HISTORY
OF THE
UNITED STATES
[Illustration]
NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
1891
COPYRIGHT, 1891, BY AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY.
PREFACE.
To the American youth the history of our country is more important than
any other branch of education. A fair degree of knowledge respecting
the progress of the American people from the discovery of the New World
to the present is almost essential to that citizenship into which our
youth are soon expected to enter. In a government of the people, for
the people and by the people, a familiar acquaintance with the course
of events, with the movements of society in peace and war, is the great
prerequisite to the exercise of those rights and duties which the
American citizen must assume if he would hold his true place in the
Nation.
Fortunately, the means for studying the history of our country are
abundant and easy. American boys and girls have little cause any longer
to complain that the writers and teachers have put beyond their reach
the story of their native land. Great pains have been taken, on the
contrary, to gather out of our annals as a people and nation the most
important and romantic parts, and to recite in pleasing style, and with
the aid of happy illustrations, the lessons of the past.
The author of the present volume has tried in every particular to put
himself in the place of the student. He has endeavored to bring to the
pupils of our great Common Schools a brief and easy narrative of all
the better parts of our country's history. It has been his aim to tell
the story as a lover of his native land should recite for others that
which is dearest and best to memory and affection. He has sought to
bring the careful results of historical research into the schoolroom
without any of the superfluous rubbish and scaffolding of obtrusive
scholarship and erudition.
Another aim in the present text-book for our youth has been to consider
the events of our country's history somewhat from our own point of
view--not to despise the history of civilization in the Mississippi
Valley, or to seek wholly for examples of heroism and greatness in
the older States of the Union. Perhaps no part of our country is more
favorably situated for taking such a view of our progress as a nation
than is that magnificent region, constituting as it does the most
fertile and populous portion of the continent. In the present History
of the United States the author has not hesitated to make emphatic
those paragraphs which relate to the development and progress of this
region.
For the rest the author has followed the usual channel of narration
from the aboriginal times to the colonization of our Atlantic coast
by the peoples of Western Europe; from that event by way of the Old
Thirteen Colonies to Independence; from Independence to regeneration
by war; and from our second birth to the present epoch of greatness
and promise. He cherishes the hope that his work in the hands of the
boys and girls of our public schools may pass into their memories and
hearts; that its lessons may enter into union with their lives, and
conduce in some measure to their development into men and women worthy
of their age and country.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PREFACE 3
CONTENTS 5
INTRODUCTION 8
PART I.
PRIMITIVE AMERICA.
CHAPTER
I.--The Aborigines 11
PART II.
VOYAGE AND DISCOVERY.
II.--The Norsemen in America 21
III.--Spanish Discoveries in America 24
IV.--Spanish Discoveries in America.--Continued 28
V.--The French in America 35
VI.--English Discoveries and Settlements 41
VII.--English Discoveries and Settlements.--Continued 47
VIII.--Voyages and Settlements of the Dutch 53
PART III.
COLONIAL HISTORY.
IX.--Virginia.--The First Charter 57
X.--Charter Government.--Continued 65
XI.--Virginia.--The Royal Government 70
XII.--Massachusetts.--Settlement and Union 76
XIII.--Massachusetts.--War and Witchcraft 84
XIV.--New York.--Settlement and Administration of Stuyvesant 94
XV.--New York under the English 100
XVI.--Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire 106
XVII.--New Jersey and Pennsylvania 115
XVIII.--Maryland and North Carolina 122
XIX.--South Carolina and Georgia 128
XX.--French and Indian War 135
PART IV.
REVOLUTION AND CONFEDERATION.
XXI.--Causes of the Revolution 149
XXII.--The Beginning of the Revolution.--Events of 1775 157
XXIII.--The Events of 1776 163
XXIV.--Operations of 1777 171
XXV.--Events of 1778 and 1779 178
XXVI.--Reverses and Treason.--Events of 1780 187
XXVII.--Events of 1781 192
XXVIII.--Confederation and Union 199
PART V.
GROWTH OF THE UNION.
XXIX.--Washington's Administration 205
XXX.--Adams's Administration 211
XXXI.--Jefferson's Administration 214
XXXII.--Madison's Administration.--War of 1812 221
XXXIII.--War of 1812.--Events of 1813 228
XXXIV.--The Campaigns of 1814 235
XXXV.--Monroe's Administration 244
XXXVI.--Adams's Administration 248
XXXVII.--Jackson's Administration 250
XXXVIII.--Van Buren's Administration 254
XXXIX.--Administrations of Harrison and Tyler 257
XL.--Polk's Administration and the Mexican War 261
XLI.--Administrations of Taylor and Fillmore 269
XLII.--Pierce's Administration 273
XLIII.--Buchanan's Administration 275
PART VI.
THE CIVIL WAR.
XLIV.--Lincoln's Administration and the Civil War 281
XLV.--Causes of the Civil War 284
XLVI.--Events of 1861 288
XLVII.--Campaigns of 1862 293
XLVIII.--The Events of 1863 302
XLIX.--The Closing Conflicts.--Events of 1864 and 1865 310
PART VII.
THE NATION REUNITED.
L.--Johnson's Administration 323
LI.--Grant's Administration 328
LII.--Hayes's Administration 337
LIII.--Administrations of Garfield and Arthur 344
LIV.--Cleveland's Administration 350
LV.--Harrison's Administration 361
Appendix.--Constitution of the United States 371
Index 387
MAPS AND PORTRAITS.
COLORED MAPS.
PAGE
The New World, with Routes of Discoveries 24
The Colonies at the time of the French and Indian War 144
The Colonies at the time of the Revolution 192
The States in America during the Civil War 304
OUTLINE MAPS.
PAGE
The First English Settlements 48
Early Settlements in East Mass. 78
Middle Colonies 116
Washington's Route to Fort Le
Bœuf 139
Lake Champlain 142
Quebec in 1759 145
Vicinity of Boston 160
New York and Vicinity 168
Central New Jersey 170
Hudson River 174
Philadelphia and Vicinity 176
The Carolinas 186
Western Battlefields of the War of
1812 223
Operations about Niagara 235
Vicinity of Manassas Junction 288
Vicinity of Richmond, 1862 298
Vicksburg and Vicinity, 1863 303
Sherman's Atlanta Campaign 312
Operations in Virginia, 1864 and
1865 318
PORTRAITS.
PAGE
George Washington 10
Christopher Columbus 25
Pedro Menendez 33
Samuel Champlain 39
Sebastian Cabot 42
Sir Walter Raleigh 44
Captain John Smith 60
Peter Stuyvesant 96
William Penn 119
Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore 123
James Oglethorpe 131
Patrick Henry 152
Marquis de La Fayette 173
Benjamin Franklin 179
Paul Jones 186
General Greene 193
John Adams 211
Thomas Jefferson 214
James Madison 221
James Monroe 244
Henry Clay 247
John Quincy Adams 248
Andrew Jackson 250
Daniel Webster 251
Martin Van Buren 254
William Henry Harrison 257
John Tyler 257
James K. Polk 261
John Charles Fremont 263
Zachary Taylor 269
Millard Fillmore 270
Franklin Pierce 273
James Buchanan 275
Abraham Lincoln 281
George B. McClellan 291
Robert E. Lee 299
Stonewall Jackson 307
William T. Sherman 311
Joseph E. Johnston 313
Philip H. Sheridan 317
Andrew Johnson 323
Ulysses S. Grant 328
Horace Greeley 331
Rutherford B. Hayes 337
Oliver P. Morton 342
James A. Garfield 344
Chester A. Arthur 346
Grover Cleveland 350
Thomas A. Hendricks 356
Benjamin Harrison 361
INTRODUCTION.
There are several Periods in the history of the United States. It is
important for the student to understand these at the beginning. Without
such an understanding his notion of our country's history will be
confused and his study rendered difficult.
2. First of all, there was a time when the Western continent was under
the dominion of the Red men. The savage races possessed the soil,
hunted in the forests, roamed over the prairies. This is the Primitive
Period in American history.
3. After the discovery of America, the people of Europe were for a long
time engaged in exploring the New World and in becoming familiar with
its shape and character. For more than a hundred years, curiosity was
the leading passion with the adventurers who came to our shores. Their
disposition was to go everywhere and settle nowhere. These early times
may be called the Period of Voyage and Discovery.
4. Next came the time of planting colonies. The adventurers, tired of
wandering about, became anxious to found new States in the wilderness.
Kings and queens turned their attention to the work of colonizing the
New World. Thus arose a third period--the Period of Colonial History.
5. The colonies grew strong and multiplied. There were thirteen little
seashore republics. The rulers of the mother-country began a system of
oppression and tyranny. The colonies revolted, fought side by side, and
won their freedom. Not satisfied with mere independence, they formed
a Union destined to become strong and great. This is the Period of
Revolution and Confederation.
6. Then the United States of America entered upon its career as a
nation. Emigrants flocked to the Land of the Free. New States were
formed and added to the Union in rapid succession. To protect itself
from jealous neighbors, the nation pushed her boundaries across the
continent. This Period may be called the Growth of the Union.
7. But the nation was not truly free. Human slavery existed in the
South. This institution engendered sectional hatred and desires for
disunion which finally developed into the dark and bloody Period of the
Civil War.
8. Then the reunited nation laid aside its arms and entered upon a
period of prosperity and material development which has not yet reached
its culmination and with which History affords no parallel.
9. We thus find seven periods in the history of our country:
I. PRIMITIVE AMERICA; prior to the coming of white men.
II. VOYAGE AND DISCOVERY; A. D. 986-1607.
III. THE COLONIES; A. D. 1607-1775.
IV. REVOLUTION AND CONFEDERATION; A. D. 1775-1789.
V. THE GROWTH OF THE UNION; A. D. 1789-1861.
VI. THE CIVIL WAR; A. D. 1861-1865.
VII. THE REUNITED NATION; A. D. 1865-1891.
In this order the History of the United States will be presented in the
following pages.
[Illustration: G. Washington]
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.
PART I.
PRIMITIVE AMERICA.
[Illustration: An Ancient Mound.]
CHAPTER I.
THE ABORIGINES.
Before the times of the Red men, North America was inhabited by
other races, of whom we know but little. Of these primitive peoples
the Indians preserved many traditions. Vague stories of the wars,
migrations, and cities of the nations that preceded them were recited
by the red hunters at their camp-fires, and were repeated from
generation to generation.
2. Other evidences, more trustworthy than legend and story, exist of
the presence of aboriginal peoples in our country. The traces of a
rude civilization are found in almost every part of the present United
States. It is certain that the relics left behind by the prehistoric
peoples are not the work of the Indian races, but of peoples who
preceded them in the occupation of this continent. That class of
scholars called antiquarians, or archæologists, have taken great pains
to restore for us an outline of the life and character of the nations
who first dwelt in the great countries between the Atlantic and the
Pacific.
[Sidenote: =The Mound-builders.=]
3. These primitive peoples are known to us by the name of
MOUND-BUILDERS. The building of mounds seems to have been one of their
chief forms of activity. The traveler of to-day, in passing across our
country, will ever and anon discover one of those primitive works of
a race which has left to us no other monuments. As the ancient people
of Egypt built pyramids of stone for their memorials, so the unknown
peoples of the New World raised huge mounds of earth as the tokens of
their presence, the evidences of their work in ancient America.
4. The mounds referred to are found in many parts of the United States,
but are most abundant in the Mississippi Valley. Here also they are of
greatest extent and variety. Some of them are as much as ninety feet
in height, and one has been estimated to contain twenty million cubic
feet of earth. It is evident that they were formed before the present
forest growth of the United States sprang into existence. The mounds
are covered with trees, some of them several feet in diameter; and the
surface has the same appearance as that of the surrounding country.
5. As we have said, we know but little of the people by whom the mounds
and earthworks of primitive America were constructed. Some of the works
in question are of a military character. One of these, called Fort
Hill, near the mouth of the Little Miami River, has a circumference of
nearly four miles. It is certain that great nations, frequently at
war with each other, dwelt in our country between the Northern Lakes
and the Southern Gulf; but who those peoples were we have no method of
ascertaining. Their language has perished with the people who spoke it.
Only a few of the relics and implements of the primitive races remain
to inform us of the men by whom they were made.
[Sidenote: =Distribution of Mounds.=]
6. In many parts of the Mississippi Valley, particularly in the States
of Ohio and Indiana, the ancient mounds may be seen as they were at
the time of the discovery of America. One of the greatest is situated
in Illinois, opposite the city of St. Louis. It is elliptical in
form, being about seven hundred feet in length by five hundred feet
in breadth. It rises to a height of ninety feet. Another of much
interest is at Grave Creek, near Wheeling, in West Virginia. A mound at
Miamisburg, Ohio, is nearly seventy feet in height. One of the finest
of all is the conical mound at Marietta, Ohio. Some of the mounds, as
those of Wisconsin, are shaped like animals. One of the most peculiar
and interesting is the great serpent mound in Adams County, Ohio. The
work has the shape of a serpent more than a thousand feet in length,
the body being about thirty feet broad at the surface. The mouth of
the serpent is opened wide, and an object resembling a great egg lies
partly within the jaws.
7. The use of the mounds has not been ascertained. Some have supposed
that they were tombs in which the slain of great armies were buried,
but on opening them, human remains are rarely found. Others have
believed that the mounds were true memorials, intended by their
magnitude to impress the beholder and transmit a memory. Still others
have thought the elevations were intended for watch-towers from which
the movements of the enemy might be watched and thwarted.
[Sidenote: =Relics from the Mounds.=]
8. What we know of the prehistoric races has been mostly gained from
an examination of their implements and utensils. These were of either
stone or copper. It appears that the more advanced of the peoples,
especially the nations living on the borders of the Great Lakes, were
able to manufacture utensils of copper. In other parts of the country,
the weapons and implements were made of flint and other varieties of
stone, by chipping or polishing. The range of tools and implements was
extensive, including axes, spear-heads, arrow-points, knives, chisels,
hammers, rude millstones, and many varieties of earthen ware. Besides
these, there were articles of ornamentation and personal use, such as
pipes, bracelets, ear-rings, and beads. The common belief that the
articles here referred to were the product of Indian workmanship is
held by many antiquarians to be wholly erroneous. These antiquarians
think that the Indians knew nothing more of the origin and production
of such implements as the arrow-points, spear-heads, and stone axes
than we know ourselves.
[Illustration: Relics from the Mounds.]
9. In many parts of Indiana the mounds of the ancient races are
plentifully distributed. Almost every county has some relics of
this kind within its borders. But the most interesting remains of
the primitive races are those discovered in the ancient cemeteries
scattered between Lake Michigan and the Tennessee River. In many places
the aboriginal tombs still yield the relics of this people of whom we
know so little. In recent years a burial ground near Bedford, Indiana,
has been opened, from which have been taken primitive skulls and other
parts of human skeletons, belonging possibly to some unknown race long
preceding the Indians in our country.
[Sidenote: =The Indians, or Red Men.=]
10. With the Mound-builders, history can be but little concerned; but
with the Red men, or Indians, who succeeded them, the white race was
destined to have many relations of peace and war. On the first arrival
of Europeans on the Atlantic coast, the country was found in possession
of wild tribes living in the woods and on the river banks, in rude
villages from which they went forth to hunt or to make war on other
tribes. Their manners and customs were fixed by usage and law, and
there was at least the beginning of civil government among them.
11. To these tribes the name INDIAN was given from their supposed
identity with the people of India. Columbus and his followers believed
that they had reached the islands of the far East, and that the natives
were of the same race as the inhabitants of the Indies. The mistake of
the Spaniards was soon discovered; but the name Indian has ever since
remained to designate the native tribes of the Western continent.
12. The origin of the Indians is involved in obscurity. At what date
or by what route they came to the New World is unknown. The notion
that the Red men are the descendants of the Israelites is absurd. That
Europeans or Africans, at some early period, crossed the Atlantic by
sailing from island to island, seems improbable. That the people of
Kamchatka came by way of Bering Strait into the northwestern parts of
America, has little evidence to support it. Perhaps a more thorough
knowledge of the Indian languages may yet throw some light on the
origin of the race.
13. The Indians belong to the Bow-and-Arrow family of men. To the Red
man the chase was everything. Without the chase he languished and died.
To smite the deer and the bear was his chief delight and profit. Such
a race could live only in a country of woods and wild animals.
14. The northern parts of America were inhabited by the ESQUIMOS. The
name means _the eaters of raw meat_. They lived in snow huts or hovels.
Their manner of life was that of fishermen and hunters. They clad
themselves in winter with the skins of seals, and in summer with those
of reindeer.
[Sidenote: =Indian Tribes.=]
15. The greater portion of the United States east of the Mississippi
was peopled by the family of the ALGONQUINS. They were divided into
many tribes, each having its local name and tradition. Agriculture was
but little practiced by them. They roamed about from one hunting-ground
and river to another. When the White men came, the Algonquin nations
were already declining in numbers and influence. Only a few thousands
now remain.
16. Around the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario lived the
HURON-IROQUOIS. At the time of their greatest power, they embraced no
fewer than nine nations. The warriors of this confederacy presented the
Indian character in its best aspect. They were brave, patriotic, and
eloquent; faithful as friends, but terrible as enemies.
17. South of the Algonquins were the CHEROKEES and the MOBILIAN
NATIONS. The former were highly civilized for a primitive people. The
principal tribes of the Mobilians were the Yamassees and Creeks of
Georgia, the Seminoles of Florida, and the Choctaws and Chickasaws of
Mississippi. These displayed the usual disposition and habits of the
Red men.
18. West of the Mississippi was the family of the DAKOTAS. South of
these, in a district nearly corresponding with the State of Texas,
lived the wild COMANCHES. Beyond the Rocky Mountains were the Indian
nations of the Plains; the great families of the SHOSHONES, the SELISH,
the KLAMATHS, and the CALIFORNIANS. On the Pacific slope, farther
southward, dwelt in former times the civilized but feeble race of
AZTECS.
[Illustration: INDIAN LIFE]
19. The Red men had a great passion for war. Their wars were undertaken
for revenge rather than conquest. To forgive an injury was considered
a shame. Revenge was the noblest of the virtues. The open battle of
the field was unknown in Indian warfare. Fighting was limited to
the ambuscade and the massacre. Quarter was rarely asked, and never
granted.
20. In times of peace the Indian character appeared to a better
advantage. But the Red man was always unsocial and solitary. He sat by
himself in the woods. The forest was better than a wigwam, and a wigwam
better than a village. The Indian woman was a degraded creature--a mere
drudge and beast of burden.
[Sidenote: =Indian Characteristics.=]
21. In the matter of the arts the Indian was a barbarian. His house was
a hovel, built of poles set up in a circle, and covered with skins and
the branches of trees. Household utensils were few and rude. Earthen
pots, bags, and pouches for carrying provisions, and stone hammers for
pounding corn, were the stock and store. His weapons of offense and
defense were the hatchet and the bow and arrow. In times of war the Red
man painted his face and body with all manner of glaring colors. The
fine arts were wanting. Indian writing consisted of half-intelligible
hieroglyphics scratched on the face of rocks or cut in the bark of
trees.
22. The Indian languages bear little resemblance to those of other
races. The Red man's vocabulary was very limited. The principal
objects of nature had special names, but abstract ideas could
hardly be expressed. Indian words had a very intense meaning. There
was, for instance, no word signifying to _hunt_ or to _fish_;
but one word signified "to-kill-a-deer-with-an-arrow"; another,
"to-take-fish-by-striking-the-ice." Among some of the tribes, the
meaning of words was so restricted that the warrior would use one term
and the squaw another to express the same idea.
23. The Indians were generally serious in manners and behavior.
Sometimes, however, they gave themselves up to merry-making and
hilarity. The dance was universal--not the social dance of civilized
nations, but the solemn dance of religion and of war. Gaming was much
practiced among all the tribes. Other amusements were common, such as
running, wrestling, shooting at a mark, and racing in canoes.
24. In personal appearance the Indians were strongly marked. In stature
they were below the average of Europeans. The Esquimos are rarely five
feet high. The Algonquins are taller and lighter in build; straight and
agile; lean and swift of foot. The eyes are jet-black and sunken; hair
black and straight; skin copper-colored or brown; hands and feet small;
body lithe, but not strong; expression sinister, or sometimes dignified
and noble.
25. The best hopes of the Indian race seem now to center in the
Choctaws, Cherokees, Creeks, and Chickasaws of the Indian Territory.
These nations have attained a considerable degree of civilization. Most
of the other tribes are declining in numbers and influence. Whether
the Indians have been justly deprived of the New World will remain a
subject of debate. That they _have_ been deprived of it can not be
questioned. The white races have taken possession of the vast domain.
To the prairies and forests, the hunting-grounds of his fathers, the
Red man says farewell.
[Illustration]
REVIEW QUESTIONS.--PART I.
1. What is meant by the Aborigines?
2. What evidences indicate an earlier race than the Indians?
3. What is known of the Mound-builders?
4. What are the most notable mounds?
5. Where are they located?
6. Describe the shapes of the mounds.
7. For what supposed purposes were they built?
8. What are sometimes found in the mounds?
9. Why were the native races of America called Indians?
10. What is said of the origin of these races?
11. To what family of men do the Indians belong?
12. Name the principal Indian nations in America.
13. What regions did the Algonquins inhabit?
14. Where did the Huron-Iroquois live?
15. What were the characteristics of this nation?
16. Where did the Cherokees and Mobilian nations live?
17. What were the principal tribes of the Mobilians?
18. What regions did the Dakotas inhabit?
19. Give the names of other Indian nations.
20. What regions did they inhabit?
21. What were the leading characteristics of the Indians?
22. What can you tell of the Indian languages?
23. Describe the personal appearance of the Indians.
24. What tribes of Indians are now the most civilized?
25. Give some account of the Esquimos.
26. What does the name Esquimo mean?
PART II.
VOYAGE AND DISCOVERY.
A. D. 986-1607.
CHAPTER II.
THE NORSEMEN IN AMERICA.
The western continent was first seen by white men in A. D. 986. A Norse
navigator by the name of HERJULFSON, sailing from Iceland to Greenland,
was caught in a storm and driven westward to Newfoundland or Labrador.
Two or three times the shores were seen, but no landing was attempted.
The coast was so different from the well-known cliffs of Greenland as
to make it certain that another shore, hitherto unknown, was in sight.
On reaching Greenland, Herjulfson and his companions told wonderful
stories of the new land seen in the west.
[Sidenote: =Leif, Son of Eric.=]
2. Fourteen years later, the actual discovery of America was made by
LEIF, a son of Eric. Resolving to know the truth about the country
which Herjulfson had seen, he sailed westward from Greenland, and
in the spring of the year 1001 reached Labrador. Landing with his
companions, he made explorations for a considerable distance along the
coast. The country was milder and more attractive than his own, and he
was in no haste to return. Southward he went as far as Massachusetts,
where the company remained for more than a year. Rhode Island was also
visited; and it is alleged that the adventurers found their way into
New York harbor.
[Illustration: Norsemen in America.]
3. In the years that followed Leif's discovery, other bands of Norsemen
came to the shores of America. THORWALD, Leif's brother, made a
voyage to Maine and Massachusetts in 1002, and is said to have died
at Fall River in the latter State. Then another brother, THORSTEIN by
name, arrived with a band of followers in 1005; and in the year 1007,
THORFINN KARLSEFNE, the most distinguished mariner of his day, came
with a crew of a hundred and fifty men, and made explorations along the
coast of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and perhaps as far south as the
capes of Virginia.
[Sidenote: =Vinland.=]
4. Other companies of Icelanders and Norwegians visited the countries
farther north, and planted colonies in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Little, however, was known or imagined by these rude sailors of the
extent of the country which they had discovered. They supposed that
it was only a portion of Western Greenland, which, bending to the
north around an arm of the ocean, had reappeared in the west. Their
settlements were feeble and were soon broken up. Commerce was an
impossibility in a country where there were only a few wretched savages
with no disposition to buy and nothing at all to sell. The spirit of
adventure was soon appeased, and the restless Norsemen returned to
their own country. To this undefined line of coast, now vaguely known
to them, the Norse sailors gave the name of VINLAND.
5. During the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries occasional
voyages were made; and as late as A. D. 1347, a Norwegian ship visited
Labrador and the northeastern parts of the United States. In 1350
Greenland and Vinland were depopulated by a great plague which had
spread thither from Norway. From that time forth communication with
the New World ceased, and the history of the Northmen in America was
at an end. The Norse remains, which have been found at Newport, at
Fall River, and several other places, point clearly to the events here
narrated; and the Icelandic historians give a consistent account of
these early exploits of their countrymen. When the word _America_ is
mentioned in the hearing of the schoolboys of Iceland, they will at
once answer, with enthusiasm, "Oh, yes; Leif Ericsson discovered that
country in the year 1001."
6. An event is to be weighed by its consequences. From the discovery
of America by the Norsemen, _nothing whatever resulted_. The world was
neither wiser nor better. Among the Icelanders themselves the place and
the very name of Vinland were forgotten. Europe never heard of such
a country or such a discovery. Historians have until late years been
incredulous on the subject, and the fact is as though it had never
been. The curtain which had been lifted for a moment was stretched
again from sky to sea, and the New World still lay hidden in the
shadows.
CHAPTER III.
SPANISH DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA.
[Sidenote: =Christopher Columbus.=]
It was reserved for the people of a sunnier clime than Iceland first
to make known to the European nations the existence of a Western
continent. Spain was the happy country under whose patronage a new
world was to be added to the old; but the man who was destined to make
the revelation was not himself a Spaniard: he was to come from Italy,
the land of valor and the home of greatness. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS was
the name of that man whom after ages have rewarded with imperishable
fame.
2. The idea that the world is round was not original with Columbus.
The English traveler, Sir John Mandeville, had declared in the first
English book ever written (A. D. 1356) that the world is a sphere,
and that it was practicable for a man to sail around the world and
return to the place of starting. But Columbus was the first _practical_
believer in the theory of circumnavigation.
3. The great mistake with Columbus was not concerning the _figure_ of
the earth, but in regard to its _size_. He believed the world to be no
more than ten thousand or twelve thousand miles in circumference. He
therefore confidently expected that, after sailing about three thousand
miles to the westward, he should arrive at the East Indies.
4. Christopher Columbus was born at Genoa, Italy, in A. D. 1435. He was
carefully educated, and then devoted himself to the sea. For twenty
years he traversed the parts of the Atlantic adjacent to Europe; he
visited Iceland; then went to Portugal, and finally to Spain. He spent
ten years in trying to explain to dull monarchs the figure of
the earth and the ease with which the rich islands of the East might
be reached by sailing westward. He found one appreciative listener,
the noble and sympathetic Isabella, Queen of Castile. To the faith,
insight, and decision of a _woman_ the final success of Columbus must
be attributed.
[Illustration: THE NEW WORLD. with routes OF DISCOVERERS.]
[Illustration: SHIPS OF COLUMBUS]
[Sidenote: =Discovery of America.=]
5. On the morning of the 3d day of August, 1492, Columbus, with three
ships, left the harbor of Palos. After seventy-one days of sailing, in
the early dawn of October 12, Rodrigo Triana, a sailor on the _Pinta_,
set up a shout of "_Land!_" A gun was fired as the signal. The ships
lay to. Just at sunrise Columbus stepped ashore, set up the banner
of Castile in the presence of the natives, and named the island San
Salvador. During the three remaining months of this first voyage, the
islands of Concepcion, Cuba, and San Domingo were added to the list
of discoveries; and in the last-named island was erected a fort, the
first structure built by Europeans in the New World. In January, 1493,
Columbus sailed for Spain, where he arrived in March, and was greeted
with rejoicings and applause.
6. In the following autumn, Columbus sailed on his second voyage, which
resulted in the discovery of the Windward group and the islands of
Jamaica and Porto Rico. It was at this time, and in San Domingo, that
the first colony was established. Columbus's brother was appointed
governor. After an absence of nearly three years, Columbus returned
to Spain. The rest of his life was clouded with persecutions and
misfortunes.
7. In 1498, during a third voyage, Columbus discovered the island of
Trinidad and the mainland of South America. Thence he sailed back to
San Domingo, where he found his colony disorganized; and here, while
attempting to restore order, he was seized by an agent of the Spanish
government, put in chains, and carried to Spain. After much disgraceful
treatment, he was sent out on a fourth and last voyage, in search
of the Indies; but the expedition accomplished little, and Columbus
returned to his ungrateful country. The good Isabella was dead, and the
great discoverer, a friendless and neglected old man, sank into the
grave.
8. Columbus was even robbed of the name of the new continent. In the
year 1499, AMERIGO VESPUCCI, a Florentine navigator, reached the
eastern coast of South America. Two years later he made a second
voyage, and then gave to Europe the first published account of the
Western World. In his narrative all reference to Columbus was omitted;
and thus the name of Vespucci, rather than that of the true discoverer,
was given to the New World.
[Sidenote: Discovery of the Pacific.]
9. The discovery of America produced great excitement in Europe.
Within ten years after the death of Columbus, the principal islands
of the West Indies were explored and colonized. In the year 1510 the
Spaniards planted on the Isthmus of Darien their first continental
colony. Three years later, DE BALBOA, the governor of the colony,
crossed the isthmus, and from an eminence looked down upon the Pacific.
Not satisfied with merely seeing the great water, he waded in a short
distance, and, drawing his sword, took possession of the ocean in the
name of the king of Spain.
[Sidenote: Florida.]
10. Meanwhile, PONCE DE LEON, who had been a companion of Columbus,
fitted out an expedition of discovery. He had grown rich as governor
of Porto Rico, and had also grown old. But there was a Fountain of
Perpetual Youth somewhere in the Bahamas--so said a tradition in
Spain--and in that fountain the old soldier would bathe and be young
again. So in the year 1512 he set sail from Porto Rico; and on Easter
Sunday came in sight of an unknown shore. There were waving forests,
green leaves, and birds of song. In honor of the day, called _Pascua
Florida_, he named the new shore FLORIDA--the Land of Flowers.
11. A landing was made near where St. Augustine was afterwards founded.
The country was claimed for the king of Spain, and the search was
continued for the Fountain of Youth. The adventurer turned southward,
discovered the Tortugas, and then sailed back to Porto Rico, no younger
than when he started.
12. The king of Spain gave Ponce the governorship of his Land of
Flowers, and sent him thither to establish a colony. He reached his
province in the year 1521, and found the Indians hostile. Scarcely had
he landed when they fell upon him in battle; many of the Spaniards were
killed, and the rest had to fly to the ships for safety. Ponce de Leon
himself was wounded, and carried back to Cuba to die.
CHAPTER IV.
SPANISH DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA.--(CONTINUED.)
The year 1517 was marked by the discovery of Yucatan by FERNANDEZ DE
CORDOVA. While exploring the northern coast of the country, he was
attacked by the natives, and mortally wounded. During the next year the
coast of Mexico was explored for a great distance by GRIJALVA, assisted
by Cordova's pilot. In the year 1519 FERNANDO CORTEZ landed with his
fleet at Tabasco, and, in two years, conquered the Aztec empire of
Mexico.
[Sidenote: Circumnavigation of the Globe.]
2. Among the daring enterprises at the beginning of the sixteenth
century was that of FERDINAND MAGELLAN. A Portuguese by birth, this
bold man determined to discover a southwest passage to Asia. He
appealed to the king of Portugal for ships and men; but the monarch
gave no encouragement. Magellan then went to Spain, and laid his plans
before Charles V., who ordered a fleet of five ships to be fitted out
at the public expense.
3. The voyage was begun from Seville in August of 1519. Magellan soon
reached the shores of South America, and passed the winter on the coast
of Brazil. Renewing his voyage southward, he came to that strait which
still bears his name, and passing through, found himself in the open
and boundless ocean which he called the PACIFIC.
4. Magellan held on his course for nearly four months, suffering much
for water and provisions. In March of 1520 he came to the islands
called the Ladrones. Afterwards he reached the Philippine group, where
he was killed in battle with the natives. But a new captain was chosen,
and the voyage was continued to the Moluccas. Only a single ship
remained; but in this vessel the crews embarked, and, returning by way
of the Cape of Good Hope, arrived in Spain in September, 1522. The
first circumnavigation of the globe had been accomplished.
5. The next important voyage to America was in the year 1520. DE
AYLLON, a judge in St. Domingo, and six other wealthy men, determined
to stock their plantations with slaves, by kidnapping natives from the
Bahamas. Two vessels reached the coast of South Carolina. The name of
Chicora was given to the country, and the River Combahee was called the
Jordan. The natives made presents to the strangers and treated them
with great cordiality. They flocked on board the ships; and when the
decks were crowded De Ayllon weighed anchor and sailed away. A few days
afterwards a storm wrecked one of the ships; while most of the poor
wretches who were in the other ship died of suffocation.
[Sidenote: Expedition of De Narvaez.]
6. In 1526 Charles V. appointed DE NARVAEZ governor of Florida. His
territory extended from Cape Sable three fifths of the way around
the Gulf of Mexico. De Narvaez arrived at Tampa Bay with two hundred
and sixty soldiers and forty horsemen. The natives treated them with
suspicion, and holding up their gold trinkets, pointed to the north.
The Spaniards, whose imaginations were fired with the sight of the
precious metal, struck into the forests, expecting to find cities and
empires, and found instead swamps and savages. They finally came to
Appalachee, a squalid village of forty cabins.
7. Oppressed with fatigue and hunger, they wandered on, until
they reached the harbor of St. Mark's. Here they constructed some
brigantines, and put to sea in hope of reaching Mexico. After
shipwrecks and almost endless wanderings, four men only of all the
company, under the leadership of the heroic De Vaca, reached the
village of San Miguel, on the Pacific coast, and were conducted to the
city of Mexico.
[Sidenote: De Soto's Expedition.]
8. In the year 1537 FERDINAND DE SOTO was appointed governor of Cuba
and Florida, with the privilege of exploring and conquering the latter
country. He selected six hundred of the most gallant and daring young
Spaniards, and great preparations were made for the conquest. Arms and
stores were provided; shackles were wrought for the slaves; tools for
the forge and workshop were supplied; twelve priests were chosen to
conduct religious ceremonies; and a herd of swine was driven on board
to fatten on the maize and mast of the country.
9. The fleet first touched at Havana, where De Soto left his wife
to govern Cuba during his absence. After a voyage of two weeks, the
ships cast anchor in Tampa Bay. Some of the Cubans who had joined the
expedition were terrified and sailed back to the security of home;
but De Soto and his cavaliers began their march into the interior. In
October of 1539 they arrived at the country of the Appalachians, where
they spent the winter. For four months they remained in this locality,
sending out exploring parties in various directions. One of these
companies reached Pensacola, and made arrangements that supplies should
be sent out from Cuba to that place in the following summer.
10. In the early spring the Spaniards continued their march to the
north and east. An Indian guide told them of a populous empire in that
direction; a woman was empress, and the land was full of gold. De Soto
and the freebooters pressed on through the swamps and woods, and in
April, 1540, came upon the Ogeechee River. Here the Indian guide went
mad, and lost the whole company in the forest. By the 1st of May they
reached South Carolina, near where De Ayllon had lost his ships.
11. From this place the wanderers passed across Northern Georgia
from the Chattahoochee to the Coosa; thence down that river to Lower
Alabama. Here they came upon the Indian town of Mauville, or Mobile,
where a battle was fought with the natives. The town was set on fire,
and two thousand five hundred of the Indians were killed or burned to
death. Eighteen of De Soto's men were killed and a hundred and fifty
wounded. The Spaniards also lost most of their horses and baggage.
[Illustration: De Soto Reaches the Mississippi.]
12. De Soto and his men next turned to the north, and by the middle
of December reached the country of the Chickasaws. They crossed the
Yazoo, and found an Indian village, which promised them shelter for the
winter. Here, in February, 1541, they were attacked by the Indians, who
set the town on fire, but Spanish weapons and discipline again saved De
Soto and his men.
[Sidenote: Discovery of the Mississippi.]
13. The Spaniards next set out to journey farther westward, and the
guides brought them to the Mississippi. The point where the Father
of Waters was first seen by White men was a little north of the
thirty-fourth parallel of latitude; the day of the discovery can not
certainly be known. The Indians came down the river in a fleet of
canoes, and offered to carry the Spaniards over; but a crossing was not
effected until the latter part of May.
14. De Soto's men now found themselves in the land of the Dakotas. The
natives at one place were going to worship the Spaniards, but De Soto
would not permit such idolatry. They continued their march to the St.
Francis River; thence westward for about two hundred miles; thence
southward to the tributaries of the Washita River. On the banks of this
stream they passed the winter of 1541-42.
[Sidenote: Death of De Soto.]
15. De Soto now turned toward the sea, and came upon the Mississippi in
the neighborhood of Natchez. His spirit was completely broken. A fever
seized upon his emaciated frame, and death shortly ensued. The priests
chanted a requiem, and in the middle of the night his companions put
his body into a rustic coffin and sunk it in the Mississippi.
16. Before his death, De Soto had named Moscoso as his successor.
Under his leadership, the half-starved adventurers next crossed the
country to the upper waters of the Red River, and then ranged the
hunting-grounds of the Pawnees and the Comanches. In December of 1542
they came again to the Mississippi, where they built seven boats,
and on the 2d of July, 1543, set sail for the sea. The distance was
almost five hundred miles, and seventeen days were required to make the
descent. On reaching the Gulf of Mexico, they steered to the southwest,
and finally reached the settlement at the mouth of the River of Palms.
17. The next attempt to colonize Florida was in the year 1565. The
enterprise was intrusted to PEDRO MENENDEZ, a Spanish soldier. He was
commissioned by Philip II. to plant in some favorable district of
Florida a colony of not less than five hundred persons, and was to
receive two hundred and twenty-five square miles of land adjacent to
the settlement. Twenty-five hundred persons joined the expedition.
[Illustration: Pedro Menendez.]
18. The real object of Menendez was to destroy a colony of French
Protestants, called Huguenots, who had made a settlement near the
mouth of the St. John's River. This was within the limits of the
territory claimed by Spain. The Catholic party of the French court
had communicated with the Spanish court as to the whereabouts and
intentions of the Huguenots, so that Menendez knew where to find and
how to destroy them.
[Sidenote: Founding of St. Augustine.]
19. It was St. Augustine's day when the Spaniards came in sight of the
shore, and the harbor and river which enters it were named in honor
of the saint. On the 8th day of September, Philip II. was proclaimed
monarch of North America; a solemn mass was said by the priests; and
the foundations of the oldest town in the United States were laid. This
was seventeen years before the founding of Santa Fé, and forty-two
years before the settlement at Jamestown.
20. Menendez soon turned his attention to the Huguenots. He collected
his forces at St. Augustine, stole through the woods, and falling on
the defenseless colony, utterly destroyed it. Men, women, and children
were alike given up to butchery. Two hundred were massacred. A few
escaped into the forest, Laudonniere, the Huguenot leader, among the
number, and were picked up by two French ships.
21. The crews of the vessels were the next object of vengeance.
Menendez discovered them, and deceiving them with treacherous promises,
induced them to surrender. As they approached the Spanish fort a signal
was given, and seven hundred defenceless victims were slain. Only a few
mechanics and Catholic servants were left alive.
22. The Spaniards had now explored the coast from the Isthmus of Darien
to Port Royal in South Carolina. They were acquainted with the country
west of the Mississippi as far north as New Mexico and Missouri, and
east of that river they had traversed the Gulf States as far as the
mountain ranges of Tennessee and North Carolina. With the establishment
of their first permanent colony on the coast of Florida, the period of
Spanish voyage and discovery may be said to end.
[Sidenote: Portuguese Explorations.]
23. A brief account of the only important voyages of the Portuguese to
America will here be given. In 1495, John II., king of Portugal, was
succeeded by his cousin Manuel, who, in order to secure some of the
benefits which yet remained to discoverers, fitted out two vessels, and
in the summer of 1501 sent GASPAR CORTEREAL to make a voyage to America.
24. The Portuguese ships reached Maine in July, and explored the coast
for nearly seven hundred miles. Little attention was paid by Cortereal
to the great forests of pine which stood along the shore, promising
ship-yards and cities. He satisfied his rapacity by kidnapping fifty
Indians, whom, on his return to Portugal, he sold as slaves. A new
voyage was then undertaken, with the purpose of capturing another cargo
of natives; but a year went by, and no tidings arrived from the fleet.
The brother of the Portuguese captain sailed in hope of finding the
missing vessels. He also was lost, but in what manner is not known. The
fate of the Cortereals and their slave-ships has remained a mystery of
the sea.
CHAPTER V.
THE FRENCH IN AMERICA.
[Sidenote: Early French Explorations.]
France was not slow to profit by the discoveries of Columbus. As early
as 1504 the fishermen of Normandy and Brittany reached the banks
of Newfoundland. A map of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was drawn by a
Frenchman in the year 1506. Two years later some Indians were taken to
France; and in 1518 the attention of Francis I. was turned to the New
World. In 1523 JOHN VERRAZANO, of Florence, was commissioned to conduct
an expedition for the discovery of a northwest passage to the East
Indies.
2. In January, 1524, Verrazano left the shores of Europe, with a single
ship, called the _Dolphin_. After fifty days he discovered the mainland
in the latitude of Wilmington. He sailed southward and northward along
the coast and began a traffic with the natives. The Indians were found
to be a timid race, unsuspicious and confiding. A half-drowned sailor,
washed ashore by the surf, was treated with kindness, and permitted to
return to the ship.
3. The voyage was continued toward the north. The coast of New Jersey
was explored, and the hills marked as containing minerals. The harbor
of New York was entered, and at Newport Verrazano anchored for fifteen
days. Here the French sailors repaid the confidence of the natives by
kidnapping a child and attempting to steal an Indian girl.
4. From Newport, Verrazano continued his explorations northward. The
long line of the New England coast was traced with care. The Indians
of the north would buy no toys, but were eager to purchase knives
and weapons of iron. In the latter part of May, Verrazano reached
Newfoundland. In July he returned to France and published an account of
his great discoveries. The name of NEW FRANCE was given to the country.
[Sidenote: Cartier on the St. Lawrence.]
5. In 1534, JAMES CARTIER, a seaman of St. Malo, made a voyage to
America. His two ships, after twenty days of sailing, anchored on the
10th day of May off the coast of Newfoundland. Cartier circumnavigated
the island, crossed the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and ascended the estuary
until the narrowing banks made him aware that he was in the mouth of a
river. Cartier, thinking it impracticable to pass the winter in the New
World, set sail for France, and in thirty days reached St. Malo.
[Sidenote: Island of Montreal.]
6. Another voyage was planned immediately. Three ships were provided; a
number of young noblemen joined the expedition, and on the 19th of May
the voyage was begun. The passage to Newfoundland was made by the 10th
of August. It was the day of St. Lawrence, and the name of that martyr
was given to the gulf and to the stream which enters it from the west.
The expedition proceeded to the island of Orleans, where the ships
were moored. Two Indians, whom Cartier had taken with him to France,
gave information that there was an important town higher up the river.
Proceeding thither, the French captain found a village at the foot of
a high hill in the middle of an island. Cartier named the island and
town Mont Real, and the country was declared to belong to the king of
France. During this winter twenty-five of Cartier's men were swept off
by the scurvy.
7. With the opening of spring, a cross was planted on the shore, and
the homeward voyage began. The good king of the Hurons was decoyed on
board and carried off to die. On the 6th of July the fleet reached St.
Malo; but the accounts which Cartier published greatly discouraged the
French; for neither silver nor gold had been found in New France.
8. FRANCIS OF ROBERVAL was next commissioned by the court of France to
plant a colony on the St. Lawrence. The man who was chiefly relied on
to give character to the proposed colony was James Cartier. His name
was accordingly added to the list, and he was honored with the office
of chief pilot and captain-general.
9. It was difficult to find material for the colony. The French
peasants were not eager to embark, and the work of enlisting volunteers
went on slowly, until the government opened the prisons of the kingdom,
giving freedom to whoever would join the expedition. There was a rush
of robbers and swindlers, and the lists were immediately filled. Only
counterfeiters and traitors were denied the privilege of gaining their
liberty in the New World.
[Sidenote: Fort on the site of Quebec.]
10. In May of 1541, five ships, under command of Cartier, left France,
reached the St. Lawrence, and ascended the river to the site of Quebec,
where a fort was erected and named Charlesbourg. Here the colonists
passed the winter. Cartier soon sailed away with his part of the
squadron, and returned to Europe. Roberval was left in New France with
three shiploads of criminals who could be restrained only by whipping
and hanging. The winter was long and severe, and spring was welcomed
for the opportunity which it gave of returning to France.
11. About the middle of the sixteenth century Admiral Coligny, of
France, formed the design of establishing in America a refuge for the
Huguenots of his own country. In 1562 JOHN RIBAULT, of Dieppe, was
selected to lead the Huguenots to the land of promise. In February the
colony reached the coast of Florida near the site of St. Augustine. The
River St. John's was entered and named the River of May. The vessel
then sailed to the entrance of Port Royal; here it was determined
to make the settlement. The colonists were landed on an island, and
a stone was set up to mark the place. A fort was erected and named
CAROLINA. In this fort Ribault left twenty-six men, and then sailed
back to France. In the following spring the men in the fort mutinied
and killed their leader. Then they built a rude brig and put to sea.
They were at last picked up by an English ship and carried to France.
[Sidenote: French in Florida.]
12. Two years later another colony was planned, and LAUDONNIERE
chosen leader. The character, however, of this second Protestant
company was very bad. A point on the River St. John's was selected for
the settlement. A fort was built here, but a part of the colonists
contrived to get away with two of the ships. The rest of the settlers
were on the eve of departure when Ribault arrived with supplies and
restored order. It was at this time that Menendez discovered the
Huguenots and murdered them.
13. But DOMINIC DE GOURGUES, of Gascony, visited the Spaniards with
signal vengeance. This man fitted out three ships, and with only fifty
seamen arrived on the coast of Florida. He surprised three Spanish
forts on the St. John's, and made prisoners of the inmates. Unable to
hold his position, he hanged the leading captives to the trees, and put
up this inscription to explain what he had done: "Not as Spaniards, but
as murderers."
14. In the year 1598 the MARQUIS OF LA ROCHE was commissioned to found
a colony in the New World. The prisons of France were again opened
to furnish the emigrants. The vessels reached Sable Island, a dismal
place off Nova Scotia, where forty men were left to form a settlement.
La Roche returned to France and died, and for seven years the forty
criminals languished on Sable Island. Then they were picked up and
carried back to France, but were never remanded to prison.
[Sidenote: Founding of Port Royal.]
15. In the year 1603 the country, from the latitude of Philadelphia
to that of Quebec, was granted to DE MONTS. The chief provisions of
his patent were a monopoly of the fur-trade, and religious freedom for
the Huguenots. With two shiploads of colonists De Monts left France in
March of 1604, and reached the Bay of Fundy. Poutrincourt, the captain
of one of the ships, asked and obtained a grant of some beautiful
lands in Nova Scotia, and with a part of the crew went on shore. De
Monts began to build a fort at the mouth of the St. Croix. But in the
following spring they abandoned this place and joined Poutrincourt.
Here, on the 14th of November, 1605, the foundations of _the first
permanent French settlement in America were laid_. The name of Port
Royal was given to the fort, and the country was called ACADIA.
[Illustration: Samuel Champlain.]
16. In 1603 SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN, the most soldierly man of his times, was
commissioned by Rouen merchants to establish a trading-post on the St.
Lawrence. The traders saw that a traffic in furs was a surer road to
riches than the search for gold and diamonds. Champlain crossed the
ocean, sailed up the river, and selected the spot on which Quebec now
stands as the site for a fort. In the autumn he returned to France.
[Sidenote: Founding of Quebec.]
17. In 1608 Champlain again visited America, and on the 3d of July in
that year the foundations of Quebec were laid. The next year he and two
other Frenchmen joined a company of Huron and Algonquin Indians who
were at war with the Iroquois of New York. With this band he ascended
the Sorel River until he came to the long, narrow lake, which has ever
since borne the name of its discoverer.
18. In 1612 Champlain came to New France for the third time, and the
success of the colony at Quebec was assured. Franciscan monks came
over and began to preach among the Indians. Champlain again went with
a war-party against the Iroquois. His company was defeated, he himself
wounded and obliged to remain all winter among the Hurons. In 1617 he
returned to the colony, and in 1620 began to build the fortress of St.
Louis. Champlain became governor of New France, and died in 1635. To
him, more than to any other man, the success of the French colonies in
North America must be attributed.
CHAPTER VI.
ENGLISH DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS.
[Sidenote: John Cabot's Discoveries.]
On the 5th of May, 1496, Henry VII., king of England, commissioned
JOHN CABOT, of Venice, to make discoveries in the Atlantic and Indian
Oceans, and to take possession of all countries which he might
discover. Cabot was a brave, adventurous man, who had been a sailor
from his boyhood, and was now a wealthy merchant of Bristol. Five ships
were fitted out, and in April, 1497, the fleet left Bristol. On the
morning of the 24th of June, the gloomy shore of Labrador was seen.
_This was the real discovery of the American continent._ Fourteen
months elapsed before Columbus reached the coast of Guiana, and more
than two years before Vespucci saw the main land of South America.
2. Cabot explored the coast of the country for several hundred miles.
He supposed that the land was a part of the dominions of the Khan
of Tartary; but finding no inhabitants, he went on shore and took
possession in the name of the English king. No man forgets his native
land; by the side of the flag of his adopted country Cabot set up the
banner of the _republic_ of Venice--emblem of _another republic_ which
should one day rule from sea to sea.
3. As soon as he had satisfied himself of the extent of the country,
Cabot sailed for England. On the voyage he twice saw the coast of
Newfoundland. After an absence of three months he reached Bristol, and
was greeted with enthusiasm. The town had holiday, and the people were
wild about the great discovery. The king gave him money; new ships were
fitted out, and a new commission was signed in February, 1498. But
after the date of this patent the name of John Cabot disappears from
history.
[Illustration: Sebastian Cabot.]
[Sidenote: Sebastian Cabot.]
4. Sebastian, son of John Cabot, inherited his father's genius. He had
already been to the New World on the first voyage, and now he took up
his father's work with all the fervor of youth. The very fleet which
had been equipped for John Cabot was intrusted to Sebastian. The object
in view was the discovery of a northwest passage to the Indies.
5. The voyage was made in the spring of 1498. Far to the north the
icebergs compelled Sebastian to change his course. It was July, and the
sun scarcely set at midnight. Seals were seen, and the ships plowed
through such shoals of codfish as had never before been heard of.
Labrador was again seen. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine were
next explored. The whole coast of New England and of the Middle States
was now, for the first time since the days of the Norsemen, traced by
Europeans. Nor did Cabot desist from this work, which was bestowing
the title of discovery on the crown of England, until he reached Cape
Hatteras.
6. The future career of Cabot was a strange one. Henry VII. was slow
to reward the discoverer. When that monarch died, the king of Spain
enticed Cabot away from England and made him pilot-major of the Spanish
navy. He lived to be very old, but the place and circumstances of his
death are unknown.
7. The year 1498 is the most marked in the whole history of discovery.
In the month of May, VASCO DA GAMA, of Portugal, doubled the Cape of
Good Hope and succeeded in reaching Hindostan. During the summer, the
younger Cabot traced the eastern coast of North America through more
than twenty degrees of latitude. In August, Columbus himself reached
the mouth of the Orinoco. Of the three great discoveries, that of Cabot
has proved to be by far the most important.
8. In 1493 Pope Alexander drew an imaginary line three hundred miles
west of the Azores, and gave all countries west of that line to Spain.
Henry VII. was a Catholic and did not care to have a conflict with his
Church by claiming the New World. Henry VIII. adopted the same policy,
and it was not until after the Reformation in England that the decision
of the pope was disregarded.
9. During the reign of Edward VI. the spirit of adventure was again
aroused. In 1548 the old admiral Sebastian Cabot quitted Seville and
once more sailed under the English flag. In the reign of Queen Mary the
power of England on the sea was not materially extended, but with the
accession of Elizabeth a new impulse was given to voyage and adventure.
[Sidenote: The Northwest Passage.]
10. MARTIN FROBISHER began anew the work of discovery. Three small
vessels were fitted out to sail in search of a northwest passage to
Asia. One ship was lost on the voyage, another returned to England, but
the third sailed on as far north as Hudson Strait. A large island lying
northward was named Meta Incognita. Frobisher entered the strait which
has ever since borne his name, and then sailed for England, carrying
with him an Esquimo and a stone said to contain gold.
11. London was greatly excited. In May, 1577, a new fleet departed for
Meta Incognita to gather the precious metal. But the vessels did not
sail as far as Frobisher had done on a previous voyage. The mariners
sought the first opportunity to get out of these dangerous seas and
return to England.
12. The English gold-hunters were not yet satisfied. Fifteen new
vessels were fitted out, and in 1578 a third voyage was begun. Three
of the ships, loaded with emigrants, were to remain in the promised
land. The vessels, struggling through the icebergs, finally reached
Meta Incognita and took on cargoes of _dirt_. With several tons of the
supposed ore under the hatches, the ships set sail for home. The El
Dorado of the Esquimos had proved a failure.
13. In 1577 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, following Magellan, became a terror
to the Spanish vessels in the Pacific. He hoped to find a northwest
passage, and thence sail eastward around the continent. He proceeded
northward as far as Oregon, when his sailors began to shiver with the
cold, and the enterprise was given up. Drake passed the winter of
1579-80 in a harbor on the coast of Mexico.
[Illustration: Sir Walter Raleigh.]
[Sidenote: Plans for Colonization.]
14. SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT was perhaps the first to form a rational plan
of colonization in America. His idea was to plant an agricultural and
commercial state. Assisted by his illustrious half-brother, WALTER
RALEIGH, Gilbert prepared five vessels, and in June of 1583 sailed for
the west. In August Gilbert reached Newfoundland, and took possession
of the country. Soon the sailors discovered some scales of mica, and
went to digging the supposed silver, while others attacked the Spanish
fishing-ships in the neighboring harbors.
15. One of Gilbert's vessels became worthless, and was abandoned. With
the rest he sailed toward the south. Off the coast of Massachusetts the
largest of the ships was wrecked, and a hundred sailors were drowned.
Gilbert determined to return to England. The weather was stormy, and
the two ships now remaining were unfit for the sea. The captain
remained in the weaker vessel, called the _Squirrel_. As the ships were
struggling through the sea at midnight, the _Squirrel_ was suddenly
engulfed; not a man of the crew was saved. The other vessel finally
reached Falmouth in safety.
16. The project of colonization was renewed by Raleigh. In the spring
of 1584 he obtained a new patent for a tract in America extending from
the thirty-third to the fortieth parallel of latitude. This territory
was to be peopled and organized into a state. Two ships were fitted
out, and the command given to Philip Amidas and Arthur Barlow.
[Sidenote: Virginia.]
17. In July the vessels reached Carolina. The woods were full of beauty
and song. The natives were generous and hospitable. The shores of
Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds were explored, and a landing effected on
Roanoke Island, where the English were entertained by the Indian queen.
But after a stay of two months Amidas and Barlow returned to England,
praising the beauties of the new land. Queen Elizabeth gave to her
delightful country in the New World the name of VIRGINIA, for she was
called the Virgin Queen.
[Sidenote: Colony at Roanoke.]
18. In December, 1584, Sir Walter fitted out a second expedition, and
appointed Ralph Lane governor of the colony. Sir Richard Grenville
commanded the fleet, and a company, partly composed of young nobles,
made up the crew. The fleet of seven vessels reached Roanoke on the
26th of June.
Here Lane was left with a hundred and ten of the immigrants to form a
settlement. But hostilities soon broke out between the English and the
Indians; and when Sir Francis Drake came with a fleet, the colonists
prevailed on him to carry them back to England.
19. Soon Sir Richard Grenville came to Roanoke with three well-laden
ships, and made a fruitless search for the colonists. Not to lose
possession of the country, he left fifteen men on the island, and
set sail for home. Another colony was easily made up, and in July the
emigrants arrived in Carolina. A search for the fifteen men who had
been left on Roanoke revealed the fact, that the natives had murdered
them. Nevertheless, the northern extremity of the island was chosen as
the site for a city.
20. Disaster attended the enterprise. The Indians were hostile, and the
fear of starvation soon compelled Governor White to return to England
for supplies. The 18th of August was the birthday of Virginia Dare, the
first-born of English children in the New World. Raleigh returned in
1590 to search for the unfortunate colonists. No soul remained to tell
their story. Sir Walter, after spending two hundred thousand dollars,
gave up the enterprise, and assigned his rights to an association of
London merchants.
[Sidenote: English Explorations in the North.]
21. The next English expedition was that of BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD in
1602. Thus far all the voyages to America had been by way of the Canary
Islands and the West Indies. Abandoning this path, Gosnold, in a small
vessel called the _Concord_, sailed directly across the Atlantic, and
in seven weeks reached Maine. He explored the coast and went on shore
at Cape Cod. It was the first landing of Englishmen within the limits
of New England. He loaded the _Concord_ with sassafras root, and
reached home in safety.
22. Another expedition to America was soon planned, with MARTIN PRING
for commander. In April, 1603, his vessels came safely to Penobscot
Bay, and spent some time in exploring the harbors of Maine. He loaded
his vessels with sassafras at Martha's Vineyard, and returned to
England, after an absence of six months.
23. Two years later, GEORGE WAYMOUTH made a voyage to America. He
reached the coast of Maine, and explored a harbor. Trade was opened
with the Indians, some of whom returned with Waymouth to England. This
was the last English expedition before the actual establishment of a
colony in America.
CHAPTER VII.
ENGLISH DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS.--(CONTINUED.)
On the 10th of April, 1606, King James I. issued two patents to men of
his kingdom, authorizing them to colonize all that portion of North
America lying between the thirty-fourth and forty-fifth parallels of
latitude. The immense tract extended from the mouth of Cape Fear River
to Passamaquoddy Bay, and westward to the Pacific Ocean.
2. The first patent was to an association of nobles, gentlemen and
merchants called the LONDON COMPANY; and the second to a similar body
bearing the name of the PLYMOUTH COMPANY. To the former corporation
was given the region between the thirty-fourth and the thirty-eighth
degrees of latitude, and to the latter the tract from the forty-first
to the forty-fifth degree. The belt of three degrees between the
thirty-eighth and forty-first parallels was to be open to colonies of
either company, but no settlement of one party was to be made within
less than a hundred miles of the nearest settlement of the other.
[Sidenote: The London Company.]
3. The leading man in the London Company was Bartholomew Gosnold. His
principal associates were Edward Wingfield, a rich merchant, Robert
Hunt, a clergyman, and John Smith, an adventurer. The affairs of the
company were to be administered by a Superior Council in England, and
an Inferior Council in the colony. All legislative authority was vested
in the king. A provision in the patent required the colony to hold all
property in common for five years. The best law of the charter allowed
the emigrants to retain in the New World all the rights of Englishmen.
[Sidenote: The Plymouth Company.]
4. In 1606 the Plymouth Company sent two ships to America, and in the
summer of 1607 dispatched a colony of one hundred persons. A settlement
was begun at the mouth of the Kennebec. The ships returned to England,
leaving a colony of forty-five persons; but in the winter of 1607-8,
some of the settlers were starved and some frozen; the storehouse was
burned, and the remnant escaped to England.
[Illustration: The First English Settlements.]
[Sidenote: Settlement of Jamestown.]
5. The London Company had better fortune. A fleet of three vessels was
fitted out under command of Christopher Newport. In December the ships,
having on board a hundred and five colonists, among whom were Wingfield
and Smith, left England. Entering Chesapeake Bay, the vessels came to
the mouth of a beautiful river, which was named in honor of King James.
Proceeding up stream about fifty miles, Newport found on the northern
bank a peninsula noted for its beauty; the ships were moored and the
emigrants went on shore. Here, on the 13th of May (Old Style), 1607,
were laid the foundations of Jamestown, _the oldest English settlement
in America_.
[Sidenote: New England Named.]
6. Meanwhile Captain John Smith, in 1609, left Jamestown and returned
to England. There he formed a partnership with four wealthy merchants
of London to trade in furs and establish a colony within the limits of
the Plymouth grant. Two ships were freighted with goods and put under
Smith's command. The summer of 1614 was spent on the coast of Maine,
where a traffic was carried on with the Indians. But Smith himself
explored the country, and drew a map of the whole coast from the
Penobscot to Cape Cod. In this map, the country was called NEW ENGLAND.
7. In 1615 a small colony of sixteen persons, led by Smith, was sent
out in a single ship. When nearing the American coast, they encountered
a storm and were obliged to return to England. The leader renewed the
enterprise, and raised another company. Part of his crew mutinied in
mid-ocean. His own ship was captured by a band of French pirates,
and himself imprisoned. But he escaped and made his way to London.
The years 1617-18 were spent in making plans of colonization, until
finally the Plymouth Company was superseded by a new corporation
called the COUNCIL OF PLYMOUTH. On this body were conferred almost
unlimited powers and privileges. All that part of America lying between
the fortieth and the forty-eighth parallels of north latitude, and
extending from ocean to ocean, was given to forty men.
8. John Smith was now appointed admiral of New England. The king
issued a proclamation enforcing the charter, and everything gave
promise of the early settlement of America. Meanwhile the time had come
when, without the knowledge or consent of James I. or the Council of
Plymouth, a permanent settlement should be made on the shores of New
England.
[Sidenote: The Puritans.]
9. About the close of the sixteenth century, a number of poor Puritans
in the north of England joined together for free religious worship.
They believed that every man has a right to know the truth of the
Scriptures for himself. Such a doctrine was repugnant to the Church of
England. Queen Elizabeth declared such teaching to be subversive of
the monarchy. King James was also intolerant; and violent persecutions
broke out against the sect.
10. Many of the Puritans went into exile in Holland. They took the name
of PILGRIMS, and grew content to have no home or resting-place. But
they did not forget their native land. They pined with unrest, and were
anxious to do something to convince King James of their patriotism.
11. In 1617 the Puritans began to meditate a removal to the New World.
John Carver and Robert Cushman were dispatched to England to ask
permission to settle in America. The agents of the Council of Plymouth
favored the request, but the king refused. The most that he would do
was to make a promise _to let the Pilgrims alone in America_.
[Sidenote: The Mayflower.]
12. The Puritans were not discouraged. The _Speedwell_, a small
vessel, was purchased at Amsterdam, and the _Mayflower_, a larger
ship, was hired for the voyage. The former was to carry the emigrants
to Southampton, where they were to be joined by the _Mayflower_ from
London. Assembling at the harbor of Delft, as many of the Pilgrims
as could be accommodated went on board the _Speedwell_. The whole
congregation accompanied them to the shore, where their pastor gave
them a farewell address, and the prayers of those who were left behind
followed the vessel out of sight.
13. On the 5th of August, 1620, the vessels left Southampton; but the
_Speedwell_ was unable to breast the ocean, and put back to Plymouth.
The Pilgrims were encouraged by the citizens, and the more zealous went
on board the _Mayflower_ for a final effort. On the 6th of September
the first colony of New England, numbering one hundred and two souls,
saw the shores of Old England sink behind the sea.
14. For sixty-three days the ship was buffeted by storms. On the 9th of
November the vessel was anchored in the bay off Cape Cod; a meeting was
held and the colony organized under a solemn compact. In the charter
which they made for themselves the emigrants declared their loyalty to
the English king, and agreed to live in peace and harmony. Such was the
simple constitution of the oldest New England State. To this instrument
all the heads of families, forty-one in number, set their names. An
election was held, and John Carver was chosen governor.
[Illustration: The Landing of the Pilgrims.]
[Sidenote: The Landing of the Pilgrims.]
15. Miles Standish, John Bradford, and a few others, went on shore
and explored the country; nothing was found but a heap of Indian corn
under the snow. On the 6th of December the governor landed with fifteen
companions. The weather was dreadful. Snow-storms covered the clothes
of the Pilgrims with ice. They were attacked by the Indians, but
escaped to the ship with their lives. The vessel was at last driven by
accident into a haven on the west side of the bay. The next day, being
the Sabbath, was spent in religious services, and on Monday, the 11th
of December (Old Style), 1620, the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
16. It was the dead of winter. The houseless immigrants fell a-dying of
hunger and cold. But a site was selected near the first landing, and,
on the 9th of January, the toilers began to build New Plymouth. Every
man took on himself the work of making his own house; but the ravages
of disease grew daily worse. At one time only seven men were able to
work on the sheds which were built for protection. If an early spring
had not brought relief, the colony must have perished. Such were the
sufferings of the winter when New England began its being.
CHAPTER VIII.
VOYAGES AND SETTLEMENTS OF THE DUTCH.
[Illustration: The Half Moon on Hudson River.]
[Sidenote: Dutch East India Company.]
The first Dutch settlement in America was made on Manhattan Island.
The colony resulted from the voyages of Sir HENRY HUDSON. In the year
1607 this great sailor was employed by a company of London merchants
to discover a new route to the Indies. He first made two unsuccessful
voyages into the North Atlantic, and his employers gave up the
enterprise. In 1609 the Dutch East India Company furnished him with a
ship called the _Half Moon_, and in April he set out for the Indies.
Again he ran among the icebergs, and further sailing was impossible.
But not discouraged, he immediately set sail for America.
2. In July Hudson reached the coast of Maine; and in August, the
Chesapeake. On the 28th of the month he anchored in Delaware Bay, and
on the 3d of September the _Half Moon_ came to Sandy Hook. Two days
later a landing was effected. The natives came with gifts of corn, wild
fruit, and oysters. On the 10th the vessel passed the Narrows, and
entered the noble river which bears the name of HUDSON.
[Sidenote: Discovery of Hudson River.]
3. For eight days the _Half Moon_ sailed up the river. Such beautiful
forests and valleys, the Dutch had never seen before. On the 19th of
September the vessel was moored at Kinderhook; but an exploring party
rowed up stream beyond the site of Albany. The vessel then dropped down
the river, and on the 4th of October the sails were spread for Holland.
But the _Half Moon_ was detained in England.
4. In the summer of 1610 a ship, called the _Discovery_, was given
to Hudson, who sailed in the track which Frobisher had taken, and on
the 2d day of August entered the strait which bears the name of its
discoverer. The great captain believed that the route to China was at
last discovered; but he soon found himself environed in the frozen gulf
of the North. With great courage he bore up until his provisions were
almost exhausted. Then the crew broke out in mutiny. They seized Hudson
and his only son, with seven other faithful sailors, and cast them off
among the icebergs. The fate of the illustrious mariner has never been
ascertained.
5. In 1610 the _Half Moon_ was liberated and returned to Amsterdam.
In the same year several ships owned by Dutch merchants sailed to
the banks of the Hudson and engaged in the fur-trade. In 1614 an act
was passed by the States-General of Holland, giving to merchants of
Amsterdam the right to trade and establish settlements in the country
explored by Hudson. A fleet of five trading-vessels arrived in the
summer of the same year at Manhattan Island. Here some rude huts had
already been built by former traders, and the settlement was named New
Amsterdam.
6. In the fall of 1614 Adrian Block sailed into Long Island Sound,
and made explorations as far as Cape Cod. Christianson, another Dutch
commander, sailed up the river from Manhattan to Castle Island, and
erected a block-house, which was named Fort Nassau. Cornelius May,
the captain of a small vessel called the _Fortune_, sailed from New
Amsterdam and explored the Jersey coast as far as the Bay of Delaware.
Upon these two voyages Holland set up a claim to the country, which was
now named NEW NETHERLANDS, extending from Cape Henlopen to Cape Cod.
Such were the feeble beginnings of the Dutch colonies in New York and
Jersey.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.--PART II.
CHAPTER II.
1. Tell about the Icelanders and Norwegians in America.
CHAPTER III.
2. Give an account of Columbus, and of his discoveries and explorations
in the New World.
3. Give an account of the voyage of Amerigo Vespucci, and of how this
Continent came to be known by his name.
4. What were the services of Balboa, and of Ponce de Leon?
CHAPTER IV.
5. Sketch the later discoveries by the Spaniards in America.
6. Tell of the coming of the Portuguese.
CHAPTER V.
7. Trace the progress of the French discoverers and explorers on the
new Continent.
CHAPTER VI.
8. Give an account of the commission, and of the explorations of John
and Sebastian Cabot.
9. What work of discovery was attempted by Martin Frobisher, and with
what result?
10. Outline the colonization schemes of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir
Walter Raleigh.
11. What change of plan for colonization was adopted by Gosnold, and
with what success?
CHAPTER VII.
12. Tell of the Royal Patents to the London and Plymouth Companies.
13. Sketch the efforts of the Plymouth Company toward colonization, and
the coming of the Puritans.
CHAPTER VIII.
14. Give an account of the voyages and final successes of Sir Henry
Hudson.
15. On what did the Dutch base their early claim to lands in America?
PART III.
COLONIAL HISTORY.
A. D. 1607-1754.
CHAPTER IX.
VIRGINIA--THE FIRST CHARTER.
[Illustration]
[Sidenote: =Colony at Jamestown.=]
The first settlers at Jamestown were idle and improvident. Only twelve
of those who came in 1607 were common laborers. There were four
carpenters in the company, six or eight masons and blacksmiths, and a
long list of _gentlemen_. The few married men had left their families
in England.
2. The affairs of the colony were badly managed. Captain John Smith,
the best man in the colony, was suspected of making a plot to murder
the council and to make himself king of Virginia. He was arrested and
confined until the end of the voyage. When the colonists reached their
destination, the king's instructions were unsealed and the names of the
Inferior Council made known. A meeting was held and Edward Wingfield
elected first governor.
3. As soon as the settlement was well begun, Smith and Newport, with
twenty others, explored James River for forty-five miles. Just below
the falls, the explorers found the capital of Powhatan, the Indian
king. But the "city" was only a squalid village of twelve wigwams. The
monarch received the foreigners with courtesy and showed no dislike at
the intrusion.
4. The colonists now began to realize their situation. They were alone
in the New World. Winter was approaching. Dreadful diseases broke
out, and the colony was brought almost to ruin. At one time only five
men were able to go on duty as sentinels, and before the middle of
September one half of the colonists died. But the frosts came, and
disease was checked.
[Sidenote: =Civil Dissensions.=]
5. Civil dissension arose. President Wingfield and George Kendall
were detected in embezzling the stores, and were removed from office.
Ratcliffe was then chosen president, but was found incompetent. Only
Martin and Smith now remained in the council, and the latter took
charge of the colony. Under his administration the new settlement soon
began to show signs of progress. His first care was to improve the
buildings of the plantation; then to secure a supply of provisions.
There had been a plentiful harvest among the Indians; but the work of
procuring corn was not an easy task. Descending James River to Hampton
Roads, Smith landed with five companions and offered the natives
hatchets and copper coins in exchange for corn.
6. But the Indians only laughed at the proposal. The English then
charged on the wigwams, and the warriors were obliged to purchase
peace by loading the boats of the English with corn. Soon the Indians
in the neighborhood began to come with voluntary contributions. The
fear of famine passed away. The woods were full of wild turkeys. Good
discipline was maintained in the colony, and friendly relations were
established with the natives. The colonists became cheerful and happy.
7. As soon as winter set in, the president, with six Englishmen and
two Indian guides, began to explore along the Chickahominy. It was
believed by the people of Jamestown that by going up this stream _they
could reach the Pacific Ocean_! Smith knew the absurdity of such an
opinion, but humored it because of the opportunity it gave him to see
the country and make maps.
[Sidenote: =Capt. Smith and the Indians.=]
8. The president and his companions ascended the river until it
dwindled to a mere creek. The men who were left to protect the boats
were attacked by Indians, and several of the English were killed. Smith
was wounded with an arrow, and chased through the woods. He fought,
ran, and fired by turns, but was finally overtaken.
9. Smith demanded to see the Indian chief, and excited his curiosity by
showing him a pocket-compass and a watch. These instruments struck the
Indians with awe; but the savages bound their captive to a tree, and
prepared to shoot him, but he flourished his compass in the air and the
Indians were afraid to fire.
10. Smith was next taken to Orapax, a few miles from the site of
Richmond. Here he found the Indians making preparations to attack
Jamestown. They invited him to become their leader, but he refused
and managed to write a warning letter to his countrymen. This letter,
because of its mysterious power of carrying intelligence, frightened
them more than ever. When the warriors arrived at Jamestown and found
everything as Smith had said, all thought of attacking the colony was
given up.
[Illustration: Captain John Smith.]
11. The Indians now marched their captive from village to village.
Near the fork of York River, at Pamunkey, Smith was turned over to the
priests, who assembled in their Long House and for three days danced
around him, sang and yelled, to determine by this wild ceremony what
his fate should be. The decision was against him, and he was condemned
to death.
[Sidenote: =Pocahontas saves Smith.=]
12. Smith was next taken to a town where Powhatan lived in winter.
The savage monarch, now sixty years of age, took his seat in the Long
House. His two daughters sat near him, and warriors and women were
ranged around the hall. The king reviewed the cause and confirmed the
sentence of death. Two large stones were brought, Smith was dragged
forth bound, and his head put into position to be crushed with a
war-club; but as the executioner raised his club, Matoaka,[A] the
eldest daughter of Powhatan, rushed between it and the prostrate
prisoner. She clasped his head in her arms and held on until her
father ordered Smith to be unbound. Soon it was agreed that he should
return to Jamestown.
[Footnote A: Powhatan's tribe had a superstition that a person _whose
real name was unknown_ could not be injured. They therefore told the
English falsely that Matoaka's name was _Pocahontas_.]
13. Only thirty-eight of the settlers were now alive, and these were
frost-bitten and half-starved. Their leader had been absent for seven
weeks. The old fears of the colonists had revived, and when Smith
returned he found all hands preparing to abandon the settlement. He
induced the majority to abandon this project, but the rest, burning
with resentment, made a conspiracy to kill him.
14. In these days Newport arrived from England, bringing supplies and
a hundred and twenty immigrants. But the new-comers were gentlemen,
gold-hunters, jewelers, engravers, adventurers, and strollers. Smith
was much vexed at this, for he had urged Newport to bring over only a
few industrious mechanics and laborers.
15. Soon the new-comers and some of the old settlers began to stroll
about the country digging for gold. At the mouth of a small creek some
glittering particles were found, and the whole settlement was thrown
into excitement. Soon afterwards a company sailed up James River to
find the Pacific Ocean! Fourteen weeks were consumed in this nonsense.
Even the Indians ridiculed the madness of men who were wasting their
chances for a crop of corn.
[Sidenote: =Chesapeake Bay Explored.=]
16. But Smith had formed the design of exploring Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries. Accompanied by Dr. Russell and thirteen others, he left
Jamestown on the 2d day of June. He steered his barge by way of Hampton
Roads as far as Smith's Island. Returning thence around Cape Charles,
he continued northward as far as the river Wicomico, then crossed over
to the Patuxent, and thence northward to the Patapsco. Then steering
southward he had the good fortune to enter the mouth of the Potomac and
continue the voyage as far as the falls at Georgetown. He then dropped
down the river to the bay, and reached Jamestown on the 21st of July.
17. After three days a second voyage was begun. The expedition reached
the head of the bay, and sailed far up the Susquehanna. On the return,
Smith explored every sound and inlet of any note as far as the
Rappahannock. This stream he ascended to the head of navigation, and
then returned to Jamestown. He had been absent a little more than three
months, and had explored the coast of the great bay for fully three
thousand miles. Now he was come back to the colony with a MAP OF THE
CHESAPEAKE, which he sent by Newport to England, and which is still
preserved.
[Sidenote: =Smith Elected President.=]
18. Smith was now formally elected president. Soon there was a marked
change for the better; gold-hunting ceased, and the rest of the year
was noted as a time of prosperity. In the autumn Newport arrived with
seventy additional immigrants. The health was so good that only seven
deaths occurred between September and the following May. Every well man
was obliged to work six hours a day. New houses were built, new fields
fenced in; and through the winter the sound of ax and hammer gave token
of a prosperous and growing village.
19. On the 23d day of May, 1609, King James granted to the London
Company a new charter for the government of Virginia. The territory
was extended from Cape Fear to Sandy Hook, and westward to the Pacific
Ocean. The members of the Superior Council were now to be chosen by
the stockholders of the company, vacancies were to be filled by the
councilors, who were also to elect a governor. The new council was at
once organized, and Lord De La Ware chosen governor for life. Five
hundred emigrants were collected, and in June a fleet of nine vessels
sailed for America. Lord Delaware did not himself accompany the
expedition. In July the ships, then in the West Indies, were scattered
by a storm. One vessel was wrecked, and another, having on board the
commissioners of Delaware, was driven ashore on one of the Bermudas;
the other seven ships came safely to Jamestown.
20. Captain Smith continued in authority under the old constitution;
but the colony was in an uproar. The president was in daily peril of
his life. He put some of the most rebellious brawlers in prison, and
planned two new settlements--one, of a hundred and twenty men, at
Nansemond; the other, of the same number, at the falls of the James.
Both companies behaved badly. In a few days after their departure
troubles arose with the Indians. While attempting to quell these
difficulties, Smith was wounded, and fearing the imperfect medical
treatment which the colony afforded, he decided to return to England.
He accordingly delegated his authority to Sir George Percy, and
about the middle of September, 1609, left the scene of his toils and
sufferings, never to return.
[Sidenote: =The Starving Time.=]
21. A colony of four hundred and ninety persons remained at Jamestown.
The settlement was soon brought face to face with starvation. The
Indians became hostile; stragglers were murdered; houses were set on
fire; disease returned to add to the desolation; and cold and hunger
made the winter long remembered as THE STARVING TIME. By the last of
March only sixty persons were left alive.
22. Meanwhile, Sir Thomas Gates and his companions, who had been
shipwrecked in the Bermudas, constructed two small vessels, and came
to Virginia, where a few wan, half-starved wretches crawled out of
their cabins to beg for bread! Whatever stores the commissioners had
brought with them were distributed, and Gates assumed control of the
government. But the colonists had now determined to abandon the place
forever. In vain did the commissioners remonstrate. An agreement was
made to sail for Newfoundland, and on the 8th of June the colonists,
embarking in their four boats, dropped down the river, and Jamestown
was abandoned.
23. Lord Delaware was already on his way to America. Before the
escaping settlers had reached the sea, the ships of the governor came
in sight with additional immigrants, plentiful supplies, and promise
of better things. The colonists returned, and before nightfall the
fires were again kindled at Jamestown. On the next day the governor
caused his commission to be read, and entered upon the discharge
of his duties. His amiability and virtue, and the wisdom of his
administration, endeared him to all and inspired the colony with hope.
24. Lord Delaware was compelled, on account of ill-health, to return to
England. His authority was delegated to Percy, the deputy of Captain
Smith. The Superior Council had already dispatched new stores and more
emigrants, under Sir Thomas Dale. When the vessel arrived at Jamestown,
Percy was superseded by Dale, who adopted a system of martial law
as the basis of his administration. In the latter part of August,
Sir Thomas Gates arrived with six ships, three hundred additional
immigrants, and a large quantity of stores.
[Sidenote: =The Land Divided.=]
25. Thus far the property of the settlers at Jamestown had been held
in common. Now the right of holding private property was recognized.
Governor Gates had the lands divided so that each settler should have
three acres of his own; every family might cultivate a garden and plant
an orchard, the fruits of which no one but the owner was allowed to
gather. The benefits of this system of labor were at once apparent, and
the laborers became cheerful and industrious.
CHAPTER X.
CHARTER GOVERNMENT.--(CONTINUED.)
In the year 1612 the London Company obtained from the king a third
patent, by which the government was again changed. The Superior Council
was abolished, and the stockholders were authorized to elect their own
officers and to govern the colony on their own responsibility. The
new patent was a great step toward a democratic form of government in
Virginia.
2. In 1613 Captain Samuel Argall, on an expedition up the Potomac,
learned that Pocahontas was residing in that neighborhood. He enticed
the girl on board his vessel and carried her captive to Jamestown. It
was decided that Powhatan should pay a heavy ransom for his daughter's
liberation. The king refused, and ordered his tribes to prepare for
war. Meanwhile, Pocahontas was converted to the Christian faith and
became a member of the Episcopal Church.
[Sidenote: =Marriage of Pocahontas.=]
3. Soon afterwards John Rolfe, of the colony, sought the hand of the
princess in marriage. Powhatan gave his consent, and the nuptials
were celebrated in the spring of the next year. Three years later,
Pocahontas, while visiting in England, fell sick and died. There was
left of this marriage a son, who came to Jamestown, and to whom several
families of Virginians still trace their origin. John Randolph of
Roanoke was a descendant of Pocahontas.
[Illustration: Marriage of Pocahontas.]
[Sidenote: =Expedition against Acadia.=]
4. Captain Argall was next sent with an armed vessel to the coast of
Maine, to protect the English fishermen, and to destroy the colonies
of France, if any should be found within the territory claimed by
England. The French authorities of Acadia were building a village near
the mouth of the Penobscot. The settlement was pillaged and the houses
burned. The French colony at the mouth of the St. Croix was attacked,
and the fort cannonaded and destroyed; the hamlet at Port Royal was
burned. By these outrages, the French settlements in America were
confined to the banks of the St. Lawrence.
[Sidenote: =Cultivation of Tobacco.=]
5. In March of 1614 Sir Thomas Gates returned to England, leaving
the government with Dale. In these times the laws of the colony were
much improved, and the industry took a better form. Hitherto the
settlers had engaged in planting vineyards and in the manufacture of
soap, glass, and tar. The managers of the company had at last learned
that these articles could be produced more cheaply in Europe than
in America, while some products of the New World might be raised and
exported with great profit. The chief of these was the tobacco-plant,
the use of which had become fashionable in Spain, England, and France.
This, then, became the leading staple of the colony, and was even
used for money. So entirely did the settlers give themselves to the
cultivation of the weed that the streets of Jamestown were plowed up
and planted with it.
6. In 1617 the unprincipled Captain Argall was elected governor. When
the news of his fraudulent and violent proceedings reached England
emigration ceased, and Lord Delaware embarked for Virginia, in the hope
of restoring order. But he died on the voyage, and Argall continued in
office until 1619, when Sir George Yeardley was appointed to succeed
him.
[Sidenote: =The House of Burgesses.=]
7. Martial law was now abolished. Taxes were repealed, and the people
freed from many burdens. Governor Yeardley divided the plantations into
eleven boroughs, and ordered the citizens of each to elect two of their
number to take part in the government. The elections were duly held,
and on the 30th of July, 1619, the Virginia HOUSE OF BURGESSES was
organized--the first popular assembly in the New World. In this body
there was freedom of debate but very little political power.
[Sidenote: =Introduction of Slavery.=]
8. The year 1619 was also marked by the introduction of slavery. The
servants at Jamestown had hitherto been English or Germans, whose term
of service had varied from a few months to many years. No perpetual
servitude had thus far been recognized. In the month of August a Dutch
man-of-war sailed up the river to the plantations, and offered by
auction twenty Africans. They were purchased by the wealthier class of
planters, and made slaves for life.
[Sidenote: =Wives for the Colonists.=]
9. There were now six hundred men in the colony, for the most
part rovers who intended to return to England. Very few families
had emigrated. In this condition of affairs, Sir Thomas Smith was
superseded by Sir Edwyn Sandys, a man of prudence and integrity. In the
summer of 1620, the new treasurer sent to America a company of twelve
hundred and sixty-one persons. Among the number were ninety young women
of good breeding and modest manners. In the following spring, sixty
others of similar good character came over, and received a hearty
welcome.
10. When Sandys sent these women to America, he charged the colonists
with the expense of the voyage, as the company was bankrupt. An
assessment was made, and the rate fixed at a hundred and twenty pounds
of tobacco for each passenger--a sum which the settlers cheerfully
paid. There were merry marriages at Jamestown, and the social condition
was much improved. When the second shipload came, the cost of
transportation was a hundred and fifty pounds for each passenger, which
was also paid without complaint.
[Sidenote: =A Code of Laws.=]
11. In July of 1621 the London Company gave to Virginia a code
of written laws, and in October Sir Francis Wyatt, who had been
commissioned as governor, began to administer the new constitution. The
colony was found in a flourishing condition. The settlements extended
for a hundred and forty miles along the banks of James River, and far
into the interior. But the Indians had grown jealous of the colonists.
Pocahontas was dead. The peaceable Powhatan had likewise passed away.
Opechancanough, who succeeded him in 1618, had long been plotting the
destruction of the English, and the time had come for the tragedy.
[Sidenote: =The Indian Massacre.=]
12. Until the very day of the massacre, the Indians continued on terms
of friendship with the colonists. On the 22d of March, at midday, the
work of butchery began. Every hamlet in Virginia was attacked. Men,
women, and children were indiscriminately slaughtered, until three
hundred and forty-seven had perished under the hatchets of the savages.
13. But Indian treachery was thwarted by Indian faithfulness. A
converted Red man, wishing to save an Englishman who had been his
friend, went to him on the night before the massacre and revealed the
plot. The alarm was spread, and thus the greater part of the colony
escaped destruction. But the outer plantations were entirely destroyed.
The people crowded together on the larger farms about Jamestown, until
of the eighty settlements there were only eight remaining. Still, there
were sixteen hundred brave men in the colony; and the next year the
population increased to two thousand five hundred.
[Sidenote: =The Charter Cancelled.=]
14. The liberal constitution of Virginia soon proved offensive to King
James. A committee was appointed to look into the affairs of the London
Company. The commissioners performed their duty, and reported that the
company was unsound in its principles, that the treasury was bankrupt,
and that the government of Virginia was very bad.
15. Legal proceedings were now instituted against the company, and
the judges decided that the patent was null and void. The charter was
canceled by the king, and in June of 1624 the London Company ceased to
exist. But its work had been well done. A torch of liberty had been
lighted on the banks of the James, which all the tyranny of after times
could not extinguish.
CHAPTER XI.
VIRGINIA.--THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT.
[Sidenote: =Royal Governors.=]
A royal government was now established in Virginia consisting of a
governor and twelve councilors. The General Assembly of the colony was
left undisturbed, and the rights of the colonists remained as before.
Governor Wyatt was continued in office. Charles I., the successor of
King James, paid but little attention to the affairs of his American
colony until the commerce in tobacco attracted his notice, and he then
made an unsuccessful attempt to gain a monopoly of the trade.
2. In 1626 Governor Wyatt retired from office, and Yeardley, the old
friend of the colonists, was reappointed. The young State was never
more prosperous than under this administration, which was ended with
the governor's death in 1627. During the preceding summer a thousand
new immigrants had come to swell the population of the province.
3. The council of Virginia had the right, in case of an emergency,
to elect a governor. In this manner Francis West was chosen by the
councilors; but as soon as the death of Yeardley was known in England,
King Charles commissioned John Harvey to assume the government. He
arrived in the autumn of 1629, and became a most unpopular chief
magistrate. He began his administration by taking the part of certain
land speculators against the people. The assembly of 1635 passed a
resolution that Sir John Harvey be thrust out of office, and Captain
West be appointed in his place "until the king's pleasure may be
known in this matter." But King Charles treated the whole affair with
contempt, and Harvey continued in power until the year 1639, when he
was superseded by Wyatt, who ruled until the spring of 1642.
[Illustration: Life at Old Jamestown.]
[Sidenote: =Effect of the Protectorate.=]
4. About this time monarchy was abolished in England. Oliver Cromwell
was made Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, and this government
continued until Charles II., exiled son of Charles I., was restored to
the throne of England. Virginia shared in some degree the distractions
of the mother-country. In 1642 Sir William Berkeley became governor,
and remained in office for ten years. His administration was noted as a
time of rapid growth and development. The laws were greatly improved.
The old disputes about the lands were satisfactorily settled. Cruel
punishments were abolished, and the taxes equalized. The general
assembly was regularly convened, and Virginia became a free and
prosperous State. In 1646 there were twenty thousand people in the
colony.
5. In March of 1643, a law was enacted by the assembly declaring that
no person who disbelieved the doctrines of the English Church should
be allowed to teach, or to preach the gospel, within the limits of
Virginia. This act was the source of much bitterness among the people.
The few Puritans were excluded from places of trust, and some were
driven from their homes. Governor Berkeley was a leader in these
persecutions, by which all friendly relations with New England were
broken off for many years.
6. Next came another war with the Indians. Early in 1644, the natives
planned a general massacre. On the 18th of April the savages fell upon
the frontier settlements, and murdered three hundred people before
assistance could be brought. The warriors then fled, but were closely
followed by the English. Opechancanough was captured, and died a
prisoner. The tribes were punished without mercy, and were soon glad to
buy a peace by the cession of large tracts of land.
[Sidenote: =The Election of Governors.=]
7. For a while the colonists conducted their government as they wished.
The important matter of choosing a governor was submitted to the House
of Burgesses; when so great a power had been once exercised, it was not
likely to be relinquished. Three governors were chosen in this way, and
the _privilege_ of electing soon became a _right_. The assembly even
declared that such a right existed, and that it should not be taken
away.
8. In 1660 Samuel Matthews, the last of the three elected governors,
died. The Burgesses were convened and an ordinance passed declaring
that the supreme authority of Virginia was _in the colony_, and
would continue there until a delegate should arrive from the British
government. The house then elected as governor Sir William Berkeley,
who acknowledged the right of the Burgesses to choose.
9. As soon as it was known in Virginia that Charles II. had become
king, Governor Berkeley issued writs in the name of the king for the
election of a new assembly. The adherents of the Commonwealth were
thrust out of office, and royal favorites established in their places.
The Virginians soon found that they had exchanged a republican tyrant
with good principles for a monarchial tyrant with bad ones. The former
commercial system was reenacted in a worse form than ever. The new law
provided that all the colonial commerce should be carried on in English
ships; the trade of the colonies was burdened with a heavy tax, and
tobacco, the staple of Virginia, could be sold nowhere but in England.
[Sidenote: =Effects of the Restoration.=]
10. King Charles soon began to reward the profligates who thronged his
court, by granting them large tracts of land in Virginia. It was no
uncommon thing for an American planter to find that his farm had been
given away to some flatterer of the royal household, and finally, in
1673, the king set a limit to his own recklessness _by giving away the
whole province_. Lord Culpepper and the Earl of Arlington received a
deed by which was granted to them for thirty-one years all the country
called Virginia.
11. The colonial legislation of these times was selfish and
narrow-minded. The aristocratic party had obtained control of the
House of Burgesses. A statute was passed against the Baptists, and the
peace-loving Quakers were fined and persecuted. Personal property was
heavily taxed, while the large estates were exempt. The salaries of the
officers were secured by a duty on tobacco, and the biennial election
of Burgesses was abolished.
12. When the people were worn out with the governor's exactions, they
availed themselves of a pretext to assert their rights by force of
arms. A war with the Susquehanna Indians furnished the occasion for an
insurrection. The tribes about the head of Chesapeake Bay fell upon the
English settlers of Maryland, and the banks of the Potomac became the
scene of a border war. Virginia and Maryland made common cause. John
Washington, great-grandfather of the first President, led a company of
militia against the Indians, and a devastating warfare raged along the
whole frontier.
13. Governor Berkeley sided with the Indians; but the colonists
remembered only the acts of treachery of which the Red men had been
guilty, and thirsted for revenge. The aristocratic party took sides
with the governor and favored a peace; while the popular party, led by
young Nathaniel Bacon, clamored for war.
[Sidenote: =Bacon's Rebellion.=]
14. Five hundred men rushed to arms. Berkeley and the aristocratic
faction proclaimed Bacon a traitor. Troops were levied to disperse
the militia: but scarcely had Berkeley and his forces left Jamestown
when another popular uprising compelled him to return. Bacon came home
victorious. The old assembly was broken up, and a new one elected
on the basis of universal suffrage. Bacon was chosen a member, and
made commander of the Virginia army. A force was now stationed on the
frontier, and peace returned to all the settlements. But Berkeley
repaired to the county of Gloucester, where he summoned a convention of
loyalists, and Bacon was again proclaimed a traitor.
15. The governor's forces were collected on the eastern shore of the
Chesapeake; the crews of some English ships were joined to his command,
and the fleet set sail for Jamestown. The place was taken without
much resistance; but when Bacon and the patriots drew near, the loyal
forces went over to his standard. Berkeley was again obliged to fly,
and the capital was held by the people's party. It was now rumored that
an English fleet was approaching for the subjugation of the colonies.
The patriot leaders held a council, and it was decided that Jamestown
should be burned. Accordingly, in the dusk of the evening the torch was
applied, and the only town in Virginia was laid in ashes.
16. In this juncture of affairs Bacon fell sick and died, and the
patriot party was easily dispersed. A few feeble efforts were made to
revive the cause of the people, but the animating spirit was gone. The
royalists found an able captain in Robert Beverly, and the authority of
the governor was rapidly restored. Berkeley's vindictive passions were
now let loose upon the defeated insurgents. Twenty-two of the leading
patriots were seized and hanged with scarcely time to bid their friends
farewell. Nor is it certain when the executions would have ended had
not the assembly met and passed an act that no more blood should be
spilled for past offenses.
17. The consequences of the rebellion were very disastrous. Berkeley
and the aristocratic party had now a good excuse for suppressing all
liberal principles. The printing-press was interdicted. Education was
forbidden. To speak or to write any thing against the administration or
in defense of the late insurrection, was made a crime to be punished
by fine or whipping. If the offense should be three times repeated, it
was declared to be treason punishable with death. The former methods of
taxation were revived, and Virginia was left at the mercy of arbitrary
rulers.
[Sidenote: =Proprietary Government.=]
18. In 1675 Lord Culpepper, to whom, with Arlington, the province
had been granted, obtained the appointment of governor for life, and
Virginia became a proprietary government. The new magistrate arrived
in 1680 and assumed the duties of his office. His administration was
characterized by avarice and dishonesty. Regarding Virginia as his
personal estate, he treated the Virginians as his tenants and slaves.
19. In 1683, Arlington surrendered his claim to Culpepper, who thus
became sole proprietor as well as governor. Charles II., however, soon
found in Culpepper's vices and frauds a sufficient excuse to remove him
from office and to revoke his patent. In 1684 Virginia again became a
royal province, under the government of Lord Howard, of Effingham. The
affairs of the colony during the next fifty years are not of sufficient
interest and importance to require extended notice. When the French and
Indian War shall come, Virginia will show to the world that the labors
of Smith and Gosnold and Bacon were not in vain.
CHAPTER XII.
MASSACHUSETTS.--SETTLEMENT AND UNION.
[Sidenote: =Early Struggles.=]
The spring of 1621 brought hope to the Pilgrims of New Plymouth. The
winter had swept off half the number. The governor himself sickened
and died. Now, with the approach of warm weather, the pestilence was
checked, the survivors revived with the season, and the Puritans came
forth triumphant.
2. In February Miles Standish was sent out with his soldiers to gather
information concerning the natives. The army of New England consisted
of six men besides the general. Deserted wigwams were found; the smoke
of camp-fires arose in the distance; savages were occasionally seen in
the forest. These fled at the approach of the English, and Standish
returned to Plymouth.
[Illustration: A Puritan.]
[Sidenote: =Relations with the Indians.=]
3. A month later a Wampanoag Indian, named Samoset, ran into the
village and bade the strangers welcome; friendly relations were soon
established with the Wampanoags. Massasoit, the sachem of the nation,
was invited to visit Plymouth. The Pilgrims received him with much
ceremony, and then and there was ratified the first treaty made
in New England. This treaty remained inviolate for fifty years.
Other chiefs followed the example of Massasoit. Nine of the tribes
acknowledged the English king. One chief sent to William Bradford, who
succeeded Governor Carver, a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a
rattlesnake; but the governor stuffed the skin with powder and balls
and sent it back to the chief, who did not dare to accept the challenge.
4. The summer was unfruitful, and the Pilgrims were brought to the
point of starvation. New immigrants, without provisions or stores,
arrived, and were quartered on the colonists during the winter. For
six months the settlers were obliged to subsist on half allowance. At
one time only a few grains of corn remained to be distributed, and at
another there was absolute want. Then some English fishing-vessels
came to Plymouth and charged the colonists two prices for food enough
to keep them alive. The new immigrants remained at Plymouth until the
summer of 1622, then removed to the south side of Boston harbor and
founded Weymouth.
5. The summer of 1623 brought a plentiful harvest, and there was no
longer any danger of starvation. The natives became dependent on the
settlement for corn, and brought in an abundance of game. At the end
of the fourth year, there were a hundred and eighty persons in New
England. The managers, who had expended thirty-four thousand dollars on
the enterprise, were discouraged, and proposed to sell out their claims
to the colonists. The offer was accepted; and, in November of 1627,
eight of the leading men of Plymouth purchased from the Londoners their
entire interest for nine thousand dollars.
6. Before this transfer, the colony had been much vexed by the attempt
to set over them a minister of the English Church. They had come to the
New World to avoid this very thing. There was dissension for a while.
The English managers withheld support; the stores of the colonists
were sold to them at three prices; and they were obliged to borrow
money at sixty per cent. But the Pilgrims would not yield, and the
conflict ended with the purchase of the proprietors' rights in the
colony.
[Sidenote: =Government of the Colonies.=]
7. In 1624 a settlement was made at Cape Ann, but after two years the
cape was abandoned; the company moved farther south and founded Salem.
In 1628 a second colony arrived in charge of John Endicott, who was
chosen governor. In 1629 Charles I. issued a charter by which the
colonists were incorporated under the name of THE GOVERNOR AND COMPANY
OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY IN NEW ENGLAND. In July two hundred immigrants
arrived, half of whom settled at Plymouth, while the other half removed
to the north side of Boston harbor and founded Charlestown.
[Illustration: Early Settlements in Eastern Massachusetts.]
8. In September, 1629, it was decreed that the government of the colony
should be transferred from England to America, and that the charter
should be intrusted to the colonists themselves. Emigration then
began on an extensive scale. In the year 1630 about three hundred of
the best Puritan families came to New England. They were virtuous,
well-educated, courageous men and women, who left comfortable homes
with no expectation of returning. It was their good fortune to choose a
noble leader.
9. The name of John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts, is worthy of
lasting remembrance. Born a royalist, he cherished the principles of
republicanism. Surrounded with affluence and comfort, he left all to
share the destiny of the Pilgrims. Calm, prudent, and peaceful, he
joined the zeal of an enthusiast with the faith of a martyr. A part of
the new immigrants settled at Salem; others at Cambridge and Watertown,
on Charles River; while others founded Roxbury and Dorchester. The
governor resided for a while at Charlestown, but soon crossed over to
the peninsula of Shawmut and founded BOSTON, which became henceforth
the capital of the colony.
[Sidenote: =Religious Intolerance.=]
10. In 1631 a law was passed restricting the right of suffrage. It was
enacted that none but church members should be permitted to vote at the
elections. Nearly three fourths of the people were thus excluded from
exercising the rights of freemen. Taxes were levied for the support of
the gospel; attendance on public worship was enforced by law; none but
members of the church were eligible to office. The very men who had so
recently escaped with only their lives to find religious freedom in
another continent, began their career in the New World with intolerance.
11. Young ROGER WILLIAMS, minister of Salem, cried out against these
laws. For this he was obliged to quit the ministry of the church at
Salem and retire to Plymouth. Finally, in 1634, he wrote a paper
in which he declared that grants of land, though given by the king
of England, were invalid until the natives were justly paid. When
arraigned for these teachings, he told the court that a test of
church-membership in a voter was as ridiculous as the selection of a
doctor on account of his skill in theology.
[Sidenote: =Roger Williams Banished.=]
12. After a trial, Williams was condemned for heresy and banished. In
mid-winter he left home and became an exile in the forest. For fourteen
weeks he wandered through the snow, sleeping on the ground or in a
hollow tree, living on parched corn and acorns. He carried with him a
private letter from the good Governor Winthrop, and the Indians showed
him kindness. Wandering from place to place, in June of 1636 he became
the founder of Rhode Island by laying out the city of PROVIDENCE.
13. In 1634 a representative form of government was established in
Massachusetts. The restriction on the right of suffrage was the only
remaining bar to free government in New England. During the next year
three thousand new immigrants arrived. It was worth while to come to a
country where the principles of freedom were recognized.
14. New settlements were now formed at a distance from the bay. One
company of twelve families marched through the woods to some open
meadows sixteen miles from Boston, and there founded Concord. Another
colony of sixty persons pressed their way westward to the Connecticut
River, and became the founders of Windsor, HARTFORD, and Wethersfield.
15. The banishment of Roger Williams created strife among the people
of Massachusetts. The ministers were stern and exacting. Still, the
advocates of free opinion multiplied. The clergy, notwithstanding their
great influence, felt insecure. Religious debates became the order of
the day. Every sermon was reviewed and criticised.
16. Prominent among those who were accused of heresy was Mrs. Anne
Hutchinson, who desired the privilege of speaking at the weekly
debates, and was refused. Indignant at this, she became the champion of
her sex, and declared that the ministers were no better than Pharisees.
She called meetings of her friends, and pleaded with fervor for the
freedom of conscience. The doctrines of Williams were reaffirmed with
more power and eloquence than ever.
17. The synod of New England convened in August of 1637, and Mrs.
Hutchinson and her friends were banished from Massachusetts. A large
number of the exiles wended their way toward the home of Roger
Williams. Miantonomah, a Narragansett chieftain, made them a gift of
the island of Rhode Island; there, in 1641, a little republic was
established, in which persecution, for opinion's sake, was forbidden.
[Sidenote: =Harvard College Founded.=]
18. In 1636 the general court of the colony passed an act appropriating
between one and two thousand dollars to found a college. Newtown was
selected as the site of the proposed school. Plymouth and Salem gave
gifts to help the enterprise; and from villages in the Connecticut
valley came contributions of corn and wampum. In 1638 John Harvard,
a minister of Charlestown, died, bequeathing his library and nearly
five thousand dollars to the school. To perpetuate his memory, the new
institution was named HARVARD COLLEGE. At the same time the name of
Newtown was changed to Cambridge.
19. The PRINTING-PRESS came also. In 1638 Stephen Daye, an English
printer, arrived at Boston, and in the following year set up a press
at Cambridge. The first American publication was an almanac for New
England, bearing date of 1639. During the next year, Thomas Welde
and John Eliot, two ministers of Roxbury, and Richard Mather, of
Dorchester, translated the Hebrew Psalms into English verse. This was
the first book printed in America.
20. New England was fast becoming a nation. Well-nigh fifty villages
dotted the face of the country. Enterprises of all kinds were rife.
Manufactures, commerce, and the arts were introduced. William Stephens,
a shipbuilder of Boston, had already built and launched an American
vessel of four hundred tons burden. Twenty-one thousand two hundred
people had found a home between Plymouth Rock and the Connecticut.
[Sidenote: =The Union of the Colonies.=]
21. Circumstances suggested a union of the colonies. The western
frontier was exposed to the hostilities of the Dutch on the Hudson.
Similar trouble was apprehended from the French on the north. Indian
tribes capable of mustering a thousand warriors were likely at any
hour to fall upon the helpless villages. Common interests made a union
indispensable.
22. The first effort to consolidate the colonies was ineffectual. But
in 1643, a plan of union was adopted, by which Massachusetts, Plymouth,
Connecticut, and New Haven were joined in a confederacy, called THE
UNITED COLONIES OF NEW ENGLAND. The chief authority was conferred upon
an assembly composed of two representatives from each colony. These
delegates were chosen annually at an election where all the freemen
voted by ballot. There was no president other than the speaker of the
assembly. Provision was made for the admission of other colonies into
the union, but none were ever admitted.
23. At a meeting of the assembly in December, 1641, Nathaniel Ward
brought forward a written instrument, which was adopted as the
constitution of the State. This statute was called the BODY OF
LIBERTIES, and was ever afterward esteemed as the great charter of
colonial freedom.
[Sidenote: =Persecution of the Quakers.=]
24. In July of 1656 the QUAKERS began to arrive at Boston. The first
who came were Ann Austin and Mary Fisher. They were caught and searched
for marks of witchcraft, and then thrown into prison. After several
weeks' confinement they were brought forth and banished. Before the
end of the year, eight others were arrested and sent back to England.
A law was passed that Quakers who persisted in coming to Massachusetts
should have their ears cut off and their tongues bored through with a
red-hot iron. In 1657 the assembly of the four colonies convened, and
the penalty of death was passed against the Quakers as disturbers of
the public peace.
[Sidenote: =Trade Restrictions.=]
25. The English Revolution had now run its course. Cromwell was dead.
Tidings of the restoration of Charles II. reached Boston on the 27th of
July, 1660. On the reestablishment of the English monarchy, a law was
passed by which all vessels not bearing the English flag were forbidden
to trade in New England. Articles produced in the colonies and demanded
in England should be shipped to England only. The products of England
should not be manufactured in America, and should be bought from
England only; and a duty of five per cent. was put on both exports and
imports. This was the beginning of those measures which produced the
AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
26. In 1664 war broke out between England and Holland. It became a part
of the English plans to conquer the Dutch settlements on the Hudson.
Charles II. was also anxious to obtain control of all the New England
colonies. He therefore appointed four commissioners to settle colonial
disputes, and to exercise authority in the name of the king. The real
object was to get possession of the charter of Massachusetts. In July,
1664, the royal judges arrived at Boston. They were rejected in all the
colonies except Rhode Island. Meanwhile, the English monarch, learning
how his judges had been received, recalled them, and they left the
country. For ten years after this event the colony was very prosperous.
[Illustration: Harvard College in 1770.]
CHAPTER XIII.
MASSACHUSETTS.--WAR AND WITCHCRAFT.
The old king Massasoit died in 1662. His son, Alexander, now became
chief of the nation, but died within the year; and the chieftainship
descended to the younger brother, PHILIP OF MOUNT HOPE. It was the fate
of this brave man to lead his people in a final struggle against the
whites. Causes of war already existed, and the time had come for the
conflict.
[Sidenote: =King Philip's War.=]
2. The natives of New England had sold their lands. The English were
the purchasers; the chiefs had signed the deeds; the price had been
fairly paid. There were at this time in the country east of the Hudson
about twenty-five thousand Indians and fifty thousand English. The
young warriors could not understand the validity of land-titles.
They sighed for the freedom of their fathers' hunting-grounds. The
Wampanoags had nothing left but the peninsulas of Bristol and Tiverton.
There were personal grievances also. King Alexander had been arrested,
tried by an English jury, and imprisoned. He had caught his death-fever
in a Boston jail. On the 24th of June, 1675, the village of Swanzey was
attacked, and eight Englishmen were killed.
3. Within a week the militia of Plymouth, joined by volunteers from
Boston, entered the enemy's country. A few Indians were overtaken and
killed. The troops marched into the peninsula of Bristol, and compelled
Philip to fly for his life. A general Indian war broke out. The hatred
of the savages was easily kindled into hostility. For a whole year the
settlements on the frontier became a scene of burning and massacre.
4. King Canonchet of the Narragansetts first made a treaty of peace
with the English, but later violated it and chose to share the fate of
Philip. But after much desperate fighting and heavy losses on both
sides, the resources of the savages were exhausted and their numbers
daily grew less. In April, 1676, Canonchet was captured on the banks
of the Blackstone. Refusing to make a treaty, the haughty chieftain
was put to death. Philip's company had dwindled to a handful. His wife
and son were made prisoners; the latter was sold as a slave, and ended
his life in the Bermudas. The savage monarch cared no longer to live.
A company of soldiers surrounded him near his old home at Mount Hope.
A treacherous Indian took a deadly aim at the breast of his chieftain.
The report of a musket rang through the woods, and the king of the
Wampanoags sprang forward and fell dead.
5. New England suffered terribly in this war. The losses of the war
amounted to five hundred thousand dollars. Thirteen towns and six
hundred dwellings lay in ashes. Six hundred men had fallen in the
field. Gray-haired sire, mother and babe had sunk together under
the blow of the Red man's tomahawk. Now there was peace again. The
Indian race had been swept out of New England. The tribes beyond the
Connecticut came and pleaded for their lives. The colonists returned to
their farms and villages, to build new homes in the ashes of old ruins.
[Sidenote: =The Province of Maine.=]
6. The next trouble was concerning the province of Maine. Sir Ferdinand
Gorges, the old proprietor, was now dead; but his heirs still claimed
the territory. The people of Maine had put themselves under the
authority of Massachusetts; but the heirs of Gorges carried the matter
before the English council, and in 1677 a decision was given in their
favor. The Boston government then made a proposition to the Gorges
family to purchase their claims; this was accepted, and for the sum
of twelve hundred and fifty pounds the province was transferred to
Massachusetts.
[Sidenote: =Province of New Hampshire.=]
7. A similar difficulty arose in regard to New Hampshire. As early as
1622 the Plymouth council had granted this territory to Ferdinand
Gorges and Captain John Mason. Seven years afterward Gorges surrendered
his claim to Mason, who thus became sole proprietor. But this territory
was also covered by the charter of Massachusetts. Mason died, and in
1679 his son Robert came forward and claimed the province. This cause
was also taken before the ministers, who decided that the title of the
younger Mason was valid. To the great disappointment of the people of
both provinces the two governments were separated. A royal government,
the first in New England, was now established over New Hampshire, and
Edward Cranfield became Governor.
8. But the people refused to recognize Cranfield's authority. The
king attributed this conduct to the influence of Massachusetts, and
directed his judges to make an inquiry as to whether Massachusetts had
not forfeited her charter. In 1684 the royal court gave a decision in
accordance with the monarch's wishes. But before the charter could be
revoked, Charles II. fell sick and died.
[Sidenote: =Royal Governor of New England.=]
9. The new king, James II., adopted his brother's policy, and in
1686 the scheme so long entertained was carried out. The charter of
Massachusetts was formally revoked; all the colonies between Nova
Scotia and Narragansett Bay were consolidated, and Sir Edmund Andros
was appointed royal governor of New England.
10. His despotism was quickly extended from Cape Cod Bay to the
Piscataqua. The civil rights of New Hampshire were overthrown. In
May of 1686, the charter of Rhode Island was taken away and her
constitution subverted. The seal was broken, and a royal council
appointed to conduct the government. Andros next proceeded to
Connecticut. Arriving at Hartford in October of 1687, he found the
assembly in session, and demanded the surrender of the charter. The
instrument was brought in and laid upon the table. A debate ensued,
and continued until evening. When it was about to be decided that the
charter should be given up, the lamps were dashed out. Other lights
were brought in; but the charter had disappeared. Joseph Wadsworth,
snatching up the parchment, bore it off through the darkness and
concealed it in a hollow tree, ever afterwards remembered as THE
CHARTER OAK. But the assembly was overawed, and the authority of Andros
established throughout the country.
[Illustration: Andros demanding the Charter of Connecticut.]
11. His dominion ended suddenly. The English Revolution of 1688 was at
hand. James II. was driven from his throne; the system of arbitrary
rule which he had established fell with a crash, and Andros with the
rest. The news of the accession of William and Mary reached Boston
on the 4th of April, 1689. On the 18th of the month, the citizens of
Boston rose in rebellion. Andros was seized and marched to prison.
The insurrection spread; and before the 10th of May, New England had
regained her liberties.
[Sidenote: =King William's War.=]
12. In 1689 war was declared between France and England. This conflict
is known in American history as KING WILLIAM'S WAR. When James II.
escaped from his kingdom, he took refuge at the court of Louis XIV.
of France. The two monarchs were Catholics, and on this account an
alliance was made between them. Louis agreed to support James in his
effort to recover the English throne. Parliament, meanwhile, had
conferred the crown on King William. Thus the new sovereign was brought
into conflict with the exiled James and his ally, the king of France.
The war which thus originated in Europe soon extended to the French and
English colonies in America.
13. The struggle began on the frontier of New Hampshire in June, 1689.
Later in the same year, the English and the Mohawks entered into an
alliance, but the latter refused to make war upon their countrymen of
Maine. The Dutch settlements of New Netherland made common cause with
the English against the French.
14. New England at length became thoroughly aroused. To provide the
means of war, a congress was convened at New York. Here it was resolved
to attempt the conquest of Canada. At the same time, Massachusetts was
to cooperate by sending a fleet up the St. Lawrence against Quebec.
Thirty-four vessels, carrying two thousand troops, were fitted out, and
the command given to Sir William Phipps. Proceeding first against Port
Royal, he compelled a surrender; the whole of Nova Scotia submitted
without a struggle. The expedition was foolishly delayed until October;
and an Indian carried the news to the governor of Canada. When the
fleet came in sight of the town, the castle was so well garrisoned as
to bid defiance to the English; and it only remained for Phipps to sail
back to Boston. To meet the expenses of this expedition, Massachusetts
issued bills of credit which were made a legal tender. Such was the
origin of PAPER MONEY in America.
15. Meanwhile, the land forces had proceeded from Albany to Lake
Champlain. Here dissensions arose among the commanders, and the
expedition had to be abandoned. The war continued nearly five years
longer, but with only here and there a marked event.
16. Early in 1697, commissioners of France and England assembled at
the town of Ryswick, in Holland; and, on the 10th of the following
September, a treaty of peace was concluded. King William was
acknowledged as the rightful sovereign of England, the colonial
boundary-lines of the two nations in America were established as
before, and King William's war was at an end.
[Sidenote: =Salem Witchcraft.=]
17. The darkest page in the history of New England is that which
records the SALEM WITCHCRAFT. In February of 1692, in that part of
Salem afterwards called Danvers, a daughter and a niece of Samuel
Parris, the minister, were attacked with a nervous disorder which
rendered them partially insane. Parris pretended to believe the girls
were bewitched, and that an Indian maid-servant was the author of the
affliction. He accordingly tied the ignorant creature and whipped her
until she confessed herself a witch. Here, perhaps, the matter would
have ended had not other causes existed for the spread of the delusion.
18. But Parris had a quarrel in his church. A part of the congregation
disbelieved in witchcraft, while Parris and the rest thought such
disbelief the height of wickedness. The celebrated Cotton Mather,
minister of Boston, had recently preached much on the subject of
witchcraft, teaching that witches were dangerous and ought to be put to
death. Sir William Phipps, the royal governor, was a member of Mather's
church.
19. By the laws of England and of Massachusetts, witchcraft was
punishable with death. In the early history of the colony, one person
charged with being a wizard had been arrested at Charlestown, convicted
and executed. But many people had now grown bold enough to denounce the
baleful superstition; and something had to be done to save witchcraft
from falling into contempt. A special court was accordingly appointed
by Phipps to go to Salem and judge the persons accused.
[Illustration: A Suspected Witch.]
20. On the 21st of March the proceedings began. Mary Cory was arrested,
brought before the court, convicted, and hurried to prison. Sarah
Cloyce and Rebecca Nurse, two innocent sisters, were next apprehended
as witches. The only witnesses against them were the foolish Indian
woman and the niece of Parris. The victims were sent to prison,
protesting their innocence. And so the work went on, until seventy-five
innocent people were locked up in dungeons. In hope of saving their
lives, some of the prisoners confessed themselves witches. It was soon
found that those were to be put to death who denied the reality of
witchcraft. Five women were hanged in one day.
21. Between June and September, twenty victims were hurried to
their doom. Fifty-five others were tortured into the confession of
falsehoods. A hundred and fifty lay in prison awaiting their fate. Two
hundred were accused or suspected, and ruin seemed to impend over New
England. But a reaction at last set in among the people. The court
which Phipps had appointed to sit at Salem was dismissed. The prisons
were opened, and the victims of superstition went forth free. In the
beginning of the next year, a few persons were arrested and tried
for witchcraft. Some were even convicted; but not another life was
sacrificed.
22. Most of those who participated in these terrible scenes confessed
the wrong which they had done; but confessions could not restore the
dead. Mather, in a vain attempt to justify himself, wrote a book in
which he expressed his thankfulness _that so many witches had met their
just doom_; and the hypocritical pamphlet received the approbation of
the president of Harvard College.
[Sidenote: =Queen Anne's War.=]
23. In less than four years after the treaty of Ryswick, France and
England were again involved in a war which soon extended to the
American colonies. In the year 1700 Charles II., king of Spain, died,
having named as his successor Philip of Anjou, a grandson of Louis XIV.
This measure pointed to a union of the crowns of France and Spain. The
jealousy of England, Holland, and Austria was aroused; the archduke
Charles, of the latter country, was put forward as a candidate for the
Spanish throne; and war was declared against Louis XIV. for supporting
Philip.
24. In 1701 James II., the exiled king of Great Britain, died at the
court of Louis, who now recognized the son of James as sovereign of
England. This action was regarded as an insult to English nationality.
King William prepared for war, but did not live to carry out his plans.
In May of 1702 he died, leaving the crown to his sister-in-law, Anne,
daughter of James II. From the fact of her sovereignty, the conflict
with France is known in American history as QUEEN ANNE'S WAR; but
a better name is the War of the Spanish Succession. This continued
feebly through eleven years, and with many of the horrors incident to
Indian warfare, as the Indians were leagued with the French against the
English.
25. On the 11th of April, 1713, a treaty was concluded at Utrecht, a
town of Holland. By it England obtained control of the fisheries of
Newfoundland. Labrador, the Bay of Hudson, and Nova Scotia, were ceded
to Great Britain. On the 13th of July a second treaty was concluded
with the Indians, by which peace was secured throughout the colonies.
26. In the times that followed Queen Anne's war, the people were
greatly dissatisfied with the royal governors. The opposition to those
officers took the form of a controversy about their salaries. The royal
commissions gave to each officer a fixed salary, which was frequently
out of proportion to the services required. The difficulty was finally
adjusted by an agreement that the salaries should be allowed annually,
and the amount fixed by vote of the assembly.
[Sidenote: =King George's War.=]
27. On the death of Charles VI. of Austria, in 1740, there were two
claimants to the crown of the empire--Maria Theresa, daughter of the
late emperor, and Charles Albert of Bavaria. Each claimant had his
party and his army; war followed; and nearly all the nations of Europe
were swept into the conflict. England and France were arrayed against
each other. The contest that ensued is generally known as the War
of the Austrian Succession, but in American history is called KING
GEORGE'S WAR, for George II. was now king of England. In America the
only important event of the war was the capture of Louisburg, on Cape
Breton Island.
28. In 1748 a treaty of peace was concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle, a town
of western Germany. Nothing was gained but a restoration of conquests.
Not a single boundary line was settled by the treaty. The real war
between France and England for supremacy in the West was yet to be
fought.
[Sidenote: =Character of the Puritans.=]
29. The history of Massachusetts has now been traced through a period
of one hundred and thirty years. A few words on THE CHARACTER OF THE
PURITANS may be added. They were a vigorous and hardy people, firm-set
in the principles of honesty and virtue. They were sober, industrious,
frugal; resolute, zealous, and steadfast. They esteemed truth more
than riches. Loving home and native land, they left both for the sake
of freedom; and finding freedom, they cherished it with the devotion
of martyrs. Despised and hated, they rose above their revilers. In the
school of evil fortune they gained the discipline of patience. They
were the children of adversity and the fathers of renown.
30. The gaze of the Puritan was turned ever to posterity. He believed
in the future. For his children he toiled and sacrificed. The system
of free schools is the monument of his love. The printing-press is his
memorial. Almshouses and asylums are the tokens of his care for the
unfortunate. He was the earliest champion of civil rights, and the
builder of THE UNION.
31. In matters of religion, the fathers of New England were sometimes
intolerant and superstitious. Their religious faith was gloomy. Human
life was deemed a sad, a miserable journey. To be mistaken was to sin.
To fail in trifling ceremonies was reckoned a crime. In the shadow
of such belief the people became austere and melancholy. They set up
a cold and severe form of worship. Dissenters themselves, they could
not tolerate the dissent of others. To punish error seemed to the
Pilgrims right and necessary. But Puritanism contained within itself
the power to correct its own abuses. The evils of the system may well
be forgotten in the glory of its achievements. Without the Puritans,
America would have been a delusion and liberty only a name.
CHAPTER XIV.
NEW YORK.--SETTLEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF STUYVESANT.
[Illustration: New Amsterdam.]
The settlement of New Amsterdam resulted from the voyages of the brave
Sir Henry Hudson. For ten years after its founding, the colony was
governed by the directors of the Dutch East India Company. In 1621
the Dutch West India Company was organized, and Manhattan Island,
with its cluster of huts, passed at once under the control of the new
corporation.
[Sidenote: =Dutch Settlements.=]
2. In April, 1623, the ship _New Netherland_, with thirty families on
board, arrived at New Amsterdam. The colonists, called WALLOONS, were
Dutch Protestant refugees. Cornelius May was the leader of the company.
Most of the new immigrants settled with their friends on Manhattan;
but the captain, with a party of fifty, made explorations as far as
Delaware Bay.
3. In May the island, containing more than twenty thousand acres, was
purchased from the natives _for twenty-four dollars_. A block-house was
built and surrounded with a palisade. New Amsterdam was already a town
of thirty houses. The Dutch of New Amsterdam and the Pilgrims of New
Plymouth were early and fast friends.
[Sidenote: =The Patroons.=]
4. In 1628 the population of Manhattan numbered two hundred and
seventy. The settlers engaged in the fur-trade. In 1629 the West
India Company framed a CHARTER OF PRIVILEGES, under which a class of
proprietors, called patroons, were authorized to colonize the country.
The conditions were that each patroon should purchase his lands of the
Indians; and that he should establish a colony of not less than fifty
persons. Five estates were immediately laid out. Three of them were
on the Hudson; the fourth, on Staten Island; and the fifth, in the
southern half of Delaware.
5. In April of 1633 Wouter van Twiller became Governor. Three months
previously the Dutch erected a block-house at Hartford. In October an
armed vessel from Plymouth sailed up the Connecticut, and defied the
Dutch commander. The English proceeded up stream to the mouth of the
Farmington, where they built Fort Windsor. Two years later, by the
building of Saybrook, at the mouth of the Connecticut, they obtained
control of the river above and below the Dutch fort.
6. In 1626 Gustavus Adolphus, the Protestant king of Sweden, formed the
design of establishing settlements in America. But before his plans
could be carried into effect, he was killed in battle. In 1632, the
Swedish minister took up the work which his master had left unfinished;
and, after four years, the enterprise was brought to a successful issue.
[Sidenote: =New Sweden.=]
7. Late in 1637 a company of Swedes and Finns left the harbor of
Stockholm, and in the following February arrived in Delaware Bay.
The name of NEW SWEDEN was given to the territory. On the left bank
of a small tributary of the Brandywine, a spot was chosen for the
settlement. The immigrants soon provided themselves with houses. The
creek and the fort were both named Christiana, in honor of the maiden
queen of Sweden. In a short time the banks of the bay and river were
dotted with pleasant hamlets.
8. The authorities of New Amsterdam were jealous of the Swedish colony.
Sir William Kieft, who had succeeded Van Twiller, warned the settlers
of their intrusion on Dutch territory. But the Swedes went on enlarging
their borders.
9. In 1640 New Netherland became involved in a war with the Indians.
New Amsterdam was soon put in a state of defense, and a company of
militia was sent against the savages. On both sides the war degenerated
into treachery and murder. Through the mediation of Roger Williams a
truce was obtained, but was immediately broken.
[Sidenote: =War with the Indians.=]
10. Soon a party of Mohawks came down the river to enforce their
supremacy over the Algonquins in the vicinity of New Amsterdam. The
latter begged assistance of the Dutch. Kieft now saw an opportunity for
wholesale destruction. A company of soldiers set out from Manhattan,
and discovered the camp of the Algonquins. The place was surrounded by
night, and nearly a hundred of the poor wretches were killed by those
to whom they had appealed for help. When it was known among the tribes
that the Dutch, and not the Mohawks, were the authors of this outrage,
the war was renewed with fury.
[Illustration: Peter Stuyvesant.]
11. In 1643 Captain John Underhill, of Massachusetts, was appointed to
command the Dutch forces. He first invaded New Jersey, and brought the
Delawares into subjection. A decisive battle was fought on Long Island;
and at Greenwich, in western Connecticut, the power of the Indians was
finally broken. On the 30th of August, 1645, a treaty was concluded at
Fort Amsterdam.
[Sidenote: =Governor Stuyvesant.=]
12. In 1647 the West India Company revoked Governor Kieft's commission,
and appointed Peter Stuyvesant to succeed him. Kieft embarked for
Europe, but perished during the voyage. Peter Stuyvesant entered upon
his duties on the 11th of May, 1647, and continued in office for
seventeen years. His first care was to conciliate the Indians. So
intimate and cordial became the relations between the natives and the
Dutch, that they were suspected of making common cause against the
English. Massachusetts was alarmed lest such an alliance should be
formed. But the policy of Stuyvesant was based on nobler principles.
13. Until now the West India Company had exclusive control of the
commerce of New Netherland. In 1648 this monopoly was abolished, and
regular export duties were substituted. The benefit of the change was
soon apparent in the improvement of the Dutch province.
14. In a letter written to Stuyvesant by the secretary of the company,
the prediction was made that the commerce of New Amsterdam would cover
every ocean, and the ships of all nations crowd into her harbor. But
for many years the growth of the city was slow. The better parts of
Manhattan Island were still divided among the farmers. Central Park was
a forest of oaks and chestnuts.
[Sidenote: =Boundary of New Netherland.=]
15. In 1650 the boundary was fixed between New England and New
Netherland. The line extended across Long Island north and south,
passing through Oyster Bay, and thence to Greenwich, on the other side
of the Sound. From this point northward the dividing line was nearly
identical with the present boundary of Connecticut on the west. This
treaty was ratified by the colonies, by the West India Company, and by
the States-General of Holland.
[Sidenote: =Conquest of New Sweden.=]
16. Stuyvesant now determined to subdue the colony of New Sweden. In
1651 an armament left New Amsterdam for the Delaware, and made an
unsuccessful expedition. In September of 1655 the old governor again
sailed against New Sweden. Before the 25th of the month every fort
belonging to the Swedes had been forced to surrender. Honorable terms
were granted to all, and in a few days the authority of New Netherland
was established. The little State of New Sweden had ceased to exist.
17. While Stuyvesant was absent on his expedition against the Swedes,
the Algonquins rose in rebellion. In a fleet of sixty-four canoes,
they appeared before New Amsterdam, yelling and discharging arrows,
then they went on shore and began to burn and murder. The return of
the Dutch from Delaware induced the chiefs to sue for peace, which
Stuyvesant granted on better terms than the Indians deserved.
18. In 1663 the town of Kingston was attacked and destroyed by the
Indians. Sixty-five of the inhabitants were tomahawked or carried
into captivity. To punish this outrage a strong force was sent from
New Amsterdam. The Indians fled to the woods; but the Dutch soldiers
pursued them to their villages, burned their wigwams, and killed every
warrior who could be overtaken. In May of 1664 a treaty of peace was
concluded.
19. Governor Stuyvesant had great difficulty in defending his province
against the claims of other nations. Discord at home added to his
embarrassments. For many years the Dutch had witnessed the growth and
prosperity of the English colonies. Boston had outgrown New Amsterdam.
The schools of Massachusetts and Connecticut flourished; the academy
on Manhattan, after a sickly career of two years, was discontinued. In
New Netherland heavy taxes were levied for the support of the poor; New
England had no poor. The Dutch attributed their own want of thrift to
the mismanagement of the West India Company.
[Sidenote: =The English Conquest.=]
20. On the 12th of March, 1664, the duke of York received from Charles
II. a patent for the whole country between the Connecticut and the
Delaware. The duke made haste to secure his territory. An English
squadron was immediately sent to America. On the 28th of August the
fleet anchored before New Amsterdam. Governor Stuyvesant convened the
Dutch council, and exhorted them to rouse to action and fight. Some one
replied that the West India Company _was not worth fighting for_. The
brave old man was forced to sign the capitulation; and on the 8th of
September, 1664, New Netherland ceased to exist.
21. The English flag was hoisted over the fort and town, and the name
of NEW YORK was substituted for New Amsterdam. The remaining Swedish
and Dutch settlements soon capitulated. The supremacy of Great Britain
in America was finally established. From Maine to Georgia, every mile
of the American coast was under the flag of England.
CHAPTER XV.
NEW YORK UNDER THE ENGLISH.
[Sidenote: =English Governors.=]
The Dutch had surrendered themselves to the English government in the
hope of obtaining civil liberty. But it was a poor sort of liberty that
any province was likely to receive from Charles II. The promised rights
of the people were evaded and withheld. The old titles by which the
Dutch farmers held their lands were annulled. The people were obliged
to accept new deeds from the English governor, and to pay him therefor
large sums of money.
2. In 1667 Nicolls, the first English governor of New York, was
superseded by the tyrannical Lord Lovelace. The people became
dissatisfied and gloomy. The discontent was universal. Several towns
resisted the tax-gatherers and passed resolutions denouncing the
government. The only attention which Lovelace and his council paid to
these resolutions was to order them to be burnt before the town-house
of New York. When the Swedes, a quiet people, resisted the governor's
exactions, he wrote to his deputy: "If there is any more murmuring
against the taxes, make them so heavy that the people can do nothing
but think how to pay them."
3. In 1672 Charles II. was induced by the king of France to begin a
war with Holland. The struggle extended to the colonies, and New York
was for a short time revolutionized. But the conquest was only a brief
military occupation of the country. The civil authority of the Dutch
was never reestablished. In 1674 Charles II. was obliged to conclude a
treaty of peace. All conquests made during the war were restored. New
York reverted to the English government, and the rights of the duke of
York were again recognized in the province. Sir Edmund Andros was now
appointed governor. On the last day of October the Dutch forces were
finally withdrawn, and Andros assumed control of the government.
[Illustration: Dutch Costumes and Architecture.]
4. It was a sad sort of government for the people. All the abuses of
Lovelace's administration were revived. Taxes were levied without
authority of law, and the protests of the people were treated with
scorn. A popular legislative assembly was demanded, but the duke of
York wrote to Andros that popular assemblies were dangerous to the
government, and that _he did not see any use for them_.
5. In July of 1675 Andros made an unsuccessful effort to extend his
authority over Connecticut, and later an equally ineffectual attempt to
gain control of New Jersey. The representatives of the people at this
latter place declared themselves to be under the protection of the
Great Charter, which not even the duke of York could alter or annul. In
August of 1682 the "Territories" beyond the Delaware were granted by
the Duke of York to William Penn. This little district, first settled
by the Swedes, afterwards conquered by the Dutch, then transferred to
England, was now finally separated from New York and joined to the new
province of Pennsylvania.
[Sidenote: =Popular Assembly Granted.=]
6. For thirty years the people had been clamoring for a general
assembly. At last the duke of York yielded to the demand. Then, for the
first time, the people of the province were permitted to choose their
own rulers and to frame their own laws. The new assembly made haste to
declare THE PEOPLE to be a part of the government. All freeholders were
granted the right of suffrage; trial by jury was established; taxes
should not be levied except by the assembly; soldiers should not be
quartered on the people; martial law should not exist; no person should
be persecuted on account of his religion.
7. In July of 1684 the governors of New York and Virginia were met by
the chiefs of the Iroquois at Albany, and the terms of a lasting peace
were settled. In 1685 the duke of York became king of England. It was
soon found that even a monarch could violate his pledges. King James
became the enemy of the government which had been established in his
American province. The legislature of New York was dismissed. An odious
tax was levied. Printing-presses were forbidden; and the old abuses
were revived.
[Sidenote: =Leisler's Insurrection.=]
8. When the news of the accession of William of Orange reached New
York there was great rejoicing. The people rose in rebellion against
deputy-governor Nicholson, who was glad to escape to England. The
leader of the insurrection was Captain Jacob Leisler. He was appointed
commandant of New York, and afterwards provisional governor. The
councilors, who were friends of the deposed Nicholson, left the
city and went to Albany. Here the party opposed to Leisler organized
a second provisional government. Both factions began to rule in the
name of William and Mary, the new sovereigns of England. Such was the
condition of affairs at the beginning of King William's War. In the
spring of 1690, the authority of Leisler as governor of New York was
recognized throughout the province.
9. In March, 1691, Colonel Sloughter arrived, with appointment as
governor; and Leisler, on the same day, tendered his submission. He
wrote a letter to Sloughter, expressing a desire to surrender the post
to the governor. But Sloughter preferred to treat him as a traitor, and
had him seized and sent to prison.
10. As soon as the government was organized the prisoner was brought
to trial. It was decided that he had been a usurper. Sentence of
death was passed on him, but Sloughter hesitated to put the sentence
into execution. In this state of affairs the governor was invited to
a banquet by the royal councilors; and when heated with drink, the
death-warrant was thrust before him for his signature. He succeeded in
signing his name to the parchment; and before his drunken revel had
passed away, his victim had met his fate. On the 16th of May Leisler
was taken from prison and hanged.
[Sidenote: =French Invasion.=]
11. In 1696 New York was invaded by the French. But they were soon
driven back by the English and Iroquois. Before a second invasion could
be undertaken, King William's War was ended. In 1697 the Irish earl of
Bellomont became governor. His administration was the happiest in the
history of the colony. Massachusetts and New Hampshire were under his
jurisdiction, but Connecticut and Rhode Island remained independent.
12. To Bellomont's administration belongs the story of Captain
William Kidd, the pirate. A vessel was fitted out by a company of
distinguished Englishmen to protect the commerce of Great Britain and
to punish piracy. Governor Bellomont was one of the proprietors, and
Kidd received a commission as captain. The ship sailed from England
before Bellomont's departure for New York. Soon the news came that Kidd
himself had turned pirate and become the terror of the seas. For two
years he continued his career, then appeared publicly in the streets of
Boston, was seized, sent to England, tried, convicted, and hanged.
[Sidenote: =New York and New Jersey United.=]
13. In May of 1702 Bellomont was superseded by Lord Cornbury. A
month previously the proprietors of New Jersey had surrendered their
province to the English Crown. All obstacles being thus removed, the
two colonies were formally united in one government under Cornbury. For
thirty-six years the two provinces continued under the jurisdiction of
a single governor.
14. In 1732, New York was troubled with a dispute about the freedom of
the press. The liberal party of the province held that a public journal
might criticise the acts of the administration. The aristocratic party
opposed such liberty as dangerous to good government. Zenger, an editor
who published criticisms on the governor, was seized and put in prison.
Great excitement ensued. The people praised their champion. Andrew
Hamilton, a lawyer of Philadelphia, went to New York to defend Zenger,
who was brought to trial in July of 1735. The cause was heard, and the
jury brought in a verdict of acquittal. The aldermen of New York, in
order to testify their appreciation of Hamilton's services, made him a
present of an elegant gold box, and the people were enthusiastic over
their victory.
[Sidenote: =The Negro Plot.=]
15. In the year 1741 occurred what is known as THE NEGRO PLOT. Negroes
constituted a large fraction of the people. Several fires occurred,
and the slaves were suspected of having kindled them; now they became
feared and hated. A rumor was started that the negroes had made a plot
to burn the city, and set up one of their own number as governor. The
reward of freedom was offered to any slave who would reveal the plot.
Many witnesses rushed forward; the jails were filled with the accused;
and more than thirty of the miserable creatures, with hardly the form
of a trial, were convicted and then hanged or burned to death. Others
were transported and sold as slaves in foreign lands. As soon as the
excitement had subsided, it came to be doubted whether the whole affair
had not been the result of terror and fanaticism. The verdict of after
times has been _that there was no plot at all_.
16. Such is the history of the little colony planted on Manhattan
Island. A hundred and thirty years had passed since the first feeble
settlements were made; the valley of the Hudson was filled with farms
and villages. The Walloons of Flanders and the Puritans of New England
had blended into one people. Discord and contention had only resulted
in colonial liberty. There were other struggles through which the sons
of New York had to pass before they gained their freedom. But the
oldest and greatest of the Middle Colonies had entered upon a glorious
career, and the foundations of an EMPIRE STATE were laid.
CHAPTER XVI.
CONNECTICUT, RHODE ISLAND, AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[Sidenote: =Rival Claims to Connecticut.=]
The history of Connecticut begins with the year 1630. The first grant
of the territory was made by the council of Plymouth to the earl of
Warwick; and in March, 1631, the claim was transferred by him to Lord
Say-and-Seal, Lord Brooke, and John Hampden. Before a colony could be
planted, the Dutch of New Netherland reached the Connecticut and built
a fort at Hartford. The people of Plymouth immediately sent out a force
to counteract this movement of their rivals, for the territorial claim
of the Puritans extended over Connecticut and over New Netherland
itself.
[Illustration: Early Settlements in Connecticut.]
2. In October of 1635 a colony of sixty persons from Boston settled
at Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield. Earlier in the same year the
younger Winthrop, son of the governor of Massachusetts, arrived in
New England. Under his direction a fort was built at the mouth of the
Connecticut. Such was the founding of Saybrook, named in honor of Lord
Say-and-Seal and Lord Brooke.
3. To the early annals of Connecticut belongs the sad story of THE
PEQUOD WAR. The country west of the Thames was more thickly peopled
with savages than any other portion of New England. The warlike Pequods
were able to muster seven hundred warriors. The whole force of the
English did not amount to two hundred men. But the superior numbers of
the savages were more than balanced by the courage and weapons of the
English. In the year 1633 the crew of a trading-vessel were murdered
on the banks of the Connecticut. An Indian embassy went to Boston to
apologize; a treaty was made, and the Pequods acknowledged the king
of England. But soon they began to violate the treaty. Outrages were
committed, and war began in earnest.
[Sidenote: =The Pequod War.=]
4. In this state of affairs the Pequods attempted to induce the
Narragansetts and the Mohegans to join in a war against the English.
But Roger Williams, now in Rhode Island, used his endeavors to thwart
the alliance. Embarking alone in a canoe, he crossed the bay to the
house of Canonicus, king of the Narragansetts. There he found the
ambassadors of the Pequods. For three days and nights, at the peril
of his life, he pleaded with Canonicus to reject the proposals of
the hostile tribe. At last his efforts were successful, and the
Narragansetts voted to remain at peace. The Mohegans also rejected the
proposed alliance. In the mean time, repeated acts of violence had
aroused the colony. On the 1st of May the towns of Connecticut declared
war. Sixty volunteers were put under command of Captain John Mason, of
Hartford. Seventy Mohegans joined the expedition; and Sir Henry Vane
sent Captain Underhill with twenty soldiers from Boston.
5. The descent from Hartford to Saybrook occupied one day. On the
20th of the month the expedition passed the mouth of the Thames; here
was the principal seat of the Pequod nation. When the savages saw
the squadron go by they set up shouts of exultation, and persuaded
themselves that the English were afraid to hazard battle. The fleet
proceeded quietly into Narragansett Bay. Here the troops landed and
began their march into the country of the Pequods.
6. On the 25th of May the troops came within hearing of the Pequod
fort. The warriors spent the night in uproar and jubilee. At two
o'clock in the morning the English soldiers rose from their places of
concealment and rushed forward to the fort. A dog ran howling among
the wigwams, and the warriors sprang to arms. The English leaped over
the puny palisades and began the work of death. "Burn them!" shouted
Mason, seizing a flaming mat, and running among the cabins; and in a
few minutes the wigwams were a sheet of flame. The English and Mohegans
hastily withdrew.
[Sidenote: =Destruction of the Pequods.=]
7. The savages ran round and round like wild beasts in a burning
circus. If one of the wretched creatures burst through the flames it
was only to meet certain death. The destruction was complete. Only
seven warriors escaped; seven others were made prisoners. Six hundred
men, women, and children perished, nearly all being burned to death.
The remnants of the Pequods were pursued into the swamps west of
Saybrook. Every wigwam was burned and every field laid waste. Two
hundred fugitives were hunted to death or captivity. The prisoners were
distributed as servants among the Narragansetts, or sold as slaves.
[Sidenote: =New Haven Founded.=]
8. In the pursuit of the Pequods, the English became acquainted with
the coast west of the mouth of the Connecticut. Here some men of Boston
tarried over winter, built cabins, and founded NEW HAVEN. In June of
1639 the men of New Haven held a convention _in a barn_, and adopted
the Bible for a constitution. The government was called the House of
Wisdom, and none but church members were admitted to citizenship.
9. In 1643 Connecticut became a member of the Union of New England. New
Haven was also admitted; and in the next year Saybrook was annexed to
Connecticut. In 1650 Governor Stuyvesant met the commissioners of the
province at Hartford, and established the western boundary.
[Sidenote: =Winthrop secures a Charter.=]
10. On the restoration of monarchy in England, Connecticut recognized
King Charles as rightful sovereign. The younger Winthrop was sent as
ambassador to London to procure a royal patent for the colony. He
bore with him a charter which had been prepared by the authorities
of Hartford. Lord Say-and-Seal and the earl of Manchester lent their
influence to induce the king to sign it. Winthrop showed him a ring
which Charles I. had given to Winthrop's grandfather; and the token so
moved the monarch's feelings that in a careless moment he signed the
colonial charter--the most liberal and ample ever granted by an English
king.
11. When Winthrop returned to Connecticut he was chosen governor of
the colony, and continued in office for fourteen years. The civil
institutions of the province were the best in New England. Peace
reigned. During King Philip's War, Connecticut was saved from invasion.
Not a hamlet was burned, not a life lost within her borders.
12. In October of 1687 Andros, now governor of all New England, made
his famous visit to Hartford. On the day of his arrival he invaded
the assembly while in session, seized the book of minutes, and wrote
FINIS at the bottom of the page. He then demanded the surrender of the
colonial charter. Governor Treat pleaded earnestly for the preservation
of the document. Andros was inexorable. The shades of evening fell. How
Joseph Wadsworth carried away and concealed the precious parchment
has been told in the history of Massachusetts. When the government
of Andros was overthrown, Connecticut, with the other New England
colonies, regained her liberty.
[Sidenote: =Yale College Founded.=]
13. "I give these books for the founding of a college in this colony."
Such were the words of ten ministers who, in 1700, assembled at
Branford, New Haven. Each of them, as he uttered the words, deposited a
few volumes on the table where they were sitting; such was the founding
of YALE COLLEGE. In 1702 the school was opened at Saybrook, where it
continued for fifteen years, and was then removed to New Haven. One of
the most liberal patrons of the college was Elihu Yale, from whom the
institution took its name. Common schools already existed in almost
every village of Connecticut.
14. The half century preceding the French and Indian war was a time
of prosperity in the western parts of New England. Connecticut was
especially favored. Peace reigned throughout her borders. The farmer
reaped his fields in cheerfulness and hope. The mechanic made glad his
dusty shop with anecdote and song. The merchant feared no tariff, the
villager no taxes. Want was unknown, and pauperism unheard of. With
fewer dark pages in her history, Connecticut had all the lofty purposes
and noble virtues of Massachusetts.
15. In June of 1636 the exiled Roger Williams left the country of the
Wampanoags, and passed down the Seekonk to Narragansett River. With his
five companions he landed on the western bank, purchased the soil of
the Narragansetts, and laid the foundations of Providence. Other exiles
joined the company. New farms were laid out and new houses built.
Here, at last, was found at PROVIDENCE PLANTATION a refuge for all the
persecuted.
[Sidenote: =Providence Plantation.=]
16. The leader of the new colony was a native of Wales; born in
1606; liberally educated at Cambridge. He had been the friend of
Milton, and was a great hater of ceremonies. He had been exiled _to_
Massachusetts, and was now exiled _by_ Massachusetts. He brought to the
banks of the Narragansett the great doctrines of religious liberty and
the equal rights of men.
[Illustration: A New England Kitchen in the Olden Time.]
17. The beginning of civil government in Rhode Island was equally
simple. Williams was the natural ruler of the little province, but he
reserved for himself no wealth, no privilege. The lands, purchased from
Canonicus, were freely distributed among the colonists. Only two small
fields were kept by the founder for himself. All the powers of the
government were intrusted to the people. A simple agreement was made by
the settlers that in matters not affecting the conscience they would
yield obedience to such rules as the majority might make for the public
good. In questions of religion the conscience should be to every man a
guide.
18. The new government stood the test of experience. Providence
Plantation had peace and quiet. It was found that all religious
sects could live together in harmony. Miantonomah, chief of the
Narragansetts, loved Roger Williams as a brother. It was his friendship
that enabled Williams to notify Massachusetts of the Pequod conspiracy,
and to defeat the plans of the hostile nation. This good deed induced
his friends at Salem to make an effort to recall him from banishment;
but his enemies prevented his return.
[Illustration: Stone Tower at Newport.]
[Sidenote: =Plantation of Rhode Island.=]
19. In 1639 a settlement was made at Portsmouth, in the northern part
of the island, and at the same time a party of colonists removed to the
southwestern part of the island, and laid the foundations of NEWPORT.
In sight of this last-named settlement stood the old stone tower, a
monument built by the Norsemen. In March of 1641 a public meeting was
convened; the citizens came together on terms of equality, and the task
of framing a constitution was undertaken. In three days the instrument
was completed. The government was declared to be a "DEMOCRACIE." The
supreme authority was lodged with the freemen of the island. The
vote of the majority should always rule. No one should be distressed
on account of religious doctrine. The little republic was named the
PLANTATION OF RHODE ISLAND.
20. In 1643 Providence and Rhode Island were refused admission into
the Union of New England. Soon afterward Roger Williams was sent to
London to procure a charter for the new colonies. On the 14th of March
in the following year the patent was granted, and Rhode Island became
an independent commonwealth. With but few and brief interruptions
it enjoyed peace and prosperity. The principles of the illustrious
founder became the principles of the commonwealth. The renown of Rhode
Island has not been in vastness of territory, in mighty cities, or in
victorious armies, but in devotion to truth, justice, and freedom.
[Sidenote: =Province of New Hampshire.=]
21. In 1622 the territory between the Merrimac and the Kennebec was
granted by the council of Plymouth to Sir Ferdinand Gorges and John
Mason. The proprietors made haste to secure their new domain by actual
settlements. In the spring of 1623 two small companies of colonists
were sent out by Mason and Gorges to people their province. One party
of immigrants landed at Little Harbor, near Portsmouth, and began to
build a village. The other company proceeded up stream and laid the
foundations of Dover. With the exception of Plymouth and Weymouth,
Portsmouth and Dover are the oldest towns in New England. But the
progress of the settlements was slow; for many years the two villages
were only fishing stations. In 1629 the name of NEW HAMPSHIRE was given
to the province. Very soon Massachusetts began to urge her rights to
the district north of the Merrimac.
22. On the 14th of April, 1642, New Hampshire was united with
Massachusetts. The law restricting the rights of citizenship to church
members was not extended over the new province, for the people of
Portsmouth and Dover belonged to the Church of England. New Hampshire
was the only colony east of the Hudson not originally founded by the
Puritans. The union continued in force until 1679, when New Hampshire
was separated from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, and organized as
a distinct royal province. Edward Cranfield was chosen governor.
23. Before his arrival the sawyers and lumbermen of the Piscataqua
convened a general assembly at Portsmouth. A resolution was passed
by the representatives that no act, law, or ordinance should be valid
unless made by the assembly and approved by the people. When the king
heard of this resolution he declared it to be both wicked and absurd.
24. Of all the colonies, New Hampshire suffered most from the Indian
wars. Her settlements were constantly exposed to savage invasion.
During King Philip's War the suffering along the frontier was very
great. In the wars of William, Anne, and George the province was
visited with devastation and ruin. But in the intervals of peace the
spirits of the people revived, and the hardy settlers returned to their
wasted farms. Out of these conflicts and trials came that sturdy race
of pioneers who bore such a heroic part in the contests of after years.
CHAPTER XVII.
NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA.
The history of New Jersey begins with the founding of Elizabethtown,
in 1664. As early as 1618, a trading-station had been established at
Bergen; but forty years passed before permanent dwellings were built in
that neighborhood.
[Sidenote: =Claims to New Jersey.=]
2. The territory of New Jersey was included in the grant made to the
duke of York. In 1664 that portion of the province lying between the
Hudson and the Delaware, extending as far north as forty-one degrees
and forty minutes, was assigned to Lord Berkeley and Sir George
Carteret. Just after the conquest, a company of Puritans received a
grant of land on Newark Bay. The Indian titles were purchased; in the
following October a village was begun and named Elizabethtown.
3. In August of 1665 Philip Carteret arrived as governor. Elizabethtown
was made the capital of the colony; Newark was founded; flourishing
hamlets appeared on the shores of the bay as far south as Sandy Hook.
In honor of Sir George Carteret, who had been governor of the Isle of
Jersey, his American domain was named NEW JERSEY. In 1668 the first
assembly convened at Elizabethtown. The representatives were Puritans,
and the laws of New England were repeated in the legislation of the
colony.
4. After the conquest of New York by the Dutch, and the restoration
of the province to England, the duke of York received from the king
a second patent for the country between the Connecticut and the
Delaware. At the same time he confirmed his former grant of New Jersey
to Berkeley and Carteret. But soon afterwards Sir Edmund Andros was
appointed royal governor of the whole country. Carteret defended his
claim against Andros; but Berkeley sold his interest in New Jersey to
John Fenwick, to be held in trust for Edward Byllinge, who after a time
made an assignment of his property to Gawen Laurie, Nicholas Lucas, and
William Penn.
[Sidenote: =Division of New Jersey.=]
5. These men were Quakers. Here, then, was an opportunity to establish
an asylum for the persecuted Friends. Penn and his associates applied
to Sir George Carteret for a division of the province. It was
accordingly agreed to divide New Jersey so that Carteret's district
should be separated from that of the Quakers. The line of division was
drawn from the southern point of land on the east side of Little Egg
Harbor to a point on the Delaware in the latitude of forty-one degrees
and forty minutes. The territory lying east of this line remained to
Sir George as sole proprietor, and was named EAST JERSEY; while that
portion lying between the line and the Delaware was called WEST JERSEY,
and passed under the control of Penn.
[Illustration: Middle Colonies.]
6. Early in the following March the Quaker proprietors published a code
of laws called THE CONCESSIONS. The constitution rivaled the charter
of Connecticut in the liberality of its principles. The authors of the
instrument then addressed the Quakers of England, recommending the
province and inviting immigration. Before the end of the year a colony
of more than four hundred Friends found homes in West Jersey. An effort
was now made by the proprietors of East Jersey to secure a deed of
release from the duke of York. The petition was granted, and the whole
territory was freed from foreign authority.
7. In November of 1681 Jennings, the deputy-governor of West Jersey,
convened the first general assembly. The Quakers now met together to
make their own laws. The Concessions were reaffirmed. Men of all races
and religions were declared to be equal. Imprisonment for debt was
forbidden. The sale of ardent spirits to the Red men was prohibited.
Taxes should be voted by the representatives of the people. The lands
of the Indians should be acquired by purchase. Finally, a criminal
might be pardoned by the person against whom the offense was committed.
[Sidenote: =Quakers purchase East Jersey.=]
8. In 1682 William Penn and eleven other Friends purchased the province
of East Jersey. The whole of New Jersey was now held by the Friends. In
1685 James II. appointed Edmund Andros royal governor of the colonies
from Maine to Delaware. In 1688 the Jerseys were brought under his
jurisdiction. When the news came of the abdication of the English
monarch, Andros could do nothing but surrender to the indignant people.
9. But the condition of New Jersey was deplorable. It was almost
impossible to tell to whom the territory rightfully belonged. Finally,
in April of 1702, all proprietary claims being waived in favor of the
king, the territory between the Hudson and the Delaware became a royal
province.
10. New Jersey was now attached to the government of Lord Cornbury
of New York. But each province retained its own legislative assembly
and a distinct organization. This method of government continued for
thirty-six years, and was then ended by the action of the people. In
1728 the representatives of New Jersey sent a petition to George
II., praying for a separation of the two colonies. Ten years later
the effort was renewed and brought to a successful issue. New Jersey
was made independent, and Lewis Morris received a commission as royal
governor of the province.
[Sidenote: =New Jersey a Royal Province.=]
11. The Quakers were greatly encouraged with the success of their
colonies in New Jersey. For more than a quarter of a century they had
been buffeted with persecutions. But imprisonment and exile had not
abated their zeal. The benevolent spirit of Penn urged him to find for
his people an asylum in the New World. In June of 1680 he appealed to
King Charles for the privilege of founding a Quaker commonwealth in
America.
[Sidenote: =Pennsylvania.=]
12. The petition was heard with favor. On the 5th of March, 1681,
a charter was granted by Charles II., and William Penn became the
proprietor of PENNSYLVANIA. The vast domain embraced under the new
patent was bounded on the east by the Delaware, extended north and
south over three degrees of latitude, and westward through five degrees
of longitude. The three counties of Delaware were reserved for the duke
of York. Within a month from the date of his charter, Penn published a
glowing account of his new country, promising freedom of conscience,
and inviting emigration. During the summer three shiploads of Quakers
left England for the land of promise.
13. During the winter of 1681-82, Penn drew up a constitution for his
people. In the mean time, the duke of York had surrendered his claim to
the three counties on the Delaware. The whole country on the west bank
of the river, from Cape Henlopen to the forty-third degree of latitude,
was now transferred to Penn, who, with a large company of emigrants,
landed at New Castle on the 27th of October, 1682.
[Sidenote: =William Penn.=]
14. WILLIAM PENN was born on the 14th of October, 1644. He was the
oldest son of Sir William Penn of the British navy. At the age of
twelve he was sent to the University of Oxford, where he distinguished
himself as a student until he was expelled on account of his religion.
Afterwards he traveled on the Continent, and then became a student of
law at London. For a while he was a soldier, and was then converted
to the Quaker faith. His father drove him out of doors, but he was
not to be turned from his course. He proclaimed the doctrines of the
Friends; was arrested and imprisoned, first in the Tower of London, and
afterward at Newgate. Despairing of toleration in England, he cast his
gaze across the Atlantic. West Jersey was purchased; Pennsylvania was
granted by King Charles; and now Penn himself arrived in America to
found a government on the basis of peace.
[Illustration: William Penn.]
[Sidenote: =Treaty of Shackamaxon.=]
15. The Quaker governor delivered an affectionate address to the crowd
of Swedes, Dutch, and English who came to greet him. His pledges of
a liberal government were renewed, and the people were exhorted to
sobriety and honesty. Friendly relations were established between the
Friends and Red men. A great conference, appointed with the sachems of
the neighboring tribes, was held on the banks of the Delaware. Penn
declared his brotherly affection for the Indians. Standing before
them, clad in the simple garb of the Quakers, he said:--"MY FRIENDS:
We have met on the broad pathway of good faith. We are all one flesh
and blood. Being brethren, no advantage shall be taken on either side.
When disputes arise, we will settle them in council. Between us there
shall be nothing but openness and love." The chiefs replied: "While the
rivers run and the sun shines we will live in peace with the children
of William Penn." And the treaty was sacredly kept. The Quaker hat and
coat proved to be a better defense than coat-of-mail and musket.
16. In February of 1683 the native chestnuts, walnuts and elms were
blazed to indicate the lines of the streets, and PHILADELPHIA was
founded. Within a month a general assembly was in session at the new
capital. A democratic form of government was adopted. The growth of
Philadelphia was astonishing. In 1683 there were only three or four
houses. In 1685 the city contained six hundred houses; the schoolmaster
had come, and the printing-press had begun its work. In another year
Philadelphia had outgrown New York. In August of 1684 Penn took leave
of his colony and sailed for England.
[Sidenote: =Secession of Delaware.=]
17. Nothing occurred to disturb the peace of Pennsylvania until the
secession of Delaware in 1691. The three lower counties, which had been
united on terms of equality with the six counties of Pennsylvania,
became dissatisfied with some acts of the assembly and insisted on a
separation. The proprietor gave consent; Delaware withdrew from the
union, and received a separate deputy-governor.
18. In December of 1699 Penn visited his American commonwealth, and
drew up another constitution, more liberal than the first. But Delaware
would not accept the new form of government. In 1702 the assemblies of
the two provinces sat apart; and in the following year Delaware and
Pennsylvania were finally separated.
19. In July of 1718 the founder of Pennsylvania sank to rest. His
estates, vast and valuable, were bequeathed to his three sons, John,
Thomas, and Richard. By them, or their deputies, Pennsylvania was
governed until the American Revolution. In the year 1779 the claims of
the Penn family were purchased by the legislature of Pennsylvania for a
hundred and thirty thousand pounds.
20. The colonial history of the State founded by Penn is one of special
interest and pleasure. It is a narrative of the victories of peace,
and of the triumph of peaceful principles over violence and wrong. It
is doubtful whether the history of any other colony in the world is
touched with so many traits of innocence and truth. "I will found a
free colony for all mankind," were the words of William Penn. How well
his work was done shall be told when the bells of his capital city
shall ring out the glad notes of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
CHAPTER XVIII.
MARYLAND AND NORTH CAROLINA.
Captain John Smith was the first white man to explore the Chesapeake.
In 1621 William Clayborne, an English surveyor, was sent out by the
London Company to make a map of the country around the bay. By the
second charter of Virginia that province included all of the present
State of Maryland. To explore and occupy the country was an enterprise
of the highest importance to the Virginians. In May of 1631 Clayborne
was authorized to survey the country as far north as the forty-first
degree of latitude, and to establish a trade with the Indians. In the
spring of 1632 he began his important work.
[Sidenote: =First Posts in Maryland.=]
2. The enterprise was attended with success. A trading-post was
established on Kent Island, and another near Havre de Grace. The
Chesapeake was explored and a trade opened with the natives. The limits
of Virginia were about to be extended to the borders of New Netherland.
But, in the mean time, religious persecutions were preparing the
way for the foundation of a new State in the wilderness. Sir George
Calvert, a Catholic nobleman of Yorkshire, better known by his title of
LORD BALTIMORE, was destined to become the founder.
3. In 1629 he made a visit to Virginia. The general assembly offered
him citizenship, but required such an oath of allegiance as no honest
Catholic could take. Lord Baltimore thereupon left the narrow-minded
legislators; returned to London; drew up a charter for a new State on
the Chesapeake, and induced King Charles to sign it.
4. The provisions of the charter were ample. No preference was given
to any particular religion. The lives and property of the colonists
were carefully guarded. Arbitrary taxation was forbidden. The power of
making the laws was conceded to the freemen of the colony.
[Sidenote: =Lord Baltimore's Charter.=]
5. Before the patent could receive the seal of state, Sir George
Calvert died. His title descended to his son Cecil; and the charter was
issued to him on the 20th of June, 1632. In honor of Henrietta Maria,
wife of Charles I., the name of MARYLAND was conferred on the new
province. In the fall of 1633 a colony numbering two hundred persons
was collected. Leonard Calvert, a brother of Cecil, was appointed to
accompany the colonists to America.
[Illustration: Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore.]
6. In March of 1634 the immigrants arrived at Old Point Comfort. They
proceeded up the bay and ascended the Potomac. Finding a half-deserted
Indian village at the mouth of the St. Mary's, the English moved into
the vacant huts. The rest of the town was purchased; and the name of
ST. MARY'S was given to the colony. Friendly relations were established
with the natives. The Indian women taught the wives of the English
how to make cornbread, and the warriors instructed the colonists in
the art of hunting. There was neither anxiety nor want in the colony.
Within six months the settlement had grown into greater prosperity than
Jamestown had reached in as many years.
7. In 1639 a representative government was established in Maryland.
Hitherto a system of democracy had prevailed; each freeman had been
allowed a vote in determining the laws. When the new delegates came
together, a declaration of rights was adopted. All the liberal
principles of the colonial patent were reaffirmed. The rights of
citizenship were declared to be the same as those of the people of
England.
8. In 1642 Indian hostilities were begun on the Potomac. But the
settlements of Maryland were compact, and no great suffering was
occasioned. In 1644 the savages agreed to bury the hatchet and to renew
the pledges of friendship.
9. In 1650 the legislature of Maryland was divided into two branches.
The rights of Lord Baltimore were defined by law. An act was passed
declaring that no taxes should be levied without the consent of the
assembly. Such was the condition of affairs in the colony of Maryland
when the Commonwealth was established in England.
[Sidenote: =Conflict with Parliament.=]
10. In 1651 parliamentary commissioners came to America to assume
control of Maryland. Stone, the deputy of Baltimore, was deposed from
office; but in the following year he was permitted to resume the
government. In April of 1653 he published a proclamation, declaring
that the recent interference had been a rebellion. Clayborne thereupon
collected a force in Virginia, drove Stone out of office, and directed
the government himself.
11. In 1654 a Protestant assembly was convened at Patuxent. The
supremacy of Cromwell was acknowledged, and the Catholics were deprived
of the protection of the laws. Civil war ensued. Governor Stone armed
the militia, and seized the records of the colony. A battle was fought
near Annapolis, and the Catholics were defeated, with a loss of
fifty men. Stone was taken prisoner, but was saved from death by the
friendship of some of the insurgents. Three of the Catholics were tried
and executed.
12. After the death of Cromwell, Maryland was declared independent.
On the 12th of March, 1660, the rights of Lord Baltimore were set
aside, and the whole power of government was assumed by the House of
Burgesses. On the restoration of monarchy the Baltimores were again
recognized, and Philip Calvert was sent out as governor. From 1675 to
1691 Charles Calvert was governor of Maryland.
13. On the 1st of June, 1691, the charter of Lord Baltimore was
taken away and a royal governor appointed. The Episcopal Church
was established by law. Religious toleration was abolished and the
government administered on despotic principles. This condition of
affairs continued until 1715, when Queen Anne restored the heir of Lord
Baltimore to the rights of his family. Maryland remained under the
authority of the Calverts until the Revolution.
[Sidenote: =Settlement of the Carolinas.=]
14. The first effort to colonize North Carolina was made by Sir Walter
Raleigh. In 1630 the country was granted to Sir Robert Heath. But,
after thirty-three years, the patent was revoked by the English king.
The name of CAROLINA had been given to the country by John Ribault, in
1562. The first actual settlement was made on the Chowan about the year
1651. In 1661 a company of Puritans settled on Oldtown Creek. In 1663
Lord Clarendon, and seven other noblemen, received a grant of all the
country between the thirty-sixth parallel and the river St. John's.
15. The work of preparing a frame of government for the new province
was assigned to Sir Ashley Cooper. The philosopher John Locke was
employed by him and his associates to prepare the constitution. From
March until July of 1669, Locke worked away in drawing up a plan
which he called THE GRAND MODEL. _It contained one hundred and twenty
articles_; and this was but the beginning! The empire of Carolina was
divided into districts of four hundred and eighty thousand acres each.
The offices were divided between two grand orders of nobility.
16. All attempts to establish the new government ended in failure. But
the settlers had meanwhile learned to govern themselves. They grew
prosperous by trading in staves and furs; and when this traffic was
exhausted, they began to remove to other settlements.
17. The people of the colony were greatly oppressed with taxes. The
trade with New England alone was weighed down with an annual duty
of twelve thousand dollars. A gloomy opposition to the government
prevailed; and when, in 1676, large numbers of refugees from Virginia
arrived in Carolina, the discontent was kindled into an insurrection.
The people seized Governor Miller and his council, and established
a new government of their own. John Culpepper, the leader of the
insurgents, was chosen governor. In 1679 Miller and his associates
escaped from confinement and went to London. Governor Culpepper, who
followed to defend himself, was seized, indicted for treason, tried,
and acquitted. After a time new settlers came from Virginia and
Maryland--Quakers from New England, Huguenots from France, and peasants
from Switzerland.
[Sidenote: =Indian Troubles.=]
18. The Indians of North Carolina gradually wasted away. Some of the
nations were already extinct. The lands of the savages had passed to
the whites, sometimes by purchase, sometimes by fraud. Of all the
tribes of the Carolinas, only the Corees and the Tuscaroras were still
formidable. These grew jealous and went to war with the whites.
19. On the night of the 22d of September, 1711, the savages fell upon
the scattered settlements and murdered a hundred and thirty persons.
Civil dissensions prevented the authorities from adopting vigorous
measures of defence. But Colonel Barnwell came from South Carolina
with a company of militia and friendly Indians; and the savages were
driven into their fort. A treaty of peace was made; but, on their way
homeward, Barnwell's men sacked an Indian village, and the war was at
once renewed.
20. In the next year, Colonel Moore of South Carolina arrived with a
regiment of whites and Indians, and the Tuscaroras were pursued to
their fort, which was carried by assault. Eight hundred warriors were
taken prisoners. The power of the hostile nation was broken; and the
Tuscaroras, abandoning their hunting-grounds, marched across Virginia,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania, joined their kinsmen of New York, and
became the sixth nation of the Iroquois.
[Sidenote: =Separation of the Carolinas.=]
21. In 1729 a separation was effected between the two Carolinas, and a
royal governor was appointed over each. In spite of many reverses, the
northern colony had greatly prospered. Intellectual development had not
been as rapid as the growth in numbers and wealth. Little attention
had been given to questions of religion. There was no minister in the
province until 1703. Two years later the first church was built. The
printing-press did not begin its work until 1754. But the people were
brave and patriotic. They loved their country, and called it the LAND
OF SUMMER.
CHAPTER XIX.
SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
In January of 1670 the proprietors of Carolina sent out a colony under
command of Joseph West and William Sayle. On the first high land upon
the southern bank of the Ashley River were laid the foundations of Old
Charleston, named in honor of Charles II. Sayle had been commissioned
as governor of the colony, and he at once assumed control.
[Sidenote: =Introduction of Slaves.=]
2. In 1671 he died, and West entered upon the duties of the vacant
office. In a few months Sir John Yeamans, who had been governor of the
northern province, was commissioned as chief magistrate of the southern
colony. He brought with him to Ashley River a cargo of African slaves.
Thus the labor of the black man was substituted for the labor of the
white man, and in less than two years slavery was firmly established.
The importation of negroes went on so rapidly that soon the negroes
were twice as numerous as the white men.
3. During the year 1671 the country was rapidly filled with people.
Fertile lands were abundant. Wars and pestilence had almost destroyed
the native tribes. The proprietors of Carolina sent several ships to
New York, loaded them with the discontented people of that province,
and brought them to Charleston. Charles II. collected a company of
Protestant refugees in Europe, and sent them to Carolina to introduce
the silk-worm and to cultivate the grape.
4. In 1680 the present city of Charleston was founded. Thirty dwellings
were erected during the first summer. The village immediately became
the capital of the colony. The unhealthy climate retarded the progress
of the new town, but the people were full of life and enterprise.
[Sidenote: =French Huguenots.=]
5. England, France, Scotland, and Ireland sent colonies to South
Carolina. Especially did the French Huguenots come in great numbers,
for they were now persecuted in their own country. They were met by
the proprietors with a promise of citizenship; but the promise was not
well kept, for the general assembly claimed the right of fixing the
conditions of naturalization. Not until 1697 were all discriminations
against the French immigrants removed.
6. In April of 1693 the proprietors of Carolina annulled the Grand
Model, and Thomas Smith was appointed governor. He was soon superseded
by John Archdale, a distinguished Quaker, under whose administration
the colony entered upon a new career of prosperity. The quit-rents on
lands were remitted for four years. The Indians were conciliated with
kindness, and the Huguenots protected in their rights. It was a real
misfortune when, in 1698, the good governor was recalled to England.
7. James Moore was next commissioned as chief magistrate. In December
of 1705 he led an expedition against the Indians. On the 14th of the
month the invaders reached a fortified town near St. Mark's. The place
was carried by assault, and more than two hundred prisoners were taken.
On the next day Moore's forces defeated a large body of Indians and
Spaniards. Five towns were carried in succession, and the English flag
was borne to the Gulf of Mexico.
8. In the first year of Governor Johnson's administration, an act was
passed disfranchising all dissenters from the English Church, but
Parliament voted that the act was contrary to the laws of England. In
November of the same year the colonial legislature revoked the law; but
Episcopalianism continued to be the established faith of the province.
[Sidenote: =The Yamassee War.=]
9. In the spring of 1715 the Yamassees rose upon the frontier
settlements and committed an atrocious massacre. The desperate savages
came within a short distance of the capital, and the whole colony was
threatened with destruction. But Governor Craven rallied the militia,
and the savages were pursued to the banks of the Salkehatchie. Here a
decisive battle was fought, and the Indians were completely routed. The
Yamassees collected their tribe and retired into Florida.
10. At the close of the war the assembly petitioned the proprietors
to bear a portion of the expense. But they refused, and would take
no measures for the protection of the colony. The people, greatly
burdened with rents and taxes, grew dissatisfied with the proprietary
government. In the new election every delegate was chosen by the
popular party. When James Moore, the new chief magistrate elected by
the people, was to be inaugurated, Governor Johnson tried to prevent
the ceremony. But the militia collected in the public square, and
before nightfall the government of Carolina was overthrown. Governor
Moore, the people's choice, was duly inaugurated in the name of King
George I.
[Sidenote: =Becomes a Royal Province.=]
11. Still another change in colonial affairs was now at hand. In
1729 seven of the proprietors of Carolina sold their claims in the
province to the king. The sum paid by George II. for the two colonies
was twenty-two thousand five hundred pounds. Royal governors were
appointed, and the affairs of the province were settled on a permanent
basis.
12. The people who colonized South Carolina were brave and chivalrous.
The Huguenot, the Scotch Presbyterian, the English dissenter, the
Irish adventurer, and the Dutch mechanic, composed the material of
the PALMETTO STATE. Equally with the Puritans of the North, the South
Carolinians were lovers of liberty. The people became the leaders in
politeness and honor between man and man.
[Sidenote: =Georgia Chartered.=]
13. Georgia, the thirteenth American colony, was founded by James
Oglethorpe, an English philanthropist. The laws of England permitted
imprisonment for debt. Thousands of English laborers were annually
arrested and thrown into jail. In order to provide a refuge for the
poor and the distressed, Oglethorpe appealed to George II. for the
privilege of planting a colony in America. The petition was favorably
heard, and on the 9th of June, 1732, a charter was issued by which the
territory between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers, and westward to the
Pacific, was granted to a corporation, _to be held in trust for the
poor_. In honor of the king, the new province was named GEORGIA.
[Sidenote: =Savannah Founded.=]
14. Oglethorpe, who was a brave soldier and a member of Parliament,
was the principal member of the corporation. To him was entrusted the
leadership of the first colony to be planted on the Savannah. By the
middle of November a hundred and twenty emigrants were ready to sail
for the New World. In January of 1733 the company was welcomed at
Charleston. Further south the colonists entered the river, and on the
1st of February laid the foundations of Savannah.
[Illustration: James Oglethorpe.]
15. The chief of the Yamacraws came from his cabin to see the
new-comers. "Here is a present for you," said he to Oglethorpe. The
present was a buffalo robe painted with the head and feathers of an
eagle. "The feathers are soft, and signify love; the buffalo skin is
the emblem of protection. Therefore love us and protect us," said the
old chieftain. Seeing the advantages of peace, Oglethorpe invited a
council at his capital. The conference was held on the 29th of May.
Long King, the sachem, spoke for all the tribes. The English were
welcomed to the country. Gifts were made, and the governor responded
with words of friendship.
[Illustration: Oglethorpe and the Yamacraw Chief.]
16. The councilors in England encouraged emigration. Swiss peasants,
Scotch Highlanders, and German Protestants all found a home on the
Savannah. In April of 1734, Oglethorpe made a visit to England. It
was said in London that no colony was ever before founded so wisely
as Georgia. The councilors prohibited the importation of rum. Traffic
with the Indians was regulated by a license. Slavery was positively
forbidden. While the governor was still abroad, a company of Moravians
arrived at Savannah.
[Sidenote: =Coming of the Missionaries.=]
17. In February of 1736 Oglethorpe came back with a colony of three
hundred. These were also Moravians, people of deep piety and fervent
spirit. First among them was John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. He
came to Georgia to spread the gospel and convert the Indians. But he
was doomed to much disappointment in his work; and after a residence of
less than two years he left the colony. His brother, Charles Wesley,
came also as a secretary to Governor Oglethorpe. In 1738 the famous
George Whitefield came, and preached with fiery eloquence through all
the colonies.
18. Meanwhile, Oglethorpe, anticipating war with Florida, began
to fortify. All of Georgia was embraced in the Spanish claim. But
Oglethorpe had a charter for the territory as far south as the
Altamaha. In 1736 he ascended the Savannah and built a fort at Augusta.
On the north bank of the Altamaha, he built Fort Darien. On St. Simon's
Island a fortress was erected and named Frederica. The St. John's was
claimed from this time forth as the southern boundary of Georgia. The
governor again visited England, and returned with a regiment of troops.
[Sidenote: =War with Spanish Florida.=]
19. In October, 1739, England published a declaration of war against
Spain. In the first week of the following January, Oglethorpe invaded
Florida, and captured two fortified towns. Soon, with a force of more
than a thousand men, he marched against St. Augustine, but after a
siege of five weeks was compelled to withdraw.
20. The Spaniards now determined to carry the war into Georgia. In
June of 1742 a fleet of thirty-six vessels, carrying more than three
thousand troops, sailed from St. Augustine for the reduction of Fort
William on Cumberland Island. But Oglethorpe reinforced the garrison,
and then fell back to Frederica. The Spanish vessels followed. From the
southern point of the island to Frederica, Oglethorpe had cut a road
which lay between a morass and a forest. The Spaniards must pass along
this path to attack the town.
21. The English general posted his men between the swamp and the
forest. On the 7th of July the enemy reached the pass, were fired on
from the thicket, and driven back in confusion. The main body of the
Spanish forces pressed on into the same position, stood firm for a
while, but were presently routed with the loss of two hundred men. The
name of Bloody Marsh was given to this battlefield. Within a week the
whole Spanish force reembarked and sailed for Florida.
22. The colony of Georgia was now firmly established. In 1743
Oglethorpe departed for England, after having devoted ten years to the
colony. He had never owned a house nor possessed an acre of ground in
the province.
[Sidenote: =Georgia a Royal Province.=]
23. The regulations which the councilors for Georgia had adopted were
poorly suited to the wants of the colony. The settlers had no titles to
their lands. Estates could descend only to the oldest sons of families.
The colonists charged their poverty to the fact that slave-labor was
forbidden in the province. The proprietary laws became unpopular. The
statute excluding slavery was not enforced. Slaves began to be hired,
first for short terms of service, then for longer periods, then _for
one hundred years_. Finally, slaves were brought directly from Africa
and sold to the planters below the Savannah.
24. The new order of things was acknowledged by the councilors; and
in June of 1752 they surrendered their patent to the king. A royal
government was established over the country, and the people were
granted the freedom of Englishmen. For some time the progress of the
colony was not equal to the expectations of its founder, but before the
Revolution Georgia had become a growing province.
CHAPTER XX.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
The time came when the American colonies began to act together. The
final struggle between France and England for colonial supremacy in
America was at hand. Necessity compelled the English colonies to join
in a common cause against the foe. This is the conflict known as the
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. Causes of war had existed for many years.
[Sidenote: =Causes of the War.=]
2. The first of these causes was _the conflicting territorial claims_
of the two nations. England had colonized the sea-coast; France had
colonized the interior of the continent. The English kings claimed
the country from one ocean to the other. The French, however, began
to push their way westward and southward along the great lakes to the
head-waters of the Wabash, the Illinois, and the St. Croix, then down
these streams to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose
of the French was to divide the American continent and take the larger
portion.
3. The French soon established military posts at Frontenac, at
Niagara, at the Straits of Mackinaw, and on the Illinois. Before 1750,
settlements had been made on the Maumee, at Detroit, at Green Bay, at
Vincennes, at Kaskaskia, at Natchez, at New Orleans, and on the Bay of
Biloxi. At this time the only outposts of the English were a fort at
Oswego and a few cabins in West Virginia.
[Sidenote: =The Ohio Company.=]
4. The immediate cause of hostilities was _a conflict between the
frontiersmen of the two nations_ in the Ohio valley. In order to
prevent the intrusion of the French fur-traders into this country,
a number of Virginians joined themselves together in a body called
the OHIO COMPANY. In March of 1749, they received from George II.
a land-grant of five hundred thousand acres, located between the
Kanawha and the Monongahela. But before the company could send out a
colony, the governor of Canada dispatched three hundred men to occupy
the valley of the Ohio. In the next year, however, the Ohio Company
sent out an exploring party under Christopher Gist, who traversed the
country and returned to Virginia in 1751.
5. This expedition was followed by vigorous movements of the French.
They built a fort called Le Bœuf, on French Creek, and another named
Venango, on the Alleghany. About the same time, the country south of
the Ohio was again explored by Gist and a party of armed surveyors.
6. The Indians were greatly alarmed at the prospect. They rather
favored the English cause, but their allegiance was uncertain. In
the spring of 1753, the Miami tribes, under the leadership of the
Half-King, met Benjamin Franklin at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and made a
treaty with the English.
[Sidenote: =Washington sent to St. Pierre.=]
7. Before proceeding to actual war, Governor Dinwiddie determined to
try a final remonstrance with the French. A paper was drawn up setting
forth the nature of the English claim to the valley of the Ohio, and
warning the authorities of France against further intrusion. A young
surveyor, named GEORGE WASHINGTON, was called upon to carry this paper
from Williamsburg, Virginia, to General St. Pierre at Presque Isle, on
Lake Erie.
8. On the last day of October, 1753, Washington set out on his journey.
He was attended by four comrades besides an interpreter and Christopher
Gist, the guide. At Logstown, Washington held a council with the
Indians, and then pressed on to Fort Le Bœuf. Here the conference
was held with St. Pierre. Washington was received with courtesy,
but the general of the French was acting, he said, under military
instructions, and would eject every Englishman from the valley of the
Ohio.
[Illustration: Washington's Route to Ft. le Boeuf.]
9. Washington soon took leave of the French, and returned to Venango.
Then, with Gist as his sole companion, he left the river and struck
into the woods. Clad in the robe of an Indian; sleeping with frozen
clothes on a bed of pine-brush; guided at night by the North Star;
fired at by a prowling savage from his covert; lodging on an island
in the Alleghany until the river was frozen over; plunging again into
the forest, the young ambassador came back without wound or scar to
the capital of Virginia. The answer of St. Pierre was laid before the
governor, and the first public service of Washington was ended.
[Sidenote: =English post on the Ohio.=]
10. In the mean time the Ohio Company had sent thirty-three men, under
command of Trent, to erect a fort at the source of the Ohio. In March,
1754, they built the first rude block-house on the site of Pittsburgh.
After all the threats of the French, the English had beaten them in
seizing the key to the Ohio valley.
11. Soon, however, French boats came down the river; and Trent was
obliged to surrender. Washington was now stationed at Alexandria to
enlist recruits. But it was too late to save Trent's men from capture.
The French immediately occupied the post, built barracks and laid the
foundations of FORT DU QUESNE. To retake this place Colonel Washington
set out from Will's Creek in May of 1754. The possession of the
disputed territory was now to be determined by war.
[Sidenote: =Battle at Great Meadows.=]
12. Washington, with his little army of Virginians, was commissioned
to build a fort at the source of the Ohio, and to repel all who
interrupted the English settlements in that country. In April the young
commander left Will's Creek, and on the 26th of May the English reached
the Great Meadows. Here Washington was informed that the French were
on the march to attack him. A stockade was immediately erected, and
named Fort Necessity. Washington determined to strike the first blow.
Two Indians followed the trail of the enemy, and discovered their
hiding-place. The French were on the alert, and flew to arms. "Fire!"
was the command of Washington; and the first volley of a great war
went flying through the forest. The engagement was brief and decisive.
Jumonville, the leader of the French, and ten of his party, were
killed, and twenty-one were made prisoners.
13. Before advancing farther, Washington waited for reinforcements.
Only one company of volunteers arrived. His whole force numbered
scarcely four hundred. Learning that the French general De Villiers
was approaching, Washington deemed it prudent to fall back to Fort
Necessity.
14. Scarcely were Washington's forces safe within the stockade, when,
on the 3d of July, the regiment of De Villiers came in sight, and
surrounded the fort. The French stationed themselves on the eminence,
and fired down upon the English with fatal effect. The Indians climbed
into the tree-tops. For nine hours the assailants poured a shower
of balls upon Washington's men. At length, seeing that it would be
impossible to hold out, he accepted the terms which were offered by the
French general. On the 4th of July the English garrison marched out of
the fort, and withdrew from the country.
[Sidenote: =Congress of the Colonies.=]
15. Meanwhile, a congress of the American colonies had assembled at
Albany. The first object was to renew the treaty with the Iroquois; the
second, to unite the colonies in a common government. On the 10th of
July, Benjamin Franklin presented the draft of a constitution, which
was finally adopted. Philadelphia was to be the capital. The chief
executive was to be a governor appointed by the king. Each colony
should be represented in congress by not less than two or more than
seven representatives.
16. Copies of this constitution were transmitted to the several
colonies; but the new scheme of government was everywhere received
with disfavor. The English ministers also rejected it, saying that the
Americans _were trying to make a government of their own_. Meanwhile,
the French were constantly preparing for war.
[Sidenote: =General Braddock Arrives.=]
17. Early in 1755 General Braddock arrived in America; the plans of
four campaigns were agreed on. Lawrence, the governor of Nova Scotia,
was to complete the conquest of that province. Governor Johnson, of New
York, was to capture Crown Point. Shirley, of Massachusetts, was to
take Fort Niagara. Braddock himself was to lead the main army against
Fort Du Quesne.
18. In the latter part of April, the British general set out with two
thousand veterans, from Alexandria to Fort Cumberland. A few provincial
troops joined the expedition. Washington became an aide-de-camp of
Braddock, and frequently gave him honest counsel, which the British
general rejected.
19. Braddock marched with the main body. On the 19th of June he put
himself at the head of twelve hundred chosen troops, and pressed
forward toward Fort Du Quesne. On the 9th of July, when the English
were only twelve miles from Fort Du Quesne, they were suddenly fired
upon by the French and Indians, who were hidden among the rocks and
ravines.
[Sidenote: =Braddock's Defeat.=]
20. The battle began with a panic. The men fired constantly, but could
see no enemy. Braddock rushed to the front and rallied his men; but it
was all in vain. They stood huddled together like sheep. The forest
was strewn with the dead. Out of eighty-two officers, twenty-six were
killed. Of the privates seven hundred and fourteen had fallen. A
retreat began at once, and Washington, with the Virginians, covered the
flight of the army.
21. On the next day the Indians returned to Fort Du Quesne clad in the
laced coats of the British officers. The wounded Braddock was borne
in the train of the fugitives to Fort Necessity, where he died. When
they reached Dunbar's camp the confusion was greater than ever. The
artillery, baggage, and public stores were destroyed. Then followed a
hasty retreat to Fort Cumberland, and finally to Philadelphia.
[Sidenote: =The English in Acadia.=]
22. By the treaty of Utrecht, made in 1713, Acadia, or Nova Scotia, was
ceded by France to England. The great majority of the people in that
province were French, and the English government was only a military
occupation. At the outbreak of the French and Indian War the population
amounted to more than sixteen thousand. In a campaign of a month, the
English now made themselves masters of the whole country east of the
St. Croix.
23. The French inhabitants still outnumbered the English, and Governor
Lawrence determined to drive them into banishment. The English officers
first demanded an oath of allegiance, and the surrender of all
firearms and boats. The British vessels were then made ready to carry
the people into exile.
[Illustration: Embarkation at Acadia.]
[Sidenote: =The Exile of Acadians.=]
24. The country about the isthmus was now laid waste, and the peasants
driven into the larger towns. Wherever a sufficient number could be
got together they were compelled to go on shipboard. At the village of
Grand Pré, more than nineteen hundred people were driven into the boats
at the point of the bayonet. Wives and children, old men and mothers,
the sick and the infirm, all shared the common fate. More than three
thousand of the Acadians were carried away and scattered, helpless and
half starved, among the English colonies.
25. The third campaign planned by Braddock was to be conducted by
Governor Shirley against Fort Niagara. Early in August the attempt was
made, but in October had to be abandoned.
[Sidenote: =Expedition to Lake Champlain.=]
26. The fourth expedition was intrusted to General William Johnson.
The object was to capture Crown Point, and drive the French from Lake
Champlain. Early in August the army proceeded to the Hudson above
Albany, and built Fort Edward. Thence Johnson marched to Lake George
and laid out a camp.
[Sidenote: =Dieskau Defeated.=]
27. In the mean time, Dieskau, the French commandant at Crown Point,
advanced with fourteen hundred French, Canadians, and Indians to
capture Fort Edward. The Canadians and French regulars, unsupported by
the Indians, then attacked the English position. For five hours the
battle was incessant. Nearly all of Dieskau's men were killed. At last
the English troops charged across the field, and completed the rout.
Dieskau was mortally wounded. Two hundred and sixteen of the English
were killed. General Johnson now constructed Fort William Henry on the
site of his camp. Meanwhile, the French had fortified Ticonderoga. Such
was the condition of affairs at the close of 1755.
[Illustration: Lake Champlain.]
28. In the beginning of the next year the command of the English forces
was given to Governor Shirley. Washington, at the head of the Virginia
provincials, repelled the French and Indians in the valley of the
Shenandoah. The expeditions, which were planned for the year, embraced
the conquest of Quebec and the capture of Forts Frontenac, Toronto,
Niagara, and Du Quesne.
29. The earl of Loudoun now received the appointment of
commander-in-chief of the British forces. On the 17th of May Great
Britain, after nearly two years of actual hostilities, made a
declaration of war against France. In July Lord Loudoun assumed the
command of the colonial army. The French, meanwhile, led by the marquis
of Montcalm, who had succeeded Dieskau, besieged and captured Oswego.
[Sidenote: =Massacre at Ft. William Henry.=]
30. In the following campaign the daring Montcalm, with more than
seven thousand French, Canadians, and Indians, advanced against Fort
William Henry. For six days the French pressed the siege with vigor.
The ammunition of the garrison was exhausted, and nothing remained but
to surrender. Honorable terms were granted by the French. On the 9th
of August the French took possession of the fortress. Unfortunately,
the Indians procured a quantity of spirits from the English camp. In
spite of the utmost exertions of Montcalm, the savages fell upon the
prisoners and massacred thirty of them in cold blood.
31. Such had been the successes of France during the year, that the
English had not a single hamlet left in the whole basin of the St.
Lawrence. Every cabin where English was spoken had been swept out of
the Ohio valley. At the close of the year 1757 France possessed twenty
times as much American territory as England, and five times as much as
England and Spain together.
[Sidenote: =Louisburg Captured.=]
32. William Pitt was now placed at the head of the English ministry.
Loudoun was deposed from the American army. General Abercrombie was
appointed to succeed him. General Amherst was to lead a division, and
young Lord Howe was next in rank to Abercrombie. Three expeditions were
planned for 1758: one to capture Louisburg; a second, to reduce Crown
Point and Ticonderoga; and the third to retake Fort Du Quesne from the
French. The first was successful, and on the 28th of July, Louisburg
capitulated. Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island were surrendered to
Great Britain. The garrison, numbering nearly six thousand men, became
prisoners of war.
[Sidenote: =Defeat at Ticonderoga.=]
33. On the 5th of July General Abercrombie, with an army of fifteen
thousand men, moved against Ticonderoga. On the morning of the 6th the
English fell in with the picket line of the French. A severe skirmish
ensued; the French were overwhelmed, but Lord Howe was killed in the
onset. On the morning of the 8th, the English divisions were arranged
to carry Ticonderoga by assault. A desperate battle of more than four
hours followed, until, at six o'clock in the evening, the English were
finally repulsed. The loss on the side of the assailants amounted in
killed and wounded to nineteen hundred and sixteen. In no battle of the
Revolution did the British have so large a force engaged, or meet such
terrible loss.
34. The English now retreated to Fort George. Soon afterward three
thousand men, under Colonel Bradstreet, were sent against Fort
Frontenac, on Lake Ontario, which, after a siege of two days, was
compelled to capitulate. The fortress was demolished. Bradstreet's
success more than counterbalanced the failure of the English at
Ticonderoga.
[Sidenote: =Destruction of Ft. Du Quesne.=]
35. Late in the summer General Forbes, with nine thousand men, advanced
against Fort Du Quesne. Washington led the Virginia provincials. On
the 24th of November he was within ten miles of Du Quesne. During that
night the garrison took the alarm, burned the fortress, and floated
down the Ohio. On the 25th the victorious army marched in, raised the
English flag, and named the place PITTSBURGH.
36. General Amherst was now promoted to the chief command of the
American forces. By the beginning of summer, 1759, the British and
colonial armies numbered nearly fifty thousand men. The entire French
army scarcely exceeded seven thousand. Three campaigns were planned
for the year: General Prideaux was to conduct an expedition against
Niagara. Amherst was to lead the main division against Ticonderoga
and Crown Point. General Wolfe was to proceed up the St. Lawrence and
capture Quebec.
37. On the 10th of July, Niagara was invested by Prideaux. Two weeks
later the fort capitulated, and the French, to the number of six
hundred, became prisoners of war. At the same time Amherst was marching
with an army of eleven thousand men against Ticonderoga. On the
22d of July the English forces landed, and on the 26th the garrison
retreated to Crown Point. Five days afterwards they deserted this place
also, and withdrew to Isle-aux-Noix, in the river Sorel.
[Illustration:
MAP SHOWING
THE COLONIES.
at the time of
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.]
38. Early in the spring General Wolfe began the ascent of the St.
Lawrence. His force consisted of nearly eight thousand men, and a fleet
of forty-four vessels. On the 29th of June General Monckton was sent to
seize Point Levi.
39. On the 9th of July, General Wolfe crossed the north channel, and
encamped on the east bank of the Montmorenci. This stream was fordable
at low water. On the 31st of the month a severe battle was fought at
the fords of the river, and the English were repulsed with heavy losses.
[Sidenote: =The Plains of Abraham.=]
40. Exposure and fatigue threw the English general into a fever. It was
decided to ascend the St. Lawrence, and gain the Plains of Abraham,
in the rear of the city. The lower camp was broken up, and on the
6th of September the troops were conveyed to Point Levi. Wolfe then
transferred his army to a point several miles up the river.
[Illustration: QUEBEC IN 1759.]
41. On the night of the 12th of September, the English dropped down
the river to a place called Wolfs Cove, and in the dawn of morning
the general marshaled his army for battle on the Plains of Abraham.
Montcalm was in amazement when he heard the news. With great haste the
French were brought from the trenches on the Montmorenci, and thrown
between Quebec and the English.
[Sidenote: =The Taking of Quebec.=]
42. The battle began with an hour's cannonade. The Canadians and
Indians were routed. The French regulars wavered and were thrown into
confusion. Wolfe, leading the charge, was twice wounded, but pressed
on. At the moment of victory a third ball pierced his breast, and
he sank to the earth. "They run, they run!" said the attendant who
bent over him. "Who run?" was the response. "The French are flying
everywhere," replied the officer. "Do they run already? Then I die
happy," said the expiring hero.
43. Montcalm, attempting to rally his regiments, was struck by a ball
and mortally wounded. "Shall I survive?" said he to his surgeon. "But
a few hours at most," answered the attendant. "So much the better,"
replied the heroic Frenchman; "I shall not live to witness the
surrender of Quebec."
44. Five days after the battle, Quebec was surrendered, and an English
garrison took possession of the citadel. On the 8th of September, in
the same year, Montreal, the last important post of France in the
valley of the St. Lawrence, was surrendered to General Amherst.
[Sidenote: =The Treaty of Paris.=]
45. For three years the war between France and England continued on
the ocean. The English fleets were everywhere victorious. On the 10th
of February, 1763, a treaty of peace was made at Paris. All the French
possessions in North America, eastward of the Mississippi from its
source to the river Iberville, and thence through Lakes Maurepas and
Pontchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico, were surrendered to Great Britain.
At the same time, Spain, with whom England had been at war, ceded
East and West Florida to the English Crown. Thus closed the French
and Indian War. By this conflict it was decided that the decaying
institutions of the Middle Ages should not prevail in America, and
that the powerful language, just laws, and priceless liberties of the
English race should be planted forever in the vast domains of the New
World.
REVIEW QUESTIONS--PART III.
CHAPTER IX.
1. Give an account of the first settlement at Jamestown.
2. What troubles arose within the colony itself, and how were these
adjusted?
3. Trace the course of Captain Smith among the Indians, and in his
voyages of discovery.
4. Describe the government of Virginia under the First and Second
Charters.
CHAPTER X.
5. What changes in government were made by the Third Charter?
6. Mention the improvement in the colonial industries.
7. Describe the hardships and the growth of the Virginia colony.
8. Give an account of the Indian massacre of 1622.
CHAPTER XI.
9. Tell of the farther changes in the government, first to a Royal,
then to a Proprietary.
10. Give an account of Bacon's Rebellion, with its causes and results.
CHAPTER XII.
11. Give an account of the condition and prospects of the Plymouth
colonists.
12. What relations existed between these colonists and the Indians?
13. Tell about the sectarian troubles and their adjustment.
14. Outline the general prosperity of New England.
CHAPTER XIII.
15. Follow the farther strife between the colonists and the Indians.
16. Trace the changes in government in the New England Colonies from
1622-1689.
17. Give an account of King William's War, with the results to New
England.
18. Tell about Salem Witchcraft.
19. Give an account of Queen Anne's and King George's wars, with the
causes of each and the final adjustments.
20. Sketch the character of the Puritan.
CHAPTER XIV.
21. Outline the settlements of the Dutch and their conflicts with the
English and the Swedes.
22. Trace the conflict between the Dutch and the Indians.
CHAPTER XV.
23. What of the condition, the government, and the progress of New York
under the English rule?
24. Give an account of the "Negro Plot."
CHAPTER XVI.
25. Mention the several claims to the territory of Connecticut.
26. Tell the story of the Pequod War.
27. Outline the government and the general prosperity of Connecticut.
28. Give an account of Roger Williams, and the organization of the
"Plantation of Rhode Island."
29. Tell of the founding and growth of New Hampshire.
CHAPTER XVII.
30. Sketch the history of New Jersey, and its final separation from
Pennsylvania.
31. Tell the story of William Penn, and his career in Pennsylvania.
CHAPTER XVIII.
32. Give an account of the founding and development of Maryland.
33. Give an account of the colonization and progress of North Carolina.
CHAPTER XIX.
34. Tell of the founding of South Carolina.
35. Recite the affairs of Georgia under Oglethorpe.
36. Outline the troubles between the English and the Spaniards in
Georgia and Florida.
CHAPTER XX.
37. What were the leading causes of the French and Indian War?
38. Give an account of Washington's expedition to St. Pierre.
39. Give an account of the capture of Fort Necessity.
40. Give an outline of Braddock's campaign.
41. What were the leading events of the campaign of Wolfe?
PART IV.
REVOLUTION AND CONFEDERATION.
A. D. 1775-1789.
CHAPTER XXI.
CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION.
The American Revolution was an event of vast importance. The question
decided by it was whether the English colonies in America should govern
themselves, or be ruled by Great Britain. The decision was in favor of
independence. The result has been the grandest republican government
the world has ever known.
[Sidenote: =General Causes.=]
2. The most general cause of the Revolution was THE RIGHT OF ARBITRARY
GOVERNMENT, claimed by Great Britain and denied by the colonies.
The question began to be discussed about the time of the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748; and from that period until 1775, each year
witnessed a renewal of the agitation. But there were also many minor
causes tending to bring on a conflict with the mother-country.
3. First of these was _the influence of France_, inciting the colonies
to rebel. The French had ceded Canada to Great Britain with the hope of
securing American independence. England feared such a result. It was
even proposed in Parliament to re-cede Canada to France, in order to
check the growth of the American States.
4. Another cause was _the natural disposition of the colonists_.
Many of the original settlers came to America to escape the tyranny
of kings, and their descendants naturally favored a representative
government. The dealings of the colonists with the royal officers had
created a dislike for foreign institutions.
5. _The growth of public opinion in the colonies_ tended to
independence. The better class of men came to believe that a separation
from England was very desirable. As early as 1755, John Adams, then a
young school-teacher in Connecticut, wrote in his diary: "In another
century all Europe will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep
us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us."
6. Another cause of the Revolution was _the personal character of the
king_. George III. was one of the worst of rulers, and had no true
notion of human rights. His ministers were, for the most part, men like
himself.
[Sidenote: =Immediate Causes.=]
[Sidenote: =Acts Restricting Trade.=]
7. The more immediate cause of the war was the passage by Parliament
of a number of laws destructive of colonial liberty. The first of
these was the IMPORTATION ACT of 1733. By this statute exorbitant
duties were laid on sugar, molasses, and rum. In 1750 it was enacted
that iron-works should not be erected in America. The manufacture of
steel was forbidden, and the felling of pines outside of inclosures.
These laws were disregarded by the colonists, who considered them
unjust and tyrannical. In 1761 the courts were authorized to issue to
petty officers search-warrants, called Writs of Assistance, by which
constables might enter every place, searching for goods suspected of
having evaded the duty. At Salem and Boston the writs were resisted.
8. In 1763, and again in the following year, the English officers were
authorized to seize all vessels engaged in unlawful trade. Before this
was known at Boston, a great town-meeting was held. Samuel Adams was
the orator. A powerful argument was produced, showing that under the
British constitution _taxation and representation were inseparable_.
9. On the 10th of March, 1764, Mr. Grenville, the prime minister,
brought before the House of Commons a resolution that it would be
proper to charge certain stamp-duties on the American colonies.
The news of the measure was borne to America, producing universal
excitement. Resolutions against the acts of the ministers were passed
in almost every town. Remonstrances were addressed to the king and the
Parliament.
[Sidenote: =The Stamp Act.=]
10. Nevertheless, in March of 1765, the English Parliament passed the
STAMP ACT. In the House of Commons it received a majority of five to
one. In the House of Lords the vote was unanimous. On the 22d of the
month, the royal assent was given. Benjamin Franklin, then in London,
wrote to a friend at home that the sun of American liberty had set.
11. The provisions of the Stamp Act were these: Every legal document
required in the colonies should, after the 1st day of the following
November, be executed on stamped paper to be furnished by the British
government. For each sheet the colonists were required to pay a sum
varying from three pence to six pounds sterling. Every pamphlet,
almanac, and newspaper was to be printed on paper of the same sort,
the value of the stamps ranging from a half-penny to four pence. No
contract should be binding unless bearing the stamp.
12. The news of the hateful act created great wrath in America.
The bells of Philadelphia and Boston rang a funeral knell. In New
York a copy of the Stamp Act was carried through the streets with a
death's-head nailed to it, and a placard bearing this inscription: THE
FOLLY OF ENGLAND AND THE RUIN OF AMERICA. The general assemblies were
at first slow to move; there were many old royalists among the members.
But the younger representatives did not hesitate to express their
sentiments. In the Virginia House of Burgesses there was a memorable
scene.
[Sidenote: =Patrick Henry.=]
13. Patrick Henry, the youngest member of the House, after waiting
in vain for some older delegate to lead in opposition to Parliament,
snatched a blank leaf out of an old law book and drew up a series of
six resolutions, declaring that the Virginians were Englishmen with
English rights; that the colonists were not bound to yield obedience to
any law imposing taxation on them; and that whoever said the contrary
was an enemy to the country.
[Illustration: Patrick Henry.]
14. A violent debate ensued. Two future Presidents of the United States
were in the audience: Washington as a delegate, and Thomas Jefferson, a
young collegian, outside of the railing. The eloquent Henry bore down
all opposition. "Cæsar had his Brutus," said the orator; "Charles I.
had his Cromwell, and George III.--" "Treason!" shouted the speaker.
"Treason! treason!" exclaimed the royalists, springing to their feet.
"And George III. may profit by their example," continued Henry;
and then added, "If that be treason, make the most of it!" The six
resolutions were carried; but on the next day, when Henry was absent,
the powerful aristocratic and church party secured the repeal of two of
the more violent resolutions.
[Sidenote: =The "Stamp Act Congress," 1765.=]
15. Similar resolutions were adopted by the assemblies of New York
and Massachusetts. James Otis proposed an American Congress. The
proposition was favorably received by nine of the colonies; and, on
the 7th of October, the first colonial Congress, called the STAMP ACT
CONGRESS, assembled at New York. Timothy Ruggles, of Massachusetts,
was chosen president. A Declaration of Rights was adopted setting
forth that the American colonists, as Englishmen, could not consent
to be taxed but by their own representatives. Memorials were sent to
Parliament and a petition to the king.
16. On the 1st of November the Stamp Act was to take effect. During the
summer great quantities of the stamped paper had been sent to America.
But everywhere it was rejected or destroyed. The 1st of November was
kept as a day of mourning.
[Sidenote: =Sons of Liberty.=]
17. At first, legal business was suspended. The court-houses were shut
up. Not even a marriage license could be legally issued. By and by, the
offices were opened, and business went on as before, but _not_ with
stamped paper. It was at this time that the patriotic society, known as
the SONS OF LIBERTY, was organized. The merchants of New York, Boston,
and Philadelphia entered into a compact to purchase no more goods of
Great Britain until the Stamp Act should be repealed.
18. The colonists had their friends in England. Eminent statesmen
espoused the cause of America. In the House of Commons Mr. Pitt
delivered a powerful address. "You have," said he, "no right to tax
America. I rejoice that America has resisted." On the 18th of March,
1766, the Stamp Act was formally repealed. But at the same time a
resolution was added, declaring that Parliament had the right _to bind
the colonies in all cases whatsoever_.
[Sidenote: =Repeal of the Stamp Act.=]
19. The repeal of the Stamp Act produced great joy, both in England and
America. But on the 29th of June, 1767, another act was passed imposing
a duty on all the glass, paper, painters' colors, and tea which should
thereafter be imported into the colonies.
20. The resentment of the Americans burst out anew. Another agreement
not to purchase British goods was entered into by the American
merchants. The newspapers were filled with denunciations of Parliament.
In the month of June, a sloop, charged with evading the payment of
duty, was seized by the custom-house officers of Boston. But the people
attacked the houses of the officers, and obliged the occupants to fly
to Castle William. General Gage was now ordered to bring from Halifax
a regiment of regulars and overawe the people. On the 1st of October
the troops, seven hundred strong, marched with fixed bayonets into the
capital of Massachusetts.
[Sidenote: =Resistance of the Colonies.=]
21. In February of 1769 the people of Massachusetts were declared
rebels, and the governor was directed to arrest those deemed guilty and
send them to England for trial. The general assembly met this outrage
with defiant resolutions. Similar scenes were enacted in Virginia and
North Carolina.
[Sidenote: =The Boston Massacre.=]
22. Early in 1770 the soldiers in New York cut down a liberty pole
which stood in the park. A conflict ensued, in which the people won the
day. On the 5th of March, a more serious difficulty occurred in Boston.
A crowd of people surrounded Captain Preston's company of the city
guard, hooted at them, and dared them to fire. At length the soldiers
discharged a volley, killing three of the citizens and wounding several
others. This outrage, known as the BOSTON MASSACRE, created a profound
sensation. Captain Preston and his company were arrested and tried for
murder. Two of the offenders were convicted of manslaughter.
[Illustration: Fight at the Liberty Pole, New York.]
[Sidenote: =The Boston Tea Party.=]
23. Parliament now passed an act repealing all duties on American
imports except that on tea. The people, in answer, pledged themselves
to use no more tea until the duty should be _unconditionally repealed_.
In 1773 Parliament removed the export duty which had hitherto been
charged on tea shipped from England. The price of tea was thus lowered,
and the ministers thought that, when the cheaper tea was offered in
America, the colonists would pay the import duty without suspicion.
Ships were loaded with tea for the American market. Some of the vessels
reached Charleston; but the chests were stored in cellars, and the
contents ruined. At New York and Philadelphia the ships were forbidden
to enter. At Boston the authorities would not permit the tea to be
landed. On the 16th of December there was a great town-meeting, at
which seven thousand people were present. Adams and Quincy spoke to the
multitudes. Evening came on, and the meeting was about to adjourn, when
a war-whoop was heard, and fifty men disguised as Indians marched to
the wharf where the tea-ships were at anchor, boarded the vessels, and
emptied three hundred and forty chests of tea into the bay. Such was
the BOSTON TEA PARTY.
[Sidenote: =The Boston Port Bill.=]
24. Parliament made haste to find revenge. On the last day of March,
1774, the BOSTON PORT BILL was passed. It was enacted that no kind of
merchandise should any longer be landed or shipped at the wharves of
Boston. The custom-house was removed to Salem, but the people of that
town refused to accept it. The inhabitants of Marblehead gave the free
use of their warehouses to the merchants of Boston. When the news of
the Port Bill reached Virginia, the burgesses entered a protest on
their journal. Governor Dunmore ordered the members to their homes; but
they met and continued their work in another place. On the 20th of May,
the charter of Massachusetts was annulled. The people were declared
rebels, and the governor was ordered to send abroad for trial all
persons who should resist the officers.
[Sidenote: =First Continental Congress, 1774.=]
25. In September the FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS assembled at
Philadelphia. Eleven colonies were represented. One address was sent to
the king; another to the English nation; and another to the people of
Canada. A resolution was adopted to suspend all commercial intercourse
with Great Britain. Parliament retaliated by ordering General Gage to
reduce the colonists by force. A fleet and ten thousand soldiers were
sent to aid him.
26. Boston Neck was seized and fortified by the British. The stores
at Cambridge and Charlestown were conveyed to Boston; and the general
assembly was ordered to disband. Instead of doing so, the members voted
to equip an army of twelve thousand men for defence. There was no
longer any hope of a peaceable adjustment. The colonists were few and
feeble; but they were men of iron wills who had made up their minds to
die for liberty.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.--EVENTS OF 1775.
[Sidenote: =Paul Revere's Ride.=]
As soon as the intentions of General Gage were known, the people of
Boston, concealing their ammunition in carts, conveyed it to Concord.
On the night of the 18th of April, Gage dispatched eight hundred men
to destroy the stores. The plan of the British was made with great
secrecy; but the patriots discovered the movement. When the regiment,
under command of Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn, set out for Concord,
the people of Boston were roused by the ringing of bells and the
firing of cannon. William Dawes and Paul Revere rode with all speed to
Lexington and spread the alarm through the country.
[Sidenote: =The Fight at Lexington.=]
2. At two o'clock in the morning, a company of one hundred and thirty
minute-men assembled on the common at Lexington. No enemy appeared
until five o'clock, when the British, under command of Pitcairn, came
in sight. The provincials were led by Captain Parker. Pitcairn rode
up and exclaimed: "Disperse, ye villains! Throw down your arms!" The
minute-men stood still, and Pitcairn cried, "Fire!" The first volley of
the Revolution whistled through the air, and sixteen of the patriots
fell dead or wounded. The rest fired a few shots and dispersed.
3. The British pressed on to Concord; but the inhabitants had removed
the stores to a place of safety, and there was but little destruction.
While the British were ransacking the town, the minute-men encountered
a company of soldiers who were guarding the North Bridge. Here the
Americans fired, and two British soldiers were killed. The rest began
a retreat through the town toward Lexington. For six miles the battle
was kept up along the road. Hidden behind trees, fences, and barns,
the patriots poured a constant fire upon the ranks of the enemy. The
American loss was forty-nine killed, thirty-four wounded, and five
missing; that of the enemy was two hundred and seventy-three.
[Illustration: THE FIGHT AT LEXINGTON]
4. The battle of Lexington fired the country. Within a few days an army
of twenty thousand men gathered about Boston. A line of intrenchments
was drawn from Roxbury to Chelsea. John Stark came down with the New
Hampshire militia. Rhode Island sent her men under Nathaniel Greene.
Benedict Arnold came with the provincials of New Haven. Ethan Allen,
with a company of two hundred and seventy patriots, advanced against
Ticonderoga. Benedict Arnold joined the expedition as a private. On the
evening of the 9th of May, the force reached the shore of Lake George,
opposite Ticonderoga.
[Sidenote: =Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga.=]
5. On the following morning, eighty-three men succeeded in crossing.
With this mere handful, Allen made a dash and gained the gateway of
the fort. He rushed to the quarters of the commandant, and cried
out: "Surrender this fort instantly!" "By what authority?" inquired
the officer. "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental
Congress," said Allen, flourishing his sword. The garrison were made
prisoners and sent to Connecticut, and vast quantities of military
stores fell into the hands of the Americans. Two days afterwards Crown
Point was also taken.
6. On the 25th of May, Generals Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne arrived
at Boston. The British army was augmented to more than ten thousand
men. It was now rumored that Gage was about to sally out of Boston to
burn the neighboring towns and devastate the country. The Americans
determined to anticipate this movement by fortifying Bunker Hill, which
commanded the peninsula of Charlestown.
7. On the night of the 16th of June, Colonel Prescott was sent with
a thousand men to intrench the hill. The provincials reached the
eminence; but Prescott and his engineer, not liking the position,
proceeded down the peninsula to Breed's Hill, within cannon range of
Boston. Here a redoubt was thrown up during the night. The British
ships in the harbor were so near that the Americans could hear the
sentinels repeating the night-call, "All is well."
[Sidenote: =Battle of Bunker Hill.=]
8. As soon as it was light, General Gage ordered the ships to cannonade
the American position. The British batteries on Copp's Hill also opened
fire. Just after noon, three thousand British veterans, commanded
by Generals Howe and Pigot, landed at Morton's Point. The Americans
numbered about fifteen hundred. Charlestown was burned by the British
as they advanced. Thousands of spectators climbed to the house-tops
in Boston to watch the battle. On came the British in a stately and
imposing column.
[Illustration: VICINITY OF BOSTON.]
9. The Americans reserved their fire until the advancing line was
within a hundred and fifty feet. Then instantly every gun was
discharged. The front rank of the British melted away, and the rest
hastily retreated. Howe rallied his men and led the second charge.
Again the American fire was withheld until the enemy was but a few rods
distant. Then volley after volley was poured upon the column until it
was broken and driven into flight.
10. The vessels of the British fleet now changed position until the
guns were brought to bear upon the American works. For the third time,
the British soldiers charged with fixed bayonets up the hillside.
The Americans had but three or four rounds of ammunition remaining.
These were expended on the advancing enemy. Then there was a lull. The
British clambered over the ramparts. The provincials hurled stones
at the assailants. It was in vain; they were driven out of their
trenches at the point of the bayonet. The brave Warren gave his life
for freedom. The loss of the British in the engagement was a thousand
and fifty-four in killed and wounded. The Americans lost one hundred
and fifteen killed, three hundred and five wounded, and thirty-two
prisoners. Prescott and Putnam conducted the retreat to Prospect Hill.
11. The battle of Bunker Hill rather inspired than discouraged the
colonists. The news was borne to the South, and a spirit of determined
opposition was everywhere aroused. The people began to speak of the
UNITED COLONIES OF AMERICA. At Charlotte, North Carolina, the citizens
came together in convention, and made _a declaration of independence_.
[Sidenote: =Second Continental Congress, 1775.=]
12. On the day of the capture of Ticonderoga, the Continental Congress
assembled at Philadelphia. Washington was there, and John Adams
and Samuel Adams, Franklin and Patrick Henry; Jefferson came soon
afterwards. A last appeal was addressed to the king; and he was told
that the colonists had chosen war in preference to slavery. Early in
the session John Adams made an address, in the course of which he
noticed the necessity of appointing a commander-in-chief, and the
qualities requisite in that high officer. The speaker concluded by
putting in nomination George Washington, of Virginia. On the 15th of
June, the nomination was confirmed by Congress; and the man who had
saved the wreck of Braddock's army was called to build a nation.
[Sidenote: =Washington Commander-in-chief.=]
13. GEORGE WASHINGTON was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, on
the 11th of February (Old Style), 1732. At the age of eleven he was
left to the sole care of his mother. His education was limited to
the common branches of learning. Surveying was his favorite study.
At the age of sixteen he was sent by his uncle to survey a tract of
land on the South Potomac. The important duties which he performed in
the service of the Ohio Company, and his campaign with Braddock have
already been narrated. With great dignity he accepted the appointment
of commander-in-chief, and set out to join the army at Cambridge.
[Sidenote: =Organization of Continental Army.=]
14. Congress had voted to equip twenty thousand men, but the means
of doing so were not furnished. Washington had a force of fourteen
thousand five hundred volunteers, undisciplined and insubordinate.
The supplies of war were almost wholly wanting. The army was soon
organized in three divisions: the right wing was under General Ward,
the left commanded by General Charles Lee, the center under the
commander-in-chief. The siege of Boston was pressed with vigor. The
king's authority was overthrown in all the colonies.
[Sidenote: =Expedition against Canada.=]
15. The Americans looked to Canada for aid. In order to encourage
the people of that province to take up arms, Generals Schuyler and
Montgomery were ordered to proceed against St. John and Montreal, both
of which were finally taken. Montgomery next proceeded, with three
hundred men, against Quebec. In the mean time, Colonel Arnold had
set out with a thousand men from Cambridge. At Point aux Trembles he
was joined by Montgomery, who assumed command. For three weeks, with
his handful of troops, Montgomery besieged Quebec, and then staked
everything on an assault.
16. Before daybreak on the 31st of December, Montgomery attacked
the Lower Town. At the first discharge Montgomery fell dead. The
men, heartbroken at their loss, retreated above the city. Arnold had
meanwhile fought his way into the Lower Town, but was severely wounded
and borne to the rear. Captain Morgan led his brave band along the
narrow streets until he was overwhelmed and compelled to surrender.
Arnold retired to a point three miles above the city. The small-pox
broke out in the camp; and in the following June the Americans
evacuated Canada.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE EVENTS OF 1776.
At last came the king's answer to the appeal of Congress. The petition
of the colonies was rejected with contempt. By this tyrannical answer
the day of independence was brought nearer. Meanwhile, General Howe had
succeeded Gage in command of the British troops in Boston.
2. All winter long the city was besieged by Washington. By the first
of spring, 1776, it was resolved to seize Dorchester Heights and drive
Howe out of Boston. On the night of the 4th of March a detachment under
cover of the darkness reached the Heights unperceived. The British
noticed nothing unusual; but, when morning dawned, Howe saw at a glance
that he must carry the American position or abandon the city. He
ordered his men to storm the Heights before nightfall.
[Sidenote: =The British driven from Boston.=]
3. Washington visited the trenches and exhorted his men. It was the
anniversary of the Boston Massacre. A battle was momentarily expected;
but while the British delayed, a storm arose and rendered the harbor
impassable, and the attack could not be made. Before the following
morning the Americans had so strengthened their fortifications that all
thoughts of an assault were abandoned. Howe found himself reduced to
the extremity of giving up the capital of New England.
4. After some days there was an agreement between Washington and the
British general that the latter should retire from Boston unmolested on
condition that the city should not be burned. On the 17th of March, the
whole British army sailed away. The American advance at once entered
the city. On the 20th, Washington made a formal entry at the head of
the triumphant army. The country was wild with delight. Congress
ordered a gold medal to be struck in honor of Washington's victory over
the enemy.
5. In a short time, the commander-in-chief repaired with the army to
New York. General Lee pressed forward with the Connecticut militia,
and reached that city just in time to baffle an attempt of Sir Henry
Clinton, who next sailed southward, and was joined by Sir Peter Parker
and Lord Cornwallis with two thousand five hundred men. The force of
the British was deemed sufficient to capture Charleston.
[Sidenote: =British Repulsed at Charleston.=]
6. The Carolinians, led by General Lee, rose in arms and flocked to
Charleston. The city was fortified; and a fort, which commanded the
entrance to the harbor, was built on Sullivan's Island. On the 4th of
June the British squadron came in sight. On the 28th the British fleet
began a bombardment of the fortress, which was commanded by Colonel
Moultrie; but the walls, built of palmetto, were little injured. As
evening drew on, the British were obliged to retire with a loss of two
hundred men. The loss of the garrison amounted to thirty-two.
7. During the summer Washington's forces were increased to twenty-seven
thousand men, but the effective force was little more than half that
number. Great Britain was making the greatest preparations. By a treaty
with some of the German States, seventeen thousand Hessians were hired
to fight against America. Twenty-five thousand English troops were
levied; and a million dollars were voted for the expenses of the war.
8. Thus far the colonists had claimed to be loyal subjects of Great
Britain. Now the case seemed hopeless. The people urged the general
assemblies, and the general assemblies urged Congress, to a declaration
of independence. Congress responded by recommending the colonies to
adopt such governments as might best conduce to the safety of the
people.
9. On the 7th of June, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered
a resolution in Congress declaring that the United Colonies are,
and of right ought to be, _free and independent States_. A long and
exciting debate ensued. The final consideration of Lee's resolution was
postponed until the 1st of July. On the 11th of June, Thomas Jefferson,
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston
were appointed a committee to prepare a formal declaration.
[Illustration: Jefferson reading the Declaration in Committee.]
[Sidenote: =Declaration of Independence.=]
10. On the 1st of July the committee's report was laid before Congress.
On the next day Lee's resolution was adopted. During the 3d the formal
declaration was debated with great spirit. The discussion was resumed
on the 4th, and at two o'clock in the afternoon the DECLARATION OF
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE was adopted by a unanimous vote.
11. The old bellman of the State House rang out the note of freedom
to the nation. The multitudes caught the signal and answered with
shouts. Everywhere the declaration was received with enthusiastic
applause. At Philadelphia the king's arms were torn down and burned
in the street. At Williamsburg, Charleston, and Savannah there were
bonfires. At Boston the declaration was read in Faneuil Hall. At New
York the populace pulled down the statue of George III. _and cast it
into bullets_. Washington ordered that the declaration be read at the
head of each brigade.
12. The leading principles of the Declaration of Independence are
these: That all men are created equal; that governments are instituted
for the welfare of the people; that the people have a right to alter
their government; that the government of George III. had become
destructive of liberty; that the king's tyranny over his American
subjects was no longer endurable; and that, therefore, the United
Colonies of America are, and of right ought to be, free and independent
States.
[Sidenote: =Operations about New York.=]
13. Early in July, General Howe landed a force of nine thousand men
on Staten Island. Thither Clinton came from the siege of Charleston,
and Admiral Howe from England. The British force in the vicinity of
New York amounted to thirty thousand men. Nearly half of them were
Hessians. Washington's army was greatly inferior in numbers and
discipline.
14. Lord Howe had been instructed to try conciliatory measures with
the Americans. First, he sent to the American camp a dispatch directed
to George Washington, _Esquire_. Washington refused to receive a
communication which did not recognize his official position. Howe then
sent another message, addressed to George Washington, etc., etc., etc.;
and the bearer insisted that _and-so-forth_ might mean _General of the
American Army_. But Washington sent the officer away.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Long Island.=]
15. Lord Howe and his brother at once began hostilities. On the 22d
of August, the British, to the number of ten thousand, landed on Long
Island. The Americans, about eight thousand strong, were posted in the
vicinity of Brooklyn. On the morning of the 27th of August, Grant's
division of the British army was met by General Stirling with fifteen
hundred men, and the battle at once began, but there was no decisive
result. General Heister advanced beyond Flatbush, and engaged the main
body of the Americans, under General Sullivan. Here the Hessians gained
little or no ground until Sullivan was alarmed by the noise of battle
on his left and rear.
16. During the night General Clinton had occupied the heights above
the Jamaica road, and now came down by way of Bedford. Sullivan found
himself surrounded and cut off. The men fought bravely, and many broke
through the lines of the British. The rest were scattered, killed, or
taken prisoners.
17. Cornwallis, attempting to cut off Stirling's retreat, was repulsed.
Most of Stirling's men reached the American lines at Brooklyn. Generals
Stirling, Sullivan, and Woodhull were taken prisoners. Nearly a
thousand patriots were killed or missing. It seemed an easy thing for
Clinton and Howe to capture all the rest.
18. Washington resolved to withdraw to New York. The enterprise was
extremely hazardous. At eight o'clock in the evening the embarkation of
the army began. All night with muffled oars the boatmen rowed silently
back and forth. At daylight the movement was discovered by the British.
They rushed into the American intrenchments and found nothing but a few
worthless guns.
[Sidenote: =British Occupy New York.=]
19. The defeat on Long Island was very disastrous to the American
cause. Many of the troops returned to their homes. Only by constant
exertion did Washington keep his army from disbanding. The British
fleet anchored within cannon-shot of New York. Washington retired to
the Heights of Harlem. On the 15th of September the British landed
three miles above New York. Thence they extended their lines and took
possession of the city.
[Sidenote: =Battle of White Plains.=]
20. On the 16th of October, Howe embarked his forces, passed into Long
Island Sound, and landed in the vicinity of Westchester. The object
was to get upon the American flank and cut off communications with the
Eastern States. On the 28th a battle was brought on at White Plains.
The Americans were driven from one position, but intrenched themselves
in another, then withdrew to the heights of North Castle. Howe remained
for a few days at White Plains, and returned to New York.
[Illustration: NEW YORK and VICINITY]
21. Washington now crossed to the west bank of the Hudson and took
post at Fort Lee. Four thousand men were left at North Castle under
General Lee. Fort Washington, on Manhattan Island, was defended by
three thousand men under Colonel Magaw. The skillful construction of
this fort had attracted the attention of Washington, and led to an
acquaintance with the engineer, ALEXANDER HAMILTON, then a stripling
but twenty years of age.
[Sidenote: =Washington retreats to Trenton.=]
22. On the 16th of November, Fort Washington was captured by the
British. The garrison were made prisoners of war and crowded into
the jails of New York. Two days after the surrender, Fort Lee was
taken by Lord Cornwallis. Washington with his army, now reduced to
three thousand men, retreated to Trenton on the Delaware. Nothing
but the skill of the commander saved the remnant of his forces from
destruction.
23. On the 8th of December, Washington crossed the Delaware.
Cornwallis, having no boats, was obliged to wait for the freezing of
the river. It was seen that as soon as the river should be frozen the
British would march into Philadelphia. Congress accordingly adjourned
to Baltimore. During his retreat across New Jersey, Washington sent
dispatches to General Lee, at North Castle, to join the main army as
soon as possible. That officer took up his quarters at Basking Ridge.
On the 13th of December, a squad of British cavalry captured Lee and
hurried him off to New York. General Sullivan took command of Lee's
division, and hastened to join Washington. The entire American force
now amounted to a little more than six thousand.
[Sidenote: =Victory at Trenton.=]
24. The tide of misfortune turned at last. Washington saw in the
disposition of the British forces an opportunity to strike a blow
for his country. The leaders of the enemy were off their guard. The
Hessians on the east side of the river were spread out from Trenton to
Burlington. Washington conceived the design of crossing the Delaware
and striking the detachment at Trenton before a concentration of the
enemy's forces could be effected. The American army was arranged in
three divisions under Generals Cadwallader, Ewing, and Washington
himself. Christmas night was selected as the time for the movement.
25. The Delaware was filled with floating ice. Ewing and Cadwallader
were both baffled in their efforts to cross the river. Washington,
having succeeded in getting over, divided his army of twenty-four
hundred men into two columns and pressed forward. At eight o'clock
in the morning the Americans came rushing into Trenton from both
directions. The Hessians sprang from their quarters and attempted to
form in line. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded. Nearly a thousand
of the Hessians threw down their arms and begged for quarter. Before
nightfall Washington, with his army and the whole body of captives, was
safe on the other side of the Delaware.
[Illustration: CENTRAL NEW JERSEY 1778.]
[Sidenote: =Effect of the victory.=]
26. The battle of Trenton roused the nation from despondency. The
militia flocked to the general's standard; and fourteen hundred
soldiers, whose term of enlistment now expired, reentered the service.
Robert Morris, the great financier of the Revolution, came forward with
his fortune to the support of his country.
27. Three days after his victory, Washington again crossed the
Delaware. Here all the American detachments in the vicinity were
ordered to assemble. To General Heath, stationed at Peekskill,
Washington sent orders to move into New Jersey. The British fell back
from their outposts and concentrated at Princeton. Cornwallis resumed
command in person. So closed the year. Ten days previously, Howe only
waited for the freezing of the Delaware before taking up his quarters
in Philadelphia. Now it was a question whether he would be able to hold
a single town in New Jersey.
CHAPTER XXIV.
OPERATIONS OF 1777.
On the 1st of January, 1777, Washington's army at Trenton numbered
about five thousand men. On the next day Cornwallis approached with
greatly superior forces. During the afternoon there was severe
skirmishing along the roads east of Trenton. During the night
Washington called a council of war, and it was determined to leave the
camp, pass the British left flank, and strike the enemy at Princeton.
The baggage was removed to Burlington. The camp-fires were brightly
kindled and kept burning through the night, while the army was in
motion toward Princeton. Everything was done in silence. The morning
light showed the British sentries a deserted camp.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Princeton.=]
2. At sunrise Washington was entering Princeton. At the same time
the British were marching out to reinforce Cornwallis. The Americans
met them in the edge of the village, and the battle at once began.
The British charged bayonets, and the militia gave way in confusion.
General Mercer received a mortal wound. But the Pennsylvania regulars,
led by the commander-in-chief, stood their ground. Washington rallied
his men with the greatest bravery; and the British were routed, with a
loss of four hundred and thirty men in killed, wounded, and missing.
3. On the night of the 22d of May, Colonel Meigs, of Connecticut,
embarked two hundred men in whale-boats, crossed the sound, and
attacked Sag Harbor. The British were overpowered; only four of them
escaped; five or six were killed, and the remaining ninety were made
prisoners. The stores were destroyed by the patriots, who, without the
loss of a man, returned to Guilford. Colonel Meigs was rewarded by
Congress with an elegant sword.
4. The patriot forces of the North were now concentrated on the
Hudson; and a camp, under Arnold, was laid out on the Delaware. In
the latter part of May, Washington broke up his winter-quarters and
took an advantageous position only ten miles from the British camp.
Howe crossed over from New York and threatened an attack upon the
American lines. Finally, the British, on the 30th of June, crossed
over to Staten Island. On the 10th of July, General Prescott, of the
British army, was captured at a farm-house near Newport. This gave
the Americans an officer of equal rank to exchange for General Lee.
Congress in the mean time returned to Philadelphia.
[Sidenote: =French Aid and Sympathy.=]
5. From the beginning of the war the people of France had been friendly
to the American cause. By and by their sympathy became more outspoken.
The French ministers would do nothing openly to provoke a war with
Great Britain; but secretly they rejoiced at every British misfortune.
During the year 1777, the French managed to supply the colonies with
twenty thousand muskets and a thousand barrels of powder.
6. At last the republicans of France began to embark for America.
Foremost of all came the young MARQUIS DE LA FAYETTE. Fitting a vessel
at his own expense, he eluded the officers, and with the brave De Kalb
and a small company of followers reached South Carolina in April of
1777. He entered the army as a volunteer, and in the following July was
commissioned a major-general.
[Sidenote: =Burgoyne's Campaign.=]
7. One of the most important events of the war was the campaign of
General Burgoyne. In command of the English forces in Canada, he spent
the spring of 1777 in organizing an army of ten thousand men for
the invasion of New York. The force consisted of British, Hessians,
Canadians, and Indians. The plan of the campaign embraced a descent
upon Albany and New York, and the cutting off of New England from the
Middle and Southern colonies.
[Illustration: Marquis de La Fayette.]
8. On the 1st of June, Burgoyne reached Lake Champlain, and on the 16th
proceeded to Crown Point. This place was occupied by the British; and
on the 5th of July, Ticonderoga, which was defended by three thousand
men under General St. Clair, was captured. Soon afterward the British
reached Whitehall and seized a large quantity of stores.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Bennington.=]
9. At this time the American army of the North was commanded by General
Schuyler. His forces, numbering between four and five thousand, were
at Fort Edward. This place was captured by Burgoyne on the 30th of
July, the Americans retreating down the Hudson. The British general
now dispatched Colonels Baum and Breymann to seize the stores at
Bennington, Vermont. Colonel John Stark rallied the New Hampshire
militia, and on the 15th of August met the British near the village.
On the following morning there was a furious battle, in which Baum's
force was completely routed. The British lost in killed, wounded, and
prisoners more than eight hundred men. The country was thrilled by the
victory.
10. A few days after the battle of Bennington, Burgoyne received
intelligence of a still greater reverse, at Fort Schuyler, on the
Mohawk.
[Illustration: Chart of HUDSON RIVER.]
11. The British general lost a month in procuring supplies from Canada.
He now found himself hemmed in by nine thousand patriot soldiers.
General Lincoln arrived with the militia of New England. Washington
sent several detachments from the regular army. Morgan came with his
riflemen. General Gates superseded Schuyler in command of the northern
army. On the 8th of September, the American headquarters were advanced
to Stillwater. On the 14th of the month, Burgoyne crossed the Hudson
and took post at Saratoga. The two armies now came face to face. On
the 19th, a general battle ensued, continuing until nightfall. The
conflict, though severe, was indecisive; the Americans retired within
their lines, and the British slept on the field. To the patriots the
result of the battle was equivalent to a victory.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Bemis's Heights.=]
12. The condition of Burgoyne grew critical. His supplies failed;
his Canadian and Indian allies deserted his standard. On the 7th of
October, he hazarded another battle, in which he lost his bravest
officers and nearly seven hundred privates. The brave General Fraser
was killed, and his disheartened men turned and fled from the field.
The Americans were completely victorious.
[Sidenote: =Burgoyne's Surrender.=]
13. Burgoyne now began a retreat, and on the 9th of October reached
Saratoga. Here he was intercepted by Gates and Lincoln, and forced
to surrender. On the 17th of October terms of capitulation were
agreed on, and the whole army, numbering five thousand seven hundred
and ninety-one, became prisoners of war. Among the captives were six
members of the British Parliament. Forty-two pieces of brass artillery,
five thousand muskets, and an immense quantity of stores were the
fruits of the victory.
[Illustration: PHILADELPHIA AND VICINITY.]
14. As soon as the invasion was at an end, a large portion of the army
was dispatched to aid Washington in a great campaign in progress in
the South. On the 23d of July, Howe had sailed from New York, with
eighteen thousand men, to attack Philadelphia. Washington advanced
his headquarters from Philadelphia to Wilmington. The American army,
numbering about eleven thousand men, was concentrated at that place.
The forces of Howe were vastly superior, but Washington hoped to beat
back the invaders and save the capital.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Brandywine.=]
15. On the 25th of August the British landed at Elk River, in Maryland,
and began their march toward Philadelphia. Washington selected the
Brandywine as his line of defence. The left wing was stationed at
Chad's Ford, while the right, under General Sullivan, was extended up
the river. On the 11th of September the British reached the opposite
bank and began battle. The Hessians, under Knyphausen, attacked at
the ford; but the British, led by Cornwallis and Howe, marched up the
Brandywine and crossed above the American right. Sullivan allowed
himself to be outflanked. Washington was misled by false information;
the right wing was crushed by Cornwallis, and the day was lost.
[Sidenote: =The British in Philadelphia.=]
16. During the night the patriots retreated to West Chester. The loss
of the Americans amounted to a thousand men; that of the British to
five hundred and eighty-four. La Fayette was severely wounded. Count
Pulaski so distinguished himself in this engagement that Congress
honored him with the rank of brigadier. Washington continued his
retreat as far as Germantown. On the 15th of the month he recrossed
the Schuylkill and met Howe at Warren's Tavern. But just as the
conflict was beginning, a violent tempest swept over the field. The
combatants were deluged, their cartridges soaked, and fighting made
impossible. Howe succeeded in crossing the Schuylkill, and hastened to
Philadelphia. On the 26th of September the city was taken, and the main
division of the British army encamped at Germantown.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Germantown.=]
17. Congress adjourned, first to Lancaster, and afterward to York,
where they held their sessions until the next summer. On the night
of the 3d of October Washington attempted to surprise the British at
Germantown. But the roads were rough, and the different columns reached
the British outpost at irregular intervals. There was much severe
fighting, but the British gained possession of a large stone house and
could not be dislodged. The tide turned against the patriots, and the
day was lost. On the 22d of October, Fort Mercer, on the Delaware, was
taken by Hessians, while the British fleet took Fort Mifflin, on Mud
Island. General Howe thus obtained control of the Delaware.
18. After the battle of Germantown, Washington took up his headquarters
at White Marsh. The patriots began to suffer for food and clothing.
On the evening of the 2d of December, Howe held a council of war at
the house of Lydia Darrah in Philadelphia. It was decided to surprise
Washington in his camp. But Lydia, who overheard the plans of Howe,
left the city on pretence of _going to mill_, rode to the American
lines, and gave the alarm. When the British approached White Marsh,
they found the cannons mounted and the patriots in order of battle.
The British general maneuvered for four days, and then marched back to
Philadelphia.
[Illustration: Valley Forge.]
[Sidenote: =Valley Forge.=]
19. On the 11th of December Washington went into winter quarters at
Valley Forge, on the right bank of the Schuylkill. Thousands of the
soldiers were without shoes, and the frozen ground was marked with
bloody footprints. Log cabins were built, and everything was done
that _could_ be done to secure the comfort of the suffering patriots.
But it was a long and dreary winter. These were the darkest days of
Washington's life. Congress in a measure abandoned him. Many men high
in military and civil station left the great leader unsupported.
But the allegiance of the army remained unshaken, and the nation's
confidence in the chieftain became stronger than ever.
CHAPTER XXV.
EVENTS OF 1778 AND 1779.
In November of 1776 Silas Deane, of Connecticut, was appointed
commissioner to France. His first service was to make a secret
arrangement to supply the Americans with materials for carrying on the
war. In the autumn of 1777 a ship, laden with two hundred thousand
dollars' worth of arms, ammunition, and specie, was sent to America.
[Sidenote: =Negotiations with France.=]
2. Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin were also appointed by Congress
to negotiate a treaty with the French king. In December of 1776 they
reached Paris and began their duties. For a long time King Louis and
his minister stood aloof from the proposed alliance. They hated Great
Britain, and gave secret encouragement to the colonies; but an open
treaty with the Americans was equivalent to a war with England, and
that the French court dreaded.
3. Now it was, that the genius of Dr. Franklin shone with a peculiar
luster. At the gay court of Louis XVI. he stood as the representative
of his country. His wit and genial humor made him admired; his talents
and courtesy commanded respect; his patience and perseverance gave
him final success. During the whole of 1777 he remained at Paris and
Versailles. At last came the news of Burgoyne's surrender. A powerful
British army had been subdued by the colonists without aid from abroad.
This success induced the king to accept the proposed alliance with the
colonies. On the 6th of February, 1778, a treaty was concluded; France
acknowledged the independence of the United States, and entered into
relations of friendship with the new nation.
[Sidenote: =Benjamin Franklin.=]
4. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, the author of the first treaty between the
United States and a foreign nation, was born in Boston, on the 17th
of January, 1706. His father was a manufacturer of soap and candles.
At the age of twelve, Benjamin was apprenticed to his brother to
learn the art of printing. In 1723 he went to Philadelphia, entered
a printing-office, and rose to distinction. He visited England;
returned; founded the first circulating library in America; edited
_Poor Richard's Almanac_; discovered the identity of electricity and
lightning; espoused the patriot cause; and devoted his old age to
perfecting the American Union. The name of Franklin is one of the
brightest in history.
[Illustration: Benjamin Franklin.]
[Sidenote: =D'Estaing's French Fleet.=]
5. In May of 1778 Congress ratified the treaty with France. A month
previously a French fleet, under Count d'Estaing, had been sent to
America. Both France and Great Britain immediately prepared for war.
George III. now became willing to treat with his American subjects.
Lord North brought forward two bills in which everything the colonists
had claimed was conceded. The bills were passed by Parliament, and
the king assented. Commissioners were sent to America; but Congress
informed them that nothing but an acknowledgment of the independence
of the United States would now be accepted.
[Sidenote: =British Evacuate Philadelphia.=]
6. The British army remained at Philadelphia until June of 1778. The
fleet of Admiral Howe lay in the Delaware. When the rumor came that the
fleet of D'Estaing was approaching, the English admiral set sail for
New York. On the 18th of June the British army evacuated Philadelphia
and retreated across New Jersey. Washington occupied the city, and
followed the retreating foe. At Monmouth the British were overtaken. On
the morning of the 28th General Lee was ordered to attack the enemy.
The American cavalry under La Fayette was driven back by Cornwallis.
Lee ordered his line to retire to a stronger position; but the troops
mistook the order and began a retreat. Washington met the fugitives
and administered a severe rebuke to Lee. The fight continued until
nightfall, and Washington anxiously waited for the morning. During the
night, however, Clinton withdrew his forces and escaped.
[Sidenote: =Washington and Lee.=]
7. The loss of the Americans was two hundred and twenty-seven. The
British left nearly three hundred dead on the field. On the day after
the battle Washington received an insulting letter from Lee demanding
an apology. Washington replied that his language had been warranted by
the circumstances. Lee answered in a still more offensive manner, and
was thereupon arrested, tried by a court-martial, and dismissed from
his command for twelve months. He never reentered the service, and did
not live to see his country's independence. The British forces were now
concentrated at New York. Washington took up his headquarters at White
Plains. D'Estaing repaired to Boston. Howe returned to New York.
[Sidenote: =Massacre of Wyoming.=]
8. The command of the British naval forces was now transferred to
Admiral Byron. Early in October a band of incendiaries, led by
Colonel Ferguson, burned the American ships at Little Egg Harbor.
In the preceding July, Major John Butler, in command of sixteen
hundred royalists, Canadians, and Indians, marched into the valley
of Wyoming, Pennsylvania. The settlement was defenceless. On the
approach of the tories and savages, a few militia, old men, and boys,
rallied to protect their homes. A battle was fought, and the patriots
were routed. The fugitives fled to a fort, which was crowded with
women and children. Honorable terms were promised by Butler, and the
garrison capitulated. On the 5th of July the gates were opened and the
barbarians entered. Immediately they began to plunder and butcher.
Nearly all the prisoners fell under the hatchet and the scalping-knife.
[Sidenote: =Massacre at Cherry Valley.=]
9. In November there was a similar massacre at Cherry Valley, New
York. The invaders were led by Joseph Brandt, chief of the Mohawks,
and Walter Butler, a son of Major John Butler. The people of Cherry
Valley were driven from their homes; women and children were tomahawked
and scalped; and forty prisoners dragged into captivity. To avenge
these outrages, an expedition was sent against the savages on the
Susquehanna; and they were made to feel the terrors of war.
[Sidenote: =George Rogers Clark in the West.=]
10. In the spring of 1778, Major George Rogers Clark, who three years
previously had descended the Ohio River with a single companion, from
Pittsburgh to the Falls of the Ohio, organized an expedition against
the British posts on the Wabash and Mississippi rivers. All the country
northwest of the river Ohio was at this time under British authority,
but the scattered white inhabitants were nearly all French. The most
important post was the town of Vincennes, in what was afterwards
the Territory of Indiana. Major Clark gathered his forces on Corn
Island, in the Ohio, between the present cities of Louisville and
Jeffersonville. The regiment was made up of backwoods militiamen and
hunters from Kentucky and the Upper Ohio Valley.
[Illustration: Attack on Vincennes.]
11. Major Clark first descended the Ohio to a suitable point, and
landed in what was afterwards the Territory of Illinois. From this
point he marched across the country to the mouth of the Kaskaskia
River, where, on the 4th of July, 1778, he surprised and captured the
town of Kaskaskia from the British. Here he divided his forces, and
sent one division against the British post of Cahokia, opposite St.
Louis. This place also was surprised and taken. Soon afterwards the
French inhabitants of Vincennes rose against the British garrison, and
took possession of the town. But Governor Hamilton, of Detroit, came
down later in the year, and the British authority was restored.
[Sidenote: =The Capture of Vincennes.=]
12. Hearing of this event, Major Clark collected his forces at
Kaskaskia, and in the beginning of 1779 marched against Vincennes. At
the same time he sent part of his forces by water, bearing a few small
cannon in a boat around by the Ohio and up the Wabash, to a point
below Vincennes. At this time the lower Illinois country was covered
with water, and Major Clark's campaign was attended with the greatest
hardships. On the 18th of February, however, he gained a position on
the Indiana side of the Wabash, and made an attack on Vincennes. By
skillful maneuvering he deceived the British commander, and on the 24th
of the month compelled him to surrender. Thus was the great territory
northwest of the River Ohio recovered from the British, and secured for
the United States.
[Sidenote: =The British take Savannah.=]
13. On the 3d of November, Count d'Estaing's fleet sailed for the West
Indies. In December, Admiral Byron left New York to try the fortunes
of war on the ocean. Colonel Campbell, with two thousand men, was
sent by General Clinton for the conquest of Georgia. On the 29th of
December the expedition reached Savannah. The place was defended by
General Robert Howe with eight hundred men. A battle was fought, and
the Americans were driven out of the city. The patriots crossed into
South Carolina and found refuge at Charleston. Such was the only real
conquest made by the British during the year 1778.
14. The winter of 1778-79 was passed by the American army at
Middlebrook. There was much discouragement among the soldiers, for they
were neither paid nor fed. But the influence of Washington prevented a
mutiny. In the latter part of May Clinton sailed with an armament up
the Hudson to Stony Point. The garrison, unable to resist, escaped from
the fortifications.
[Sidenote: =General Wayne at Stony Point.=]
15. On the 15th of July General Wayne marched against Stony Point. In
the evening he halted near the fort and gave his orders. The British
pickets were caught and gagged. Everything was done in silence.
Muskets were unloaded and bayonets fixed; not a gun was to be fired.
The assault was made a little after midnight. The patriots never
wavered in the charge. The ramparts were scaled; and the British,
finding themselves between two lines of bayonets, cried out for
quarter. Sixty-three of the enemy fell; the remaining five hundred and
forty-three were made prisoners. Of the Americans only fifteen were
killed and eighty-three wounded. General Wayne secured the ordnance and
stores, and then destroyed the fort.
[Sidenote: =Campaign against the Indians.=]
16. In the summer of 1799, four thousand six hundred men, led by
Generals Sullivan and James Clinton, were sent against the Indians
on the Susquehanna. At Elmira the savages and tories had fortified
themselves; but on the 29th of August they were forced from their
stronghold and utterly routed. The country between the Susquehanna and
the Genesee was wasted by the patriots. Forty Indian villages were
destroyed.
[Sidenote: =Campaigns in the South.=]
17. A little later, the tories, who were advancing to join the British
at Augusta, were defeated by the patriots under Captain Anderson. On
the 14th of February they were again overtaken and routed by Colonel
Pickens. Colonel Boyd, the tory leader, and seventy of his men were
killed. Seventy-five others were captured, and five of the ringleaders
hanged. The western half of Georgia was quickly recovered by the
patriots.
18. General Ashe was sent with two thousand men to intercept the enemy.
On the 25th of February the Americans crossed the Savannah, and pursued
Campbell as far as Brier Creek. Here the patriots came to a halt; and
General Prevost, marching from Savannah, surrounded Ashe's command.
A battle was fought on the 3d of March; the Americans were totally
routed and driven into the swamps. By this defeat Georgia was again
prostrated, and a royal government was established over the State.
19. Within a month General Lincoln was again in the field with five
thousand men. He advanced up the left bank of the river in the
direction of Augusta; but, at the same time, General Prevost, now
commanding the British forces in the South, crossed the Savannah and
marched against Charleston. General Lincoln turned back to attack him,
and the British made a hasty retreat. The Americans overtook the enemy
at Stone Ferry, ten miles west of Charleston, but were repulsed with
considerable loss. Prevost then fell back to Savannah.
[Sidenote: =Attempts to retake Savannah.=]
20. In September, Count d'Estaing arrived before Savannah with his
fleet. Prevost concentrated his forces for the defence of the city.
The French effected a landing, and advanced to the siege. D'Estaing
demanded a surrender; but Prevost answered with a message of defiance.
The siege was pressed with vigor, and the city constantly bombarded.
But the defences remained unshaken. At last D'Estaing notified Lincoln
that the city must be stormed. Before sunrise on the 9th of October
the allies advanced with great vehemence against the redoubts of the
British, but were driven back with fearful losses. Count Pulaski was
struck with a grape-shot, and was borne dying from the field. D'Estaing
retired on board the fleet, and Lincoln retreated to Charleston.
21. On the 23d of September, Paul Jones, cruising off the coast of
Scotland with a fleet of French and American vessels, fell in with
a British squadron, and a bloody battle ensued. The _Serapis_,
a British frigate of forty-four guns, engaged the _Poor Richard_
within musket-shot. At last the vessels were lashed together, and the
_Serapis_ struck her colors. Jones transferred his men to the conquered
ship, and the _Poor Richard_ went down. Of the three hundred and
seventy-five men on board the fleet of Jones, three hundred were either
killed or wounded.
[Illustration: Paul Jones.]
22. So closed the year 1779. The national treasury was bankrupt.
The patriots of the army were poorly fed, and paid only with unkept
promises. The disposition of Great Britain was still for war. The
levies of sailors and soldiers made by Parliament amounted to one
hundred and twenty thousand, while the expenses of the War Office were
set at twenty million pounds sterling.
CHAPTER XXVI.
REVERSES AND TREASON. EVENTS OF 1780.
[Sidenote: =French Allies in Rhode Island.=]
During the year 1780 military operations at the North were suspended.
Early in July Admiral De Ternay arrived at Newport with a French
squadron, and six thousand land-troops under Count Rochambeau. In
September the commander-in-chief held a conference with Rochambeau, and
the plans of future campaigns were determined.
2. In the South the patriots suffered many reverses. South Carolina
was completely overrun by the enemy. On the 11th of February, Admiral
Arbuthnot anchored before Charleston. Sir Henry Clinton and five
thousand men were on board the fleet. The city was defended by fourteen
hundred men under General Lincoln. The British effected a landing,
and advanced up the right bank of Ashley River. On the 7th of April
Lincoln was reinforced by seven hundred Virginians. Two days afterwards
Arbuthnot succeeded in passing Fort Moultrie, and came within
cannon-shot of the city.
[Sidenote: =The British take Charleston.=]
3. A siege was at once begun, and prosecuted with vigor. From the
beginning the defense was hopeless. The fortifications were beaten
down, and Lincoln, dreading an assault, agreed to capitulate. On
the 12th of May, Charleston was surrendered to the British, and the
garrison became prisoners of war. A few days before the surrender
Tarleton surprised and dispersed a body of militia on the Santee.
Afterwards three successful expeditions were sent into different
sections of the State.
4. The authority of Great Britain was reestablished over South
Carolina. Clinton and Arbuthnot returned to New York, and Cornwallis
was left to hold the conquered territory. In this condition of affairs,
Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion appeared as the protectors of the
State. They rallied the militia and began an audacious partisan
warfare. Detachments of the British were swept off as though an enemy
had fallen on them from the skies. It was here that young Andrew
Jackson, then but thirteen years of age, began his career as a soldier.
[Sidenote: =Marion's Ragged Regiment.=]
5. Marion's company consisted of twenty men and boys, white and black,
half clad and poorly armed. But the number increased, and the "Ragged
Regiment" soon became a terror to the enemy. There was no telling when
or where the sword of the fearless leader would fall. During the summer
and autumn of 1780 he swept around Cornwallis's positions, making
incessant onsets.
6. General Gates now advanced into the Carolinas. Lord Rawdon
concentrated his forces at Camden. Hither came Cornwallis with
reinforcements. The Americans took post at Clermont. Cornwallis and
Gates each formed the design of surprising the other in the night. On
the evening of the 15th of August they both moved from their camps and
met midway on Sander's Creek. After a severe battle the Americans were
completely defeated with a loss of more than a thousand men. Baron De
Kalb was mortally wounded. The reputation of Gates was blown away like
chaff, and he was superseded by General Greene.
[Sidenote: =Affairs in North Carolina.=]
7. A few days after the battle, Sumter's corps was overtaken and
completely routed. Only Marion remained to harass the enemy. In
September the British advanced into North Carolina as far as Charlotte.
Colonel Ferguson, with eleven hundred regulars and tories, was sent
into the country west of the Catawba to encourage the royalists. On the
7th of October, while he and his men were encamped on King's Mountain,
they were attacked by a thousand riflemen led by Colonel Campbell. A
desperate battle ensued; Ferguson was slain, and three hundred of his
men were killed or wounded. The remaining eight hundred threw down
their arms and begged for quarter. Ten of the leading tory prisoners
were condemned by a court-martial and hanged.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE CAROLINAS]
[Sidenote: =Continental Paper Money.=]
8. Meanwhile, the credit of the nation was sinking to the lowest ebb.
Congress resorted to paper money. At first the continental bills were
received at par; but the value of the notes rapidly diminished, until,
by the middle of 1780, they were not worth two cents to the dollar.
Business was paralyzed for the want of a currency; but Robert Morris
and a few other wealthy patriots came forward with their private
fortunes and saved the colonies from ruin. The mothers of America also
lent a helping hand; and the patriot soldiers were supplied with food
and clothing.
9. In the midst of the gloom, the country was shocked by the news
that Benedict Arnold had turned traitor. After the battle of Bemis's
Heights, in the fall of 1777, he had been promoted to the rank of
major-general, and made commandant of Philadelphia. Here he married the
daughter of a royalist, and entered upon a career of extravagance which
overwhelmed him with debt. He then began a system of frauds on the
commissary department of the army. Charges were preferred against him
by Congress, and he was convicted by a court-martial.
[Sidenote: =Treason of Benedict Arnold.=]
10. Seeming to forget this disgrace, Arnold obtained command of the
fortress of West Point, on the Hudson. On the last day of July, 1780,
he assumed control of the arsenal and depot of stores at that place. He
then entered into a secret correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, and
finally offered to betray his country. It was agreed that the British
fleet should ascend the Hudson, and that the garrison and fortress
should be given up without a struggle.
11. On the 21st of September, Clinton sent Major John André to make
arrangements for the surrender. André, who was adjutant-general of the
British army, went ashore from the _Vulture_ about midnight, and met
Arnold in a thicket. Daydawn approached, and the conspirators entered
the American lines. André, disguising himself, assumed the character of
a spy.
[Sidenote: =Capture of Major André.=]
12. During the next day the business was completed. Arnold agreed
to surrender West Point for ten thousand pounds and a commission
as brigadier in the British army. André received papers containing
a description of West Point, its defences, and the best method of
attack. During that day an American battery drove the _Vulture_ down
the river, and André was obliged to cross to the other side and return
by land. He passed the American outposts in safety; but at Tarrytown
he was confronted by three militiamen[B] who stripped him, found his
papers, and delivered him to Colonel Jameson at North Castle. Arnold,
on hearing the news, escaped on board the _Vulture_. André was tried by
a court-martial at Tappan, and condemned to death. On the 2d of October
he was led to the gallows, and, under the stern code of war, was hanged.
[Footnote B: John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac van Wart. Congress
afterwards rewarded them with silver medals and pensions for life.]
[Illustration: Capture of André.]
13. For several years Holland had favored the Americans; now she began
negotiations for a treaty similar to that between France and the United
States. Great Britain discovered the purposes of the Dutch government,
and remonstrated. On the 20th of December an open declaration of war
was made. Thus the Netherlands were added to the enemies of England.
CHAPTER XXVII.
EVENTS OF 1781.
[Sidenote: =Mutiny in the Continental Army.=]
For the Americans the year 1781 opened gloomily. The condition of
the army was desperate--no food, no pay, no clothing. On the first
day of January, the whole Pennsylvania line mutinied and marched on
Philadelphia. At Princeton they were met by emissaries from Sir Henry
Clinton, and were tempted with offers of money and clothing if they
would desert the American standard. The patriots answered by seizing
the British agents and delivering them to General Wayne to be hanged.
The commissioners of Congress offered the insurgents a large reward,
which was refused; and a few liberal concessions on the part of the
government quieted the mutiny.
2. About the middle of the month the New Jersey brigade revolted. This
movement Washington quelled by force. General Howe marched to the camp
with five hundred regulars and compelled the mutineers to execute their
own leaders. From that day order was restored. Congress was thoroughly
alarmed. An agent was sent to France to obtain a loan of money. Robert
Morris was appointed secretary of finance; and the Bank of North
America was organized to aid the government.
[Sidenote: =Traitor Arnold in the British Army.=]
3. On arriving at New York, Arnold received his commission as
brigadier in the British army. In January the traitor began war on his
countrymen. His proceedings were marked with much ferocity. In the
vicinity of Richmond a vast quantity of property was destroyed. Arnold
then took up his headquarters in Portsmouth; and Washington, for the
second time, planned his capture. The French fleet was ordered to
cooperate with La Fayette in the attempt. But Admiral Arbuthnot drove
the French squadron back to Rhode Island. La Fayette abandoned the
undertaking, and Arnold again escaped.
[Illustration:
MAP SHOWING
THE COLONIES.
at the time of
THE REVOLUTION.]
[Illustration: General Greene.]
4. In April, General Phillips arrived at Portsmouth and assumed command
of the army. In May Phillips died, and for seven days Arnold held the
supreme command of the British forces in Virginia. On the 20th of the
month Lord Cornwallis arrived and ordered him to be gone. Returning to
New York he made an expedition against New London, in his native State.
Fort Griswold, which was defended by Colonel Ledyard, was carried by
storm. When Ledyard surrendered, seventy-three of the garrison were
murdered in cold blood.
[Sidenote: =Battle at Cowpens.=]
5. General Greene was now in command of the American army at Charlotte,
North Carolina. Early in January, General Morgan was sent into South
Carolina to repress the tories. Colonel Tarleton followed with his
cavalry. The Americans took a position at the Cowpens, where, on the
17th of January, they were attacked by the British. Tarleton made the
onset with impetuosity; but Morgan's men bravely held their ground.
At last the American cavalry, under Colonel William Washington, made
a charge and scattered the British dragoons like chaff. Ten British
officers and ninety privates were killed.
6. When Cornwallis heard of the battle he marched up the river to cut
off Morgan's retreat. But Greene hastened to the Morgan's camp and
took command in person. On the 28th of January, the Americans reached
the Catawba and crossed to the northern bank. Within two hours the
British arrived at the ford. During the night the rain poured down in
torrents; the river was swollen to a flood; and it was many days before
the British could cross. Then began a race for the Yadkin.
[Sidenote: =The Two Armies in North Carolina.=]
7. The distance was sixty miles. In two days the Americans reached
the river. The crossing was nearly effected when the British appeared
in sight. That night the Yadkin was made impassable by rains, and
Cornwallis was again delayed. On the 9th of February the British
succeeded in crossing. The lines of retreat and pursuit were now nearly
parallel. A third time the race began, and again the Americans won
it. On the 13th Greene, with the main division, crossed the Dan into
Virginia, and on the 22d of February returned into North Carolina.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Guilford Courthouse.=]
8. Greene's army now numbered more than four thousand men. Determining
to avoid battle no longer, he marched to Guilford Courthouse.
Cornwallis moved forward to the attack. On the 15th of March the
two armies met, and a severe but indecisive battle was fought. The
Americans were driven back for several miles; but in killed and wounded
the British loss was greatest.
9. Early in April, Cornwallis retreated to Wilmington, and then
proceeded to Virginia. The British forces in the Carolinas remained
under Lord Rawdon. On the 10th of May, Lord Rawdon retired to Eutaw
Springs. The British posts at Orangeburg and Augusta fell into the
hands of the patriots. General Greene passed the sickly months of
summer in the hill country of the Santee.
10. Sumter, Lee, and Marion were constantly abroad, smiting the tories
right and left. Lord Rawdon now went to Charleston and became a
principal actor in one of the most shameful scenes of the Revolution.
Colonel Isaac Hayne, a patriot who had once taken an oath of allegiance
to the king, was caught in command of a troop of American cavalry. He
was arraigned before Colonel Balfour, the commandant of Charleston, and
condemned to death. Rawdon gave his sanction, and Colonel Hayne was
hanged.
[Sidenote: =Battle of Eutaw Springs.=]
11. On the 22d of August, General Greene marched toward Orangeburg.
The British retired to Eutaw Springs. There the Americans overtook
them on the 8th of September. One of the fiercest battles of the war
ensued, and General Greene was denied a decisive victory only by the
bad conduct of some of his troops. After losing five hundred and
fifty-five men, he gave up the struggle. The British lost in killed and
wounded nearly seven hundred. Stuart retreated to Monk's Corner; Greene
followed; and after two months of maneuvering, the British were driven
into Charleston. In the whole South only Charleston and Savannah were
now held by the king's army; the latter city was evacuated on the 11th
of July, and the former on the 14th of December, 1782. Such was the
close of the Revolution in the Carolinas and Georgia.
[Sidenote: =Cornwallis in Virginia.=]
12. In the beginning of May, 1781, Cornwallis took command of the
British army in Virginia. The country was ravaged, and property
destroyed to the value of fifteen million dollars. La Fayette, to
whom the defence of the State had been intrusted, was unable to meet
Cornwallis in the field. While the British were near Richmond, a
detachment under Tarleton proceeded to Charlottesville, and captured
the town and seven members of the legislature. Governor Jefferson
escaped into the mountains. The British marched to Portsmouth; but
early in August the army was conveyed to Yorktown, on the southern bank
of York River.
[Sidenote: =Cornwallis Blockaded in Yorktown.=]
13. La Fayette followed and took post eight miles from the British.
During July and August, Washington, from his camp on the Hudson,
looked wistfully to the South. Clinton was kept in alarm by false
dispatches, indicating that the Americans would immediately besiege New
York. When Clinton was informed that Washington was marching toward
Virginia, he would not believe it. Washington pressed rapidly forward,
and joined La Fayette at Williamsburg. On the 30th of August, a French
fleet, with four thousand troops on board, reached the Chesapeake and
anchored in the mouth of York River. Cornwallis was blockaded by sea
and land.
[Sidenote: =Surrender of Cornwallis.=]
14. Count de Barras, who commanded the French flotilla at Newport, also
arrived. On the 5th of September, Admiral Graves appeared in the bay,
and a naval battle ensued, in which the British ships were roughly
handled. On the 28th, the allied armies encamped around Yorktown and
began their intrenchments. On the night of the 14th, the enemy's outer
works were carried by storm. On the 16th the British made a sortie, but
were repulsed. The next day Cornwallis proposed a surrender; on the
18th terms of capitulation were signed; and on the afternoon of the
19th the whole British army, consisting of seven thousand two hundred
and forty-seven English and Hessian soldiers, laid down their arms and
became prisoners of war. This event virtually terminated the war of the
Revolution.
[Sidenote: =News of the Victory.=]
15. On the evening of the 23d the news was borne to Congress. On
the morning of the 24th, the members went in concourse with the
citizens to the Dutch Lutheran church, and turned the afternoon into
a thanksgiving. The note of rejoicing sounded throughout the land. In
England the king and his ministers heard the tidings with rage; but
the English people were secretly pleased. On the 20th of March, 1782,
Lord North and his friends resigned their offices. A new ministry was
formed, favorable to peace. The command of the British forces in the
United States was transferred to Sir Guy Carleton, a man friendly to
American interests.
[Illustration: Surrender of Cornwallis.]
16. In the summer of 1782, Richard Oswald was sent by Parliament to
Paris, to confer with Franklin and Jay in regard to the terms of peace.
John Adams and Henry Laurens also entered into the negotiations. On
the 30th of November preliminary articles of peace were signed; and in
the following April the terms were ratified by Congress. On the 3d of
September, 1783, a final treaty was effected between all the nations
that had been at war.
[Sidenote: =Treaty of Peace.=]
17. The terms of the TREATY OF 1783 were these: A complete recognition
of the independence of the United States; the cession by Great Britain
of Florida to Spain; the surrender of the remaining territory east
of the Mississippi to the United States; the free navigation of the
Mississippi and the lakes; and the retention by Great Britain of Canada
and Nova Scotia.
18. Early in August Sir Guy Carleton received instructions to evacuate
New York City. By the 25th of November everything was in readiness; the
British army was embarked; the sails were spread; the ships stood out
to sea and disappeared. The Briton was gone. After the struggles of an
eight years' war the patriots had achieved their independence.
[Sidenote: =Washington's Farewell to the Army.=]
19. On the 4th of December Washington assembled his officers to bid
them a final adieu. When they were met, he spoke a few affectionate
words to his comrades, who came forward, and with tears and sobs bade
him farewell. Washington then departed to Annapolis, where Congress was
in session. At Philadelphia he made a report of his expenses during the
war. The account, in his own handwriting, embraced an expenditure of
seventy-four thousand four hundred and eighty-five dollars--all correct
to a cent.
20. The route of the chief to Annapolis was a continuous triumph.
The people by thousands flocked to the roadsides to see him pass.
On the 23d of December, Washington was introduced to Congress, and
delivered an address full of wisdom and modesty. With great dignity he
surrendered his commission as commander-in-chief of the army. General
Mifflin, the president of Congress, responded in an eloquent manner,
and then the hero retired to his home at Mount Vernon.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
CONFEDERATION AND UNION.
[Sidenote: =American Government.=]
During the progress of the Revolution the civil government of the
United States was in a deplorable condition. Nothing but the peril of
the country had, in the first place, led to the calling of a Congress.
When that body assembled, it had no constitution nor power of efficient
action. The two great wants of the country were _money_ to carry on the
war, and _a central authority_ to direct the war. Whenever Congress
would attempt a firmer government, the movement would be checked by the
remonstrance of the colonies.
2. Foremost of those who worked for better government was Benjamin
Franklin. In 1775 he laid before Congress the plan of a perpetual
confederation of the States. But the attention of that body was
occupied with the war, and Franklin's measure received little notice.
Congress, without any real authority, began to conduct the government,
and its legislation was generally accepted by the States.
[Sidenote: =Articles of Confederation.=]
3. On the 11th of June, 1776, a committee was appointed by Congress to
prepare a plan of confederation. After a month the work was completed
and laid before the house. The debates on the subject continued at
intervals until the 15th of November, 1777, when a vote was taken
in Congress, and the ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION were adopted, which
were then transmitted to the State legislatures for ratification. By
them the new frame of government was returned to Congress with many
amendments. These having been considered, the articles were signed
by the delegates of eight States on the 9th of July, 1778. Those
of Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Delaware signed before
February, of 1779. Maryland did not assent until March of 1781.
4. The government of the United States under the confederation was a
loose union of independent commonwealths. The executive and legislative
powers were vested in Congress--a body composed of not less than two
nor more than seven representatives from each State. The sovereignty
was reserved to the States. There was no chief magistrate and no
general judiciary. The consent of nine States was necessary to complete
an act of legislation. The union was declared to be perpetual.
[Sidenote: =Inadequacy of the Confederation.=]
5. On the 2d of March, 1781, Congress assembled under the new
government. From the first, its inadequacy was manifest. Congress had
no real authority. The first duty was to provide for the payment of
the war debt of thirty-eight million dollars. Congress recommended
a general tax. Some of the States made the levy, others refused.
Robert Morris was brought to poverty in a vain effort to sustain the
government.
6. In this condition of affairs, Washington advised the calling
of a convention to meet at Annapolis. In September of 1786 the
representatives of five States assembled. The questions of a tariff
and a revision of the articles of confederation were discussed. It was
finally resolved to adjourn until the following year.
[Sidenote: =The Constitution Proposed.=]
7. Congress invited the legislatures to appoint delegates to the
convention. All of the States except Rhode Island responded; and on
the second Monday in May, 1787, the representatives assembled at
Philadelphia. Washington was chosen president of the convention.
On the 29th Edmund Randolph introduced a resolution to adopt a new
constitution. A committee was accordingly appointed to revise the
articles of confederation. Early in September, the report of the
committee was adopted; and that report was THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES.
8. On the question of _adopting_ the Constitution the people were
divided. Those who favored the new government were called FEDERALISTS;
those who opposed, ANTI-FEDERALISTS. The leaders of the former were
Washington, Jay, Madison, and Hamilton, the latter statesman throwing
his whole energies into the controversy. In the papers called _The
Federalist_ he and Madison answered every objection of the anti-Federal
party. To Hamilton the Republic owes a debt of gratitude for having
established on a firm basis the true principles of free government.
[Sidenote: =Provisions of the Constitution.=]
9. Under the Constitution the powers of government are arranged under
three heads--LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE, and JUDICIAL. The legislative
power is vested in Congress--composed of a Senate and a House of
Representatives. The Senators are chosen, for a term of six years, by
the legislatures of the several States. Each State is represented by
two Senators. The Representatives are elected by the people; and each
State is entitled to a number of representatives proportionate to its
population. The members of this branch are chosen for two years.
10. The executive power of the United States is vested in a President,
chosen for four years by the Electoral College. The electors composing
the college are chosen by the people; and each State is entitled to
a number of electors equal to the number of its representatives and
senators in Congress. The duty of the President is to enforce the
laws of Congress in accordance with the Constitution. He is also
commander-in-chief of the armies and navies. In case of the death
or resignation of the President, the Vice-president becomes chief
magistrate.
11. The judicial power of the United States is vested in a Supreme
Court and in inferior courts established by Congress. The highest
judicial officer is the Chief-justice. The judges hold their offices
during life or good behavior. The right of trial by jury is granted in
all cases except the impeachment of public officers. Treason against
the United States consists in levying war against them, or in giving
aid to their enemies.
12. The Constitution provides that new territories maybe organized
and new States admitted into the Union; that to every State shall be
guaranteed a republican form of government; and that the Constitution
may be altered or amended by the consent of two thirds of both houses
of Congress and three fourths of the legislatures of the States. In
accordance with this provision, fifteen amendments have since been made
to the Constitution.
[Sidenote: =Constitution Adopted.=]
13. Before the end of 1788 eleven States had adopted the Constitution.
The new government was to go into operation when nine States should
ratify. For a while, North Carolina and Rhode Island hesitated. In
accordance with an act of Congress, the first Wednesday of January,
1789, was named as the time for the election of a chief-magistrate.
The people had but one voice as to the man who should be honored with
that high trust. Early in April, the ballots of the electors were
counted, and George Washington was unanimously chosen President and
John Adams Vice-president of the United States. On the 14th of the
month, Washington received notification of his election, and departed
for New York. His route was a constant triumph. With this event the era
of nationality in the New Republic is ushered in.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.--PART IV.
CHAPTER XXI.
1. Trace the causes, general and special, of the Revolutionary War.
2. Give an account of the Stamp Act Congress, and of the important
measure adopted by it.
3. How did the movements in America affect the British king and
parliament?
CHAPTER XXII.
4. Give an account of the beginnings of war, and of the engagements at
that time about Boston.
5. Tell of the condition of the American forces, and of the appointment
of a commander-in-chief.
6. What were the relations between the American colonies and Canada?
CHAPTER XXIII.
7. Describe the military movements of the first half of the year 1776.
8. Who were the Hessians, and how were they brought into this war?
9. Give an account of the preparation and adoption of the _Declaration
of Independence_.
10. Follow the military movements of the latter half of the year 1776.
CHAPTER XXIV.
11. What were the military movements of the early part of the year 1777?
12. Tell of the attitude of France toward the war, and of the coming
over of La Fayette and his followers.
13. Give an account of the campaigns under Burgoyne.
14. Trace the movements in the south and along the Delaware.
CHAPTER XXV.
15. Give an account of the treaty with France, and of the coming over
of the French fleet under D'Estaing.
16. Tell the story of the massacres at Wyoming and at Cherry Valley.
17. Outline the campaigns of 1779.
18. What was now the condition of the Americans on the seas?
CHAPTER XXVI.
19. Describe the military movements of 1780.
20. Give an account of the treachery of Benedict Arnold.
CHAPTER XXVII.
21. Sketch the campaigns of 1781.
22. Tell of the surrender of Cornwallis and the British army.
23. Give an account of the Treaty of Peace, and of the disbanding of
the American army.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
24. Tell of the government of America in the early part of the war, and
under the Articles of Confederation.
25. What led to the adoption of the new constitution, and what are some
of its leading provisions?
PART V.
GROWTH OF THE UNION.
A. D. 1789-1861.