A history of Pennsylvania

Preface

No other state in the Union presents a history so closely connected with world progress as Pennsylvania. Here are to be found the beginnings of many types of religions. Here was the first real experiment in popular government. Here have been developed the whole theory and practice of transportation and the intricate factory system. Pennsylvania has been the laboratory in which many important experiments in sociology, religion, and government have been performed.

Local history has an appeal not easily found in works covering a larger sphere. In this book an effort has been made so to present the subject as to lead the pupil to a better understanding of our national history. Hence special em^phasis has been laid upon the various incidents in the life of the nation which have taken place in Pennsylvania. To make these relations clear to the pupil it has often been necessary to mention events which have occurred in other states. This plan has been followed in the hope that this book may be used as an introduction to, and in connection with, a study of the history of the United States.

In the arrangement of materials, the topical method of treatment has been employed. This has occasionally brought events out of their chronological order. This was done to make the relation of events clear to pupils. In addition it was thought that detached descriptions of incidents have a tendency to form the bad habit of committing history to memory, whereas a logical arrangement encourages a correct method of study.

The author is indebted for assistance and encouragement to Hon. Nathan C. Schaeffer and Hon. A. D. Glenn. Special acknowledgment is made to Dr. J. George Becht, Hon. Reed B. Teitrick, and Miss Katherine M. Ulery, of the Greensburg High School, who carefully read all of the manuscript and made valuable corrections and suggestions.

T. S. M.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

All incidents form a part of history, yet most of them have no real value. Only those which have some bearing upon progress should be emphasized by the teacher. The pupil gains knowledge which is worth while if he is able to see how the industries of to-day have developed. He has a deeper understanding of the subject of electricity if he knows of Franklin's discoveries. He has a better appreciation of the wonders of medicine and surgery if he knows the important part that Pennsylvania has played in their development. In the same way some knowledge of the relation of this state to the world of thought, religion, and government, will bring these subjects nearer to his own personal experiences, and add considerably to his understanding of history and to his interest in it.

An important part of the equipment of every school is a county history. This is usually too expensive to be put into the hands of each pupil, but at least one copy should be placed where it can constantly be referred to by students. The exercises given at the end of each chapter of this book make frequent reference to works of the kind necessary. If the school owns no such history it may be possible to obtain the use of a copy from some parent or public-spirited citizen. Every school should also have upon its bookshelf one or more copies of good United States histories and some standard encyclopedia. Smull's Legislative Handbook is indispensable in this study, and, upon application to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is furnished free to every school in the state. In addition to these, as many as possible of the reference books mentioned in this volume should be procured.

The teacher should frequently review, but he should not depend entirely upon the text for questions. Exercises are appended to each chapter to show the character of the questions that should be required: those demanding some thought and

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 7

judgment upon the part of the pupil, and those necessitating investigation. In connection with the latter, the teacher should always tell the pupils where they may find the desired information.

Every teacher should have a scrapbook in which to put illustrations and articles cut or copied from magazines, books, or other publications which are too large or too costly to be used in school. In a few years he can accumulate, at little expense, material which will add much interest to his work. The pupils, likewise, should be encouraged and assisted in making such historical collections.

The method of having work written upon the blackboard during the recitation period is often a waste of time. It cannot take the place of oral work in the amount of ground covered or in thoroughness. It is wise to use history as a basis for composition work now and then, but this method should be used only incidentally.

Teachers should make every effort to keep pupils from acquiring the habit of committing historical material to memory. Such things as lists of rulers — presidents, governors, kings, or officials of any kind — are of little importance. Dates, also, should be used sparingly. The library method, used properly, will prevent the memorizing habit from being formed. Proper questioning, also, has a similar tendency.

One of the chief reasons for the teaching of history is to make good citizens. Too obvious effort to bring the moral of a subject before the class, however, will defeat its own ends. It would be better to assume that the pupil has enough sense to make the proper application, without putting too much emphasis upon the subject.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. The Indians ii

II. Discovery and Exploration .... i8

Chapter I

The first inhabitants. — The first inhabitants of the continent of North America were savages of the red race.

Columbus called them Indians as he supposed that he had reached India, a country in Asia. They were a very simple people, who lived largely by hunting and fishing. Those who lived in the region now called Pennsylvania tilled the land to some extent, and raised crops of corn and tobacco, products that had never been known to the Europeans -v until the discovery of the New World. They also raised beans and pumpkins, and made sugar from the sap of the maple tree.

Their habitations. — The Indians / of Pennsylvania had no towns

like those of civilized people. Their

One of Pennsylvania's first , ^ r r

poles covered with bark, leaves, or skins, and were easily moved or destroyed. However, there were collections of such houses, or wigwams as they were called, in regions which offered unusual advantages for hunting or fishing. Because of the temporary character of such structures, few traces of these towns are left. Sometimes farmers, living in regions which the Indians had formerly occupied, plow up in their fields relics of this

An Indian home.

race. In places where battles were fought, large numbers of stone arrowheads and hammers have been found, and in the neighborhood of former towns pieces of pottery and other reminders of Indian life come to Hght now and then. After the arrival of the white man, the Pennsylvania Indians built some substantial houses which were made of logs, not unlike the homes of the early settlers. Protection against the cold. — The Indians dressed, for the most part, in the skins of animals, which were a scant protection against the cold of winter. As Pennsylvania furnished an abundance of timber, they were rarely, however, without the warmth of fire when they needed it, but they had to go to considerable trouble when for any reason the fire died out.

One of the ways they had of obtaining a blaze was by twirling a pointed stick rapidly against another until the heat made by the friction set fire to some dry leaves or other inflammable substance which had been collected for the purpose.

Since this was a tedious process, they usually tried to keep their fires from going out.

Meat and drink. — The Indians had no horses, cows, or chickens. They depended on the wild game which they killed for their meat, and the pure water for their drink. The Pennsylvania

woods were full of deer, bears, ducks, and wild turkeys, and the Indians knew well how to get them. For hunting and fishing they made arrows pointed with flint, stone knives, and fishhooks of sharp pointed bone.

Indian trails and water routes. — In traveling from one place to another, the Indians carried their few belongings over trails, or paths, through the woods. Some of these

An Indian method of obtaining fire.

became well marked through constant use. One of the most famous of those in Pennsylvania was the one from Kittanning over the mountains to the Juniata Valley; another crossed the state near the Susquehanna. Most of the trails followed the tops of ridges where no enemy could get above the traveler. Whenever they could, the Indians went by water. Canoes hollowed out from trees were much used along the Delaware and the Susquehanna. Those of bark were better for going between the headwaters of streams, as they were lighter and so could more easily be carried.

Picture language. — The Indians had only the beginnings of a written language, namely, a method of expressing thought by pictures. A few such markings on rocks have come down to us. Some are found in western Pennsylvania along the Ohio and some along the Susquehanna.

Religion. — The Indians believed in a Great Spirit, or manito,^ but there were many manitos. They also had a great reverence for the forces of nature, and measured time by the sun and the moon.

Wampum. — The Indians had no money such as we have. They bought things from the white settlers by means

Indian wampum.

of the pelts or skins of the animals which they killed. Wampum was sometimes used as money. It consisted of a large number of bits of shell strung together. Usually

1 man' i to

THE INDIANS l^

the colors were so arranged as to form figures or ornaments on a white background. Belts of wampum played an important part in treaties and served as a means of calling to mind the promises that had been made.

Early Indian history. — The true history of the Indian before the coming of the white man is still a mystery. A few of the traditions that were picked up by the early traders and missionaries may have some foundation in truth. According to Heckewelder/ the Moravian missionary, the Indians of the Delaware Valley came from beyond the Mississippi, and after years of wandering and fighting, arrived in the land where the white man found them. These were Algonquins,^ a race which covered almost all of the country east of the Rockies. Notable exceptions were the Iroquois^ of New York, their bitterest foe, and certain Indians of northern and central Pennsylvania who were closely alHed to the Iroquois.

The Pennsylvania tribes. — two examples of Indian pottery.

The branch of the Algonquins

who lived along the Delaware River were the Lenni- Lenape.^ These were divided into the Minsi^ of the northern, the Unami^ of the middle, and the Unalachtigo^ of the southern part of the river. These were the Indians with whom the first settlers had most to do. The Indians of the Susquehanna Valley in the south were the Susquehannocks. Their principal town was apparently at Conestoga in Lancaster County. They were known to

1 hek' e vel der ^ ^1 goij ' kinz ^ ir o kwoi' ^ len i len' a pe ^ min' se ^ un' a me ^ un a loch' U go i6 the Swedes and Dutch as Minquas.^ The Ohio Valley was much visited by the Indian and many remains are still to be found there — pictured rocks, defensive works, and burial mounds. These were probably the work of an earlier race than those found by the whites. The Eries, in the northwest, were also called Shawnees.

Wars. — There are stories of many wars between the various tribes. The Iroquois at different times attacked the Susquehannocks from the north and forced them

A group of Indian weapons.

toward Chesapeake Bay. The Eries also were finally the victims of this fierce race; and after the coming of the white man, the Minsis were forced into subjection.

Total number. — The total number of Indians in Pennsylvania at the time of discovery is a matter of dispute. Penn, about one century later, estimated it at six thousand. This is probably less than the number. As they were hunters they needed a large territory over which to wander. On this account their towns were few and srnall, and a complete census was impossible.

The land which was afterwards called Pennsylvania was, when discovered, inhabited by Indians who lived by hunting and fishing.

1 min'kwaz

THE INDIANS j^

They were few in numbers and had no towns of any size. They had such conveniences only as they could easily make. They were principally Algonquins.

EXERCISES

1. What other races look most like Indians?

2. What products raised by the Indians had not been known to Europe?

3. What traces of Indians have been found in your neighborhood?

4. Of what materials were the Indian arrowheads made?

5. How did the houses of the Iroquois differ from the habitations of the Pennsylvania Indians?

6. What wild animals were found in Pennsylvania by the early settlers?

7. Why did the Indians travel by water?

8. What is meant by manito? by wampum?

9. What Indian tribe lived in your neighborhood?

10. Give the Indian names which are found in your county,

11. How does the population of your town and county compare with the number of Indians at the time of settlement?

Fiske: The Discovery of America, I, 21-147. Parkman: The Conspiracy of Pontiac, 1-86. Freneau: The Indian Burying Ground.

Longfellow: The Song of Hiawatha.

Chapter II

Captain John Smith. — Probably the first time the natives of Pennsylvania ever saw a white man was in 1608, when, during one of his voyages of exploration, Captain John Smith approached this territory by way of Chesapeake Bay and the lower waters of the Susquehanna. The river he described as being full of rocks and too shallow for navigation. He landed, however, at the head of the bay and had various conferences with bands of Indians who came from the north. Among these were the Susquehannocks, who brought him presents of skins, bows, arrows, and tobacco. ''They seemed like giants," Smith said, ''yet of an honest and simple disposition." They had never seen a white man and were at the point of worshiping the Englishmen as if they were gods. They carried tobacco pipes with the heads carved like beasts or birds, and gayly decorated with feathers. The heads of their arrows were of a "white christall-like stone." Smith, however, never set foot upon Pennsylvania soil, although he and his men could not have been far from the southern boundary of our state.

An Indian pipe.

Henry Hudson.— The year following Smith's visit, Henry Hudson, in the Half Moon, coasted along the Atlantic and discovered Delaware Bay. After entering and sounding it for a short distance, he determined that in order to explore it properly, a man should have a small boat.

iiiiiii Hill ■mi

«ry,«^v wiiM^^^

Mi^^tri»iSI^^^H

The Half Moon.

He then weighed anchor and, sailing northward, discovered the beautiful river which has since borne his name.

Influence of the discovery. — This discovery has had great influence upon the history of the settlements on the Delaware. Hudson, although of English birth, was sailing under the Dutch flag. On this account the Dutch laid claim to the territory which he discovered and in time began to open it to settlers.

First white man in Pennsylvania. — But neither the English nor the Dutch were to be the first white men to enter the new land. It was left to a Frenchman coming from the north to be the first European to step upon Pennsylvania soil. It must be remembered that before the discovery of Hudson, and before the English were in Virginia, the French had been making explorations and settlements in Canada. It was quite natural then for some one from among them to reach Pennsylvania. In 1615 Etienne Brule,^ one of Champlain's^ interpreters, during an expedition in the New York country, went southward to obtain aid from a body of Susquehannocks in an attack against a stronghold of the Iroquois. For three days he journeyed until he reached a town which Champlain called Carantuan, which must have been near, if not within, the boundaries of Pennsylvania. The location of this place is supposed to be what is now Spanish Hill in the extreme northern part of Bradford County. Traces of Indian settlement and fortifications are still to be found there.

Brule's expedition. — Having obtained the assistance which he sought, Brule attempted to join Champlain, but without success at the time, as that leader had made an attack and had been driven off. Brule therefore returned to Carantuan and wintered there. He passed some of the time in making expeditions to the southward. In Champlain's report of these, he describes him as following the river to the bay into which it flows and returning to the Indian town. This would seem to indicate that the intrepid explorer not only entered Pennsylvania, but that in following the Susquehanna to its mouth, he must have

1 a tyen' brii la' ^ sham plan'

DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 2i

crossed the entire state. If this is so, he must have known the interior of Pennsylvania at least a hundred years before it was known to anybody else but the Indians.

Captain Samuel Argall. — It was to the region adjoining Delaware Bay that the attention of early discoverers was most frequently drawn. That was more accessible than the interior and gave promise of quicker returns in wealth. One year after the discovery of the bay by Hudson, another Englishman, Captain Samuel Argall,^ sailed north from the colony of Virginia and entered the bay, on the twenty-seventh of August, 1610. He called it Delaware, after Lord Delaware, the governor of Virginia. From the Indians he obtained promises of corn, but sailed away without landing. The only thing important about his expedition is that he gave a name to the bay which has clung to the bay, the state, the river, and local Indian tribes ever since.

Mey and Hendricksen. — The report of the Hudson expedition became widely known and Dutch merchants and traders began to go to the new country to share in the rich fur trade. They usually went to Manhattan, the island upon which much of the city of New York now stands. In 1614, a Captain Mey^ coasted along the Atlantic shore and gave his name to one of the capes at the entrance of Delaware Bay. Two years later a man named Hendricksen may have visited the bay and river, but his description of the journey is so indefinite that there is nothing certain about it. One of the stories connected with this expedition is that Hendricksen rescued three Dutchmen who had strayed from Albany and had been

1 ar' gol - ma captured by the Indians. The rescue is supposed to have taken place about where Philadelphia now stands.

First settlement. — In 1623, Captain Mey again came to America and Delaware Bay. He ascended the river and the next year built a trading post, Fort Nassau,^ possibly where Gloucester, New Jersey, now stands. He was the first white man to make a settlement on the Delaware waters. To this post many of the Pennsylvania Indians came with their peltries, or bundles of skins.

David De Vries. — Up to 1631 there had been no settlements on the west bank of either the bay or the river. In that year a party of colonists sent by David De Vries ^

came from Holland in the

ship Walrus and started a

settlement where the town

of Lewes,^ Delaware, now

stands. They called this

Swanendael, the valley of

swans. Unlike the others,

De Vries has given us a

full account of his venture.

About a year later,

De Vries himself came in

the Squirrel. Although he

had received word that

his colony had met with

disaster, he pushed on and

found the report only too

true. When he came to Swanendael he found it

burned and the ground strewn with the bones of the

settlers and their cattle. With six men he went to Fort

David De Vries.

1 nas' 6 lu'is

Nassau which he found deserted. He explored the various creeks and inlets on both sides of the Delaware, and even

' The Dutch continued to trade with the Indians.'

passed some time within the limits of the present city of Philadelphia. This was in the spring of 1634. He describes the country as "full of groves of oak, hickory, ash, and chestnut trees and also vines which grow upon the trees." He was especially pleased with the wild turkeys which he shot. He left finally without trying to make another settlement.

Traders on the Delaware. — The Dutch from Manhattan continued for some years to send parties to the South or Delaware River to trade with the Indians, and there was an occasional Englishman to enter the region, but permanent settlements were not made on the west side until a later date.

La Salle. — We have seen that the first white man to set foot upon the state of Pennsylvania was the Frenchman, Etienne Brule. It is quite likely that there were similar journeys made through the Allegheny and Ohio valleys in western Pennsylvania at an early period. The first of these was probably one by La Salle/ that intrepid man whose adventurous spirit led him to explore so much of the middle west. In 1669 this brave adventurer passed from Lake Erie to the headwaters of the Allegheny and down the river to the falls of the Ohio near Louisville. His account of the journey has been lost, but the French afterwards claimed the territory because of his discovery and Joliet^ gave him credit for the discovery of the Ohio. At a later date also, La Salle touched Pennsylvania at Presque Isle^ where Erie now stands. His was the first sail ever seen upon Lake Erie.

SUMMARY Pennsylvania was one of the last of the American colonies to be settled. On this account among the first to explore it were people from the neighboring settlements: Captain John Smith from Virginia approached its southern borders in 1608 and Etienne Brule from the French settlements along the St. Lawrence came down in 1 61 5 and crossed its northern boundaries. Henry Hudson, in addition to discovering the Hudson River, also discovered Delaware Bay. This interested the Dutch in the new land and various men of that race explored and settled the regions. Among these were Mey, Hendricksen, and De Vries. The great French explorer, La Salle, also probably entered the western part of the state.

1. What are some stories of Captain John Smith which have no connection with Pennsylvania?

2. V^hat discoveries were made by Henry Hudson?

3. Name the first white man to set foot upon Pennsylvania soil.

4. Why was the expedition of Brule not important?

5. What parts of America were settled by the French at the time of the discovery of Pennsylvania? by the Dutch? by the English?

6. How did Cape May get its name?

7. Why was the expedition of De Vries important?

8. Who were La Salle and Joliet?

9. With what Pennsylvania tribes of Indians did the Dutch trade on the Delaware?

10. Where are Bradford County, Philadelphia, Cape May?

REFERENCES Fiske: The Discovery of America, I.

Parkman: La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West. Jenkins: Pennsylvania, Colonial and Federal. Kingsley: Westward, Ho!

Stedman and Hutchinson: Library of American Literature.

Chapter III

Delaware. — The settlement of Delaware is closely connected with the early history of Pennsylvania. Not only were both settled at the same time and by the same people,

but for a while the three "Lower Counties," as Delaware was called, were a part of Pennsylvania.

It becomes necessary, therefore, to discuss their settlement.

Settlement by the Swedes. — For thirty years after Smith met the Susquehannocks at the head of Chesapeake Bay, there had been no successful attempt to settle any of the Pennsylvania lands.

Then, however, the Swedes began a series of eleven expeditions to the new country, extending over a period of eighteen years. The first settlers were almost wholly interested in trading, an occupation in which the Swedes

Old Swedes' Church in Wilmington, dating from 1698.

seemed to excel. There was a great deal of competition between them and the Dutch, but they had the advantage of a better location.

Christina.— The first and most important of the Swedish expeditions arrived in Delaware Bay in 1638. This had been fitted out by money obtained from both the Swedes and the Dutch, and was led by Peter Minuit, the eccentric Dutchman who had been governor of Manhattan at the time of the De Vries expedition. Arriving in the New World they immediately set to work to build a fort on the west side of Delaware Bay, and make a settlement which they called Christina^ after the queen of Sweden. It was situated where Wilmington, Delaware, now stands. Although the Dutch of Fort Nassau, which happened to be occupied at the time, protested against the operations of Minuit, he kept on with the work because he knew very well that there was no other settlement on the west shore and that he had as much right to it as any other. To make his title stronger, however, he purchased the land from the Indians.

The loss of Minuit. — Leaving twenty-four men at Christina, Minuit started to return to Europe. His fleet, however, encountered a severe storm and the vessel upon which he happened to be was lost. He was never heard from afterwards and probably went down with the ship. In this way the colony lost an able leader.

English settlers. — In 1640 the EngHsh made their appearance on the Delaware. These were men from the colony of New Haven, who had learned that the trade in furs in the new colony was better than their own and who decided to get a share of it. They made several settle-

^ kris te' nix

SyLVA ments in South Jersey, and claimed, at a later date, that in 1640 they had purchased land of the Indians; they built and occupied a fortified trading house at Passyunk,^ now within the city of Philadelphia. They were, however, driven away by the Dutch.

John Printz. — The most important Swedish expedition was under the leadership of John Printz, who bore a commission appointing him governor of the new province. Printz made the first settlement in Pennsylvania of which there is distinct record. In 1643 he built a fort of logs on Tinicum Island, and in it he mounted four brass cannons. This settlement he called New Gottenburg. At about the same time he made a settlement on the Schuylkill, building a number of log houses and laying out tobacco plantations. A year or two later he built a fine house for himself at New Gottenburg which he called Printzhof . In the same village a church was erected,

^ pass'yunk

An early map of the Swedish possessions.

which was the first house of worship built by white men within the present Hmits of Pennsylvania.

Progress under Printz.— Printz ruled for ten years. During his administration much progress was made in the colony, and the settlers began to enjoy some degree of comfort and plenty. They built three forts and established a considerable community at Upland.

On Cobb's Creek they constructed a water mill, now known as the ^'Swedes Mill," which was the first in the colony and was used by the settlers for miles around.

Peter Stuyvesant. — In 1647 Peter Stuyvesant ^ arrived at Manhattan and became governor of the Dutch settlements. He immediately began active operations to gain the Indian trade on the Delaware and, for a while, the Dutch and Swedes were in continual conflict. Finally, Printz returned to his own country to try to get help; but without knowledge of his departure, an expedition was sent by Sweden to his relief. Coming into Delaware Bay, they seized Fort Casimir - which had been built by the order of Stuyvesant. Another Swedish vessel, which had been sent with settlers and supplies to New Sweden and had wandered into the harbor of New

John Printz.

sti've sant - Now New Castle, Delaware.

Amsterdam^ by mistake, was seized in reprisal and the energetic Stuyvesant began to fit out a formidable expedition against the Swedes.

The Dutch in power. — Fort Casimir, which had been renamed Trinity, and Fort Christina fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1655, and the control of the colony passed from the hands of the Swedes; the Dutch were themselves dispossessed by the EngUsh in 1664. The last expedition of the Swedes arrived in the Delaware after the Dutch had assumed control. The vessel was seized and taken to New Amsterdam and its cargo sold.

The relation of the Swedes to the Indians. — Notwithstanding the fact that the Swedes were unable to maintain their control along the Delaware, their people remained and formed a good element in the community after the arrival of Penn. They have to their credit the fact that never during their rule was there any trouble with the Indians. This was in sharp contrast to the history of the settlement of their rivals, the Dutch. The total number of years of Swedish supremacy was seventeen. In this time they had actually succeeded in planting a colony where both English and Dutch had failed.