A history of the United States for secondary schools

Front matter

Gass ElT^ Book^. U 3 '?

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT

A HISTORY OF

Preface

Whether the writer and the publishers of this book are justified or not in adding another to the many compends of American history already offered to the schools is a question to be determined by the judgment of the teachers to whom it is submitted.

The book has been prepared in full accord with the views set forth in the report of "The Committee of Seven," appointed by the American Historical Association in 1896, "to consider the subject of history in the secondary schools." Its plan assumes —

1. That American history is taught, or will be taught, in most of the secondary schools of the country, at a time when the pupils are old enough to learn, and to be interested in learning, how the circumstances and conditions of life as they find it at the present day have been brought about, through the working of influences and the movement of events in the past.

2. That those pupils have received in the lower schools some acquaintance with the romantic and delightful but not deeply instructive story of the discovery and the first explorations of the New World, and need not spend more of actual school-study on that, which is only a preface to the life-history of the United States.

It assumes, too, that most, if not all, of the teachers of

IV PREFACE.

American history in secondary schools must be in agreement with the Committee of Seven upon the fundamental principles of history-teaching, as formulated in the committee's report, — especially the following : That a "good text-book " is one "in which the sequence and relation of events can be made clear ; " that "the aim of historical study in the secondary school ... is the training of pupils, not so much in the art of historical investigation as in that of thinking historically;'' that history, presented as it should be, " cultivates the judgment by leading the pupil to see the relation between cause and effect, as cause and effect appear in human affairs," — to see, in other words, "that events do not simply succeed each other in time, but that 07ie givws ont of another, or rather out of a combination of many others ; " that " unrelated facts are of antiquarian rather than historical interest," and that there is no time in the school course for studying such facts, however interesting they may be in themselves.

This book is the product of a careful endeavor to realize these sound principles, in a presentation of American history to young minds that approach maturity and begin to be able to see meanings brought to light by a right putting of things together. The guiding aim in preparing it has been to show how continuous a procession is formed by the events that have real importance in American life ; how linked together they are by influences that reach from one to another, or by forces that work lastingly on successive generations ; and by what a plain process of evolution, from its colo-

PREFACE. V

nial beginnings, the republic of the United States has become what it is.

In pursuing this aim, the original colonies are treated, not separately, in the usual manner, but collectively, from the first, as forming already one coherent political body, made so superficially by the bond of English government, and made more substantially so by the English temper and political habit which were common to their people, and which unified them at last. Little more than what is common to their history, and what is necessary to show and explain in some degree the variations of character in them, is touched in the treatment of colonial times.

J Generally, throughout the work, the purpose of the writer has led him to be sparing rather than profuse in his selection of the things to be told. It has seemed to him better to make a free use of the limited space in so small a book for the clear unfolding of essential "sequences and relations," than to pack it with a dense collection of facts. In choosing the matter to be dealt with he has found himself in agreement again with the committee already quoted, who say in their report : "■ While industrial and social phases of progress should by no means be slighted, it is an absolute necessity that a course in American history should aim to give a connected narrative of political events and to record the gradual upbuilding of institutions, the slow establishment of political ideals and practices." This is unquestionably true. The political institutions of the democratic republic of the United States are fundamental to every-

VI PREFACE.

thing else in the life of the natiom Forces and influences that arise out of the self-governing habits of the people have entered into all that they do, giving character and direction to all developments among them, all advance, all change, whether social or industrial in its field, or intellectual or moral in its work. Hence the political history of the United States is a great main stream, which forces us in our study to follow its course ; but every other stream of historical movement flows to it as a tributary, and all the expanses of the national life are opened by it to our view.

Twice in the narrative of colonial history — near the close of the seventeenth century and at the opening of the War of Independence — the writer has paused to introduce a comprehensive survey of the economic and social conditions existing in different sections of the country at those times. At the end of the work he has given a retrospective survey of similar conditions as they appear in the rapid flux of later times. These surveys, together with an Introduction, which sketches matters prior to the European settlement of regions within the territory of the United States, are not presented as numbered chapters of the book, nor printed in the type of those chapters. The intention is that teachers shall use them for reading and reference, or for regular study in the course, as they find best.

At the end of every chapter the topics of each section in it are carefully rehearsed, with numerous referenjces to standard historical works and documentary collections, for the collateral reading and verification

PREFACE. Vll

which all teachers of history require. Since the books that are accessible to students must vary in different schools, it has seemed desirable to multiply the references beyond what would otherwise be needed. By giving so wide a range to them, and by making them more than usually specific, it is believed that a feature of importance is given to the book. A full list of the works referred to, arranged alphabetically under authors' names, is placed next to the maps which precede the text. The reference to each is by the author's name only, if he is represented in the list by no more than one work ; but when two or more works of the same authorship appear in the list, they are distinguished by a catch title in the reference.

Attention is invited to the numerous maps with which the book is equipped, and to the mode in which they are arranged. The larger maps, most of which will be consulted frequently, on various subjects, are placed together, at the beginning of the volume, and referred to by numbers from the text. Thus placed, in what forms an historical atlas within the book, they are found more easily, and can be used more conveniently, than if distributed here and there. Smaller maps, for the special illustration of single subjects or events, are inserted with liberality in the text.

The index to the book has been prepared with more than common care, and is designed to be especially helpful to a continuous study of all important subjects in the history which run through long periods of time. By explanatory entries such subjects are made fully and viii PREFACE.

clearly traceable from beginning to end. The index includes also a guide to the maps, pointing out, for every place of historical interest, the map in which it appears and its position thereon.

The opinion of many teachers has concurred with the judgment of the publishers and the writer in deciding that pictorial illustrations would add little or nothing to the interest or instructive value of this book. Most of the portraits and other proper subjects that are available for historical illustration are made familiar to young people by text-books in the lower schools, and will be stale to them if repeated here. Pictures are omitted, therefore, from these pages, while maps are abundantly supplied.

Suggestions from many sources have been helpful to the writer in preparing his book ; but he owes especial thanks to Mr. M. W. Richardson, junior-master of the South Boston High School, who has critically examined both the manuscript and the proofs, with great benefit to the general quality of the work ; and to teachers in the Buffalo high schools, who have rendered a like service to some parts of the book.

Buffalo, July, 1903.

PAGE

xiii xxxi

Contents

List of Works referred to •

Atlas of Historical Maps

Introduction

Discovery and Early Exploration of America i

Europe and America in the Sixteenth Century .... 12

The Aboriginal Inhabitants of North America .... 16 Physical Features of North America and their Histori-

22 cal Influence

AFTER /■ eia

I. Beginnings of the Early Colonies. 1607-1060 . . 25 II. Political and Social Development of the Early

Colonies "^

III. The Colonies under Charles II. and James II.

1660-1688 ^°

State of the Colonies in the Last Years of the Seventeenth Century 108

COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT. i688-i775-

IV. The Period of Strife with France, i 690-1 760 . . 119 V. The Provocations to Revolt. 1760-177 5 .... 160

State of the Thirteen Colonies at the Beginning OF THE War of Independence ...... 186

VI. The American Revolution and Wai^jOF Independ-

VII. The United States under the Articles of Con-

VIII The Founding of a National Government. 1789-

1801 ■ 271

X CONTENTS.

IX. The Young Nation harassed by Older Powers.

1801-1809 306

X. Second War with England. 1809-1817 332

XI. American Democracy finding Independence. 181 5-

1828 362

XTI. The Jackson I^eriod. 1829-1840 . 393

XIII, Expansion to the Pacific : for Free Labor or

Slave Labor : which ? 1841-1848 428

XIV. The Maddening Slavery Question. 1848-1860 . . 450

XV. The War for the Union : its First Period — Sparing Slavery. 1860-1862 484

XVI. The War for the Union: its Second Period —

Striking at Slavery, i 862-1865 525

XVII. The Restored Union. 1865-1880 561

THE NEW ERA.

XVIII. Recent Years 581