IV. the country at the end of the seventeenth century.
77. Population. —We have now learned that of the thirteen original colonies that formed the United States, all except the youngest, Georgia, had attained individual, or semi-individual, existence by the end of the seventeenth century. The population of New England in 1700 was about one hundred and five thousand, Massachusetts, including Maine, leading with about seventy thousand, and Connecticut coming second with about twenty-five thousand. Rhode Island and New Hampshire were much smaller, cont
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CHAPTER V. development of the colonies, 1690–1765.
CHAPTER V. development of the colonies, 1690–1765.
91. Character of the Period. —During the first quarter, or indeed the first half of the eighteenth century, colonial history contains few salient features apart from boundary disputes, quarrels with royal governors, and struggles with the French and Indians. There was a steady growth in numbers, which may be measured by the fact that from the first to the middle of the century New England increased fourfold, the Middle colonies sixfold, and the Southern colonies sevenfold in population. Wealth a
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CHAPTER VI. causes of the revolution.
CHAPTER VI. causes of the revolution.
117. Tendencies toward Separation. —From the first there were certain conditions that tended to force the American colonies away from the mother country. The colonists, especially those of New England, had very generally left Great Britain for the purpose of escaping oppression; and, after the new settlements were made, the conduct of the home government was not such as to diminish the sense of wrong. It was less than thirty years after the landing at Plymouth when the first of the “Navigation A
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CHAPTER VII. the campaigns of 1775 and 1776.
CHAPTER VII. the campaigns of 1775 and 1776.
144. Continental Army and Commander in Chief. —When the Second Continental Congress came together in the spring of 1775, one of its first acts was to adopt as a continental army the forces which had enlisted in Massachusetts. It then performed an act of the greatest possible service to the cause by appointing George Washington [67] commander in chief. Washington was forty-three years of age, and the important services he had rendered in Virginia and Pennsylvania (§§ 106 - 111 ) had given him suc
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CHAPTER VIII. the campaign of 1777.
CHAPTER VIII. the campaign of 1777.
177. Plans of the British for 1777. —The British saw that if the next campaign was to be successful the war must be pushed forward on a much larger scale. They determined on three important movements. General Howe was to be reënforced so that while holding New York he could open the Hudson to Albany. From the north a new and more powerful expedition, under General Burgoyne, was to repeat the attempt of Sir Guy Carleton. A third expedition, under Colonel St. Leger, was to ascend the St. Lawrence
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CHAPTER IX. the french alliance and the campaigns of 1778 and 1779.
CHAPTER IX. the french alliance and the campaigns of 1778 and 1779.
188. Change in the Commissariat of the Army. —Nearly a year before the close of the campaigns just described, Congress had very unwisely determined to make a change in the control of the commissariat of the army. Up to this time it had been a part of the military service and had been successfully managed by Colonel Trumbull; but it was now decided to appoint two officers,—one for procuring the supplies, and another for distributing them. This system of divided responsibility caused the greatest
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CHAPTER X. the campaigns of 1780 and 1781.
CHAPTER X. the campaigns of 1780 and 1781.
213. Clinton’s Success in the South. —Sir Henry Clinton, even without a very large force, found it possible to carry out his designs in the South with energy and success. Leaving Knyphausen a part of his force to defend New York, he started, December 26, 1779, with eight thousand men, for the South. Savannah fell into his hands, and a little later he invested Charleston. General Lincoln made the great mistake of allowing himself with five thousand men to be shut up in that city with no means of
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CHAPTER XI. the articles of confederation and the constitution.
CHAPTER XI. the articles of confederation and the constitution.
238. Chaotic Condition at the Outbreak of the War. —As soon as the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the members of Congress saw that some form of general government would be necessary to bind the different parts of the country into common methods. Several of the states now had the advantage of regularly constituted governments; but the Continental Congress was without authority from any source whatever. Its members had been sent together by the different states without any mutual underst
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CHAPTER XII. the country at the close of the eighteenth century.
CHAPTER XII. the country at the close of the eighteenth century.
257. Population and Area. —The country over which Washington began to preside in 1789 was very different from the great nation it has grown to be. Counting about seven hundred and fifty thousand slaves, the population did not quite reach four millions. Eleven years later, by the second census, that of 1800, this population had increased to 5,308,480; but the area of 827,844 square miles was not yet settled at the ratio of six and a half persons to a square mile. It was only along the Atlantic co
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CHAPTER XIII. the administrations of washington, 1789–1797.
CHAPTER XIII. the administrations of washington, 1789–1797.
265. Washington as a Statesman. —When Washington took the oath of office in New York City [104] on April 30, 1789, few people could have foreseen that the elderly, dignified man, dressed in the picturesque costume of the period, would one day rank among the greatest statesmen of the world. His experience had been rather with military than with civil affairs. He was reserved in temper, and liked forms and ceremonies to which the masses were opposed. He had few of the arts of persuasion. His mind
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CHAPTER XIV. the administration of john adams, 1797–1801.
CHAPTER XIV. the administration of john adams, 1797–1801.
John Adams. 275. The Election of John Adams. —Washington’s refusal of a third term and retirement to Mount Vernon, brought John Adams [113] to the front as the natural choice of the Federalists for President. Hamilton, as we have seen (§ 267 ), was out of the question, and the services of Massachusetts’ great son during the Revolution ranked next to those of Washington now that Franklin was dead. The Democratic-Republicans naturally favored Jefferson; but there was no such elaborate campaign bet
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CHAPTER XV. the administrations of jefferson, 1801–1809.
CHAPTER XV. the administrations of jefferson, 1801–1809.
282. Jefferson’s Character and General Policy. —With the advent of the popular Jefferson as President, the aristocratic Federalists, especially those of New England, thought, as we have just seen, that anarchy would ensue. Jefferson was supposed to be an opponent of all social distinctions, of strong organized government, and even of religious institutions. As a matter of fact, he was a widely cultured country gentleman who had liberal political theories, a sympathy with the masses of the people
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CHAPTER XVI. the administrations of madison, 1809–1817.
CHAPTER XVI. the administrations of madison, 1809–1817.
298. Madison’s Perplexities. —Just before Madison’s accession to the Presidency the Embargo was supplanted by a non-intercourse law which permitted trade with nations not controlled by France or Great Britain. This legitimate trade and the large amount of fraudulent shipping that went on brought temporary wealth to American shipowners, and there even seemed to be a prospect of a treaty with Great Britain. People began to say that Madison was a better President than his predecessor, who continued
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CHAPTER XVII. the administrations of monroe, 1817–1825.
CHAPTER XVII. the administrations of monroe, 1817–1825.
320. Monroe’s Counselors. —Monroe [139] was fortunate not only in having to preside over a united people, but in being able to secure good advisers. For Secretary of State he chose John Quincy Adams, son of the former President and a diplomatist of tried ability, who had done good work for the country as Minister to Russia and commissioner at Ghent (§ 312 ). The fact that the son of the great Federalist leader should be serving in the Cabinet of a Republican President was a signal proof of the u
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CHAPTER XVIII. the administration of john quincy adams, 1825—1829.
CHAPTER XVIII. the administration of john quincy adams, 1825—1829.
335. Character of Adams’s Administration. —Adams was a statesman of great ability and experience and of high integrity, but he represented ideas of strong government not pleasing to the masses. He seemed to be a Federalist veneered with Democracy. He did not have the faculty of winning and holding friends. He could not be easy in his manners, and, on the other hand, his dignity lacked grace. Besides, his election had been disputed, his opponents were factious, and events favored him almost as li
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CHAPTER XIX. the jacksonian epoch, 1829–1837.
CHAPTER XIX. the jacksonian epoch, 1829–1837.
343. The Meaning of Jackson’s Election. —Andrew Jackson was the first man of plain birth and breeding to sit in the White House. Born on the border between the two Carolinas, he had early made his way to Tennessee and there had risen to leadership through his strength of character and his possession of all the manly qualities most held in repute by the pioneer settlers. The democratic voters gave him whatever political or military offices he wanted, and were thoroughly satisfied with the effecti
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CHAPTER XX. jackson’s first administration, 1829–1833.
CHAPTER XX. jackson’s first administration, 1829–1833.
351. The Spoils System. —Jackson’s inauguration was a signal for crowds of his active supporters to hasten to Washington for their rewards. At the reception at the White House they displayed the rudeness of a mob, and furnished a sharp contrast with the stately levees held by Washington in New York. But worse things were to follow. Through a Tenure of Office Act, due to Crawford (1820), many positions fell vacant every four years. These vacancies enabled the President’s advisers partly to satisf
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CHAPTER XXI. jackson’s second administration, 1833–1837.
CHAPTER XXI. jackson’s second administration, 1833–1837.
359. Anti-slavery Agitation. —The tariff was not destined to remain the chief grievance of the Southerners. They were soon far more concerned with the growing agitation against slavery which was being waged by determined men and women in the North. At the head of these abolitionists, as they were styled, stood William Lloyd Garrison, who in 1831 established his anti-slavery paper, The Liberator , in Boston. Up to this time many leading Southerners, including Washington and Jefferson, had deplore
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CHAPTER XXII. the administrations of van buren and of harrison and tyler, 1837–1845.
CHAPTER XXII. the administrations of van buren and of harrison and tyler, 1837–1845.
368. New Parties. —Martin Van Buren won the election of 1836 as a Democrat, for Jackson’s party, as we have seen, had dropped the word “Republican” from their name (§ 361, note 1 ). His opponent had been William Henry Harrison of Indiana, a man long prominent in his section (§§ 299 , 302 , 305 ). Harrison was the nominee of the Whigs, but the real leaders of the latter party were Clay and Webster. The chief bond of union binding the two leaders and their followers together was their desire for a
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CHAPTER XXIII. the administration of polk, 1845–1849.
CHAPTER XXIII. the administration of polk, 1845–1849.
377. The Issues Involved. —As a Mexican state, Texas had extended on the south and west to the river Nueces; but her inhabitants and the United States insisted on holding to boundaries based on the Louisiana Purchase and on claiming the “country between the Nueces and the Rio Grande.” The Mexicans resisted this claim; and when Polk ordered General Taylor to cross the Nueces, and later to advance to the Rio Grande, they attacked and defeated a small body of the American troops (April 24, 1846). P
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CHAPTER XXIV. the administration of taylor and fillmore, 1849–1853.
CHAPTER XXIV. the administration of taylor and fillmore, 1849–1853.
390. General Conditions. —The period of controversy upon which we are about to enter, was caused by the opposing interests and feelings of the North and South on the subject of slavery. In the early history of the country, the balance of power had been kept even by the alternate admission of free and slave states. But the admission of Texas, and still more, the results of the Mexican War, enlivened the hopes of the South, while the Wilmot Proviso (§ 388 ) showed that the North was fully aware of
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CHAPTER XXV. the administration of pierce, 1853–1857.
CHAPTER XXV. the administration of pierce, 1853–1857.
Caleb Cushing. 405. Character of Pierce’s Administration. —The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill and the war in Kansas are the most important features of Pierce’s administration (§§ 411 - 414 ). The new President, being amiable and weak, yielded to the counsels of Jefferson Davis and Caleb Cushing [183] of his Cabinet, and took a strong pro-slavery position, with the result that he speedily lost his popularity, save in the South. At first, however, he pleased most of his fellow-citizens, espec
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CHAPTER XXVI. the administration of buchanan, 1857–1861.
CHAPTER XXVI. the administration of buchanan, 1857–1861.
Roger B. Taney. 418. Dred Scott Decision. —Two days after Buchanan’s inauguration, the Supreme Court rendered a decision that had a tremendous influence on public opinion with regard to the question of slavery. A colored man, Dred Scott by name, was held as a slave in Missouri, but having been taken by his master into Illinois and Minnesota, he brought suit in a United States court to establish his freedom. The question finally reached the Supreme Court, where a decision was rendered March 6, 18
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CHAPTER XXVII. the beginnings of the civil war.
CHAPTER XXVII. the beginnings of the civil war.
450. From the Election to the Inauguration. —While the South, during the months between the election and the inauguration of Lincoln, was setting up its new government and preparing for war, the North could do nothing. President Buchanan, as we have already seen, scarcely lifted a finger to prevent the secession of the Southern states. There is even reason for thinking that he encouraged it, [200] although in the main he was loyal. Howell Cobb of Georgia, Buchanan’s Secretary of the Treasury, Jo
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CHAPTER XXVIII. the campaigns of 1862.
CHAPTER XXVIII. the campaigns of 1862.
Edwin M. Stanton. 475. Secretary Edwin M. Stanton. —The first very important event of the year 1862 was the substitution of Edwin M. Stanton [207] for Simon Cameron, as Secretary of War, January 13. Cameron, who had been a candidate for the Presidential nomination, had been taken into the Cabinet under the policy already referred to (§ 451 ), but the duties soon proved too severe for his energy and his years. He was appointed Minister to Russia; and the vacant position was given to Stanton, who,
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CHAPTER XXIX. the campaigns of 1863.
CHAPTER XXIX. the campaigns of 1863.
514. Situation in the West. —At the opening of the year 1863, it was evident that in the West the most important military operations would center about Vicksburg, on the Mississippi River, and Chattanooga, in eastern Tennessee. Vicksburg was a strongly fortified city, and until it should be taken the Mississippi River could not be controlled by the Union forces. The importance of the place lay not only in the fact that it prevented the Federals from making use of the river, but also in the fact
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CHAPTER XXX. the campaigns of 1864.
CHAPTER XXX. the campaigns of 1864.
530. Plan of Campaigns. —The spring of 1864 found Grant as general in chief of all the Union armies, with Meade at the head of the Army of the Potomac, Sherman at the head of all Federal troops in the West, and General B. F. Butler in immediate command of the Army of the James. Grant chose not to supersede Meade, but decided, while keeping him in the field, to superintend the Eastern campaign in person. The “grand strategy” was that all the Union armies should advance on the 4th of May, and that
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CHAPTER XXXI. end of the war, 1865.
CHAPTER XXXI. end of the war, 1865.
547. Efforts to Secure Peace by Negotiation. —Throughout the year 1864 there had been attempts in the North, as well as in the South, to bring about negotiations for peace. These attempts culminated in February, 1865, when President Lincoln and Secretary Seward met Alexander H. Stephens [257] and two companions, on a steamer in Hampton Roads, for an amicable discussion of the situation. Lincoln refused to negotiate except on the basis of a disbanding of the Confederate forces and a restoration o
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CHAPTER XXXII. the administration of johnson: reconstruction, 1865–1869.
CHAPTER XXXII. the administration of johnson: reconstruction, 1865–1869.
562. President Johnson. —Andrew Johnson, [262] a Democrat from Tennessee, was the only Southern senator who refused to resign his place when, in 1861, the other senators withdrew from Congress. Partly because he was such a stanch Unionist, and partly because the Republicans desired to develop a Union sentiment in the South, he was elected as Vice President on the ticket with Lincoln, in 1864, and in consequence became President on the death of the latter. 563. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Policy. —L
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CHAPTER XXXIII. the administrations of grant, 1869–1877.
CHAPTER XXXIII. the administrations of grant, 1869–1877.
581. Pacific Railroads. —The policy of helping railroad building by Federal land grants began as early as 1850, when an important grant was given to aid the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad. In the course of the next six years several other grants were made for similar purposes. The construction of a railroad to the Pacific was recommended by the Republican platform of 1856; but the project was delayed by differences between the North and the South in regard to the location of the r
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CHAPTER XXXIV. the administrations of hayes and of garfield and arthur, 1877–1885.
CHAPTER XXXIV. the administrations of hayes and of garfield and arthur, 1877–1885.
600. General Character of the Administration of Hayes. —The administration of Hayes was one of adjustment to new conditions rather than one of great political innovations. During the first half of his term, the Democrats had a majority in the House, the Republicans in the Senate; during the second half, the Democrats controlled both branches of Congress. By reason of these facts, and of the more or less general feeling that the President’s title to his position was not perfect, radical legislati
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CHAPTER XXXV. first administration of cleveland, 1885–1889.
CHAPTER XXXV. first administration of cleveland, 1885–1889.
620. Character of the Administration. —Ever since Grant’s administrations the strength of the two great political parties had been tending more and more to an equality. When Cleveland entered upon his duties as President, the Democrats had a small majority in the House of Representatives, the Republicans still had a majority in the Senate. Legislation, therefore, was for the most part confined to non-partisan measures. Cleveland surrounded himself with a good group of Cabinet advisers, in which
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CHAPTER XXXVI. the administration of benjamin harrison, 1889–1893.
CHAPTER XXXVI. the administration of benjamin harrison, 1889–1893.
629. Character of Harrison’s Administration. —President Harrison was an able lawyer and a good judge of men, as he proved by important judicial appointments and by the choice of a strong Cabinet. His Secretary of State was J. G. Blaine. Since the latter had favored a rather aggressive foreign policy, it is not strange that Harrison’s administration should be important on account of international relations. Since Congress was Republican in both branches when the administration began, it was possi
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CHAPTER XXXVII. second administration of cleveland, 1893–1897.
CHAPTER XXXVII. second administration of cleveland, 1893–1897.
644. Character of the Administration. —Although Cleveland began his second administration with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress,—something that had not been known since the outbreak of the war,—he was not able, for two reasons, to make as successful a record as he had made during his first term. The pension, tariff, and monetary legislation of Harrison’s administration brought about great financial disturbances, which lost the Democrats the control of the House of Representatives
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. the administrations of mckinley and roosevelt, 1897–1909.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. the administrations of mckinley and roosevelt, 1897–1909.
656. Character of the Administration. —McKinley soon proved himself to possess great tact as an executive. Some of his Cabinet appointments were not good, and he showed weakness in his attitude toward Civil Service reform; but as time went on his courtesy and amiability won him many friends, even among his political opponents. His administration was strong through the presence of a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, and important tariff and other legislation was made possible. But b
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CHAPTER XXXIX. progress of the epoch.
CHAPTER XXXIX. progress of the epoch.
702. The Industrial Period. —While it is always difficult for people to understand thoroughly the characteristics of their own age, it seems almost certain that the epoch of American history which begins with the readmission of the Southern states to the Union in 1870, and ends with the Spanish and Philippine wars in 1898–1901, will be known by some such name as the “Industrial Age.” As we have just seen, many interesting events occurred and many prominent men figured in it; but these are oversh
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declaration of independence.
declaration of independence.
In Congress, July 4, 1776. When , in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident:—That all men are creat
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constitution of the united states of america.
constitution of the united states of america.
We , the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. 1. The House of
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AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent
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