The Story Of American History - free ebook by Albert F. (Albert Franklin) Blaisdell

ALBERT F. BLAISDELL

AUTHOR OF "FIRST STEPS WITH AMERICAN AND BRITISH AUTHORS," "STORIES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY," ETC. BOSTON, U.S.A. GINN &amp; COMPANY, PUBLISHERS The Athenæum Press 1902 1902 Copyright, 1900, by ALBERT F. BLAISDELL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...

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PREFACE.

Some sort of a first book on American history is now quite generally used in schools as a preparation for the more intelligent study of a larger and more formal text-book in the higher grammar grades. For beginners, a mere compilation of facts is dry and unsatisfactory. Such books have now given place, for the most part, to those prepared on a more attractive and judicious plan. The real aim in a first book should be to interest boys and girls in the history of their country, and to encourage th

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CHAPTER I. AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.

1. The Story of our Country. —We are sure that every intelligent and patriotic American youth must like to read the story of our country's life. To a boy or girl of good sense no work of fiction can surpass it in interest or power. How delightful to let the imagination summon up the forms and the deeds of the fearless Norse sailors who dared to cross the unknown seas in their frail and tiny vessels without compass and without charts! How interesting the oft-told but ever-fresh narrative of the i

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CHAPTER II. COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

7. Commercial Activity in the Fifteenth Century. —In southern Europe, the last half of the fifteenth century was a period of great commercial activity. Then, for the first time, many voyages of exploration were made in various directions, to find new riches, new markets, or new routes of travel and transportation. Merchants were turning their attention more and more to enterprises in far-off regions beyond the seas. Venice and Genoa became rivals for the vast and valuable trade of India. With ot

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CHAPTER III. SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.

24. Sir Walter Raleigh: Soldier, Sailor, and Courtier. —Not until many years after the voyages of the two Cabots did the English begin to make settlements in the New World. For more than three-quarters of a century no one seemed to comprehend the vast importance of the discoveries of those explorers, or to dream of the wonderful changes that would follow during the coming ages. But there was at last one man in England of high rank who foresaw that a great nation would some time people the realm

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CHAPTER IV. THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS.

40. The Old-Time Idea about Kings. —We shall do well to remember that in England, about three hundred years ago, the sovereign's will commonly had the force of law. Many people really thought there was such sacredness about a royal ruler that whatever he commanded must be right, whatever he forbade must be wrong. Indeed, there was a proverb, "The king can do no wrong." He had his own kind of church and his own mode of worship. Everybody must attend that sort of church and practise that form of w

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CHAPTER V. MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS.

54. The Hardships caused by the Winter Season. —We may think it unfortunate, and so indeed it was, that the Pilgrims had not come to this country in the spring or summer. They would have had a much pleasanter voyage, and on their arrival might have found the forests green, the birds singing in the trees, and the ground adorned with flowers. If they could have come in April or May they would probably have had warm, pleasant weather for landing or exploring, and could have built their houses at th

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CHAPTER VI. THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED.

66. How the Indians looked; the Clothes they wore. —Let us now learn a few things about the Indians as they were before their habits and mode of life had been changed by contact with white men. The heads of the Indians were always bare. It was customary for them to allow one tuft of hair to grow longer than the rest. This was called the "scalp lock." When a fight had been finished, this lock served as a convenience to the victor. It enabled him to remove handily the scalp from the head of a dead

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CHAPTER VII. THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

81. The Search for a Shorter Route to India. —We must not forget that during all these years the European nations in their desire for riches were often searching for a shorter route to China and the East Indies. They hoped to succeed in this either by sailing to the north of Europe or America, or by finding some opening across the newly discovered continent. For more than a hundred years after the time of Columbus many a daring navigator came forward to undertake this business. 82. Sir Henry Hud

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CHAPTER VIII. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.

102. Prosperity of the Early Colonists. —For fifty years or more after the colonists had established their homes in the wilderness of the New World, they were growing rich and strong. They cleared away forests, planted fields, traded with the Indians, and built for themselves more comfortable houses. Especially was this the case during the years when Cromwell and his party were in power in England, and until after Charles II was restored to the English throne. The settlers boldly pressed further

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CHAPTER IX. EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.

121. Severe and Curious Punishments. —In the early colonial times the laws were for the most part rigid and the punishments severe. Criminals were occasionally branded with a hot iron. If a man shot a fowl on Sunday, he was often publicly whipped. Small offenses were punished in a way which would not be tolerated in our times. A woman who had been complained of as a scold was placed in front of her house with a stick tied in her mouth. Sometimes a common scold was fastened to what was known as a

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CHAPTER X. THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.

130. Our Forefathers, Men of Rare Ability and Sterling Character. —Many of our forefathers who had been driven from England to this country by persecution were men of rare ability and sterling character. Some had served their nation with credit in the army; others had won social and political honors. Independent in their way of thinking, fearless in speech and action, they were sternly opposed to governmental oppression. They believed that royal power should be held within well-defined limits. T

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CHAPTER XI. LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.

149. The Patriots prepare for War. —When General Gage began to increase slowly the number of troops in Boston, and especially when he began to fortify Boston Neck, it was plain enough that this meant war. The people on their part began to prepare anxiously for the coming struggle. Every one felt that desperate times were near at hand. The patriots quickly collected arms and ammunition and, having packed them in loads of hay and similar disguises to deceive the British spies, sent them for safe k

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CHAPTER XII. THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.

160. More Regulars sent to Boston. —The battle of Lexington, fought as we have read, on the nineteenth of April, 1775, was a most momentous event, since it showed for the first time the resolute purpose of the Americans to draw the sword and defend themselves from British oppression. The news reached England near the end of May. Those Lexington muskets said plainer than words that the colonies would not submit to unjust taxation. Fully aware that the situation was becoming serious, the British g

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CHAPTER XIII. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

171. The Colonists still regard themselves as English Subjects. —It seems to us now very remarkable that all through the year 1775, notwithstanding the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, and even after the battle of Bunker Hill, our forefathers still considered themselves loyal British subjects. Although they were violently opposing the despotism of the king of England, they never for a moment hesitated to acknowledge him as their rightful ruler. They regarded all the unjust acts of the king an

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CHAPTER XIV. THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN.

181. First Campaign for the Control of the Hudson fails. —It did not require much intelligence on the part of the British government to perceive that it would be wise policy to separate if possible one group of its revolting colonies from the rest. This was practicable only along the line of the Hudson. The two long lakes, Champlain and George, with the navigable river, almost made a great water highway from Canada on the north to the sea on the south. The plan to cut off New England from the ot

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CHAPTER XV. WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION.

197. Boyhood and Youth of George Washington. —During the infancy of our nation there were many staunch and noble patriots; but far above all stood, and stands to-day, the majestic figure of George Washington. He came upon the stage at just the right time to give the vigor of his manhood to the military service of his country, and the maturity of his judgment to the formation of the new government and later to the presidency. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. In those days the country

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CHAPTER XVI. THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH.

217. Utter Failure thus far to subdue the Colonists. —Midway in the war of the Revolution there was a period of over two years when active fighting was for the most part suspended. After the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, the English seemed to lose heart. A feeble effort was even made by the British government to secure peace. England would yield everything except the claim of the colonies to independence. This was the very thing that now, after three years of fighting, the colonies would no

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CHAPTER XVII. THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON.

233. A Gloomy Outlook for the Patriot Cause in 1780. —During the long war of the Revolution from Lexington in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781, there were many times when it seemed as if it were really of no use for the Americans to fight for independence. Of these years probably 1780 was the darkest. We have just read of the sad disasters in the south during this year. If "hope long deferred maketh the heart sick," surely our forefathers had at this time ample cause for discouragement. It seemed to man

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CHAPTER XVIII. JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO.

244. The Colonies poorly prepared to cope with England on the Sea. —Now we must remember that the American Revolution, which lasted about seven years, and which resulted in our independence, was fought almost entirely on land. We were poor, and besides had but little or no experience in building men-of-war. The few vessels that had been built in this country were mostly sloops or schooners for fishing, or for trading. In this lack of large sailing craft during the Revolution, we should have got

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CHAPTER XIX. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER.

250. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most Useful and Influential Men of his Time. —Among the many men who acted a conspicuous part as "makers of our country," Benjamin Franklin holds a unique and interesting place. Combined with shrewd common sense and a practical philosophy was a genial and rare personality, which made him during his long lifetime a most useful and influential citizen. Franklin did not fight and win battles like Washington and Greene, but he gained notable victories in diplomacy

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CHAPTER XX. EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

263. Our Country One Hundred Years Ago. —Let us now take a hasty glance backward for a century and note the vast changes that have taken place in the matter of daily living during this time. Very different was the country in which our forefathers lived from that with which we are familiar. To be sure, there was a fringe of villages along the coast from Maine to Georgia. Fifty miles back from the Atlantic the country was for the most part an unbroken wilderness. A few hundred settlers, and perhap

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CHAPTER XXI. WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812.

273. Outrages committed by the Pirates of the Barbary Coast. —A hundred years ago the ports of the nations lying on the northern coast of Africa—the Barbary States, as they were called, Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli—were infested by fierce pirates. They used to rush out with their swift vessels and capture the ships of Christian nations. After plundering them of their valuables, they would hold the crews as slaves, or sell them to slave dealers. These pirates became for years the terror o

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CHAPTER XXII. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.

285. The Great Rush Westward. —Shortly after the close of the Revolution, long processions of emigrant wagons, with their white canvas covers and their companies of hardy men and women, began to move westward on all the main roads through New England, over the highways of New York toward the lakes, over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and through the valley of the Ohio. Thousands of thrifty settlers followed just behind the pioneers and cleared the forests, bridged the streams, built villa

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CHAPTER XXIII. LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

299. Abraham Lincoln; the Abiding Influence of his Good Mother. —The early settlers in the Western states were generally very poor. It was the honorable poverty of the pioneer, who bravely begins with only his axe and a few tools, with which he builds his log cabin, clears the forest, and works his way to competence and comfort. So lived in Larue County, in the state of Kentucky, about fifty miles south of Louisville, Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy, in a rude log cabin with no windows, a dirt

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CHAPTER XXIV. MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

312. Union Defeat at Chancellorsville. —Now let us return to our narrative of a few of the prominent military operations of the war. In May, 1863, the army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, moved southward from Washington. At Chancellorsville it was met by a Confederate force under Generals Lee and Jackson. The battle lasted two days, and was disastrous to the Union arms; in fact, the worst defeat of the war. It marked the zenith of Confederate success. In this battle "Stonewall" Jackson, so

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CHAPTER XXV. OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

326. Our Navy at the Beginning of the War. —For a number of months before the breaking out of the war the Southern leaders of the secession movement had been quietly but skillfully preparing for it. A large part of the soldiers had been sent off to the frontier posts. Rifles, cannon, and all such supplies had been taken months before from Northern stations and sent South. Our navy had been purposely scattered all over the world. More ships were abroad or useless than were at home fit for service

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CHAPTER XXVI. THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.

346. The Downfall of Spain on this Continent. —For half a century or more after the time of Columbus, Spain was the greatest military and political power in the world. Her ships and her sailors carried the proud banner of Castile to every shore and clime then known. The vast domain claimed by Spain on this continent by right of discovery and exploration comprised the fertile islands of the West Indies, the greater portion of Central and South America, and all that part of our own country west of

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Reference Books for Teachers.

Two books are of special value to teachers. These are Channing and Hart's Guide to American History [Ginn &amp; Company, Publishers, price $2.00], and Gordy and Twitchell's Pathfinder in American History [Lee &amp; Shepard, Publishers, complete in one volume, $1.20. In separate parts, Part I, 60 cents; Part II, 90 cents]. These two works are replete with suggestions, hints and helps on collateral study, numerous references, detailed lists of topics, and a wide range of other subjects whi

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School Text-Books for Reading and Reference.

Pupils should have easy access, by means of the school library or otherwise, to a few of the formal school text-books on American history. In connection with this book Montgomery's Leading Facts of American History and Fiske's History of the United States are especially valuable. The following books are perhaps equally serviceable: Eggleston's History of the United States ; Steele's Brief History of the United States [usually known as "Barnes's History"]; Thomas's History of the United States an

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Topics for Collateral Reading.

For ordinary school work the text-books to which we have just referred will furnish enough and suitable material for these topics. When, however, standard works on history are of easy access, through the school or public libraries, it is well even for pupils of the lower grades to read sparingly by topics from such works. These topics should be carefully selected by the teacher. They should be brief and call only for a few pages of reading. In the succeeding pages references have been given only

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References for Reading.

Pupils should also have easy reference to books from which topics may be read or which may be read sparingly by select passages indicated by the teacher. Many of these books have been suggested more on account of their interesting style than for strict historical accuracy. Read the designated works not as a whole but only by topics or selections. They will do much to awaken and maintain a lively interest in American history....

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Outside Readings.

While the study of this book is in progress it is well for the pupils to limit their miscellaneous reading to such books as bear directly upon our subject. Under this head we have suggested many productions which belong to the "story-book" order. Wholesome books of fiction and semi-fiction may certainly do much to stimulate and hold the attention of young students of American history. With this topic, as with all other topics on collateral reading, the teacher should exercise a careful supervisi

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For Reading or Recitation.

The work should be enlivened by reading occasionally, before the class or the school, poems or prose selections which bear directly upon the general topic under consideration. We have referred only to a very few such extracts from good literature. Other selections will readily suggest themselves....

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Use of a Topic Book or Notebook.

The teacher and pupil should appreciate the scope and usefulness of a Topic book or Notebook. By this is meant a blank book with semi-flexible or board covers, of a convenient size, and of at least 48 pages. Into this blank book should be written carefully with ink brief notes as the several chapters of this book are read or studied. It may well be a kind of enlarged diary of the pupil's work. Make brief notes of the various books read in whole or by topics; topics not treated in this book but d

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Chapter I. Pages 1-9. AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —The following topics are thoroughly discussed in Fiske's Discovery of America :— The People of Ancient America, Vol. I, pp. 1-19; Origin of the American Indians, Vol. I, p. 19; The Indians of the Pueblos, Vol. I, p. 82; The Mysterious Mound Builders, Vol. I, p. 140; Voyages of the Northmen to Vinland, Vol. I, p. 164. References for Reading. —For a readable account of the Mound Builders and the American Indians, consult Shaler's The Story of Our Continent . Outside

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Chapter II. Pages 10-30. COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —Topics from Fiske's Discovery of America :— First Voyage of Columbus, Vol. I, p. 419; Last Voyage of Columbus, Vol. I, p. 505; Vespucius and the "New World," Vol. II, p. 96; The Cabots and their Voyages, Vol. II, p. I; Ponce de Leon, Vol. II, p. 486; Adventures of De Soto, Vol. II, p. 509. References for Reading. —Read selections from the one-volume edition of Irving's Life of Columbus ; Abbott's Life of Columbus (Ajax Series); Adams's Columbus (Makers of America)

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Chapter III. Pages 31-46. SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For various topics in connection with Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain John Smith, see the Index to Fiske's Old Virginia and her Neighbours . Incidents in the Life of Captain John Smith: see John Esten Cooke's Virginia (American Commonwealth Series), pp. 22-76. The Story of Pocahontas, Cooke's Virginia , pp. 35-103. References for Reading. —Towle's Raleigh, his Voyages and Adventures ; Cooke's Stories of the Old Dominion ; Eggleston's and Seelye's Pocahontas (Ajax S

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Chapters IV and V. Pages 47-72. THE PILGRIMS.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —Many topics in connection with this chapter may be selected from Fiske's The Beginnings of New England , as, The Separatists, p. 66; Why the Pilgrims did not stay in Holland, p. 74; Voyage of the Mayflower, p. 80; The Pilgrims and the Indians, p. 83. References for Reading. —Griffis's The Pilgrims and their Three Homes ; Moore's Pilgrims and Puritans ; Abbott's Captain Miles Standish (Ajax Series); Drake's On Plymouth Rock ; Bacon's Historic Pilgrimages in New Eng

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Chapter VI. Pages 73-87. THE INDIANS.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For special topics about the Indians, see Parkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac , Vol. I, p. 1, also the Introduction to Parkman's Jesuits in North America . References for Reading. —Brooks's Story of the American Indian ; Drake's Indian History for Young Folks ; Starr's American Indians ; Shaler's The Story of Our Continent . For Reading or Recitation. —Longfellow's Hiawatha ....

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Chapter VII. Pages 88-105. THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —Henry Hudson: his voyages, voyage upon the Great River, his tragic fate, see Fiske's The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America , Vol. I, pp. 83-95. William Penn: see the Index to Fiske's The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America . References for Reading. — The Great Peace Maker (Penn) (Daring Deed Series); Abbott's Peter Stuyvesant (Ajax Series). Outside Readings. —Butterworth's Wampum Belt (Penn); Irving's Knickerbocker's History of New York (humorous and satirical

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Chapter VIII. Pages 106-125. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For a great variety of topics in connection with the French and Indian Wars and the overthrow of New France, the student will find the books of Parkman a vast storehouse of intensely fascinating reading matter. See the index to the various volumes. For example, read La Salle's Descent of the Mississippi, Parkman's La Salle , pp. 275-288; Braddock's March and Defeat; Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe , Vol. I, p. 204, and The Heights of Abraham, Vol. II, p. 259-297. Ref

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Chapter IX. Pages 126-138. EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —The great storehouse of facts regarding the social and domestic life of the American people is McMaster's History of the People of the United States (5 vols. now ready). For topics see detailed index of each volume. Consult especially Vol. II, pp. 538-582, on "Town and Country Life in 1800." This work is somewhat voluminous for elementary work. References for Reading. —Earle's Home Life in Colonial Days ; Earle's Child Life in Colonial Days , Tavern and Stage Coac

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Chapters X-XVIII. Pages 139-295. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For a series of topics on the American Revolution, to be read in connection with these nine chapters, consult the index to Fiske's American Revolution (2 vols.). References for Reading. —For the Revolution as a whole the two best works for supplementary reading in schools are perhaps Lodge's Story of the Revolution and Fiske's War of Independence (Riverside Literature Series). Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution is voluminous but interesting, and fully illustra

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Chapter XIX. Pages 296-310. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For topics to be read in connection with the life and career of Franklin, see the index to Fiske's The American Revolution , Fiske's The Critical Period of American History (1783-1789), and Morse's Benjamin Franklin (American Statesmen Series). References for Reading. —Franklin's Autobiography should be read before all other books on Franklin. Read also Printer Boy (Franklin) (Famous Boy Series); Poor Richards Story (Franklin) (Daring Deed Series); Abbott's Benjam

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Chapter XX. Pages 311-322. EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

This chapter is supplementary to Chapter IX on "Everyday Life in Colonial Times." The same works for collateral reading in connection with that chapter maybe equally serviceable for supplementary work for this chapter. Refer especially to the works of McMaster, Alice Morse Earle, Scudder, C. C. Coffin, Fisher, and Wharton....

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Chapter XXI. Pages 323-338. OUR NAVY IN THE WAR OF 1812.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —From this time to the present day McMaster's History of the People of the United States is a storehouse of important and interesting topics. See especially the chapter on "State of the People in 1812," Chapter III, p. 459, and various chapters in Vol. IV. Consult the detailed index to the several volumes for quick reference to the desired topics. References for Reading. —Abbot's Blue Jackets of 1812 ; Brooks's Story of the American Sailor ; Johnson's War of 1812 ;

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Chapter XXII. Pages 339-352. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —For special topics in connection with the settlement of the Pacific coast consult Barrows's Oregon and Royce's California (both volumes in the American Commonwealth's Series). References for Reading. —Irving's Astoria and Dana's Two Years before the Mast were written many years ago, but present vivid pen-pictures of the early days on the Pacific coast....

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Chapters XXIII-XXV. Pages 353-405. THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

Topics for Collateral Reading. —The literature of the Civil War is so voluminous that the utmost care must be used in the selection of even the best books for collateral reading. For school purposes two of the best briefer books for supplementary use are Champlin's Young Folks' History of the War for the Union and Dodge's Bird's-Eye View of the Civil War . Consult also Nichol's Story of the Great March (Sherman); Swinton's Twelve Decisive Battles of the War ; Drake's Battle of Gettysburg ; Morse

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Chapter XXVI. Pages 406-423. THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.

The most useful book for schools is perhaps Henry Cabot Lodge's The War with Spain . The following books are also useful: Brooks's Story of Our War with Spain ; Abbot's Blue Jackets of 1898 ; Morris's The War with Spain ; Davis's The War of 1898 ; and Spears's Our Navy in the Spanish War ....

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