A history of the American people

Front matter

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I

Preface

AMONG the great events that marked the world's revival from the sleep of the Dark Ages, none was more remarkable than the revelation of the American continent. From the moment when the ship of Columbus was sighted off the coast of Spain, bearing the proofs of his discovery, the name America became the synonym of wealth, of adventure, of freedom. No tale was too romantic to be believed, if its scene were laid in the New World, and the popular enthusiasm of the Crusades was repeated in the stir and excitement that ensued when the early adventurers prepared to set out on their quests for the Terrestrial Paradise, the Fountain of Youth, and the treasures of gold which were supposed to be in the possession of the savages.

The story of the discovery and exploration of America presents to us, one after another, the deluded searchers after gold, the martyrs who paid for their knowledge of a new continent with their lives, and the devotees of religion, who earnestly endeavored to carry the Christian faith to a people whose blank heathenism they honestly commiserated. The records of the early settlers have furnished an unfailing source of romantic themes for the poet and the novelist, and now, as we close the fourth century in America's history as a factor in modern civilization, all past predictions of wealth and greatness sink into insignificance in the presence of accomplished facts, and the future of our country looms up before the world in grander proportions and with more commanding promise than ever before.

vi PREFACE.

The name America, which, by accident or mistake, was given to the Western World, fell, in the process of time, to the principal nation on the Continent, and for more than a century, the inhabitants of the United States have been known the world over as the American people.

It is the history of this people that the present volume is interested with. The author desires to tell, in brief, how the country was first settled, what motives incited the adventurers who left European civilization to plant colonies on our shores ; how those colonies gradually learned that there was strength in union, and that it was to their credit before the world to be one nation ; how the early fear that a Republican form of government was not adapted to a large country was dissipated, and how the whole land was gradually developed until its present position among the nations was reached.

It is interesting to note how the name America has taken hold upon the people. There has been natural growth in this respect. The colonies of France, Spain, and England, were the "American" colonies, and as the States which took their places became the chief nation on the continent, they assumed the name American at an early period. The war by which they achieved their independence was always " the " American revolution, and into that struggle the people entered in the spirit of the words of Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, uttered in 1765, " There ought to be no New England man, no New Yorker, known on the continent, but all of us Americans." At its close, when Washington addressed the Governors of the different States to urge upon them the formation of an " indissoluble union," he referred to the people as " the citizens of America." In laying down his office at the close of his Presidential terms, he said, " The name of America, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism."

The reader of the speeches of later statesmen will

PREFACE. vil

remember how this sentiment became a general inheritance, and with what frequency the talismanic name American was used by them to stir the patriotic heart. This is especially exemplified by Webster, who said on one occasion, "I am an American, and I know no locality in America : that is my country ; " and again, with even more emphasis, "I was born an American; I will live an American ; I shall die an American."

Never was the sense of nationality so strong in America as at present, and one of the results is seen in the revived interest in the study of all topics connected with our history, no less than in the philosophic spirit in which they are approached.

One of the chief difficulties encountered in preparing a small history of this kind, and one which constantly presents itself, is the question, " What shall be omitted ? " The difference between the various single-volume histories of America consists largely in the selection of topics, in their arrangement, in the degree in which their statements are self-exp'anatory, in the underlying and controlling thought, as well as in the political, moral and social bias of the writer.

Special passages have been devoted to the manners and habits of the past, and the work has been illustrated throughout with extracts from letters, diaries, newspapers and other contemporary writings, which enliven the narrative and enable the reader to put himself in sympathy with the people who act in the history as it passes before him. Many of these appear in the form of notes, which are placed for convenient reference at the bottom of the pages to which they refer.

Among the subjects presented with a certain degree of fulness, which have been sometimes slightly considered in single-volume histories of America, are the following, which seem to lie at the foundation of a true conception of the subject.

viii PREFACE.

I. The growth of the belief that the world is a globe, the discussions regarding its size, and the influence that these investigations exerted upon Columbus.

II. The efforts towards union put forth by the Colonies and the States, from 1637 to the adoption of the Constitution, and the difficulties encountered.

III. The jealousies between the Colonies at first, and States afterwards, and the Federal unions to which they belonged. The repeated threats of secession, from 1643 t0 *86i.

IV. The various theories of the Constitution and Government arising from differences of opinion regarding the powers delegated, by the Colonies and the States, to the Federal Governments, and the reserved powers.

V. The growth of the National or American feeling, as shown by the Declaration of Rights made by Congress, in 1765, and the more general declaration of the principles on which those rights were based, made by Virginia in 1776.

VI. The various plans for Union.

VII. The delay in adopting the Articles of Confederation and the important reasons for it. The basis on which the difficulties growing out of the nature and extent of the grants of territory to the original colonies, were finally adjusted.

VIII. The nature of the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions of 1797 and 1798, and their long and important influence.

IX. The principles of the country from the beginning regarding fugitives from service, and the enactments made by the New England Confederation in 1643, m tne Constitution in 1787, and in the fugitive slave acts of 1793 an ^ 1850, during the administrations of Washington and Fillmore.

X. The opposition of the North to war, in 1861, and the efforts to preserve peace. The specious sophistries and deceptions by which demagogues precipitated the conflict.

XI. In order to enable the reader more readily to study some of these subjects, the volume is furnished with copies of original documents not readily accessible.

PREFACE.

IX

The publishers have endeavored to make the volume mechanically excellent. A clear type has been used and illustrations have been supplied in considerable numbers. In selecting subjects for these cuts, scenes of battle and carnage have been avoided, and preference has been given to pictures of noted persons, buildings and natural scenery of the different parts of the country, and to sketches illustrating the manners and work of the people at different periods.

Much labor has been expended to arrive at exactness in dates, but even the most painstaking assiduity and the best intentions are insufficient to ensure perfection in this regard when hundreds of dates are given. The reader who detects errors of this kind is requested to communicate with the publishers, in order that the necessary changes may be made, should other editions be called for.

Cambridge, June, 1883.

Chapter I.— Columbus The Discoverer

Plato's Story of Atlantis, I. Notions of the Form and Size of the Earth, 2. Mancleville, 3. Seneca, 4. Lactantius refuted, 4. Fabled Islands, 7. Columbus appears, 8. Applies to Portugal, — to Spain, 10. At Palos, 13. Agrees with Ferdinand and Isabella, 14. His Motives, 17. America discovered, 17. Columbus dies, 23. The Northmen, 24.

Chapter Ii.— The Cabots And Other Discoverers

The Age of maritime Discovery, 28. The Cabots, 29. The American Continent discovered, 29. Northeastern Route to the Indies. 31. Nordenskiold, 31. Amerigo Vespucci, 32. Cortereal, 32. Ponce de Leon, 35. Balboa, 35. Cortes, 35. Magalhaens, 36, Verazano, 39. Coronado, Cabeza de Vaca, 41. Zuni, 41.

Chapter Iii.— The Early Americans

The Early Americans, 43. The Various Tribes, 47. Characteristics, 48. Cliff-Dwellings, 48. Mounds, 55. Mexican Remains, 63. Uxmal, Palenque, 63. Peruvian Remains, 64.

Chapter IV. — De Soto On The Mississippi

De Soto, 67. Orellana on the Amazon, 6S. Pizzarro, 69. Battle at Mavilla, 72. De Soto's romantic Burial, 72. Religious Motives of Kxplorers, 74. Coligni's Efforts, 76. Ribault, 76. Menendez, 78. Dominic de Gourgues, 79.

Chapter V.— English Settlements

Frobisher, 80. Drake, 81. Raleigh, 82. " Eastward Ho ! " 84. Hak-

luyt, 84. Jamestown, 87. Pocahontas, 88. Representative

Government, 89. New England, 90. The Social Compact, 95.

Landing at Plymouth, 96. Gosnold, 100. Gorges, 101. Maine,

xi xu CONTENTS.

102. Winthrop arrives, 105. Roger Williams, 106. Anne Hutchinson, 107. Connecticut, 108. Saybrook settled, no. Connecticut's Constitution, 112. Pequot War, 112. The New England Confederation, 113.

Chapter VI. —settlements Of The French

Cartier on the St. Lawrence, 115. Intention to extend the Christian Religion, 115. French Names on the Map of America, 119. Cartier on the St. Lawrence, 117. Samuel de Champlain in Canada, 118. Jesuit Missionaries, 119. Jacques Marquette, 120. Jolliet and La Salle, i2r. The Mississippi explored, 122. Louisiana 123. Death of La Salle, 124.

Chapter Vii.— The Dutch Settlers And Later Colonists

Henry Hudson, 125. Manhattan Island, 127. Stuyvesant, 128. Swedish Settlements, 129. Maryland, 132. Calvert, Baltimore, Claybourne, 133. Religious Freedom, 133. Carolina, 134. Locke's Government, 135. George Fox, 136. Penn, 136. Georgia, 141. Oglethorpe, 142.

Chapter VIII. — Colonial Life And Customs

Style of Living, 144. Glass, Coaches, Forks, 146. Religious Motives of Settlers, 147. Intolerance, 147. Degrees of Tolerance, 148. Quakers and Baptists, 151. Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, 152. Mary Dyer, 153. Shattuck and the King's Missive, 154. Witchcraft, 155. Margaret Jones, 156. Giles Corey, 157. Mather, 158. Laws about Fashions, 158. Home Manufactures, 159. Tobacco, 159. Quakers Care for the Sick and Insane, 160. Sunday Observances, 160. Schools and Colleges, 161. The so-called Blue-Laws, 161. Authorship, 162.

Chapter IX. — Relations Between The Settlers And The Indians And The French

Land bought of the Indians, 163. Ill Treatment of the Indians, 164. Treaty with Powhatan, 164. Pequots exterminated, 165. Massacre in Virginia, 165. John Eliot, the Missionary, 166. Massasoit, 168. War with the Narragansetts, 168. Towns burned, 169.

CONTENTS. xiii

Goffe's apochryphal Appearance, 169. Massacres in Maine, 170. King William's War, 172. Queen Anne's War, 173. King George's War, 175. Father Rasle, 176. Mississippi Bubble, 178. Louisiana Territory, 179. Louisburg, 183 Moravians, 185, Ohio Claims and War, 185. Braddock, 187. Acadie devastated, 189. Wolfe, 190. Northwestern Struggles, 192.

Chapter X.— The People And Their Rulers

Republican Government at Jamestown, 195. Difference between the Colonies, 196. Slavery, 196. Assiento Treaty, 199. Whitefield approves Slavery, 199. England forces Slavery upon America, 199. Jefferson protests, 201. New Englanders and Virginians, 202. Teutonic Communities, 206. The Southern Gentleman, 207, Proprietary Governments, Charter Governments, and Colonies, 208. Traits of New Yorkers, 209. A Massachusetts Controversy, 210. The Government of Andros, 211. The Charter Oak, 214. Colonial Governors, 216.

CHAPTER XL— LOOKING TOWARDS INDEPENDENCE.

Independence not desired at First, 218. Union needed, 216. First American Congress, 219. Plans for a general Union, 220. Franklin's Plan, 221. Halifax's Plan, 224. Growth of the Spirit of Independence, 225 English Jealousy, 226. The Sugar Law, 226. Writs of Assistance, 227. England stimulates the Slave Trade, 228. Stamp Act, 230 The British Ministers, 230 Virginia declares against Taxation without Representation, 231. Boston impresses herself upon the foreign Mind, 232. New York stirred, 232. South Carolina suggests a Congress, 233. "All of us Americans," 233. The " paltry Tax on Tea," 235. The Boston Massacre, 239. The Boston Tea Party, 240. Colonial Societv, 240. A Committee of Correspondence, 241. Gage in Boston, 242. The Quebec Act, 243. Congress at Philadelphia, 244.

Chapter XII — War Begun

The Importance of Towns, 247 A Congress at Charleston, 248. Joseph Warren at the Old South, Boston, 250, Pitt and Burke against Wesley and Johnson, 252. Going to Lexington, 254. Revere's Ride, 255. At Lexington and Concord, 257 Flying from Lexington, 258. Boston besieged, 260. Tories flee, 260. Ticonderoga captured, 262. The second Continental Congress in Philxiv CONTENTS.

adelphia, 263. Washington at the Head of the Army, 264. Bunker Hill, 264 Georgia enters the Union, 266.

Chapter Xiii.— Independence

The Spirit of Washington, 267. Washington leaves Philadelphia, 267. Hears of the Battle of Bunker Hill, 268. Schuyler in command at New York, 269. Headquarters at Cambridge, 269. Distinc tions of Colonies to be laid aside, 271, The Nancy captured, 271. Howe in command at Boston, 272. Dorchester Heights fortified, 276. Boston evacuated, 277. Royalists leave for England, 278. Success in Canada, 279. Arnold at Quebec, 2S0. Southern Operations, 2S0. Virginia asserts a Desire for Independence, 283. Makes a Declaration of Rights, 2S4. Declaration of Indepenence, 2S5. First Fourth of July, 2S7. The indefinite Grants form an Obstacle to Union, 28S. Western Territory ceded to the United Colonies, 291. The National Domain, 294.

Chapter Xiv.— Northern Operations

Washington in New York, 296. The Howes detested, 297. The Retreat from Long Island, 298. Across New Jersey, 299. Congress migrates, 300. Help from France, 301. Success at Saratoga, 302. Winter at Valley Forge, 303. Articles of Confederation, 304. Wyoming and Cherry Valley, 307. Virginia conquers the West, 30S. American Sympathizers in England, 310.

Chapter Xv.— Southern Operations— Peace

Savannah captured, 311. Wayne takes Stony Point, 312. Naval Success, 313. Paul Jones, 314. Washington at Morristown, 315. Currency depreciates, 316. Charleston taken by Clinton, 318. Southern Patriots, 31S. Arnold and Andre, 320. Cowpens, 324. Cornwallis surrenders, 328. George III. announces Independence, 32c The Cincinnati, 333. Washington's Farewells, 335.

Chapter Xvi.— Forming A New Government

A disunited Country, 337. Virginia acts, 339. Northwestern Territory formed, 340. The Constitutional Convention, 341. Plans for the new Government, 342. The national Plan adopted, 344. Disunion, 345. Parties form, 347. The (Government formed, 349.

CONTENTS. xv

CHATTER XVII.— THE FIRST PRESIDENT.

Inauguration, 353. Amendments to the Constitution, 353. The Cabinet, 355. National Rank, 355. Second Election, 356. Tariff Discussion, 357. Slavery in the Territories, 357. Fugitive Slave Laws, 357. Foreign Relations, 35S. Proclamation of Neutrality, 361. Trouble with England, 362. Attacks upon Washington, 365. Washington's Court, 366. Philadelphia Society, 368.

Chapter Xviii.— Federalist And Republican

Hitter Party strife, 370. Alien and sedition Acts, 371 Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, 373. Madison on Nullification, 373 Talleyrand regrets his Rashness, 375. Washington's Death, 376. fefferson President, 376. First Inauguration in Washington, 378. Louisiana Purchase, 379. Internal Improvements, 3S1. Pirates of the Mediterranean, 382. Burr and Blennerhassett, 384. Foreign Commerce, 385. The great Embargo, 387. Fulton's Steamboat, 388. Exploration of the West, 391. Internal Improvements, 393.

Chapter Xix.— War With Great Britain

Madison President, 394. John Henry's Scheme, 395. Orleans and Disunion, 396. Clay and Calhoun, 397. War declared, 398. Disunion again, 399. Naval Success, 400. Tecumseh and the Prophet, 403. Washington Burned, 407. Battle of New Orleans, 409. Hartford Convention, 410. Treaty of Ghent, 414. Mediterranean Pirates, 415. Commercial Distress, 415.

Chapter Xx.— The Era Of Good Feeling

Monroe President, 417. Erie Canal, 418. Increase of States, 421. Missouri applies for Admission, 424. Slavery Excitement, 425. Clay's Compromises, 426. Monroe's Mission, 427. Adams chosen President, 427. Development of the Country, 428. Cumberland Road, 428. Panama Mission, 429. Rotation in Office, 429.

CHAPTER XXL— NULLIFICATION, TREATY OF WASH- INGTON, ANNEXATION OF TEXAS.

Jackson President, 431. The Tariff of 1828, 431. An innocent inquiry, 432. Hayne and Webster, 432. South Carolina Acts, xvi CONTENTS.

433. Jackson issues a Proclamation, 436. Whig and Locofoco, 437. Pet Banks favored, 438. Van Buren President, 439. Sub- Treasury System, 440. The Hard Cider Campaign, 441. Harrison President, 441. Tyler President, 442. Treaty of Washington, 443. Texas Settled, 444. Indian Wars, 446. Seminole War, 447. Rebellion in Canada, 448. The Mormons, 449. The Dorr Rebellion, 450.

Chapter Xxii.— War With Mexico

Polk President, 452. The Oregon Region, 454. Origin of the Mexican War, 455. Lincoln's " Spot " Resolutions, 456. Taylor in Mexico, 457. Scott's Plans, 458. Fremont's Success, 459. Wilmot Proviso, 461- Garrison and Slavery, 462. The War ended, 466. The Taylor Presidential Campaign, 467. California and Gold, 468.

CHAPTER XXIIL— FROM COMPROMISE TO SECESSION.

Western Growth, 469. A " United States South " called for, 470. Henry Clay and Compromise, 470. Slavery Discussions, 472, Webster's Union Speech, 472. Robert Toombs, 473. Fugitive Slave Law, 474. Election of Pierce, 476. Arizona purchased, 477. The Kansas -Nebraska Bill, 47S. John Brown in Kansas, 481. War ahead, 4S2. Election of Buchanan, 484. Dred Scott Decision, 485. John Brown at Harper's Ferry, 486. Sumner assaulted, 488. Lincoln elected, 492. Secession, 493. Jefferson Davis elected, 494. Political Delusions fostered by Demagogues, 498.

Chapter Xxiv.— War For Union

Northern Opposition to War, 501. Efforts for Peace, 502. Senator Crittenden, 505. The Star of the West, 50S. Sketch of Lincoln, 508. The Confederate Policy as laid down by the Leaders, 510. Sumter attacked, 511. The loyal North, 513. "On to Washington," 514. Bull Run and its Effects, 514. The Alabama, 516. Operations of the Mississippi, 517. The Monitors, 519. McClellan on the Potomac, 520. Conscription, 522. Grant at Vicksburg, 523. Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, 525. Battles of the Wilderness, 528. The North invaded, 529. Sherman's March to the Sea, 531. Emancipation, 533. Richmond evacuated, 537. The Confederates surrender, 538. Cap-

CONTENTS. xvn

ture of Davis, 541. Effects of the War in the South, 542. Union is safety, 543.

Chapter Xxv.— The Era Of Progressive Na- Tional Life

Lincoln's reconstruction Policy, 545. Johnson impeached, 547. Heavy Taxes, 548. Ocean Telegraphy, 548. Purchase of Alaska, 551. Constitutional Amendments, 552. The Pacific Railwav completed, 554. Monentary Troubles, 557. The Ku-klux Klan 558. Great Fires in Chicago and Boston, 559. Grant re-elected 560. Financial Troubles, 561. Western Railways, 562. The Centennial Exhibition, 563. A political Crisis, 565. Sketch of President Hayes, 566. Railway Riots, 567. The South scourged, 567. Northern Sympathy, 568. The Negro Exodus, 569. Gold Payments resumed, 570. Election of Garfield, 571. President Arthur takes his Place, 572. Civil Service Reform, 573. Review of the Tariff, 573. A Retrospect, 576. Religious Bodies, 580. Invention and Manufactures, 582. The Telegraph, 585. Colleges, 587. American Literature, 590. Herbert Spencer on America, 596. Daniel Webster on the Union, 597.

DOCUMENTS — ILLUSTRATING THE CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

The Social Compact signed in the Cabin of the Mayflower, 601. The Articles of Confederation of the New England Colonies, 601. The Declaration of Independence, 607. Articles of Confederation of the Thirteen Colonies, 611. A Declaration of Rights made by the Representatives of the Good People of Virginia, 618. The Constitution of the United States, 621. Amendments to the Constitution, 632. The Virginia Resolutions of 1798, 637, The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, 640. The Kentucky Resolutions of 1799, passed in Response to the Resolutions of the other States in Reply to the Resolutions of 1798, 645.

INDEX 647

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Caravels of Columbus

Martin Behaim's Map (1492)

Christopher Columbus (medallion)

Columbus before the Junta .

A Ship of Columbus, from a drawing attributed to Him

Columbus welcomed to Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella

Ruins of Columbus' House, St. Domingo

Arms of Columbus

The Round Tower at Newport

Watch Tower, Yucatan

Portrait of Sebastian Cabot

Medallion, Amerigo Vespucci

Map showing the Routes of the early Discoverers

Ruins of Tuloom, Yucatan, on the Route of Cortes

Old Drawing of a Ship of the Early Discoverers

The Pueblo of Zufii

The Governor of Zuni

Modern Indians ....

The Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico

Manufactures of California Indians

Ground Plan of a Pueblo in Chaco Canon,

Mexico Cliff-dwellings in Southwestern Arizona Indian Pappoose

Grand Canon, Arizona, looking East Interior of a Zuni House Indian Weapons On the Route of Pizarro The Inca Huascar Guatemalian Idol A Mexican Temple The Mayflower Map of Cape Cod

xix

Northern

Frontispiece. 1 5

New xx ILL US TRA TIONS.

Sir Francis Drake's Chair 82

Leyden Street, Plymouth, Mass 86

Chair of Elder Brewster

9'

The first New England Washing-Day 93

Autograph of William Bradford 95

Burial Hill, Plymouth, Mass 97

Autograph of Miles Standish, also His Kettle, Sword and Dish 99

The busy Loom of the early Settlers 102

A Puritan Daughter m

A Colonial Interior .114

Jacques Cartier " . u6

A garrison House 120

La Salle on a Voyage . . . . . . . . .122

Map of the early American Settlements 125

Entering New York Harbor in modern Times .... 126

New Amsterdam 128

New York in 1720 131

The Natural Bridge, Virginia 137

An old-time Home . . 143

The Ingleside 144

The early American Woman at Work ..... 145

The early New England Schoolmaster and His Pupils . . 149

The weaving Room . . . . . . . 1 57

The early American Boy out of School (swingling Flax) . . 161

Grandfather's Trunk 162

A Pioneer's Home ......... 165

Building a Wigwam 171

Statue of Benjamin Franklin at Philadelphia . . . 181

Braddock's Headquarters in Western Virginia .... 187

Death of General Wolfe 190

Monument to General Wolfe at Quebec . . . 193 A Southern Mansion. The Arlington House, overlooking Washington 197

An humble New England Home. Birthplace of the Author of

the "Old Oaken Bucket." 200

The old Capital of Virginia ....... 203

An American Schoolhouse in a pioneer Settlement . . • 205

An erring young Colonist ........ 207

Washington's Home at Mount Vernon ..... 208

The Old South Church, Boston 213

The colonial Shoemaker's Infrequent Visit .... 214

Breaking Flax 217

Map of the eastern Colonies * 218

ILLUSTRATIONS. xxi

Benjamin Franklin's Birthplace 220

Map of the Colonies at the Time of the Revolution . . . 235

Faneuil Hall, Boston 237

House of Lieutenant-Governor Oliver, in Cambridge. Now the

Home of James Russell Lowell ..... 243

Beating Damask 247

Pulpit Window of the Old South, through which Warren entered 251

General Gage 253

Headquarters of the Committee of Safety, Cambridge, Birthplace cf the Poet Holmes 255

The old Battle Ground, Concord, Mass 257

Portrait of Israel Putnam 259

The old Manse, Concord, through which the Wife of the Rev.

William Emerson watched the Battle .... 262

Map of Boston and Vicinity 265

British Stamps for the American Market 267

Portrait of Martha Washington 268

The Washington Elm, Cambridge, Mass 270

The Minute Man. 273

Washington reviewing the Continental Army (after a painting by

Wadsworth Thompson) 281

House in which the Declaration of Independence was written 285

Autographs of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence 292

Saratoga Lake 301

Kosciusko's Monument, Fort Clinton, West Point . . . 306 Bartholdi's Statue of the young Lafayette, Union Square, New

York 309

Continental Currency 313

Lord Cornwallis 317

John Andre 320

Monument to Paulding, Williams and Van Wart . . . 322

View from West Point 323

Headquarters of Cornwallis at Yorktown .... 328

House in which the Articles of Capitulation were signed at Yorktown ........... 329

Washington's Headquarters at Newburg ..... 334

Cooking the Turkey in the old Times 336

President Washington 350

Monticello, the home or Jefferson 356

Northern Scenery. The Conway Meadows, New Hampshire 359

Southern Scenery. On the Savannah River .... 363 The House of John Hancock, Beacon street, Boston. Removed xxii ILLUSTRATIONS.

The University of Virginia 373

Washington's Tomb 377

Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. . . . 3S3

Pike's Peak, in the Heart of the Continent .... 386

Mount of the Holy Cross, Colorado 388

Coaching revived 392

Lake Erie, opposite the City of Erie, Pa 401

Niagara Falls 405

Statue of President Jackson at New Orleans .... 409 Boston Harbor. Taking a Pilot in rough Weather . . .411

In an old Drawing-Room 416

The Capitol at Washington 419

The Presidential Mansion at Washington . . . .421

Starting for the West . . 423

Bunker Hill Monument 425

A Post Station on the Prairies 430

Webster at Marshfield 431

Charleston, South Carolina ....... 433

The first House built in Chicago 441

President Harrison's Grave at North Bend, Ohio . . . 443

The Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City 447

House of the late Brigham Young, Salt Lake City . . . 449

Portrait of James Russell Lowell . . . . . . 453

Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson 455

The Home of Emerson, Concord, Mass 458

Some American Coins 460

San Francisco in 1849 . 463

San Francisco at a later Period .... ... 466

Standing Rocks on the Brink of Mu-av Canon, Colorado . . 468

Western Indians Gambling . . . , . . 471

The Home of Washington Irving, Sunnyside, Irvington . . 475

Crossing the Continent a Generation ago ..... 479

Paul Hamilton Hayne, the Poet of the South .... 483

Harper's Ferry, Va. 487

Southern Scenery. Lake Roland, near Baltimore, Md. . . 489

Suspension Bridge and Niagara Falls 495

Fort Sumter - 498

President Lincoln 503

Portrait of John G. Whittier . 506

Fort Sumter after the Bombardment 511

The House of John G. Whittier 518

Southern Scenery. View from Lookout Mountain . . . 525

Petersburg, Va 530

ILLUSTRATIONS. xxiii

Logging in the far West 535

Richmond, Va., and the Washington Monument . . . 539

Flowers of Peace 544

Silver Mining in Nevada 549

The Product of the Pacific Silver Mines 553

Inspection Car on the Great Pacific Railway, approaching

St. Lake 555

Horace Greeley's Birthplace ....... 559

The Art Gallery at the Centennial Exhibition .... 564

Portrait of William Cullen Bryant 568

Portrait of President Garfield 572

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y 577

Vassar College Observatory 579'

An American Railway Station ....... 583

An Ocean Steamer 584

Principal Building of Wellesley College, seen over Lake Waban 586

Longfellow — His Portrait and Birthplace in Portland, Me. . 591

Stone Hall, Wellesley College 595

Portrait of William Dean Howells ...... 596

Symbols of our Age 598

HISTORY OF

THEAMERICAN PEOPLE

Chapter I. Columbus The Discoverer

There shall come a time in later ages, when Ocean shall relax his chains and a vast continent appear, and a pilot shall find new worlds and Thule shall be no more Earth's bound. — Seneca's Medea, li. 371.

HE history of the New World is entered by the gate of Romance. For many centuries the inhabitants of the Eastern continents had been looking to the westward for an undiscovered land of marvels. Plato had told the story of the famous island of Atlantis, describing with fascinating minuteness, the salubrity of the climate, the beauty of the natural scenery, the lofty mountains, abundant rivers, useful animals, rich mineral resources, the happiness of the sturdy and wealthy people who had the good fortune to be its inhabitants. The information regarding this fortunate land he asserted had been derived

CARAVELS OF COLUMBI's.

by Solon from an old priest in Egypt. It cannot now be determined that there was any other foundation than the imagination for the belief that there existed another continent beyond the Pillars of Hercules, but certain it is that as the idea that the earth was spherical in form became more and more firmly fixed in the minds of men, the opinion rapidly gained ground that the Eastern continents were but comparatively a small portion of the land of the world.

The growth of this belief constitutes an interesting study. Both the shape and the size of the globe were unknown in ancient times. The earth was at first supposed to be a stationary plain, but at as early a date as the seventh century before Christ, Anaximander of Miletus, held that it was of cylindrical form.

Four centuries later, Eratosthenes, the learned librarian of Alexandria, the founder of geodesy, who first raised geography to the rank of a science, considered the globe an immovable sphere, and constructed maps on mathematical principles, using for the first time, parallels of longitude and latitude. Ptolemy, the Alexandrian astronomer, in the second century after Christ, re-asserted the spherical form of the earth, using the good reasons that were afterwards presented by Copernicus ( 1543 ). They had been proved true by the circumnavigation of the globe by Magalhaens, in 15 19.

Eratosthenes calculated that the earth was 252,000 " stadia " in circumference, but the unit of his measure is lost; and Pliny estimated this at 31,500 Roman miles, or a little over 28,000 English miles. In the ninth century, during the caliphate of Almamoun, the Arabian astronomers fixed the circumference of

THE TERRESTRIAL PARADISE. 3

the earth at about 24,000 miles. Sir John Mandeville,' the English traveller, placed it at 20,425 miles, " in roundness and circuit above and beneath," but Columbus thought it considerably less, and believed that the shores of Asia were proportionally nearer to the Azores. The ancient estimates were too great, and the later measures too small, but the mistakes of Columbus exerted an important influence upon history, for had he known the actual distance from Europe to Asia, measured westward, he would never have ventured to try to cross the vast distance in his insignificant vessels.

One of the most marked utterances of the ancients regarding the fabled land to the westward, is that of Seneca, a translation of which by archbishop Whately, is given at the head of this chapter. This philosopher, a native of Cordova in Spain, and teacher of the Emperor Nero, died in the year 65. His lines crystallize the thoughts that had long been current, perhaps giving them a more prophetic tone than any other than a philosopher and a poet would have used.

Readers of Dante are familiar with the belief that the Terrestrial Paradise existed on the other side of the globe, at the antipodes of Jerusalem — a point by the way, in the Pacific Ocean, near Tahiti. The desire to know where Paradise had been was one of the most firmly fixed in the mediaeval mind. It was discussed in the fourth century with rapturous eloquence, by St. Basil and St. Ambrose, in their works on Paradise. They represented that there pure and eternal pleasures were furnished to every sense, the air was always balmy, the skies serene, and the inhabitants enjoyed perpetual youth and bliss without a care.