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ABriefHistory
oftheUnitedStates
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BARNESSONETERMHISTORY
PREFACE
Theexperienceofallteacherstestifiestothelamentabledeficiencyinhistorical knowledge among their pupils; not that children dislikethe incidentsandeventsofhistory,for,indeed,theyprefer them tothe improbabletaleswhichnowformthebulkoftheirreading,butbecausethebooksaredry.Thosewhichare interestingareapttobe lengthy, and themind consequentlybecomes confusedby the
multitudeof
details,
while
the
brief
ones
often
contain
merely
the
drybonesof fact,uninvitingandunreal.Anattractivebookwhichcanbemasteredinasingleterm,isthenecessityofourschools.ThepresentworkisanattempttomeetthiswantinAmericanhistories.In its preparation there has been an endeavor to develop thefollowingprinciples:
1.ToprecedeeachEpochbyquestionsandamap,sothatthepupilmaybecome familiarwith the locationof theplacesnamed in the
historyhe
is
about
to
study.
2.Toselectonlythemostimportanteventsforthebodyofthetext,and then,by footnotes, to give explanations, illustrations, minorevents,anecdotes,&c.
3. To classify the events under general topics,which are given indistincttypeatthebeginningofeachparagraph;thusimpressingtheleadingideaonthemindofthepupil,enablinghimtoseeataglance
theprominent
points
of
the
lesson,
and
especially
adapting
the
book
tothatlargeandconstantlyincreasingclassofteachers,whorequiretopicalrecitations.
4.Toselect, in thedescriptionofeachbattle,somecharacteristic inwhich itdiffersfromallotherbattlesitskeynote,bywhich itcanberecollected;thusnotonlypreventingasameness,butgivingtothepupil a point around which he may group information obtainedfromfullerdescriptionsandlargerhistories.
5. To give only leadingdates, and, as far aspossible, to associatethemwitheachother,andthusassistthememoryintheirpermanent
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retention;experiencehavingproved thecommittingofmanydatestobethemostbarrenandprofitlessofallschoolattainments.
6.To
give
each
campaign
as
awhole,
rather
than
to
mingle
several
bypresenting the events in chronologicalorder.Whenever,by theoperations of one armybeingdependent on those of another, thisplanmightfailtoshowtheinterrelationofevents,topreventsucharesultbysoarrangingthecampaignsthatthesupportingeventshallprecedethesupportedone.
7.Togive something of thephilosophy ofhistory, the causes andeffectsofevents,and,inthecaseofgreatbattles,theobjectssought
tobe
attained;
thus
leading
pupils
to
athoughtful
study
of
history,
andtoanappreciationofthefactthateventshingeuponeachother.
8. To insert, in footnotes, sketches of the more importantpersonages,especiallythePresidents,andtherebyenablethestudenttoformsomeestimateoftheircharacters.
9.Touselanguage,aclauseorsentenceofwhichcannotbeselectedorcommittedasananswertoaquestion,butsuchas,givingtheidea
vividly,will
yet
compel
the
pupil
to
express
it
in
his
own
words.
10. To assign to each Epoch its fair proportion of space; notexpandingtheearlieronesattheexpenseofthelater;butgivingdueprominencetotheeventsnearerourowntime,especiallytotheCivilWar.
11.TowriteaNationalhistorybycarefullyavoidingallsectionalorpartisanviews.
12.Togive thenewStates theattentiondue to their importancebydevoting space to each one as it is admitted into theUnion, andbecomesafeatureinthegrandnationaldevelopment.
13.Toleadtoamoreindependentuseofthebook,andtheadoptionof the topicalmode of recitation and study, as far as possible,byplacing the questions at the close of thework, rather than at thebottomofeachpage.
14. To furnish, under the title of Historical Recreations, a set ofreviewquestionswhichmayservetoawakenaninterestintheclassandinduceamorecomprehensivestudyofthebook.
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Finallythiswork is offered toAmerican youth in the confidentbelief thatas theystudy thewonderfulhistoryof theirnative land,theywill learn toprize theirbirthrightmorehighly,and treasure it
morecarefully.
Their
patriotism
must
be
kindled
when
they
come
to
seehow slowly,yethowgloriously, this treeof libertyhasgrown,whatstormshavewrencheditsboughs,whatsweatoftoilandbloodhasmoistened its roots,what eager eyeshavewatched every outspringingbud,whatbraveheartshavedefended it, loving it evenuntodeath.Aheritagethussanctifiedby theheroismanddevotionofthefatherscanbutelicitthechoicestcareandtenderestloveofthesons.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
FIRSTEPOCH.
EARLYDISCOVERIESANDSETTLEMENTS
SECONDEPOCH.
DEVELOPMENTOF
THE
COLONIES
THIRDEPOCH.
THEREVOLUTIONARYWAR
FOURTHEPOCH.
DEVELOPMENTOFTHESTATES,
FIFTHEPOCH.
THECIVIL
WAR
SIXTHEPOCH.
RECONSTRUCTIONANDPASSINGEVENTS
QUESTIONSFORCLASSUSE
HISTORICALRECREATIONS
DECLARATIONOF
INDEPENDENCE
CONSTITUTIONOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
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ASUGGESTIONTOTEACHERS
[EnteredaccordingtoActofCongress,A.D.1872,byA.S.Barnes&Co.,intheOfficeoftheLibrarianofCongress,atWashington.]
*****
The following method of using this work has been successfullyemployedbymanyteachers.AtthecommencementofthestudyleteachpupilberequiredtodrawanoutlinemapofNorthAmerica,at
least18
x24
inches
in
size.
This
should
contain
only
physical
features,viz.,coastline,mountains,lakes,andrivers.Ifdesired,theymaybemarkedveryfaintlyatfirst,andshadedanddarkenedwhendiscovered in theprogressof thehistory.As thepupilsadvance inthe text let them mark on their maps, day by day, the placesdiscovered,thesettlements,battles,politicaldivisions,etc.,withtheirdates. Theywill thus see the country growing afresh under theirhand and eye, and the geography and the history will beindissolubly linked.At the closeof the term theirmapswill show
whatthey
have
done,
and
each
name,
with
its
date,
will
recall
the
historywhichclustersaroundit.
Recitations and examinationsmaybe conductedbyhaving amapdrawnupontheblackboardwithcoloredcrayons,andrequiringtheclasstofillinthenamesanddates,describingthehistoricalfactsastheyproceed.Inturn,duringreview,thepupilshouldbeable,whenadateorplaceispointedout,tostatetheeventassociatedwithit.
Itwill
be
noticed
that
the
book
is
written
on
an
exact
plan
and
methodofarrangement.Thetopicsoftheepochs,chapters,sectionsand paragraphs form a perfect analysis; thus, in each PresidentialAdministration, the order of subjects is uniform, viz.: DomesticAffairs,ForeignAffairs,andPoliticalPartiesthesubsidiary topicsbeing grouped under these heads. The teacher is thereforecommendedtoplaceontheboardtheanalysisofeachEpoch,andconducttherecitationfromthatwithouttheuseofthebookintheclass.
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INTRODUCTION.
WHOFIRSTSETTLEDAMERICA?Itwasprobably firstpeopledfromAsia,thebirthplaceofman.Inwhatwaythishappened,wedonotknow.Chinesevessels,coastingalongtheshoreaccordingtothecustomofearlyvoyagers,mayhavebeendrivenbystormstocrossthePacificOcean,whilethecrewswerethankfultoescapeawaterygravebysettlinganunknowncountryor,partieswanderingacrossBehring Strait in search of adventure, and finding on this side apleasantland,mayhaveresolvedtomakeittheirhome.
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES.In various parts of the continent,remains are found of the people who settled the country inprehistorictimes.ThroughtheMississippivalley,fromtheLakestotheGulf,extendsasuccessionofdefensiveearthworks.
[Footnote: It isa singular fact thatbanksofearthgrassedoveraremore enduring than any otherwork ofman. The grassymoundsnearNinevehandBabylonhaveremainedunchangedforcenturies.
Meantimemassive
buildings
of
stone
have
been
erected,
have
served
longgenerations,andhavecrumbledtoruin.]
SimilarruinsarefoundinvariousothersectionsoftheUnitedStates.The largest forest trees are often found growing upon them. TheIndianshaveno traditionas to theoriginof these structures.Theygenerally crown steep hills, and consist of embankments, ditches,&c., indicating considerable acquaintancewithmilitary science.AtNewark,Ohio, a fortification existswhich covers an area ofmore
thantwo
miles
square,
and
has
over
two
miles
of
embankment
from
twototwentyfeethigh.
Mounds,seeminglyconstructedasgreataltarsforreligiouspurposesorasmonuments,arealsonumerous.One,oppositeSt.Louis,coverseightacresofground,and isninety feethigh.Thereare said tobe10,000ofthesemoundsinOhioalone.
A peculiar kind of earthwork has the outline of giganticmen or
animals.An
embankment
in
Adams
County,
Ohio,
represents
very
accurately a serpent 1000 feet long. Itsbodywindswith gracefulcurves,andinitswideextendedjawsliesafigurewhichtheanimalseemsabout to swallow. InMexicoandPeru,stillmorewonderful
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remainshavebeendiscovered.They consistnotaloneofdefensiveworks, altars, and monuments, but of idols, ruined temples,aqueducts,bridges,andpavedroads.
THE MOUND BUILDERS is the name given to the people whoerectedthemoundsofNorthAmerica.TheyseemtohaveemigratedtoCentralAmerica,andtheretohavedevelopedahighcivilization.Theybuilt cities,wove cotton,worked ingold, silver, and copper,laboredinthefields,andhadregulargovernments.
THE INDIANS who were found on this continent east of theMississippi,bythefirstEuropeansettlers,didnotexceed200,000in
number.In
Mexico,
Peru,
and
the
Indies,
however,
there
was
an
immensepopulation.TheIndianswerethesuccessorsoftheMoundBuilders,andwerebyfartheirinferiorsincivilization.Weknownotwhy the ancient race left, nor whence the Indians came. It issupposed that the former were driven southward by the savagetribesfromthenorth.
INDIANCHARACTERISTICS.
[Footnote: This description applies to the Indians inhabiting thepresentlimitsoftheUnitedStates.]
ArtsandInventions.TheIndianhasbeenwelltermedtheRedManof theForest.Hebuiltnocities,noships,nochurches,no schoolhouses.Heconstructedonly temporarybarkwigwamsandcanoes.Hemadeneitherroadsnorbridges,butfollowedfootpathsthrough
theforest,
and
swam
the
streams.
His
highest
art
was
expended
in
a
simplebowandarrow.
Progress and Education.He made no advancement,but each sonemulated theprowess ofhis father in the hunt and the fight.Thehuntingground and the battlefield embraced everything of realhonor orvalue.So the sonwas educated to throw the tomahawk,shootthearrow,andcatchfishwiththespear.Heknewnothingofbooks,paper,writing,orhistory.
[Footnote: Some tribes and families seem to have been furtheradvanced than others and to have instructed then children,
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fishesthattheirbonesshouldberespected.Heplacedgreatstressondreams,andhiscampswarmedwithsorcerersandfortunetellers.
THEINDIAN
OF
THE
PRESENT.Such
was
the
Indian
two
hundred years ago, and such he is today. He opposes theencroachments of the settler, and thebuilding of railroads.Buthecannot stop the tide of immigration.Unless he canbe induced togiveuphisrovinghabits,andtocultivatethesoil,he isdoomedtodestruction.ItistobeearnestlyhopedthattheredmanmayyetbeChristianized,andtaughttheartsofindustryandpeace.
THENORTHMEN (inhabitants ofNorway and Sweden) claim to
havebeen
the
original
discoverers
of
America.
According
to
their
traditions, thiscontinentwasseen firstabout theyear1000,byoneBiorne,whohadbeendriven to seabya tempest.Afterwardotheradventurersmade successfulvoyages, established settlements, andbarteredwiththenatives.Snorre,sonofoneofthesesettlers,issaidtohavebeenthefirstchildbornofEuropeanparentsuponourshore.
[Footnote:Snorrewasthefounderofanillustriousfamily.OneofhisdescendantsissaidtohavebeenAlbertThorwaldsen,thegreatDanish
sculptorof
the
present
century.
The
beautiful
photographs
of
ThorwaldsensDay,Night,andTheSeasons,whichhanginsomanyAmericanparlors,thusacquireanewinterestbybeinglinkedwith the pioneer boy born on New England shores so manycenturiesago.]
The Northmen claim to have explored the coast as far south asFlorida. How much credit is to be given to these traditions isuncertain.Manyhistoriansrejectthem,whileothersthinkthereare
tracesof
the
Northmen
yet
remaining,
such
as
the
old
tower
at
Newport,R.I.,andthesingular inscriptionsontherockatDighton,Mass.Admitting,however, the claimsof theNorthmen, the fact isbarrenofallresults.Nopermanentsettlementsweremade,theroutehither was lost, and even the existence of the continent wasforgotten.
[Footnote: See TheOldMill atNewport in ScribnersMagazine,March,1879,andtheMagazineofAmericanHistory,September,1879.]
The true history of this country begins with its discovery byColumbusin1492.Itnaturallydividesitselfintosixgreatepochs.
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FIRSTEPOCH.
EARLYDISCOVERIESANDSETTLEMENTS.
This epoch extends from the discovery ofAmerica in 1492 to thesettlement atJamestown,Va., in 1607.During this period variousEuropeannationswereexploringthecontinent,andmakingwidelyscatteredsettlements.
SECONDEPOCH.
DEVELOPMENTOF
THE
COLONIES.
ThisepochextendsfromthesettlementatJamestown,Va.,in1607,tothe breaking out of the Revolutionary War in 1775. During thisperiod the scattered settlements grew into thirteen flourishingcolonies,subjecttoGreatBritain.
THIRDEPOCH.
REVOLUTIONARYWAR.
ThisepochextendsfromthebreakingoutoftheRevolutionaryWarin 1775, to the adoption of the Constitution in 1787. During thisperiod the colonies threw off the government of England, andestablishedtheirindependence.
FOURTHEPOCH.
DEVELOPMENTOFTHESTATES.
ThisepochextendsfromtheadoptionoftheConstitutionin1787,tothebreaking out of theCivilWar in 1861.During thisperiod theStatesincreasedinnumberfromthirteentothirtyfour,andgrewinpopulation and wealth until the United States became the mostprosperousnationintheworld.
FIFTHEPOCH.
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THECIVILWAR.
ThisepochextendsfromthebreakingoutoftheCivilWarin1861,to
thesurrender
of
Lees
army
in
1865.
During
this
period
agigantic
strifewascarriedonbetweentheNorthernandtheSouthernStates,the former struggling for the perpetuation of theUnion, and thelatterforitsdivision.
SIXTHEPOCH.
RECONSTRUCTION,ANDPASSINGEVENTS.
This epoch extends from the close of theCivilWar to thepresenttime.During thisperiod the secedingStateshavebeen restored totheirrightsintheUnion,peacehasbeenfullyestablished,andmanyinterestingeventshaveoccurred.
REFERENCESFORREADING.
The following works will be found valuable for reference andadditional information.It isnot the intention togiveacatalogueofU.S.HistoriesandbiographiesofcelebratedAmericans,butsimplytonameafewworkswhichwillservetointerestaclassandfurnishmaterial for collateral reading. Bancrofts andHildrethsHistories,IrvingsLifeofWashington,andSparkssAmericanBiographies,aresupposed tobe inevery school library,and tobe familiar toeveryteacher.Theyarethereforenotreferredtointhislist.TheLivesofthe
Presidents,the
Histories
of
the
different
States,
and
all
works
of
local
valueareuseful,andshouldbesecured,ifpossible.TheMagazineofAmerican History will be found serviceable for reference ondisputed points of American History and Biography. HolmessAmericanAnnals is invaluable,and theearlyvolumesoftheNorthAmerican Review contain a great deal of interesting historicalmatter. The American Cyclopaedia and Thomass Dictionary ofBiography are exceedingly serviceable in preparing essays andfurnishing anecdotes. With a little effort a poem, a good prose
selection,or
acomposition
on
some
historical
topic
may
be
offered
bytheclasseachdaytoenliventherecitation.
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BeamishsDiscoveryofAmericaby theNorthmen.Bradfords AmericanAntiquities.BaldwinsAncientAmerica.SquierandDavissAmericanAntiquities and Discoveries in the WestSindings History of
Scandinavia.Cattins
North
American
Indians.
Thatchers
Indian
Biography.Stones Life and Times ofRedJacket, and Life ofBrandtCoopers Leather Stocking TalesMorgans League of the Iroquois.SchoolcraftsMemoirsofResidenceAmongtheIndians,andotherworksbythe same author. Fosters Prehistoric Races of the United States ofAmerica.BancroftsNativeRacesMatthewsBehemoth,aLegendoftheMound Builders (Fiction).Lowells Chippewa Legend (Poetry). Whittiers Bridal of Penacook (Poetry).Joness MoundBuilders ofTennesee.Goodrichs Socalled Columbus.Ancient Monuments in
America,Harpers
Magazine,
vol.
21.
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ABriefHistoryoftheUnitedStates
1
EPOCH1.
EARLYDISCOVERIES
AND
SETTLEMENTS.
GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIFTEENTHCENTURY.The people of Europe had then never heard ofAmerica.Aboutthattime,agreatdesireforgeographicalknowledgewasawakened.The compassand theastrolabean instrument forreckoning latitudehadbeen already invented.Voyagerswerenolonger compelled to creepalong the shore,butbegan to strikeout
boldlyinto
the
open
sea.
The
art
of
printing
had
just
come
into
use,
andbooksoftravelwereeagerlyread.
[Footnote: Questions on the Geography of the First Epoch.In theaccompanyingmap therearenodivisionsof thecontinent,asnoneexisted at that time. When they are called for in the followingquestions,theobjectistotestthepupilsgeographicalknowledge.
LocatetheWestIndies.SanSalvador(nowcalledGuanahani,gwah
nahhah
ne,
and
Cat
Island).
Cuba.
Hispaniola
or
Hayti
(he
te),
namegiventotheislandin1803byDessalines.(SeeLipp.Gazetteer.)Newfoundland.CapeBreton.RoanokeIsland.ManhattanIsland.
Describe theOrinocoRiver.MississippiRiver. St.LawrenceRiver.JamesRiver.OhioRiver.ColoradoRiver.ColumbiaRiver.St.JohnsRiver.
Where is Labrador? Central America? Florida? Mexico? New
Mexico?California?
Oregon?
Peru?
LocateStAugustine.SantaFe (sahntahfay).NewYork.Montreal.Quebec.Albany.Jamestown. PortRoyal. Isthmus ofDarien.CapeHenry.CapeCharles.CapeCod.ChesapeakeBay.HudsonBay.
Marco Polo and other adventurers returning from the East, toldwonderfulstoriesofthewealthofAsiaticcities.Genoa,Florence,andVenice, commanding the commerce of the Mediterranean, had
becomeenriched
by
trade
with
the
East.
The
costly
shawls,
spices,
andsilksofPersiaandIndiawerebornebycaravanstotheRedSea,thenceoncamelsacrossthedeserttotheNile,andlastlybyshipovertheMediterraneantoEurope.]
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ABriefHistoryoftheUnitedStates
2
Thegreatproblemof theagewashow to reach theEast Indiesbysea,andthusgiveacheaperroutetotheserichproducts.
COLUMBUSconceived
that
by
sailing
west
he
could
reach
the
East
Indies.Hebelieved the earth tobe round,whichwas thenanovelidea.He,however,thoughtitmuchsmallerthanitreallyis,andthatAsiaextendsmuchfurtherroundtheworldtotheeastthanitdoes.Hence, he argued thatby going a few hundred leagueswest hewouldtouchthecoastofEasternAsia.Hewasdeterminedtotrythisnewroute,butwastoopoortopayforthenecessaryships,men,andprovisions.
[Footnote:Several
facts
served
to
strengthen
the
faith
of
Columbus
in
the correctness of his theory. TheAzores and theCape deVerdeislandswere themostwesterly lands thenknown.Therehadbeenwashedontheirshoresbywesterlywinds,piecesofwoodcuriouslycarved, trees, and seeds of unknown species, and especially thebodiesoftwomenofstrangecolorandvisage.]
[Footnote:ChristopherColumbuswasborninGenoa,Italy,1435.Hewastrainedfortheseafromhischildhood.Beingtheeldestoffour
children,and
his
father
apoor
wool
comber,
much
care
devolved
uponhim.Itissaidthatatthirtyhishairwaswhitefromtroubleandanxiety.Hiskindandlovingdispositionisprovedbythefactthatinhispoorestdayshesavedpartofhispittance toeducatehisyoungbrothers and support his aged father.Columbuswas determined,shrewd,andintenselyreligious.Hebelievedandannouncedhimselftobedivinelycalledtocarrythetruefaithintotheuttermostpartsof the earth. Inspired by this thought, no discouragement orcontumelycoulddrivehimtodespairutterly.Itwaseighteenyears
fromthe
conception
to
the
accomplishment
of
his
plan.
During
all
thistimehislifewasamarvelofpatience,andofbravedevotiontohisonepurpose.Hissorrowsweremany;histriumphwasbrief.Evilmenmaligned him to Ferdinand and Isabella. Disregarding theirpromise that he shouldbe governorgeneral over all the lands hemightdiscover,thekingandqueensentoutanothergovernor,andbyhisorderColumbuswassenthomeinchains!Nowonderthatthewholenationwasshockedatsuchan indignity tosuchaman.It issad to know that although Ferdinand and Isabella endeavored to
soothehis
wounded
spirit
by
many
attentions,
they
never
restored
to
himhis lawful rights.From fluentpromises theypassed at last tototal neglect, andColumbus died a grieved and disappointed old
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ABriefHistoryoftheUnitedStates
3
man.At his request, his chainswereburiedwith him, a touchingmemorialofSpanishingratitude.]
COLUMBUSAT
THE
COURT
OF
PORTUGAL.He
accordingly
laidhisplanbeforeKingJohnofPortugal,who,beingpleasedwiththeidea,referredittothegeographersofhiscourt.Theypronouncedit a visionary scheme.With a lurking feeling, however, that theremightbetruthinit,thekinghadthemeannesstodispatchavesselsecretlytotestthematter.ThepilothadthechartsofColumbus,butlacked his heroic courage. After sailing westward from Cape deVerdeislandsforafewdays,andseeingnothingbutawidewasteofwildlytossingwaves,hereturned,ridiculingtheidea.
COLUMBUSATTHECOURTOFSPAIN.Columbus,disheartenedby this treachery,betookhimself toSpain.Duringseven longyearshe importunedKing Ferdinand for a reply.All thiswhile hewasregardedasavisionaryfellow,andwhenhepassedalongthestreets,eventhechildrenpointedtotheirforeheadsandsmiled.Atlast,thelearned councildeclared theplan too foolish for further attention.Turningawaysadly,ColumbusdeterminedtogotoFrance.
[Footnote:It
is
absurd,
said
those
wise
men.
Who
is
so
foolish
as
to believe that there are people on the other side of the world,walkingwith theirheelsupward, and theirheadshangingdown?Andthen,howcanashipgetthere?Thetorridzone,throughwhichtheymustpass, isaregionof fire,where theverywavesboil.Andevenifashipcouldperchancegetaroundtheresafely,howcoulditevergetback?Can a ship sailuphill?All ofwhich soundsverystrangetousnow,whenhundredsoftravelersmakeeveryyeartheentirecircuitoftheglobe.]
COLUMBUS SUCCESSFUL.His friends at the Spanish court, atthisjuncture, laid thematterbeforeQueen Isabella, and shewasfinallywontohiscause.Thekingremainedindifferent,andpleadedthewantoffunds.Thequeeninherearnestnessexclaimed,Ipledgemyjewelstoraisethemoney.Buthersacrificewasnotrequired.St.Angel, the court treasurer, advancedmost of themoney, and thefriendsofColumbus the remainder,inallabout$20,000,equal tosix times thatamountat thepresentday.Columbushadsucceeded
atlast.
COLUMBUSS EQUIPMENT.Though armed with the kingsauthority,Columbusobtainedvesselsand sailorswith thegreatest
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4
difficulty. The boldest seamen shrank from such a desperateundertaking. At last, three small vesselsweremanned; the Pinta(peentah),SantaMaria(mareah),andNinah(nenah).Theysailed
fromPalos,
Spain,
Aug.
3,
1492.
INCIDENTSOFTHEVOYAGE.Whentheshipsstruckoutboldlywestward on theuntried sea, and the sailors saw the last trace ofland fade from their sight,many, even of thebravest,burst intotears.As theyproceeded, theirheartswerewrungby superstitiousfears.Totheirdismay,thecompassnolongerpointeddirectlynorth,and theybelieved that theywere coming into a regionwhere thevery lawsofnaturewerechanged.Theycame into the trackof the
tradewind,
which
wafted
them
steadily
westward.
This,
they
were
sure,was carrying them to destruction, for how could they everreturn against it? Signs of land, such as flocks ofbirds and fresh,green plants, were often seen, and the clouds near the horizonassumedthelookofland,buttheydisappeared,andonlythebroadoceanspreadoutbeforethemastheyadvanced.Thesailors,sooftendeceived, lostheart,and insistedupon returninghome.Columbus,withwonderful tactandpatience, explainedall theseappearances.But themoreheargued, the louderbecame theirmurmurs.At last
theysecretly
determined
to
throw
him
overboard.
Although
he
knew their feelings,hedidnotwaver,butdeclared thathewouldproceedtilltheenterprisewasaccomplished.
Soon, signs of land silenced their murmurs. A staff artificiallycarved,andabranchofthornwithberriesfloatednear.Allwasnoweager expectation. In the evening,Columbusbeheld a light risingandfallinginthedistance,asofatorchbornebyonewalking.Laterat night, thejoyful cry of Land! rang out from the Pinta. In the
morningthe
shore,
green
with
tropical
verdure,
lay
smiling
before
them.
THELANDING.Columbus,dressed inasplendidmilitarysuitofscarlet embroidered with gold, and followed by a retinue of hisofficers and menbearingbanners, stepped upon the new world,Friday,Oct.12,1492.He threwhimselfuponhisknees,kissed theearth,andwith tearsofjoygave thanks toGod.He then formallyplantedthecross,andtookpossessionofthecountryinthenameof
Ferdinandand
Isabella.
Thewonderingnatives,whocrowdedtheshore,gazedonthemwithawe.Theysupposed theships tobehugewhitewingedbirds,and
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ABriefHistoryoftheUnitedStates
5
theSpaniardstohavecomefromheaven.Howsadlyandhowsoonthesesimplepeoplewereundeceived!
FURTHERDISCOVERIES.Columbus
found
the
land
to
be
an
island, which he named St. Salvador. He supposed that he hadreached the islands lying off the eastern coast of India, and hetherefore called the darkhued natives, Indians. Careful inquirieswere alsomade concerning the rich products of the East, such asspices,preciousstones,andespeciallygold.Thesimplepeoplehadonlyafewgoldenornaments.Thesetheyreadilybarteredforhawksbells.Cuba,Hayti,andotherislandswerediscoveredandvisitedinthevainhopeofsecuringOriental treasures.Columbusevensenta
deputationinto
the
interior
of
Cuba
to
afamous
chief,
supposing
himtobethegreatkingofTartary!
Atlast,urgedbyhiscrew,herelinquishedthesearch,andturnedhisvesselshomeward.
HISRECEPTION,onhis return,was flattering in theextreme.Thewholenationtookaholiday.Hisappearancewashailedwithshoutsandtheringingofbells.Thekingandqueenweredazzledbytheir
newand
sudden
acquisition.
As
Columbus
told
them
of
the
beautiful
land he had discovered, itsbrilliantbirds, its tropical forests, itsdeliciousclimate,andaboveall, itsnativeswaiting tobeconvertedto theChristian faith, they sank upon their knees, and gaveGodthanksforsuchasignaltriumph.
[Footnote:ThebodyofColumbuswasdeposited in theConventofSanFrancisco,Valladohd,Spain.Itwasthencetransported,in1513,to the Carthusian Monastery of Seville where a handsome
monumentwas
erected,
by
command
of
Ferdinand
and
Isabella
with
the simple inscriptionTo Castile and Leon, Colon gave a newworld.In1536hisbody,andthatofhissonDiego,wereremovedtothe city of Saint Domingo, Hayti, and interned in the principalchapel.But theywerenotpermitted to resteven there, for in1796theywerebrought toHavanawith imposing ceremonies.His finalrestingplaceintheCathedralismarkedbyaslabelaboratelycarved,onwhichisinscribedinSpanish,
Oh,rest
thou,
image
of
the
great
Colon,
Thousandcenturiesremain,guardedintheurn,Andintheremembranceofournation.]
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SUBSEQUENT VOYAGES.Columbus afterward made threevoyages. In 1498 he discovered the mainland, near the OrinocoRiver.Henever,however, lost thedelusion that itwas theeastern
coastof
Asia,
and
died
ignorant
of
the
grandeur
of
his
discovery.
HOWTHECONTINENTWASNAMED.AmericusVesputius (americus vespusheus), a friend of Columbus, accompanied asubsequent expedition to the new world. A German namedWaldseeMuellerpublishedaninterestingaccountofhisadventures,inwhichhe suggested that the country shouldbe calledAmerica.Thiswork,being the firstdescription of thenewworld,was verypopular,andthenamewassoonadoptedbygeographers.
JOHN CABOT, a navigator of Bristol, England,by studying hischarts and globes, decided that since the degrees of longitudediminish in lengthas theyapproach thepole, the shortest route toIndiamustbebysailingnorthwestinsteadofwest,asColumbushaddone.Heeasilyobtainedroyalauthoritytomaketheattempt.Afteraprosperous voyage, he came in sight of the sterile region ofLabrador, and sailed along the coast formany leagues. Thiswasfourteen months before Columbus discovered the continent. Cabot
supposedthat
he
had
reached
the
territory
of
the
Great
Cham,
kingofTartary.Nevertheless,helanded,plantedabanner,andtookpossessioninthenameofthekingofEngland.Onhisreturnhomehewas receivedwithmuchhonor,wasdressed in silk,and styledtheGreatAdmiral.Thebootywhichhebroughtbackconsistedofonlytwoturkeysandthreesavages.
[Footnote:ThereisamapofCabotspreservedatParis,onwhichtheland he first saw, and named PrimaVista, correspondswithCape
Breton.On
it
is
the
date
1494.
If
this
be
authentic,
it
will
give
the
priorityofthediscoveryoftheAmericancontinenttoCabotbyfouryears, and decide that Cape Breton, and not Labrador nor theOrinoco River, was first seen by European eyes. Very little isdefinitelyknownofJohnCabot,andeventhetimeandplaceofhisbirthanddeatharemattersofconjecture.]
SEBASTIANCABOTcontinuedhis fathersdiscoveries.During thesame summer in which Columbus reached the shore of South
America,Sebastian,
then
ayouth
of
only
twenty
one,
discovered
Newfoundland,andcoastedasfarsouthasChesapeakeBay.AshefoundneitherthewaytoIndia,norgold,preciousstones,andspices,his expedition was considered a failure. Yet, by his discoveries,
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Englandacquiredatitletoavastterritoryinthenewworld.ThoughhegavetoEnglandacontinent,nooneknowshisburialplace.
Weshall
now
follow
the
principal
explorations
made
within
the
limits of the futureUnited States,by the SPAINIARDS,FRENCH,ENGLISH, and DUTCH. The Spaniards explored mainly thesouthernportionofNorthAmerica,theFrenchthenorthern,andtheEnglishthemiddleportionalongthecoast.
SPANISHEXPLORATIONS.
Feelingin
Spain.America,
at
this
time,
was
to
the
Spaniard
aland
ofvague,butmagnificentpromise,where the simplenativesworeunconsciously the costliest gems, and the sands of the riverssparkled with gold. Every returning ship brought fresh news toquicken the pulse of Spanish enthusiasm.Now,Cortez had takenMexico,andreveledinthewealthoftheMontezumas;now,Pizarrohad conquered Peru, and captured the riches of the Incas; now,Magellan, sailing through the straits which bear his name, hadcrossed thePacific, and his vessel returning homeby theCape of
GoodHope,
had
circumnavigated
the
globe.
Men
of
the
highest
rank
and culture,warriors, adventurers, all flocked to the newworld.SoonCuba,Hispaniola,PortoRico, andJamaicawere settled, andruledby Spanish governors.Among the Spanish explorers of thesixteenthcenturywenoticethefollowing:
PONCEDELEON(ponthadalaon)wasagallantsoldier,butanoldman,andindisgrace.Hecovetedthegloryofconquesttorestorehis tarnished reputation, and,besides, he had heard of amagical
fountainin
this
fairy
land,
where
one
might
bathe
and
be
young
again.Accordinglyheequippedanexpedition,andsailed insearchofthisfabledtreasure.OnEasterSunday(PascuaFlorida,inSpanish),1512,hecameinsightofalandgaywithspringflowers.Inhonoroftheday,hecalled itFlorida.Hesailedalong thecoast,and landedhereand there,but returnedhomeat last,anoldman still,hayingfoundneitheryouth,gold,norglory.
[Footnote: About eight years afterward, De Ayllon (daileyon)
madeakidnapping
expedition
to
what
is
now
known
as
South
Carolina.DesiringtoobtainlaborersfortheminesandplantationsinHayti,heinvitedsomeofthenativesonboardhisvessels,and,whentheywereallbelow,hesuddenlyclosedthehatchesandsetsail.The
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speculation,however,didnot turnoutprofitably.Onevessel sankwithallonboard,andmany,preferringstarvation toslavery,diedon thevoyage.History tellsus that in1525,whenDeAyllonwent
backwith
the
intention
of
settling
the
country,
the
Indians
practised
uponhim the lessonofcrueltyhehad taught them.Hismenwereluredintotheinterior.Theirentertainers,fallinguponthematnight,slewthelargerpart,andDeAyllonwasonlytoogladtoescapewithhislife.]
BALBOAcrossedtheIsthmusofDarienthenextyear,andfromthesummitoftheAndesbeheldthewideexpanseofthePacificOcean.Wading into itswaterswithhisnakedsword inonehand,and the
bannerof
Castile
(kas
teel)
in
the
other,
he
solemnly
declared
that
theocean,andall theshoreswhich itmight touch,belonged to thecrownofSpainforever.
DENARVAEZ(narvaheth)receivedagrantofFlorida,and(1528)with300menattempteditsconquest.Strikingintotheinterior,theywandered about, lured on by the hope of finding gold. Wadingthrough swamps, crossingdeep riversby swimming andby rafts,fightingthelurkingIndianswhoincessantlyharassedtheirpath,and
nearlyperishing
with
hunger,
they
reached
at
last
the
Gulf
of
Mexico.Hastilyconstructingsomecrazyboats,theyputtosea.Aftersixweeks of peril and suffering, theywere shipwrecked, andDeNarvaezwas lost.Sixyearsafterward, fourtheonly survivorsofthis illfated expeditionreached the Spanish settlements on thePacificcoast.
FERDINANDDE SOTO,undismayedby these failures,undertookanewtheconquestofFlorida.Hesetoutwith600choicemen,amid
thefluttering
of
banners,
the
flourish
of
trumpets,
and
the
gleaming
of helmet and lance. For month after month this procession ofcavaliers,priests, soldiers,and Indiancaptivesstrolled through thewilderness, wherever they thought gold might be found. Theytraversedwhat is nowGeorgia,Alabama, andMississippi. In thethirdyearoftheirwanderings(1541)theyemergeduponthebankoftheMississippi.Afteranotheryearoffruitlessexplorations,DeSotodied.(SeeMap,EpochI).Atthedeadofnighthisfollowerssankhisbody in the river, and the sullenwatersburied his hopes andhis
ambition.He
had
crossed
alarge
part
of
the
continent,
says
Bancroft,andfoundnothingsoremarkableashisburialplace.DeSoto hadbeen the soul of the company.When he died, the otheradventurers were anxious only to get home in safety. They
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constructedboats and descended the river, little over half of thisgallantarrayfinallyreachingthesettlementsinMexico.
MELENDEZ(ma
len
deth),
wiser
than
his
predecessors,
on
landing
(1565) forthwith laid the foundations of a colony. In honor of theday,henamed itSt.Augustine.This is theoldest town in theUnitedStates.
[Footnote:Many Spanish remains still exist. Among these is FortMarion,onceSanMarco,whichwasfoundedin1565andfinishedin1755. It is built of coquinaa curious stone composed of smallshells.]
EXPLORATIONSONTHEPACIFIC.
California, in the sixteenthcentury,wasageneralnameapplied toalltheregionnorthwestofMexico.ItissaidtohaveoriginatedinanoldSpanish romanceverypopular in the timeofCortez, inwhichappearedacharacter calledCalifornia,queenof theAmazons.TheMexicans told the Spaniards thatmost of their gold and precious
stonescame
from
acountry
far
to
the
northwest.
Cortez,
therefore,
immediately turned his attention to that direction, and sent outseveralexpeditionstoexploretheCalifornias.Alltheseadventurersreturnedemptyhandedfromtheveryregionwhere,threecenturiesafterward, theworldwas startledby the finding of anElDoradosuchaswouldhave satisfied thewildestdreamsofCortezandhiscredulousfollowers.
CABRILLO (1542) made the first voyage along the Pacific coast,
goingas
far
north
as
the
present
limits
of
Oregon.
NEWMEXICOwasexploredandnamedbyEspejo(espayho)who(1582) founded Santa Fe,which is the second oldest town in theUnited States.Thiswas seventeen years after the settlement of St.Augustine.
EXTENTOFTHESPANISHPOSSESSIONS.
Spain,atthecloseofthesixteenthcentury,heldpossessionnotonlyoftheWestIndies,butofYucatan,Mexico,andFlorida.
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[Footnote:AwriterofthattimelocatesQuebecinFlorida,andamapofHenryII.givesthatnametoallNorthAmerica.]
TheSpanish
explorers
had
traversed
alarge
portion
of
the
present
SouthernStates,andof thePacificcoast.All thisvast territory theyclaimedbytherightsofdiscoveryandpossession.
[Footnote: The conquests of the newworld enriched Spain,whichbecame thewealthiestandmostpowerful country inEurope.ThismadeothernationsallthemoreanxioustofindthewesternpassagetoIndia.TheroutesbytheCapeofGoodHopeandbytheStraitsofMagellan were long and dangerous. To find the shorter
northwesternroute
now
became
the
great
wish
of
all
maritime
nations,andhasbeenanxiouslysoughtdowntothepresenttime.]
FRENCHEXPLORATIONS.
The French were eager to share in the profits which Spain wasacquiringinthenewworld.Withinsevenyearsafterthediscoveryofthe continent, the fisheries ofNewfoundlandwere frequentedby
theirmariners.
[Footnote: Cape Breton was named by the fishermen inremembranceoftheirhomeinBrittany,France.]
VERRAZANI(zahne),aFlorentine,wasthefirstnavigatorsentbytheFrenchkingtofindthenewwaytotheIndies.SailingwestwardfromMadeira (1524), he reached land near the present harbor ofWilmington.
[Footnote:A letterofVerrazanisgivinganaccountof thisvoyage,and,untiloflate,thoughttobereliable,isnowconsideredbymanytobeaforgeryperpetratedbysomeItaliananxioustosecureforhiscountrythegloryofthediscovery.]
Hesupposed thishadneverbeenseenbyEuropeans,althoughweknow thatCabot had discovered it nearly thirty yearsbefore.Hecoasted along the shores ofCarolina andNewJersey, entered the
harborsof
New
York
and
Newport,
and
returned
with
the
most
glowingdescriptionof thenew landshehadfound.Henamed thecountryNewFrance.ThistermwasafterwardsconfinedtoCanada.
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CARTIER (kartea) ascended theRiver St.Lawrence (1535) to theIndian village of Hochelaga (hoshelahga) the present site ofMontreal.Thetownwaspleasantlysituatedatthefootofaloftyhill
whichCartier
climbed.
Stirred
by
the
magnificent
prospect,
he
nameditMontReal(MongRaal),RegalMountain.
[Footnote:CartierhaddiscoveredandnamedtheGulfandRiverSt.Lawrence the previous year. In 15412, he and Lord RobervalattemptedtoplantacolonynearQuebec.Itwascomposedchieflyofconvictsandprovedafailure.]
JOHN RIBAUT (rebo) led the first expedition (1562) under the
auspicesof
Coligny.
[Footnote:JeanRibaut,ashisnameisgiveninColignysMs.andinhisownjournalpublishedin1563,wasanexcellentseaman.]
[Footnote: Coligny (kolonye) was an admiral of France, and aleaderof theHuguenots (Hugenots),as theProtestantswere thencalled.HehadconceivedaplanforfoundinganempireinAmerica.ThiswouldfurnishanasylumforhisHuguenotfriends,andatthe
sametime
advance
the
glory
of
the
French.
Thus
religion
and
patriotismcombinedtoinducehimtosendoutcoloniststothenewworld.]
The company landed at PortRoyal, S.C. So captivatedwere they,thatwhenvolunteerswerecalledfortoholdthecountryforFrance,somany came forward with such a goodwill andjoly corage,wroteRibaut, aswe hadmuch todo to stay their importunitie.Theyerectedafort,whichtheynamedCarolinainhonorofCharles
IX.,king
of
France.
The
fleet
departed,
and
this
little
band
of
thirty
wereleftaloneonthecontinent.FromtheNorthPoletoMexico,theywere theonlycivilizedmen.Foodbecamescarce.They tiredof theeternalsolitudeofthewilderness,andfinallybuiltarudeship,andput to sea.Here a storm shattered their vessel. Famine overtookthem, and, in their extremity, they killed and ate one of theirnumber.Avesselatlasthoveinsight,andtookthemonboardonlytocarrythemcaptivestoEngland.Thusperishedthecolony,butthenamestillsurvives.
[Footnote: Themost feeblewere landed in France. It is said thatQueenElizabethwhileconversingwith those sent toEngland, firstthoughtofcolonizingthenewworld]
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LAUDONNIERE (Lodonyare), two years after,built a fort, alsocalledCarolina,ontheSt.JohnsRiver.
[Footnote:The
history
of
this
colony
records
an
amusing
story
concerningthelonglifeofthenatives.Apartyvisitedachiefinthemidstof thewildernesswhogravelyassured them thathewas thefatheroffivegenerations,andhadlived250years.Oppositehim,inthe same hut, sat his father, amere skeleton,whose agewas sogreat that the goodman had lost his sight, and could speak oneonely word but with exceeding great paine. The credulousFrenchmen gazed with awe on this wonderful pair, andcongratulated themselves on having come to such a land,where
certainlythere
would
be
no
need
of
Ponce
de
Leons
fabled
fountain.]
Soonthecolonistswerereducedtothevergeofstarvation.
[Footnote:Theirsufferingswerehorrible.Weakandemaciated,theyfed themselves with roots, sorrel, pounded fishbones, and evenroastedsnakes.Oftentimes,saysLaudonniere,ourpoorsoldierswereconstrainedtogiveawaytheveryshirtsfromtheirbackstoget
onefish.
If
at
any
time
they
shewed
unto
the
savages
the
excessive
pricewhichtheytooke,thesevillaineswouldanswerthemroughly:Ifthoumakesogreataccountofthymerchandise,eatit,andwewilleatourfish; thenfelltheyoutalaughing,andmockeduswithopenthroat.]
Theywere on thepoint of leaving,when theywere reinforcedbyRibaut.TheFrenchnowseemedfairlyfixedonthecoastofFlorida.TheSpaniards,however,claimedthecountry.Melendez,about this
time,had
made
asettlement
in
St.
Augustine.
Leading
an
expedition
northwardthroughthewilderness,inthemidstofafearfultempest,he attacked Fort Carolina and massacred almost the entirepopulation.
CHAMPLAIN (shamplane), at the beginning of the seventeenthcentury,crossedtheAtlanticintwopigmybarksoneoftwelve,theotheroffifteentonsandascendedtheSt.Lawrenceonanexploringtour.AtHochelagaallwaschanged.TheIndiantownhadvanished,
andnot
atrace
remained
of
the
savage
population
which
Cartier
saw
thereseventyyearsbefore.
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[Footnote:Thisfactillustratesthefrequentandrapidchangeswhichtookplaceamongtheaboriginaltribes.]
Champlainwas
captivated
by
the
charms
of
the
new
world,
and
longed to plant a French empire and the Catholic faith amid itssavagewilds.
DEMONTS(mong)receivedagrantofalltheterritorybetweenthefortiethandfortysixthparallelsoflatitude.
[Footnote:BetweenthesitesofPhiladelphiaandMontreal.]
Thistract
was
termed
Acadia,
aname
afterward
confined
to
New
Brunswickand theadjacent islands,andnow toNovaScotia.WithChamplain,hefoundedPortRoyal,N.S., in1605.Thiswasthefirstpermanent French settlement inAmerica. Itwas three yearsbefore acabin wasbuilt in Canada, and twobefore theJames Riverwasdiscovered.
CHAMPLAINRETURNEDin1608,andestablishedatradingpostatQuebec.Thiswas thefirstpermanentFrenchsettlement inCanada.The
nextsummer,
in
his
eager
desire
to
explore
the
country,
he
joined
a
war party of theHurons against the Iroquois, or FiveNations ofCentralNewYork.
[Footnote:The interferenceofChamplainwith the Indians securedthe inveterate hostility of the Iroquois tribes.Not long after, theyseized themissionarieswho came among them, tortured and putthemtodeath.Thiscutoffanyfartherexplorationstowardthesouth.TheFrench,therefore,turnedtheirattentiontowardthewest.]
On thisjourney he discovered thatbeautiful lakewhichbears hisname.Amid discouragementswhichwould have overwhelmed alessdeterminedspirit,ChamplainfirmlyestablishedtheauthorityofFrance on the banks of the St. Lawrence. The Father of NewFrance, as he has been termed, reposes in the soil he won tocivilization.
THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES.The explorers of the Mississippi
valleywere
mostly
Jesuit
priests.
The
French
names
which
they
gave
still linger throughout that region. Their hopewas to convert theIndians to theChristian faith.Theypushed theirway through theforestwithunflaggingenergy.Theycreptalong thenorthernshore
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of Lake Ontario. They traversed the Great Lakes. In 1668 theyfounded themissionofSt.Mary, theoldestEuropeansettlement inMichigan.Manyofthemweremurderedbythesavages;somewere
scalped;some
were
burned
in
rosin
fire;
some
scalded
with
boiling
water. Yet, as soon as one fell out of the ranks, another sprangforward to fill the post.We shall namebut two of these patient,indefatigablepioneersofNewFrance.
FATHER MARQUETTE (market), hearing from some wanderingIndiansofagreat riverwhich they termed theFatherofWaters,determined to visit it.He floated in abirchbark canoe down theWisconsintotheMississippi(1673),andthencetothemouthofthe
Arkansas.
[Footnote:Soonafter,whileonanotherexpedition,hewentashoreforthepurposeofquietdevotion.Afterwaitinglongforhisreturn,hismen, seekinghim, found thathehaddiedwhileatprayer.Hewasburiednear themouthof theMarquette.Yearsafter,whenthetempest raged,and the Indianwas tossingon theangrywaves,hewould seek to still the storm by invoking the aid of the piousMarquette.]
LASALLEwas educatedas aJesuit,buthad establisheda tradingpostattheoutletofLakeOntario.Heundertookvariousexpeditionsfullofromanticadventure.InflamedwithadesiretofindthemouthoftheMississippi,hemadehisway(1682)totheGulfofMexico.HenamedthecountryLouisiana,inhonorofLouisXIV.,kingofFrance.
RESULTS OF FRENCH ENTERPRISE.Before the close of theseventeenth century, theFrenchhadexplored theGreatLakes, the
Fox,Maumee,
Wabash,
Wisconsin
and
Illinois
Rivers,
and
the
Mississippi from the Falls of St. Anthony to the Gulf. They hadtraversed a region including what is now known as Louisiana,Arkansas, Mississippi, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, theCanadasandAcadia.
[Footnote:Asweshallseehereafter,theEnglishatthistimeclungtoanarrowstripalongtheAtlanticcoast.]
In1688
it
had
apopulation
of
11,000.
*****
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ENGLISHEXPLORATIONS.
We have seen how the Cabots, sailing under an English flag,
discoveredthe
American
continent,
exploring
its
coast
from
Labrador to Albemarle Sound. Though the English claimed thenorthernpartofthecontinentbyrightofthisdiscovery,yetduringthe sixteenth century theypaid littleattention to it.At thecloseofthatperiod,however,maritimeenterprisewasawakenedandBritishsailors cruised on every sea.Like the other navigators of the day,theywereeagertodiscoverthewesternpassagetoAsia.
FROBISHERmadethefirstoftheseattemptstogonorthofAmerica
toAsiaCabots
plan
repeated.
He
pushed
through
unknown
waters, threadinghisperilouswayamong icebergs,until (1576)heentered Baffin Bay.Here he heaped a pile of stones, declared thecountryanappendageoftheBritishcrown,andreturnedhome.
[Footnote: One of the sailors brought back a stone which wasthought to contain gold. A fleet of fifteen vessels was forthwithequipped for thisnewElDoradoThenorthwestpassage toCathaywas forgotten.After innumerableperils incident toArctic regions,
theships
were
loaded
with
the
precious
ore
and
returned.
Unfortunatelyhistoryneglectstotelluswhatbecameofthecargo.]
SIRFRANCISDRAKEwasafamoussailor.Inoneofhisexpeditionson the Isthmus of Panama, he climbed to the top of a lofty tree,whencehesawthePacificOcean.Lookingoutonitsbroadexpanse,he resolved to sail an English ship on those seas. Returning toEnglandhe equippeda squadron.He sailed through theStraitsofMagellan, coasting along the Pacific shore to the southern part of
Oregon.He
refitted
his
ship
in
San
Francisco
harbor,
and
thence
sailingwestward,returnedhome(1579)bytheCapeofGoodHope.
[Footnote: He was thus the first Englishman who explored thePacific coast, and the second Europeanwho circumnavigated theglobe.]
SIRHUMPHREYGILBERTwasnotasailor,buthehadstudiedtheaccounts of American discoveries, and concluded that instead of
randomexpeditions
after
gold
and
spices,
companies
should
be
sent
outtoformpermanentsettlements.Hisattemptstocolonizethenewworld,however,ended fatally.Sailinghome inabarkofonly tentonsburden, in themidst of a fearful storm the light of his little
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vessel suddenlydisappeared.Neithershipnorcrewwasever seenagain.
SIRWALTER
RALEIGH
was
ahalf
brother
of
Gilbert,
and
adopted
his views of American colonization. Being a great favorite withQueenElizabeth,heeasilyobtainedfromherapatentofanextensiveterritory, which was named Virginia in honor of Elizabeth, theVirginQueen.
[Footnote:Raleighwasnotonlyamanofdauntlesscourage,buthealso added to a handsome person much learning and manyaccomplishments.MeetingQueenElizabethonedaywhileshewas
walking,he
spread
his
mantle
over
awet
place
in
the
path
for
her
to
treadupon.Shewassopleasedwithhisgallantrythatsheadmittedhimtocourt,andhecontinuedafavoriteduringherentirelifetime.Conversing with her one day upon the singular properties oftobacco, the new Indian weed which was coming into use, heassured her that he could tell the exactweight of smoke in anyquantityconsumed.The incredulousQueendaredhim toawager.Accepting it, Raleigh weighed his tobacco, smoked it, and thencarefullyweighing theashes, stated thedifference.Paying thebet,
Elizabethremarked
that
she
had
before
heard
of
turning
gold
into
smoke,buthewasthefirstwhohadturnedsmokeintogold.Thisincident illustrates the friendly relationsbetween Raleigh and theQueen.Afterherdeath,hewasaccusedbyJamesI.oftreason,wasimprisoned formanyyears,andat theageof65wasexecuted.Onthe scaffold he asked for the axe, and feeling the edge, observed,with a smile, This is a sharpmedicine,but a sound cure for alldiseases. Then composedly laying his bead on the block, andmovinghislipsasinprayer,hegavethefatalsignal.]
Raleighsfirst attempt toplant a colonywas onRoanoke Island.Thesettlersmade no endeavor to cultivate the soil,but spentmost oftheirtimeinhuntingforgoldandpearls.
[Footnote:Theybelieved theRoanokeRiverhad itsheadwaters ingoldenrocks,bythePacificOcean.Thewallsofagreatcitynearitsfountainwereaffirmedtobethicklystuddedwithpearls.]
Atlast
they
were
nearly
starved,
when
Drake,
happening
to
stop
thereononeofhisexploring tours, tookpityon themandcarriedthemhome.TheyhadlivedlongenoughinAmericatolearntheuseoftobaccoandthepotato.ThesetheyintroducedintoEngland.The
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custom of drinking tobacco, as itwas called, soonbecame thefashion.
[Footnote:An
amusing
story
is
told
of
Raleigh
while
he
was
learning
tosmoke.Onenteringhisstudyonemorning tobringhismasteracupofale,hisservantsawacloudofsmokeissuingfromSirWaltersmouth.Franticallydashing the liquor inhis face,he rusheddownstairsimploringhelp,forhismasterwouldsoonbeburnttoashes!]
Raleighs Second Attempt.Raleigh, undiscouraged by this failure,still clung to his colonizing scheme. The next time he sent outfamilies,insteadofsinglemen.JohnWhitewasappointedgovernor
ofthe
city
of
Raleigh,
which
they
were
to
found
on
Chesapeake
Bay.
AgranddaughterofGovernorWhite,bornsoonafter they reachedRoanoke Island,was the first English childborn inAmerica. Thegovernor, on returning to England to secure supplies, found thepublic attention absorbedby the threatened attack of the SpanishArmada. It was three years before he was able to come back.Meanwhile, his family, and the colony he had left alone in thewilderness,hadperished.How,wedonotknow.The imaginationcanonlypicturewhathistoryhasfailedtorecord.
Raleighhadnowspentabout$200,000,agreatsumforthatday,onthisAmerican colony; and, disheartened, transferred his patent tootherparties.
TRADINGVOYAGES.FortunatelyforAmerican interests,tradingventuresweremoreprofitablethancolonizingones.Englishvesselsfrequented theBanksofNewfoundland,andprobablyoccasionallyvisitedVirginia.
[Footnote:TheEnglishshipswereat that timeaccustomed to steersouthwardalong thecoastofSpain,Portugal,andAfrica,as farastheCanaryIslands,thentheyfollowedthetrackofColumbustotheWestIndiaIslands,andthencealongthecoastofFlorida]
Gosnold, amaster of a smallbark (1602), discovered and namedCape Cod, Marthas Vineyard, and other neighboring localities.Loading his vessel with sassafrasroot, which was then highly
esteemedas
amedicine,
he
returned
home
to
publish
the
most
favorable reports of the region he had visited. Some Britishmerchants accordingly sent out the next year a couple of vessels
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underCaptainPring.Hediscovered severalharbors inMaine,andbroughtbackhisshipsloadedwithfursandsassafras.
[Footnote:northward
to
the
point
they
wished
to
reach.
Navigators
knew thiswas a roundaboutway,but theywere afraid to try thenorthernroutestraightacrosstheAtlantic.Gosnoldmadethevoyagedirectly from England toMassachusetts, thus shortening the route3,000miles.Thisgaveagreatimpulsetocolonization,sinceitwasineffectbringingAmerica3,000milesnearerEngland.]
As the result of these various explorations, many felt an earnestdesire to colonize thenewworld.James I.accordinglygranted the
vastterritory
of
Virginia,
as
it
was
called,
to
two
companies,
the
LondonandthePlymouth.
THE LONDON COMPANY, whose principal men resided atLondon, had the tractbetween the thirtyfourth and thirtyeighthdegreesof latitude.ThiswascalledSouthVirginia.Theysentoutacolony in1607underCaptainNewport.HemadeatJamestownthefirstpermanentEnglishsettlementintheUnitedStates.
[Footnote:The
river
was
called
James,
and
the
town
Jamestown,
in
honorofthekingofEngland.TheheadlandsreceivedthenamesofCapeHenryandCapeCharles from thekings sons;and thedeepwater for anchorage which put the emigrants in good comfort,gavethenamePointComfort.]
THE PLYMOUTH COMPANY, whose principal men resided inPlymouth, had the tract between the fortyfirst and fortyfifthdegreesoflatitude.ThiswascalledNorthVirginia.
[Footnote:TheysentoutacolonyunderCaptainPopham(pooam),inthesameyearwiththeLondonCompany.HesettledatthemouthoftheKennebec,buttheentirepartyreturnedhomethenextspring,discouragedbytheseverityoftheclimate.]
THE CHARTER granted to these companies was the first underwhich English colonies were planted in the United States. It istherefore worthy of careful study. It contained no idea of self
government.The
people
were
not
to
have
the
election
of
an
officer.
Thekingwas toappointacouncilwhichwas to reside inLondon,and have general control of all the colonies; and also a council toreside in each colony, and have control of its local affairs. The
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ChurchofEnglandwas theestablished religion.Moreover, for fiveyears,all theproceedsof thecolonial industryandcommerceweretobeappliedtoacommonfund,noonebeingallowedthefruitsof
hisindividual
labor.
DUTCHEXPLORATIONS.
During all this time, theDutchmanifested no interest in the newworld. In the beginning of the seventeenth century, however,CaptainHenryHudson,anEnglishnavigator in theDutchservice,enteredtheharborofNewYork.HopingtoreachthePacificOcean,
heafterward
ascended
the
noble
river
which
bears
his
name
(1609).
On this discovery, the Dutch based their claim to the regionextendingfromtheDelawareRivertoCapeCod.TheygavetoitthenameofNewNetherland.
EXTENTOFTHESEEXPLORATIONS.
1.The
Spaniards
confined
their
settlements
and
explorations
to
the
West Indies and the adjacentmainland, and in theUnited StatesmadesettlementsonlyinFloridaandNewMexico.
2.TheFrenchclaimedthewholeofNewFrance,andmadetheirfirstsettlementsinAcadiaandCanada.
3. The English explored the Atlantic coast at various points, andclaimedthisvastterritory,whichtheytermedVirginia,havingmade
theirfirst
settlement
at
Jamestown.
[Footnote:Afterthistime,theEnglishistheonlynationthatdirectlyinfluences thehistoryof theUnitedStates.ThecountrywassettledmainlybyemigrantsfromGreatBritain,andinthenextepochallthecoloniesbecomedependenciesofthatempire.]
4.TheDutchlaidclaimtoNewNetherland,butmadenosettlementtill1613.
TheRivalClaims.These fourclaimsoverlappedoneanother,andnecessarily produced much confusion. While the first fewsettlementswere separatedbyhundredsofmilesofsavage forests,
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thiswasof littleaccount.Butas thesettlements increased, therivalclaims became a source of constant strife, and were decidedprincipallybythesword.
[Footnote: It is noticeable that the English grants all extendedwestward to thePacificOcean, theFrench southward from theSt.Lawrence to the Gulf, and the Spanish northward to the ArcticOcean.NoneoftheEuropeannationshadany ideaof the immenseterritorytheyweredonating.]
Two Centuries of Exploration and One of Settlement.Theseexplorationshadlastedduringthefifteenthandsixteenthcenturies,
andat
the
close
of
the
sixteenth
century,
the
only
permanent
settlementswere thoseof theSpaniardsatSt.AugustineandSantaFe. In the beginning of the seventeenth century, permanentsettlementsmultiplied.Theyweremadeby
TheFRENCHatPortRoyal,NS.,in1605;
TheENGLISHatJamestown,in1607;
TheFRENCH
at
Quebec,
in
1608;
TheDUTCHatNewYork,in1613;
TheENGLISHatPlymouth,in1620.
[Footnote:Here lay the shaggy continent fromFlorida to thePole,outstretchedinsavageslumber.OnthebankoftheJamesRiverwasa nest ofwoebegone Englishmen, a handful of furtraders at the
mouthof
the
Hudson,
and
afew
shivering
Frenchmen
among
the
snowdriftsofAcadia;whileamidstillwilderdesolationChamplainupheldthebannerofFranceovertheicyrockofQuebec.Thesewerethe advance guard of civilization, themessengers of promise to adesert continent.Yet, not contentwith inevitablewoes, theywererent by petty jealousies and miserable quarrels, while each littlefragmentofrivalnationalities,justabletokeepupitsownwretchedexistence on a few square miles, begrudged to all the rest thesmallestshareinadomainwhichallthenationsofEuropecouldnot
havesufficed
to
fill.Parkman.]
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SummaryoftheHistoryoftheFirstEpoch,arrangedinChronologicalOrder.
1492. ColumbusdiscoveredtheNewWorld,October121497. TheCabotsdiscoveredLabrador,July31498. TheCabotsexploredtheAtlanticCoast
SouthAmericawasdiscoveredbyColumbus,August10VascodeGamasailedroundtheCapeofGoodHopeanddiscoveredapassagetoIndia
1512. PoncedeLeondiscoveredFlorida,April6
1513.Balboa
saw
the
Pacific
Ocean,
September
29
151921.CortezconqueredMexico1520. Magellandiscoveredandsailedthroughthestraits
whichbearhisname,intothePacificOcean;andhisvesselreturninghomebytheCapeofGoodHope,hadmadethefirstcircumnavigationoftheglobe
1524. VerrazaniexploredthecoastofNorthAmerica1528. NarvaezexploredpartofFlorida153435.CartierdiscoveredtheGulfofSt.Lawrenceandascended
theriver
to
Montreal
153941.DeSotorambledovertheSouthernStatesandin1541discoveredtheMississippiRiver
154042.CabrilloexploredCaliforniaandsailedalongthePacificCoast
154142.RobervalattemptedtoplantacolonyontheSt.Lawrence,butfailed
1562. RibautattemptedtoplantaHuguenotcolonyatPortRoyal,butfailed
1564.Laudonniere
attempted
to
plant
aHuguenot
colony
ontheSt.JohnsRiver.ItwasdestroyedbytheSpaniards
1565. MelendezfoundedacolonyatSt.Augustine,Florida;firstpermanentsettlementintheUnitedStates
15767. Frobishertriedtofindanorthwestpassage;enteredBaffinBay,andtwiceattemptedtofoundacolonyinLabrador,butfailed
157880.DrakesailedalongPacificCoasttoOregon;wintered
inSan
Francisco,
and
circumnavigated
the
globe
1582. EspejofoundedSantaFe;secondoldesttownintheUnitedStates
1583. Gilbertwaslostatsea
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15837. RaleightwiceattemptedtoplantacolonyinVirginia1602. GosnolddiscoveredCapeCod,May141605 DeMontsestablishedacolonyatPortRoyal,Nova
Scotiafirst
permanent
French
settlement
in
America
1607 TheEnglishsettledJamestownfirstpermanentEnglishsettlementinAmerica,May23
1608 ChamplainplantedacolonyatQuebecfirstpermanentFrenchsettlementinCanada,
1609 HudsondiscoveredtheHudsonRiver,ChamplaindiscoveredLakeChamplain,
1613 SettlementofNewYorkbytheDutch,1620 PilgrimssettledatPlymouthfirstEnglishsettlement
inNew
England
December
21
REFERENCESFORREADING
Irvings ColumbusParkmans Pioneers of FranceJesuits inNorthAmerica, and Discovery of the Great WestLongfellows SirHumphrey Gilbert (Poem)De Veres Romance of AmericanHistoryAbbotts Biography of Illustrious Men and WomenT.
IrvingsDe
Soto
in
FloridaHelps
Spanish
Conquest
of
America
BiddlesSebastianCabotNichollssJohnCabotBarlowsVisionofColumbus(Poem)andPoemsonColumbusbySamuelRogersandFR LowellSimmss Damsel of Danen (Poem)Scibners Monthly,Nov 1874 art, Pictures from FloridaHarpersMagazine,Nov etc1874,artThefirstCenturyoftheRepublicPrescottsFerdinandandIsabella (Columbus)Hawks History of North Carolina (LostColony of Roanoke)Sheas Discovery and Exploration of theMississippiValleyWallacesFairGod (Fiction)BarnessPopular
Historyof
United
States
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EPOCHII.
DEVELOPMENTOF
THE
ENGLISH
COLONIES.
From1607theFoundingofJamestown,To1775theBreakingoutoftheRevolution.
ThisEpochtracestheearlyhistoryofthethirteencoloniesVirginia,Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut,Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Rhode
Island,New
Hampshire,
and
Georgia.
The
Cavaliers
land
in
Virginia,and thePuritans inMassachusetts. Immigration increasesand the settlementsmultiply along thewhole coast. The colonies,however,stillhavelittlehistoryincommon.Eachbyitselfstruggleswith thewilderness, contendswith the Indian, and develops theprinciplesofliberty.
[Footnote:QuestionsontheGeographyoftheSecondEpoch.NamesofplacesinitaliclettersmaybefoundonthemapforEpochIII.Locate
Jamestown.Salem.
Charlestown.
Boston.
Cambridge.
Swanzea.
Providence.Bristol.Hadley.Hatfield.Portsmouth.Dover.Hartford.Wethersfield.NewHaven.Windsor.Saybrook.NewYork.Albany.Schenectady. Elizabethtown. Wilminton. Philadelphia. St. Marys.Edenton.Charleston.Savannah.Haverhill.Deerfield.St.Augustine.Quebec.Louisburg.
LocateFortVenango.Oswego.Presque Isle.FortLeBoeuf.CrownPoint.FortTiconderoga.FortNiagara.FortduQuesne.FortWilliam
Henry.Fort
Edward.
DescribetheOhioRiver.MonongahelaRiver.FrenchCreek.ChowanRiver.AshleyRiver,CooperRiver.River St.John. PotomacRiver.James River. Hudson River. Connecticut River. Mohawk River.Delaware River. Kennebec River. Penobscot River. Mystic River.MiamiRiver.St.LawrenceRiver.
Locate Manhattan Island. Alleghany Mountains. Cape Breton.
MassachusettsBay.
Albemarle
Sound.
Chesapeake
Bay.]
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VIRGINIA.
THECHARACTER
of
the
colonists
was
poorly
adapted
to
endure
thehardships incident toasettlement inanewcountry.Theyweremostlygentlemenbybirth,unused to labor.Theyhadno families,andcameoutinsearchofwealthoradventure,expecting,whenrich,toreturntoEngland.Theclimatewasunhealthy,andbeforethefirstautumnhalfoftheirnumberhadperished.
JOHNSMITHsavedthecolonyfromruin.Firstasamemberofthecouncil,andafterwardaspresident,hisserviceswereinvaluable.He
persuadedthe
settlers
to
erect
afort
and
to
build
log
huts
for
the
winter.Hemadelongvoyages,carefullyexploringChesapeakeBay,securingthefriendshipoftheIndians,andbringingbackboatloadsofsupplies.Hetrainedthetendergentlementilltheylearnedhowtoswing the axe in the forest.He declared that hewhowould notwork,mightnoteat.Hetaughtthemthatindustryandselfreliancearethesurestguaranteestofortune.
[Footnote:CaptainJohnSmithwasborn toadventure.Whileyeta
boyhe
leaves
his
home
in
Lincolnshire,
England,
to
engage
in
Hollandwars.Afterafouryearsservicehebuildsalodgeofboughsinaforest,wherehehunts,rides,andstudiesmilitary tactics.NextwehearofhimonhiswaytofighttheTurks.BeforereachingFrancehe is robbed,and escapesdeath fromwantonlybybeggingalms.HavingembarkedforItaly,afearfulstormarises;he,beingaheretic,isdeemedthecause,andisthrownoverboard,butheswimstoland.In the East, a famousMussulmanwishes to fight some Christianknight toplease the ladies; Smith offers himself and slays three
championsin
succession.
Taken
prisoner
in
battle
and
sold
as
a
slave,hishead isshavedandhisneckboundwithan ironring;hekillshismaster,arrayshimselfinthedeadmansgarments,mountsahorse and spurs hisway to a Russian camp.Having returned toEngland,heembarks for thenewworld.On thevoyageheexcitesthejealousy of his fellows and is landed in chains;but hisworthbecomessoapparentthatheisfinallymadepresidentofthecolony.His marvelous escapes seem now more abundant than ever. Acertainfishinflictsadangerouswound,buthefindsanantidoteand
afterwardeats
part
of
the
same
fish
with
great
relish.
He
is
poisoned,
butovercomesthedoseandseverelybeatsthepoisoner.Hispartyoffifteen is attacked by Opechancanough (Opekankano), brotherand successor of Powhatan, with seven hundred warriors; Smith
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drags the old chiefby his long hair into themidst of the Indianbraves,who,amazedatsuchaudacity,immediatelysurrender.Heisshockinglyburnedonaboatbytheexplosionofabagofpowderat
hisside;
but
he
leaps
into
the
water,
where
he
barely
escapes
death
by drowning. These and many other wonderful exploits hepublished in abook after his return to England.Historians verygenerally discredit them, and even the story of his rescue byPocahontas (p. 48) is considered verydoubtful.His serviceswere,however, of unquestionable value to Virginia; and hisdisinterestednessappearsfromthefactthatheneverreceivedafootof land in the colonyhiswisdomhad saved.Ofhis last yearsweknowlittle.HediednearLondon,1631.]
SmithsAdventureswereof themost romanticcharacter. Inoneofhisexpeditionsup theChickahommyhewas takenprisonerby theIndians.Withsingularcoolnessheimmediatelyattemptedtointeresthis captorsby explaining the use of his pocket compass and themotionsofthemoonandstars.AtlasttheypermittedhimtowritealettertoJamestown.Whentheyfoundthatthisinformedhisfriendsofhismisfortune,theywerefilledwithastonishment.
Theycould
not
understand
by
what
magical
art
he
could
make
afew
marksonpaperexpresshis thoughts.Theyconsideredhimabeingofasuperiororder,andtreatedhimwiththeutmostrespect.Hewascarried fromone tribe to another, and at lastbrought to thegreatchief,Powhatan,bywhomhewascondemnedtodie.Hisheadwaslaidonastone,andthehugewarcluboftheIndianexecutionerwasraised to strike the fatal blow. Suddenly Pocahantas, the youngdaughter of the chief, who had already become attached to theprisoner, threw herselfupon his neck andpleaded for hispardon
(seenote,
p.
46).
The
favorite
of
the
tribe
was
given
her
desire.
Smith
wasreleased,andsoonsenthomewithpromisesoffriendship.Hislittleprotectorwasoften thereafter tobe seengoing toJamestownwithbasketsofcornforthewhitemen.
[Footnote:Thiswasundertakenbytheexpressorderofthecompanyto seek a passage to the PacificOcean and thus to India.CaptainNewportbefore his return to Englandmade a trip up theJamesRiverforthesamepurposebutonreachingthefallsconcludedthat
theway
to
India
did
not
lie
in
that
direction.
These
attempts
which
seem sopreposterous tousnow showwhat inadequate ideas thenprevailedconcerningthesizeofthiscontinent.]
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[Footnote: His route was over the peninsula, since rendered sofamousbyMcClellanscampaign.]
[Footnote:As
another
evidence
of
the
simplicity
of
the
Indians,
it
is
said thathaving seized aquantity ofgunpowderbelonging to thecolonists,theyplanteditforseed,expectingtoreapafullharvestofammunitionforthenextcontest.]
ASECONDCHARTERwasnowobtainedby the company (1609).Thisvestedtheauthorityinagovernorinsteadofalocalcouncil.Thecolonistswerenotconsultedwithregardtothechange,nordidthecharterguaranteetothemanyrights.
THESTARVINGTIME.Unfortunately,Smithwasdisabledbyaseverewound and compelled to return to England.His influencebeing removed, the settlersbecame aprey to disease and famine.SomewerekilledbytheIndians.Some,intheirdespair,seizedaboatandbecamepirates.Thewinterof160910was longknownas theStarvingTime.Insixmonths theywerereducedfrom490to60.Atlasttheydeterminedtofleefromthewretchedplace.Nonedroppeda tear, for none had enjoyed one day of happiness. The next
morning,as
they
slowly
moved
down
with
the
tide,
to
their
great
joy
they met their new governor, Lord Delaware, with abundantsupplies and a company of emigrants.All returned to the homesthey had just deserted, and Jamestown colony was once morerescuedfromruin.
THETHIRDCHARTER.Up to this time thecolonyhadprovedafailureandwaspublicly ridiculed inLondon.Toquiet theoutcry,the charter was changed (1612). The council in London was
abolished,and
the
stockholders
were
given
power
to
regulate
the
affairsofthecompanythemselves.
THEMARRIAGEOFPOCAHONTAS(1613).The littleIndiangirlhadnowgrowntowomanhood.JohnRolfe,ayoungEnglishplanter,hadwonher loveandwished tomarryher. In the little churchatJamestown, rough almost as an Indians wigwam, she receivedChristianbaptism,and, inbrokenEnglish,stammered themarriagevowsaccordingtotheserviceoftheChurchofEngland.
Three years after, with her husband, she visited London. ThechildlikesimplicityandwinninggraceofLadyRebecca,asshewascalled,attracteduniversaladmiration.Shewas introducedat court
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andreceivedeverymarkofattention.Asshewasabouttoreturntohernativelandwithherhusbandandinfantson,shesuddenlydied.
[Footnote:This
son
became
aman
of
wealth
and
distinction.
Many
of
the leading families of Virginia havebeen proud to say that thebloodofPocahontascoursedthroughtheirveins.]
FIRST COLONIAL ASSEMBLY.Governor Yeardley (yardle)believedthatthecolonistsshouldhaveahandeinthegoverningofthemselves.HeaccordinglycalledatJamestown,June28,1619,thefirst legislativebody that everassembled inAmerica. Itconsistedof thegovernor,council,anddeputies,orburgesses,astheywerecalled,
chosenfrom
the
various
plantations,
or
boroughs.
Its
laws
had
to
beratifiedbythecompanyinEngland,but,inturn,theordersfromLondonwerenotbindingunless ratifiedby the colonialassembly.These privileges were afterward (1621) embodied in a writtenconstitutionthefirstofthekindinAmerica.Ameasureoffreedomwas thus granted the young colony, and Jamestown became anurseryofliberty.
PROSPERITYOFTHECOLONY.Theoldfaminetroubleshadnow
allpassed.
The
attempt
to
work
in
common
had
been
given
up,
and
eachman tilledhis own land andhad the avails.Tobaccowas anarticleofexport.The colonists raised it soeagerly thatatone timeeven the streets ofJamestownwere plantedwith it.Goldhuntinghadceased,andmanyoftheformerservantsofthecompanyownedplantations.SettlementslinedbothbanksoftheJamesfor140miles.Bestofall,youngwomenofgood characterwerebroughtoverbythecompany.These sold readilyaswives to the settlers.Thepricewas fixed at the cost of thepassage100pounds of tobaccobut
theywere
in
such
demand
that
it
soon
went
up
to
150
pounds.
Domestic ties were formed. The colonists, having homes, nowbecame Virginians. All freemen had the right to vote. Religioustoleration was enjoyed. Virginia became almost an independentrepublic.
[Footnote:Intheearlylifeofthiscolony,particlesofmicaglitteringin thebrookweremistaken forgolddust. Therewasno talk,nohope,but dig gold,wash gold, refine gold, load gold.Newport
carriedto
England
ashipload
of
the
worthless
stuff.
Smith
remonstratedinvainagainstthisfolly.]
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SLAVERY INTRODUCED.In1619 thecaptainofaDutch tradingvesselsoldtothecoloniststwentynegroes.Theywereemployedincultivating tobacco. As their labor was found profitable, larger
numberswere
afterward
imported.
[Footnote:Fromthiscircumstance,smallasitseemedatthetime,themost momentous consequences ensued,consequences that, longafter,renttherepublicwithstrife,andmoisteneditssoilwithblood.]
INDIANTROUBLES.AfterthedeathofPowhatan,thefirmfriendoftheEnglish,theIndiansformedaplanfortheexterminationofthecolony.Sosecretlywasthismanagedthatontheverymorningofthe
massacre(March
22,
1622)
they
visited
the
houses
and
sat
at
the
tablesofthosewhosemurdertheywereplotting.Atapreconcertedmoment they attacked the colonists on all their widelyscatteredplantations.Over threehundredmen,women,and children fell inone day. Fortunately, a converted Indian had informed a friendwhomhewished tosave,and thusJamestownand thesettlementsnearbywereprepared.Amercilesswarensued,duringwhich thecolonywas reduced from 4,000 to 2,500;but the Indianswere soseverelypunished that they remainedquiet for twentyyears.Then
cameafearful
massacre
of
five
hundred
settlers
(1644),
which
ended
inthenativesbeingexpelledfromtheregion.
VIRGINIA A ROYAL PROVINCE.The majority of thestockholders gladly granted to the infant colony those rights forwhich theywerestrugglingathome.KingJames,becomingjealousof the companybecause of itspatriotic sentiments, took away thecharter (1624),andmadeVirginiaa royalprovince.Henceforth theking appointed the governor and council, though the colony still
retainedits
assembly.
APERIODOFOPPRESSION.TheBritishParliamentenforced theNavigation Act (1660), which ordered that the commerce of thecolonyshouldbecarriedoninEnglishvessels,andthattheirtobaccoshouldbeshippedtoEngland.Besidesthis,theirownassemblywascomposedmainlyof royalists,who leviedexorbitant taxes, refusedto go out of officewhen their term had expired, fixed their ownsalaryat250poundsoftobaccoperday,restrictedtherightofvoting
tofreeholders
and
housekeepers,
and
imposed
on
Quakers
a
monthlyfineofonehundreddollarsforabsencefromworshipintheEnglish Church. Two parties gradually sprung up in theirmidst;one,thearistocraticparty,wascomposedoftherichplantersandthe
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officeholders in the colony; the other comprised the libertylovingportionofthepeople,whofeltthemselvesdeprivedoftheirpoliticalrights.
[Footnote: It is a curious fact that the royalists who fled fromEngland in Cromwells time took refuge in Virginia, and werehospitably entertained, while the regicides (the judges whocondemned Charles I) fled to Massachusetts and were concealedfromtheirpursuers.]
BACONSREBELLION.Thesedifficultiescametoacrisis in1676,whenGovernor Berkeley failed to provide for the defence of the
settlementsagainst
the
Indians.
At
this
juncture,
Nathaniel
Bacon,
a
patrioticyounglawyer,ralliedacompany,defeatedtheIndians,andthen turned tomeet the governor,who had denounced him as atraitor.Duringthecontestwhichfollowed,BerkeleywasdrivenoutofJamestownandthevillageitselfburned.
[Footnote:GoinguptheJamesRiver,justbeforereachingCityPoint,one sees on the righthandbank the ruins of an old church. Thecrumblingtower,withitsarcheddoorways,isalmosthiddenbythe
profusionof
shrubbery
which
surrounds
it.
Its
moss
covered
walls,
entwined with ivy planted by loving hands which have sincecrumbledintodust,lookdesolatelyoutupontheoldchurchyardatitsback. Here, pushing aside the rank vines and tangledbusheswhichconcealthem,onefindsafewweatherbeatentombstonesAhugebuttomwood tree, taking rootbelow, hasburst apart one ofthese old slabs and now,with itsmany fellows spreads its loftybrancheshighoverthesolitarydead.AndthisisallthatremainsofthatJamestownwhosestruggleswehavehererecorded.]
In themidstof thissuccess,Bacondied.No leadercouldbe foundworthy to take his place, and the people dispersed. Berkeleyrevenged himself with terrible severity. On hearing of the facts,Charles II. impatientlydeclared, He has takenmore lives in thatnakedcountrythanIdidforthemurderofmyfather.
MASSACHUSETTS.
THE PLYMOUTH COMPANY made several attempts to exploreNorth Virginia. CaptainJohn Smith, already so famous in SouthVirginia, examined the coast fromPenobscot toCapeCod,drewa
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mapof it,andcalled thecountryNEWENGLAND.Thecompany,stirred to actionby his glowing accounts, obtained a new patent(1620) under the name of the Council for New England. This
authorizedthem
to
make
settlements
and
laws,
and
to
carry
on
trade
through a region reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, andcomprisingoveramillionsquaremiles.NewEngland,however,wassettledwithnoconsentofkingorcouncil.
PLYMOUTHCOLONY.
SETTLEMENT.LandingofthePilgrims.Onestormydayinthefall
of1620,
the
Mayflower,
with
aband
of
ahundred
pilgrims,
came
to
anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The little company, gathering in thecabin,drewupa compact, inwhich they agreed to enactjustandequal laws,which all should obey.One of their exploring partieslandedatPlymouth,asitwascalledonSmithschart,December21.
[Footnote:Theexactnumberofthepilgrimswas102.]
[Footnote: ThiswasDec. 11,Old Style. In 1752, elevendayswere
addedto
correct
an
error
in
the
calendar,
thus
making
this
date
the
22d. Only 10 days, however, should have been allowed, andthereforethecorrectdateisthe21st,NewStyle.]
Finding the locationsuitable forasettlement, theyallcameashore,andamidastormofsnowandsleetcommencedbuildingtheirrudehuts.
[Footnote: Theywere called Pilgrimsbecause of theirwanderings.
Aboutseventy
years
before
this
time
the
state
religion
of
England
hadbeenchangedfromCatholictoProtestant;butalargenumberoftheclergyandpeopleweredissatisfiedwithwhattheythoughttobea halfwaypolicy on thepart of the new church, and called for amorecompletepurificationfromoldobservancesanddoctrines.Forthis,theywerecalledPuritans.Theystillbelievedinastatechurch,thatis,thatthenationofEnglandwasthechurchofEngland;andthatthe queen, as the head ofboth, could appoint church officers andprescribe the form of religiousworship.They, however,wanted a
change,and
desired
the
government
to
make
it
to
suit
them.
The
government not only refused,butpunished thePuritan clergy fornotusingtheprescribedformofworship.Thisledsomeofthemtoquestiontheauthorityofthegovernment inreligiousmatters.They
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came to believe that any body of Christians might declarethemselvesachurch,choosetheirownofficers,andbeindependentof all external authority. When they began to form these local
churches,they
separated
themselves
from
the
Church
of
England,
andfor thisreasonarecalledSeparatistsandIndependents.OneofthesechurchesofSeparatistswasatScrooby,intheeastofEngland.Notbeingallowedtoworshipinpeace,theyfledtoHolland(1608),wherethey livedtwelveyears.Butevil influencessurroundedtheirchildren,andtheylongedforalandwheretheymightworshipGodin their own way and save their families from worldly follies.Americaoffered suchahome.They came, resolved tobraveeverydanger,trustingtoGodtoshapetheirdestinies.]
[Footnote:The little shallop sentout to reconnoitrebefore landing,lost,inafuriousstorm,itsrudder,mast,andsail.Lateatnight,thepartysoughtshelterunder the leeofasmall island.Theyspent thenext day in cleaning their rusty weapons and drying their wetgarments.Everyhourwasprecious,astheseasonwaslateandtheircompanionsintheMayflowerwerewaitingtheirreturn;butbeingyelastdayofyeweek,theypreparedtheretokeepeyeSabbath.Nowonderthattheinfluenceofsuchapeoplehasbe