A Short History Of The United States - free ebook by Edward Channing

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A Short History Of The United States

Edward Channing

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PREFACE

PREFACE

The aim of this little book is to tell in a simple and concise form the story of the founding and development of the United States. The study of the history of one's own country is a serious matter, and should be entered upon by the text-book writer, by the teacher, and by the pupil in a serious spirit, even to a greater extent than the study of language or of arithmetic. No effort has been made, therefore, to make out of this text-book a story book. It is a text-book pure and simple, and should

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MAPS.

MAPS.

UNITED STATES, SHOWING FORMS OF LAND. BRITISH DOMINIONS IN NORTH AMERICA. UNITED STATES IN 1783. CLAIMS AND CESSIONS. TERRITORIAL ACQUISITIONS. UNITED STATES IN 1800. UNITED STATES IN 1803. UNITED STATES IN 1819. UNITED STATES IN 1830. UNITED STATES IN 1850. UNITED STATES IN 1860. SLAVERY AND SECESSION. UNITED STATES IN 1900. DEPENDENCIES OF THE UNITED STATES. THE WORLD, ETC.. Table of Dates 1815-1824. Era of Good Feeling. 1819. The Florida Treaty. 1820. Missouri Compromise. 1823. The Monroe Doc

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TO THE TEACHER

TO THE TEACHER

The lists of "Books for Study and Reading" contain such titles only as are suited to the pupil's needs. The teacher will find abundant references in Channing's Students' History of the United States (N.Y., Macmillan). The larger work also contains the reasons for many statements which are here given as facts without qualification. Reference to the Students' History is made easy by the fact that the divisions or parts (here marked by Roman numerals) cover the same periods in time as the chapters

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I

I

References .--Parkman's Pioneers of France (edition of 1887 or a later edition); Irving's Columbus (abridged edition). Home Readings .--Higginson's Tales of the Enchanted Islands of the Atlantic ; Mackie's With the Admiral of the Ocean Sea (Columbus); Lummis's Spanish Pioneers ; King's De Soto in the Land of Florida ; Wright's Children's Stories in American History ; Barnes's Drake and his Yeomen ....

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CHAPTER I

CHAPTER I

Leif Ericson. 1. Leif Ericson discovers America, 1000. --In our early childhood many of us learned to repeat the lines:-- Leif discovers America, 1000. Higginson , 25-30; American History Leaflets , No. 3. We thought that he was the first European to visit America. But nearly five hundred years before his time Leif Ericson had discovered the New World. He was a Northman and the son of Eric the Red. Eric had already founded a colony in Greenland, and Leif sailed from Norway to make him a visit. T

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CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Indian traditions. 10. Stories of Golden Lands. --Wherever the Spaniards went, the Indians always told them stories of golden lands somewhere else. The Bahama Indians, for instance, told their cruel Spanish masters of a wonderful land toward the north. Not only was there gold in that land; there was also a fountain whose waters restored youth and vigor to the drinker. Among the fierce Spanish soldiers was Ponce de Leon (Pon'tha da la-on'). He determined to see for himself if these stories were t

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CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

Hawkins's voyages, 1562-67. 21. Sir John Hawkins. --For many years after Cabot's voyage Englishmen were too busy at home to pay much attention to distant expeditions. But in Queen Elizabeth's time English seamen began to sail to America. The first of them to win a place in history was John Hawkins. He carried cargoes of negro slaves from Africa to the West Indies and sold them to the Spanish planters. On his third voyage he was basely attacked by the Spaniards and lost four of his five ships. Re

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II

II

References .--Fiske's United States for Schools , 59-133; Eggleston's United States and its People , 91-113 (for colonial life); Parkman's Pioneers (for French colonies); Bradford's Plymouth Plantation (extracts in "American History Leaflets," No. 29). Home Readings .--Drake's Making of New England ; Drake's Making of Virginia and the Middle States ; Eggleston's Pocahontas and Powhatan ; Dix's Soldier Rigdale (Pilgrim children); Irving's Knickerbocker History ; Webster's Plymouth Oration ; Longf

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CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

Settlement of Acadia, 1604. Port Royal. 26. The French in Acadia. --For nearly forty years after the destruction of the colony on the River of May, Frenchmen were too busy fighting one another at home to send any more colonists to America. At length, in 1604, a few Frenchmen settled on an island in the St. Croix River. But the place was so cold and windy that after a few months they crossed the Bay of Fundy and founded the town of Port Royal. The country they called Acadia. Champlain at Plymouth

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CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

New conditions of living in England. The Virginia Company. 31. The Virginia Company, 1606. --English people were now beginning to think in earnest of founding colonies. It was getting harder and harder to earn one's living in England, and it was very difficult to invest one's money in any useful way. It followed, from this, that there were many men who were glad to become colonists, and many persons who were glad to provide money to pay for founding colonies. In 1606 the Virginia Company was for

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CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

The English Puritans. Non-Conformists. Separatists. 42. The Puritans. --The New England colonies were founded by English Puritans who left England because they could not do as they wished in the home land. All Puritans were agreed in wishing for a freer government than they had in England under the Stuart kings and in state matters were really the Liberals of their time. In religious matters, however, they were not all of one mind. Some of them wished to make only a few changes in the Church. Th

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CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

The Dutch East India Company. 57. The Dutch. --At this time the Dutch were the greatest traders and shipowners in the world. They were especially interested in the commerce of the East Indies. Indeed, the Dutch India Company was the most successful trading company in existence. The way to the East Indies lay through seas carefully guarded by the Portuguese, so the Dutch India Company hired Henry Hudson, an English sailor, to search for a new route to India. Henry Hudson. He discovers Hudson's Ri

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 4 §§ 26, 27.-- a . Mark on a map all the places mentioned in these sections. b . Describe Champlain's attacks on the Iroquois. §§ 28-30.-- a . Compare the reasons for the coming of the French and the Spaniards. b . What work did the Jesuits do for the Indians? c . Explain carefully why the hostility of the Iroquois to the French was so important. CHAPTER 5 §§ 31, 32.-- a . Give two reasons for the revival of English colonial enterprises. b . Describe the voyage and early experiences of t

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III

III

References .--Fiske's United States for Schools 133-180; McMaster's School History , 93-108 (life in 1763); Source-Book , ch. vii; Fisher's Colonial Era ; Earle's Child Life . Home Readings .--Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe ; Franklin's Autobiography ; Brooks's In Leisler's Times ; Coffin's Old Times in the Colonies ; Cooper's Last of the Mohicans ; Scudder's Men and Manners One Hundred Years Ago ....

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CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

The Puritan in England. Higginson and Channing, English History for Americans , 182-195. The Colonies, 1649-60. 65. The Puritans and the Colonists, 1649-60. --In 1649 Charles I was executed, and for eleven years the Puritans were supreme in England. During this time the New England colonists governed themselves, and paid little heed to the wishes and orders of England's rulers. After some hesitation, the Virginians accepted the authority of Cromwell and the Puritans. In return they were allowed

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CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9

New policy of the Stuarts. Reasons for the new policy. 81. The Stuart Tyranny. --Instead of admiring the growth of the colonies in strength and in liberty, Charles and James saw it with dismay. The colonies were becoming too strong and too free. They determined to reduce all the colonies to royal provinces, like Virginia--with the exception of Pennsylvania which belonged to their friend, William Penn. There was a good deal to be said in favor of this plan, for the colonists were so jealous of ea

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CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

Louis of France and William of Orange. 89. Causes of the French Wars. --At the time of the "Glorious Revolution" (p. 58) James II found refuge with Louis XIV, King of France. William and Louis had already been fighting, and it was easy enough to see that if William became King of England he would be very much more powerful than he was when he was only Prince of Orange. So Louis took up the cause of James and made war on the English and the Dutch. The conflict soon spread across the Atlantic. Dis

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 8 §§ 65, 66.-- a . What government did England have after the execution of Charles I? Give three facts about Cromwell. b . How did the accession of Charles II affect the colonies? c . What laws were made about the commerce of the colonies? § 67.-- a . How did the new government of England regard Massachusetts? Why? b . Describe the treatment of the Quakers in Massachusetts. § 68.-- a . Describe the charters given to Connecticut and Rhode Island. Why did Connecticut need a charter when sh

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IV

IV

References .--Fiske's War of Independence , 39-86; Scudder's George Washington ; Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution; English History for Americans , 244-284 (English political history). Home Readings .--Irving's Washington (abridged edition); Cooke's Stories of the Old Dominion ; Cooper's Lionel Lincoln ; Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride ....

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CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11

England's early liberal colonial policy. England's changed colonial policy. 103. Early Colonial Policy. --At the outset, England's rulers had been very kind to Englishmen who founded colonies. They gave them great grants of land. They gave them rights of self-government greater than any Englishmen living in England enjoyed. They allowed them to manage their own trade and industries as they saw fit. They even permitted them to worship God as their consciences told them to worship him. But, as the

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CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

George III. George Grenville. The British Parliament. 107. George III and George Grenville. --George III became king in 1760. He was a narrow, stupid, well-meaning, ignorant young man of twenty-one. He soon found in George Grenville a narrow, dull, well-meaning lawyer, a man who would do what he was told. So George Grenville became the head of the government. To him the law was the law. If he wished to do a thing and could find the law for it, he asked for nothing more. His military advisers tol

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CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 13

The British soldiers at New York. Soldiers sent to Boston, 1768. 119. The Soldiers at New York and Boston. --Soldiers had been stationed at New York ever since the end of the French war because that was the most central point on the coast. The New Yorkers did not like to have the soldiers there very well, because Parliament expected them to supply the troops with certain things without getting any money in return. The New York Assembly refused to supply them, and Parliament suspended the Assembl

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V

V

References.--Fiske's War of Independence; Higginson's Larger History , 249-293; McMaster's With the Fathers. Home Readings.--Scudder's Washington ; Holmes's Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill; Cooper's Lionel Lincoln (Bunker Hill); Cooper's Spy (campaigns around New York); Cooper's Pilot (the war on the sea); Drake's Burgoyne's Invasion; Coffin's Boys of '76 ; Abbot's Blue Jackets of '76 ; Abbot's Paul Jones , Lossing's Two Spies....

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CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 14

Advantages of the British. 133. Advantages of the British. --At first sight it seems as if the Americans were very foolish to fight the British. There were five or six times as many people in the British Isles as there were in the continental colonies. The British government had a great standing army. The Americans had no regular army. The British government had a great navy. The Americans had no navy. The British government had quantities of powder, guns, and clothing, while the Americans had s

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CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15

Rising spirit of independence, 1775-76. 145. Growth of the Spirit of Independence. --The year 1776 is even more to be remembered for the doings of Congress than it is for the doings of the soldiers. The colonists loved England. They spoke of it as home. They were proud of the strength of the British empire, and glad to belong to it. But their feelings rapidly changed when the British government declared them to be rebels, made war upon them, and hired foreign soldiers to kill them. They could no

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CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16

Invasion of the South. Capture of Charleston, 1780. 157. Fall of Charleston, 1780. --It seemed quite certain that Clinton could not conquer the Northern states with the forces given him. In the South there were many loyalists. Resistance might not be so stiff there. At all events Clinton decided to attempt the conquest of the South. Savannah was easily seized (1778), and the French and Americans could not retake it (1779). In the spring of 1780, Clinton, with a large army, landed on the coast be

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CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15

§§146, 147.-- a . What had been the feeling of most of the colonists toward England? Why had this feeling changed? b . Why was Jefferson asked to write the Declaration? c . What great change was made by Congress in the Declaration? Why? d . What truths are declared to be self-evident? Are they still self-evident? e . What is declared to be the basis of government? Is it still the basis of government? f . When was the Declaration adopted? When signed? §§ 148, 149.-- a . Describe Howe's campaign o

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VI

VI

References .--Higginson's Larger History , 293-308; Fiske's Civil Government , 186-267; McMaster's With the Fathers . Home Readings .--Fiske's Critical Period , 144-231, 306-345; Captain Shays: A Populist of 1786 ....

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Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Disunion and jealousy. Source-Book , 161-163. 167. Problems of Peace. --The war was over. But the future of the American nation was still uncertain. Indeed, one can hardly say that there was an American nation in 1783. While the war lasted, a sense of danger bound together the people of the different states. But as soon as this peril ceased, their old jealousies and self-seekings came back. There was no national government to smooth over these differences and to compel the states to act justly t

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Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Weakness of the Confederation. Meeting of the Federal Convention, 1787. 178. Necessity for a New Government. --At this very moment a convention was making a constitution to put an end to the Confederation itself. It was quite clear that something must be done or the states soon would be fighting one another. Attempt after attempt had been made to amend the Articles of Confederation so as to give Congress more power. But every attempt had failed because the consent of every state was required to

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 17 §§ 168, 169.-- a . What were the chief weaknesses of the Confederation? Why did not Congress have any real power? b . How did some states treat other states? Why? §§ 170-173.-- a . Explain the distress among the people. b . Describe the attitude of the British government and give some reason for it. c . Why did the value of paper money keep changing? d . What were the "tender laws"? The "stay laws"? e . Give some illustration of how these laws would affect trade. § 174.-- a . Describe

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VII

VII

References .--Higginson's Larger History , 309-344; Eggleston's United States and its People ch. xxxiv (the people in 1790); McMaster's School History , ch. xiv (the people in 1790). Home Readings .--Drake's Making of the West ; Scribner's Popular History , IV; Coffin's Building the Nation ; Bolton's Famous Americans ; Holmes's Ode on Washington's Birthday ; Seawell's Little Jarvis ....

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CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 19

The first way of electing President. Constitution, Art. II, §I; McMaster , 170-171. Washington and Adams. 192. Washington elected President. --In the early years under the Constitution the Presidents and Vice-Presidents were elected in the following manner. First each state chose presidential electors usually by vote of its legislature. Then the electors of each state came together and voted for two persons without saying which of the two should be President. When all the electoral votes were co

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CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

Formation of the Federalist party. McMaster, 202. 207. The Federalists. --There were no political parties in the United States in 1789. All the leading men were anxious to give the new Constitution a fair trial. Even Patrick Henry supported Washington. Many men, as Alexander Hamilton and Gouverneur Morris, believed a monarchy to be the best form of government. But they saw clearly that the American people would not permit a monarchy to be established. So they supported the Constitution although

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CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 21

Hamilton's intrigues against Adams. Adams elected, President, 1796. 218. John Adams elected President, 1796. --In 1796 John Adams was the Federalist candidate for President. His rival was Thomas Jefferson, the founder and chief of the Republican party. Alexander Hamilton was the real leader of the Federalists, and he disliked Adams. Thomas Pinckney was the Federalist candidate for Vice-President. Hamilton suggested a plan which he thought would lead to the election of Pinckney as President inste

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VIII

VIII

References .--Higginson's Larger History , 344-365; Scribner's Popular History , IV, 127-184; Schouler's Jefferson . Home Reading .--Coffin's Building the Nation; Drake's Making the Ohio Valley States; Hale's Man Without a Country and Philip Nolan's Friends....

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CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22

Area. Population. 228. Area and Population, 1800. --The area of the United States in 1800 was the same as at the close of the Revolutionary War. But the population had begun to increase rapidly. In 1791 there were nearly four million people in the United States. By 1800 this number had risen to five and one-quarter millions. Two-thirds of the people still lived on or near tide-water. But already nearly four hundred thousand people lived west of the Alleghanies. In 1791 the centre of population h

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CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 23

Jefferson's political ideas. Higginson 239; McMaster , 216. Republican simplicity. 237. President Jefferson. --Thomas Jefferson was a Republican. He believed in the republican form of government. He believed the wisdom of the people to be the best guide. He wished the President to be simple and cordial in his relations with his fellow-citizens. Adams had ridden to his inauguration in a coach drawn by six cream-colored horses. Jefferson walked with a few friends from his boarding house to the Cap

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CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 24

The African pirates. Higginson , 237-239; Eggleston , 228-229. Tribute paying. Jefferson ends this system. Hero Tales , 103-113. 247. The North Africa Pirates. --Stretching along the northern shores of Africa from Egypt westward to the Atlantic were four states. These states were named Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, and Morocco. Their people were Mohammedans, and were ruled over by persons called Deys or Beys, or Pachas. These rulers found it profitable and pleasant to attack and capture Christian shi

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 22 §§ 228, 229.-- a . Draw a map showing the states and territories in 1800. b . How and why had the center of population changed since 1791? Where is it now? c . Why did so many people live near tide water? Do the same reasons exist to-day? §§ 230-232.-- a . What were the "best roads" in 1800? b . Describe the dangers and discomforts of traveling in 1800. c . What were the early steamboats like? §§ 233, 234.-- a . What fact hindered the growth of cotton on a large scale in colonial time

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IX

IX

References .--Higginson's Larger History, 365-442; Scribner's Popular History, IV; Lossing's Field-Book of the War of 1812; Coffin's Building the Nation, 149-231. Home Readings .--Barnes's Yankee Ships; Roosevelt's Naval War of 1812; Seawell's Midshipman Paulding; Holmes's Old Ironsides; Goodwin's Dolly Madison....

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CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 25

American plan of campaign, 1812. Objections to it. 260. Plan of Campaign, 1812. --The American plan of campaign was that General Hull should invade Canada from Detroit. He could then march eastward, north of Lake Erie, and meet another army which was to cross the Niagara River. These two armies were to take up the eastward march and join a third army from New York. The three armies then would capture Montreal and Quebec and generally all Canada. It was a splendid plan. But there were three thing

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CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26

Monroe elected President, 1816, 1820. Characteristics of the Era of Good Feeling. McMaster , 260. 276. The Era as a Whole. --The years 1815-24 have been called the Era of Good Feeling, because there was no hard political fighting in all that time--at least not until the last year or two. In 1816 Monroe was elected President without much opposition. In 1820 he was reëlected President without any opposition whatever. Instead of fighting over politics, the people were busily employed in bringing va

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CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27

End of Monroe's administrations. 284. End of the Era of Good Feeling. --The Era of Good Feeling came to a sudden ending in 1824. Monroe's second term as President would end in 1825. He refused to be a candidate for reëlection. In thus following the example set by Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, Monroe confirmed the custom of limiting the presidential term to eight years. There was no lack of candidates to succeed him in his high office. J.Q. Adams 285. John Quincy Adams. --First and foremost

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X

X

References .--Scribner's Popular History , IV; Lodge's Webster ; Coffin's Building the Nation , 251-313. Home Readings .--Roosevelt's Winning of the West ; Hale's Stories of Inventions ; Wright's Stories of American Progress ....

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CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 28

Changes in conditions.] 293. A New Race. --Between the election of President Jefferson and the election of President Jackson great changes had taken place. The old Revolutionary statesmen had gone. New men had taken their places. The old sleepy life had gone. Everywhere now was bustle and hurry. In 1800 the Federalists favored the British, and the Republicans favored the French. Now no one seemed to care for either the British or the French. At last the people had become Americans. The Federalis

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CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 29

Jackson's early career. His "kitchen cabinet". 301. General Jackson. --Born in the backwoods of Carolina, Jackson had early crossed the Alleghanies and settled in Tennessee. Whenever trouble came to the Western people, whenever there was need of a stout heart and an iron will, Jackson was at the front. He always did his duty. He always did his duty well. Honest and sincere, he believed in himself and he believed in the American people. As President he led the people in one of the stormiest perio

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CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 30

Causes of the Panic. Hard times, 1837-39. 314. The Panic of 1837. --The Panic was due directly to Jackson's interference with the banks, to his Specie Circular, and to the distribution of the surplus. It happened in this way. When the Specie Circular was issued, people who held paper money at once went to the banks to get gold and silver in exchange for it to pay for the lands bought of the government. The government on its part drew out money from the banks to pay the states their share of the

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XI

XI

References .--Scribner's Popular History , IV; McMaster's With the Fathers , Coffin's Building the Nation , 314-324. Home Readings .--Wright's Stories of American Progress ; Bolton's Famous Americans ; Brooks's Boy Settlers ; Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin ; Lodge's Webster ....

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CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31

Antislavery sentiments of the Virginians. Slavery in the far South. Source-book , 244-248, 251-260. 323. Growth of Slavery in the South. --South of Pennsylvania and of the Ohio River slavery had increased greatly since 1787 (p. 136). Washington, Jefferson, Henry, and other great Virginians were opposed to the slave system. But they could find no way to end it, even in Virginia. The South Carolinians and Georgians fought every proposition to limit slavery. They even refused to come into the Union

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CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 32

The Mexican Republic, 1821. Texas secedes from Mexico, 1836, McMaster , 320-322; Hero Tales , 173-181. 329. The Republic of Texas. --The Mexicans won their independence from Spain in 1821 and founded the Mexican Republic. Soon immigrants from the United States settled in the northeastern part of the new republic. This region was called Texas. The Mexican government gave these settlers large tracts of land, and for a time everything went on happily. Then war broke out between the Mexicans and the

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CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33

Should Oregon and Mexican cessions be free soil? The Wilmot Proviso. McMaster , 324. 340. The Wilmot Proviso, 1846. --What should be done with Oregon and with the immense territory received from Mexico? Should it be free soil or should it be slave soil? To understand the history of the dispute which arose out of this question we must go back a bit and study the Wilmot Proviso. Even before the Mexican War was fairly begun, this question came before Congress. Every one admitted that Texas must be

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CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 34

Campaign of 1852. Pierce elected President. 349. Pierce elected President, 1852. --It was now Campaign time for a new election. The Whigs had been successful with two old soldiers, so they thought they would try again with another soldier and nominated General Winfield Scott, the conqueror of Mexico. The Democrats also nominated a soldier, Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire, who had been in northern Mexico with Taylor. The Democrats and Whigs both said that they would stand by the Compromise of 18

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 31 § 323.-- a . Why were the people of South Carolina so opposed to any limitation of slavery? How did they show their opposition? b . Had slavery disappeared in the North because people thought that it was wrong? §§ 324, 325.-- a . What suggestions were made by some in the North for the ending of slavery? What do you think of these suggestions? b . For what did Garrison contend, and how did he make his views known? Why were these views opposed in the North? § 326.-- a . Why were the Sou

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XII

XII

References .--Scribner's Popular History , IV, 432-445; McMaster's School History , chap. xxvi (industrial progress, 1840-60). Home Readings .--Page's The Old South ....

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CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 35

Area of the United States, 1860. Population, 1860. 361. Growth of the Country. --The United States was now three times as large as it was at Jefferson's election. It contained over three million square miles of land. About one-third of this great area was settled. In the sixty years of the century the population had increased even faster than the area had increased. In 1800 there were five and a half million people living in the United States. In 1860 there were over thirty-one million people wi

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CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 36

[Illustration: WILLIAM H. SEWARD.] Candidates for the Republican nomination 1860. Lincoln nominated. The platform. 369. The Republican Nomination, 1860. --Four names were especially mentioned in connection with the Republican nomination for President. These were Seward, Chase, Cameron, and Lincoln. Seward was the best known of them all. In the debates on the Compromise of 1850 he had declared that there was "a higher law" than the Constitution, namely, "the law of nature in men's hearts." In ano

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XIII

XIII

References .--Dodge's Bird's-Eye View ; Scribner's Popular History , IV and V; McMaster's School History . chap, xxix (the cost of the war); Lincoln's Inaugurals and Gettysburg Address . Home Readings .-- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (composed largely of articles that had previously appeared in the Century Magazine ; Whittier's Barbara Frietchie; Coffin's Winning his Way and other stories; Soley's Sailor Boys of '61 ; Trowbridge's Drummer Boy and other stories; Read's Sheridan's Ride ; C

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CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 37

Lincoln's inaugural address, March 4, 1861. 380. Lincoln's Inauguration. --On March 4, 1861, President Lincoln made his first inaugural address. In it he declared: "The Union is much older than the Constitution.... No state upon its own motion can lawfully get out of the Union.... In view of the Constitution and the laws the Union is unbroken ... I shall take care that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the states." As to slavery, he had "no purpose ... to interfere with the ins

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CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 38

[Illustration: RAILROADS AND RIVERS OF THE SOUTH.] The field of war. 386. Nature of the Conflict. --The overthrow of the Confederate states proved to be very difficult. The Alleghany Mountains cut the South into two great fields of war. Deep and rapid rivers flowed from the mountains into the Atlantic or into the Mississippi. Each of these rivers was a natural line of defense. The first line was the Potomac and the Ohio. But when the Confederates were driven from this line, they soon found anoth

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CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 39

The blockade. 402. The Blockade. --On the fall of Fort Sumter President Lincoln ordered a blockade of the Confederate seaports. There were few manufacturing industries in the South. Cotton and tobacco were the great staples of export. If her ports were blockaded the South could neither bring in arms and military supplies from Europe, nor send cotton and tobacco to Europe to be sold for money. So her power of resisting the Union armies would be greatly lessened. The Union government bought all ki

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CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 40

Position of the armies. 412. Position of the Armies, January, 1863. --The Army of the Potomac, now under Hooker, and the Army of Northern Virginia were face to face at Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock. In the West Rosecrans was at Murfreesboro', and Bragg on the way back to Chattanooga. In the Mississippi Valley Grant and Sherman had already begun the Vicksburg campaign. But as yet they had had no success. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, 1863. Hero Tales , 239-248. 413. Beginnings of the Vicksburg

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CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 41

Grant in chief command. Sherman commands in the West. 422. Grant in Command of all the Armies. --The Vicksburg and Chattanooga campaigns marked out Grant for the chief command. Hitherto the Union forces had acted on no well-thought-out plan. Now Grant was appointed Lieutenant General and placed in command of all the armies of the United States (March, 1864). He decided to carry on the war in Virginia in person. Western operations he intrusted to Sherman, with Thomas in command of the Army of the

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QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

[Use maps constantly while studying this period. The maps provided in Dodge's Bird's-Eye View are admirably adapted to this purpose.] CHAPTER 37 § 380.-- a . What did Lincoln say about the Union? What did he say about slavery? What oath did Lincoln take? b . Was his inaugural conciliatory to the South? §§ 381, 382.-- a . What was the result of Buchanan's attempt to send supplies to Fort Sumter? b . Why did Lincoln inform the governor of South Carolina of his determination to succor Fort Sumter?

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XIV

XIV

References .--Scribner's Popular History , V; McMaster's School History , chs. xxx-xxxiii; Andrews's Last Quarter-Century. Home Readings .--Hale's Mr. Merriam's Scholars....

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CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 42

Position of the seceded states. Lincoln's policy of reconstruction. McMaster , 427-428. 437. Lincoln's Reconstruction Policy. --The great question now before the country was what should be done with the Southern states and people. And what should be done with the freedmen? On these questions people were not agreed. Some people thought that the states were "indestructible"; that they could not secede or get out of the Union. Others thought that the Southern states had been conquered and should be

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CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 43

The Fifteenth Amendment, 1870. 447. The Fifteenth Amendment. --In February, 1869, just before Grant's inauguration, Congress proposed still another amendment, providing that neither the United States nor any state could abridge the rights of citizens of the United States on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The state legislatures hastened to accept this amendment, and it was declared in force in March, 1870. Progress of reconstruction. Reunion, 1870. 448. End of Reconst

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XV

XV

References .--Scribner's Popular History , V, 579-659; McMaster's School History , chs. xxxiv, xxxv. Home Readings .--Any short, attractive account of the Spanish War....

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CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 44

Benjamin Harrison elected President, 1888. 464. Benjamin Harrison elected President, 1888. --In 1888 the Democrats put forward Cleveland as their candidate for President. The Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison of Indiana. Like Hayes and Garfield, he had won renown in the Civil War and was a man of the highest honor and of proved ability. The prominence of the old Southern leaders in the Democratic administration, and the neglect of the business interests of the North, compelled many Norther

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CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 45

The Cubans rebel, 1894. Spanish cruelties, Source-book , 374-379. 472. The Cuban Rebellion, 1894-98. --The Cubans laid down their arms in 1877 (p. 372) because they relied on the promises of better government made by the Spaniards. But these promises were never carried out. Year after year the Cuban people bore with their oppression. But at last their patience was worn out. In 1894 they again rebelled. The Spaniards sent over an army to subdue them. Soon tales of cruelty on the part of the Spani

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GENERAL QUESTIONS

GENERAL QUESTIONS

a . What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tariff? b . What important matters have been definitely settled during the past one hundred years? c . What are some of the problems now before the American people? d . Should the United States be a "world power"?...

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TOPICS FOR SPECIAL WORK

TOPICS FOR SPECIAL WORK

a . Present condition of any part of the United States or dependent territories. b . Any campaign or battle of the Spanish War. c . Present political parties and their principles....

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SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER

SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER

Interesting constitutional questions will inevitably arise in teaching this section, but the events are too recent to admit of dogmatizing on lines of policy. The Spanish War and the Philippine trouble are too near to be properly judged, and the facts only should be taught. The duties and responsibilities resting upon the United States through its closer connection with all parts of the world can, however, be emphasized without the display of partisan spirit. Furthermore, the causes of present p

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CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA[1]

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA[1]

WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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. ARTICLE. I. SECTION. 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representativ

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DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In Congress, July 4, 1776 , THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION OF THE THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 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 separatio

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