'y^^^yu A FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY BY JEANNETTE RECTOR HODGDON BOSTON, U.S.A. D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 1911 Copyright, 1908 anb 1911, By D. C. heath & COMPANY. CCI.A280433 PREFACE Probably the majority of people, young and old, prefer to study history through the lives of the men who made it. For this reason A First Course in American History has been written in the form of biographies. The book is intended primarily for use as the class text in inter- mediate grades, and care has been taken to cover quite thoroughly the more progressive elementary courses of history study. It is hoped that children will also find the stories interesting for supplementary reading, and for general reading at home. One of our best historians has said : " In the teaching of history the pupil's mind should not be treated as a mere lifeless receptacle for facts ; the main thing is to arouse his interest and stimulate his faculties to healthful exercise." If this book helps to inspire enthusiasm for patient effort and noble deeds and awakens interest in a further study of history, it will have served its purpose. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Christopher Columbus 2 II. Fernando de Soto and other Spanish Explorers 20 III. John Cabot 32 IV. Sir FRANcis Drake 39 V. Sir Walter Raleigh 50 VI. John Smith 60 VII. Pocahontas and the Indians 71 VIII. Miles Standish and the Pilgrims .... 83 iX. John Winthrop and the Puritans. ... 98 X. Henry Hudson .* . no XI. Peter Stuyvesant 119 XII. Samuel de Champlain and other French Dis- coverers 129 XIII. Robert de La Salle 142 XIV. Lord Baltimore 157 XV. William Penn and the Quakers . . . .167 XVI. James Oglethorpe 180 XVII. King Philip 189 XVIII. Nathaniel Bacon ....... 200 XIX. Benjamin Franklin ....... 210 XX. Louis Montcalm 225 V vi CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XXI. James Wolfe 239 XXII. Patrick Henry 249 XXIII. Samuel Adams 264 XXIV. George Washington 284 XXV. Philip Schuyler 315 XXVI. Nathanael Greene 330 XXVII. John Paul Jones 342 XXVIII. Gilbert Motier de Lafayette .... 356 Pronouncing Vocabulary 363 Index 365 A FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY I. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Born about 1436 — Died 1506 They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate : " This mad sea shows his teeth to-night. He curls his hp, he lies in wait With lifted teeth as if to bite. Brave Admiral, say but one good word : What shall we do when hope is gone? " The words leapt like a leaping sword : " Sail on ! sail on ! sail on ! and on ! " Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck, And pierced through darkness. Oh, that night Of all dark nights. And then a speck — A light ! A light ! A light ! A light ! It grew, a starlit flag unfurled. It grew to be Time's burst of dawn. He gained a world ; he gave that world Its grandest lesson : On ! sail on ! — Joaquin Miller's "Columbus." In order to understand how Columbus came to undertake his great voyage which led to the dis- • covery of our New World in 1492, we must learn of the condition of affairs in Europe at that time. Four hundred years ago people in Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, and France were beginning to CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 3 take a new interest in travel and commerce. This was largely due to the invention of printing, which made it easier to obtain books. Reading thus became more general, and the printed stories of other lands, such as Marco Polo's book, aroused interest and a desire for further knowledge. This newly awakened interest was due also to the invention of the mariner's compass, an instru- ment which enables seamen always to know the direction in which they are sailing. The compass is a magnetized bar of steel, called the needle, with its center resting on an upright pivot. The pivot is secured to the bottom of a round box, which is provided with a glass top to protect the needle. As the needle always points to the north, mariners are able to tell the direc- tion in which they are sailing, and to steer their ships in the proper course. With the aid of the com- pass, and with a map giving a picture of the land and water on Mariner's Compass the earth's surface, a sailor felt well equipped for his voyage. So it came about that the nations grew more interested in far-away countries, and in the exchange of goods between other lands and their own. They were eager to seize every opportunity to travel, and to find new routes between Europe and Asia. Above all, they were anxious to find a new and 4 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY easier way to India and China, whence caravans had for many years brought jewels, costly shawls, silks, spices, and ivory. Genoa and Venice were the two great commer- cial centers of Italy. They sent each year into the East large quantities of laces, velvets, corals, and other goods. There were three routes of travel : one by way of the Black and Caspian seas, another through Syria and the Persian Gulf, and a third by way of the Red Sea. But when Constantinople fell into the hands of the robber Turks, these dangerous people closed many of the old roads of travel. Europe then found herself cut off from the rich eastern trade. Portugal was one of the first countries to try to find a way that would' be free from the Turks. These plunderers had no conscience about way- laying men engaged in carrying goods across the continent, and would steal everything they could lay hands upon. Prince Henry of Portugal, the Prince of Navigators, encouraged the men of his fleet to take their ships farther and farther from the shore. The superstitious sailors, however, brought back only weird tales that helped to deepen the old dread of the "Sea of Darkness," as the Atlantic was then called. No man had ever crossed this ocean, and it was supposed to be peo- pled with dragons and monsters. While this was the fear among sailors and un- CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ^6 ^^^^^ g ^Si Dangers of the " Sea of Darkness From an old picture. educated people, a few scholars were gradually coming to the conclusion that the earth was round. " We believe, " they said, " that by sailing in a westerly direction from Europe, India may be reached." This, they knew, had been the belief of ancient Greek philosophers, and they had them- selves seen ships dis- appear from view beyond the horizon. But even the wisest of these men, among whom was the astronomer Toscanelli, had no idea that the whole American continent lay in the supposed path to India. Nor did they believe the world to be anything like so large as it is. When Columbus set out on his voyage he ex- pected to find India only about twenty-five hundred miles away. Before we sail with Columbus on his long dreary voyage that was to be of such far-reaching impor- tance to the world, let us see how his boyhood and youth had fitted him for so great an undertaking. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in the year 1436. His father was a wool-comber. As was common with lads reared in cities by the sea, Co- lumbus showed in his early years a love for the FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY water, and a desire for a seaman's life. In his boy- hood he Hked to draw, and his father had him taught geography, geometry, astronomy, and navi- gation. At the age of fourteen Columbus entered upon his life on the ocean, but we must not get the idea that, because he spent so few years at school, he then ceased to study. His liking for ge- ography led him to give to books and maps every leisure hour that he could find through- out his busy life. His first voyages were made with a distant rela- tive, a hardy, daring sea-captain, who found that the boy conducted himself with great credit, showing fearlessness and good sense. Soon tales of Prince Henry's expeditions attracted Columbus to Portugal. By this time Columbus had grown to manhood. He was tall and well-formed, with ruddy complex- ion, gray eyes, and light hair. He was strong in muscle, dignified and courteous in manner, and deeply religious. It was not long before he married the daughter of an Italian cavalier who had won 3 KNOWN The World as known in the Time of Columbus CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS distinction under Prince Henry. They had one son whom they named Diego. He went on various sea-trips to the coast of Guinea, but spent all his hours of leisure in drawing maps and charts. This occupation led him to ex- change letters with learned men, among whom was Toscanelli. These letters showed Columbus that the wisest geog- raphers and astronomers be- lieved, as did he himself, that the earth was round, and this belief kept alive his interest in exploration. Gradually Columbus gave him- self up to the one great idea of finding India by sailing west- ward from Europe. Stories have been told of voyages that he made to Iceland, where he heard of Leif's discovery of Vinland ; but the truth of these tales never has been proved. Even if they were true, Columbus would probably have paid no attention to the fact that Leif had discovered new land with a few savages upon it. He was in search of a short route to India and China, the land of gold and precious stones. But how was Columbus to accomplish this great undertaking ? He was poor, and a large sum of money was needed. He was so confident of suc- •r •S- A -S-- Columbus From the bust at Padua. Autograph. S FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY cess, however, that he laid his plans before King John of Portugal, who heard them with patience and called a council of learned men to discuss them. But these men came to the conclusion that the Ital- ian's idea was very foolish and deserved no serious attention. Columbus now turned his back upon Portugal and with his little son Diego set out for Spain, where he tried to interest wealthy nobles in his plans. Meantime he had sent his brother to Eng- land and to France to beg aid from the kings of those countries, but they gave him no encourage- ment. Columbus was now in great poverty; for he had devoted all his time to his great exploring schemes, and had earned no money for the support of his family. At last a rich Spanish duke advised Columbus to seek aid of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella ; he gave Columbus a letter to the Queen, in which he urged her to give careful attention to Columbus's request. The Spaniards were at' this time engaged in fighting the Moors, and so it happened that, although Ferdinand and Isabella listened to Co- lumbus's plans, they were in no haste to act upon them. They called together some of the most scholarly men in the country to talk with him, but, while a few were convinced, others laughed at his ideas and said he was not in his right mind. This opinion became general. When Columbus passed CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 9 through the streets, even the children would point their fingers to their foreheads, to indicate that he was a madman. And so seven weary years of w^aiting passed. At last, hungry, foot-sore, and heartsick, Columbus set out for France ; but he had gone only a short dis- COLUMBUS ASKING AlD OF QUEEN ISABELLA After the painting by Brozik. tance w4ien he was bidden to return. While King Ferdinand still frowned upon him, Queen Isabella had decided to give his plans a trial. At a meeting of the court she exclaimed, " I undertake the enter- prise for my own crown of Castile, and will pledge my jewels to raise the necessary funds." The one great desire of Columbus's life was ful- lo FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY filled, and he at last set sail from the port of Palos, on August 3, 1492. His fleet was composed of three small vessels, called caravels. The largest, the Santa Maria, was about ninety feet long and twenty feet wide. The other two were the Pinta, and the Nina or " Baby." While these boats were larger than those of the Northmen, it is doubtful whether they were as strong. They were open, with deck amidships, built high at the prow and stern, with cabins for the crew. Ninety persons in all set out with Columbus on that memorable voyage, and only with the greatest difficulty had these few been persuaded to go. It was the general belief that they were sailing to certain death on the wild unknown waters. Co- lumbus sailed first for the Canary Islands, where he was obliged to remain for three weeks while the caravels were being repaired. On the 6th of September the fleet made a fresh start, and through the remainder of the month the little boats held steadily on their westward course. Never had the firm, persevering spirit of Columbus been put to so severe a test ; for, as the weeks went by without sight of land, the men grew more restless and finally desperate. They begged Columbus to return to Spain, and when he refused they plotted to get rid of him. " He is crazy," they said, " and we are probably lost. Let us throw him overboard and try to find our way home." CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS II *' My men grow mutinous day by day ; My men grow ghastly wan and weak." The stout mate thought of home; a spray Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek. "What shall I say, brave Admiral, say, If we sight naught but seas at dawn? " " Why, you shall say at break of day, Sail on ! sail on ! sail on ! and on ! " Caravels of Columbus After the model exhibited at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. But what are those objects on the top of the waves ? A branch of shrubbery with berries upon it, and a stick that has been cut with some sharp instrument. They must have floated from some 12 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY near-by shore. Land jnust be near ! All eyes were eagerly strained, and on the evening of October 1 1 a light was seen in the distance. By daybreak land was in sight. Early on the morning of October 12, 1492, the admiral, with several of his men, went ashore. Columbus, attired in a rich red robe, proudly planted the flag of Spain on the island on which they had landed. He named it San Salvador (Holy Savior) and claimed possession in the name of the king and queen. He wept for joy and kissed the soil, and, kneeling, thanked God for success. Soon the voyagers were surrounded by naked savages, who though frightened and curious were at the same time friendly and gentle. Columbus gave them glass beads and other bright-colored trifles, which they joyfully hung around their necks. They never had seen any boats except their own canoes, and they thought the Spanish ships, with masts and sails, were white- winged birds or sea-mon- sters, and that the strange men had come down from heaven. In the belief that he had reached the East Indian islands, Columbus called the natives Indians. He was, in fact, only a short distance from the Florida coast, on one of the Bahama islands. The happy sailors were greatly impressed by the rich fruits and foliage of this new land, and par- ticularly pleased at the sight of the gold trinkets which the Indians wore. They were now ashamed CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 13 of their behavior during the voyage, and of the anxiety they had caused their admiral ; so they gathered around him and begged forgiveness. During the next few weeks Columbus explored the coasts, but trouble was in store for him. One Landing of Columbus, October 12, 1492 After the picture by Dioscora Puebla. morning the Pinta, the swiftest vessel of the fleet, was missing ; and worse still, the Santa Maria^ while cruising along the coast, ran aground on a sand bank and was wrecked. Not all of the men could return to Spain on the little Nina, so from the wreck of the Santa Maria and other timber a rude fort was built. As much provision as could be spared was left in the fort. 14 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY For the rest, the men trusted to fruit and game, and to the kindness of the natives, to keep them alive until Columbus should return. The sailors who were going back to Spain crowded into the Nina, and in January, 1493, they began the homeward voyage. Columbus was surprised two days later at sighting the Pinta, whose commander had been trading with the Indians for his own profit. To explain his bad conduct he said he had been carried out to sea by the winds. When the two little vessels reached the harbor of Palos, great was the rejoicing. Business was sus- pended, bells were rung, and in triumph Colum- bus was borne to the church, where thanks were offered for the safe return of the navigators. The king and queen received Columbus with great ceremony and showered honors upon him. They were delighted with the tales he had to tell of the new island, and with the strange birds and fruits and native Indians that he had brought back. Men who had laughed at Columbus now begged to be taken with him on a voyage. In September, 1493, a second fleet was ready. This time there were seventeen ships carrying fifteen hundred men. Again the discoverer sailed westward, expecting to join those left behind in the little fort at San Salva- dor. But, alas ! he found the fort in ruins. Not a trace of the Spaniards was to be seen. A colony named San Domingo was now estab- 1 6 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY lished on the island of Hayti, and Porto Rico and Jamaica were discovered. Then Columbus returned to arrange for a fresh voyage of discovery, and soon Spain sent more men and ships to San Domingo. On his third voyage, in 1498, Columbus discovered the mainland of South America, which also he sup- posed to be Asia. But why could he not find the treasures of India and China ? And where was the Great Khan to whom F'erdinand and Isabella had written the letter which Columbus was to present ? The king and queen now grew impatient over the delay in finding the short, safe route to the rich eastern countries. This was the one thing they had expected Columbus to accomplish; for they thus hoped to gain great wealth. Poor, brave Columbus ! He had enjoyed a brief period of triumph, but during his last years he was to know nothing but sorrow. Many were jealous of him because of the great respect that the king and queen had shown him. " What he has discovered is of no use to any one," said his enemies. " He has brought back none of the treasures he went to seek, and the colony of San Domingo is only a source of expense." Soon quarrels arose among the colonists. One day while Columbus, who acted as governor, was away exploring the coast, a ship hastily set sail for Spain. It carried letters to Ferdinand and Isabella containing false stories of harsh treatment received CHRISTOPHER COLUxMBUS 17 at the hands of Columbus. The king Immediately sent over a messenger, named Bobadilla, to investi- gate the affairs of the colony, and to help restore order and good feeling. But Bobadilla wanted the ofBce of gov- ernor for himself, so he seized Co- lumbus and sent him back to Spain, a prisoner in chains. At the same time he sent to the king and queen a letter in which many made. When the great discoverer was brought to the court in irons, good Queen Isabella broke into tears and sobbed. She had Columbus released at once, and in 1502 sent him out on a fourth exploring expedition. But misfortune continued to follow him. Tor- nado after tornado burst upon his ships and threat- ened them with destruction. He explored the coast of Central America, fighting fierce gales for many weeks. After one of his vessels had been wrecked and he was reduced almost to starvation, he man- House at Valladolid where Columbus died untrue statements were i8 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY aged to reach San Domingo. The broken-hearted discoverer sailed for Spain a few weeks later. The death of Isabella was a sad blow to Colum- bus. Ferdinand looked coldly upon his claims to the land and money that had been promised him. Hardship, toil, and anxiety had undermined the great navigator's health, and he died at Valladolid, poor and neglected, on May 20, 1506. He never knew that he had discovered a new world, or dreamed that his fame would survive as long as America endures. He had failed to find a passage to the rich countries of the East, and men forgot him, or remembered him only to ridicule him. It was not until long years afterward that Europe learned of the size and form of the great continent of America, and realized the debt owed to Colum- bus. Through his discoveries Spain was to reap enormous wealth in gold and silver, and to acquire new lands ; and France, England, and Holland were to plant colonies on this fresh soil. After the death of Columbus one of his friends, Americus Vespucius, a merchant of Florence, was sent by the king of Portugal to the new land Colum- bus had found. Vespucius sailed along the coast of South America and, after a voyage made in 1501, published an account of what he had seen. This written description of the New World led to nam- ing the country America. It would have been more properly called Columbia. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 19 Things to Remember Christopher Columbus was an ItaHan, who sailed under the Spanish flag to find a westward route to China and India. On this voyage America was discovered by Cokmibus in 1492. He landed on one of the Bahama Islands and afterward explored Cuba and Hayti. In 1493 Columbus made a second voyage to America and founded a colony, San Domingo, upon the island of Hayti. On his third voyage, in 1498, he discovered the coast of South America. Columbus never landed on any part of what is now the United States, and he died without knowing that he had discovered a new continent. America received its name from a later explorer, Americus Vespucius. Map Work. — Locate on a map or globe Genoa, Venice, Port- ugal, Spain, Palos, the Canaries, San Salvador, Cuba, Hayti, the Azores. Memory Selection. — Joaquin Miller's "Columbus." Nunc vcro &he^ partes Cintlatius Iuftrat«/8(i alia quarta pars per Amencu Vefputiumc vt inft^ -Icjts inis.AmeridnauigatLonibus quf ieqaS turliquideinteUigidatur. Facsimile Of that part of the page in the book in which the name of America is proposed for the New World. 11. FERNANDO DE SOTO AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS De Soto: Born about 1500 — Died 1542 And we came to the Isle of Flowers ; their breath met us out on the seas, For the spring and the middle summer sat each on the lap of the breeze ; And the red passion-flower to the cliffs, and the dark blue clematis, clung, And starr'd with a myriad blossom the long convolvulus hung. — Tennyson's "The Voyage of Maeldune." Although Spain had allowed Columbus to die neglected and almost forgotten, she was not slow to follow up his discoveries. She continued to send ships and men to the new shores, and Portugal, too, began to send out explorers. For nearly one hundred years after Columbus's discovery Spain and Portugal had no rivals. Span- iards and Portuguese explored Cuba, Hayti, Porto Rico, and Jamaica, and later Mexico and Peru. Many colonies were established, for in Mexico and Peru the lons:- ^v*^ Spanish Knight of I 6th Century looked-for gold and silver had been discovered. Thousands of men now eagerly crossed the ocean and pressed farther 20 FERNANDO DE SOTO 21 and farther into the interior of these countries. They found them inhabited by powerful tribes of half-civihzed Indians, the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in Peru, who united in an effort to drive out the in- vaders. Spain sent over men and ships so fast that the resistance of the Indians w^as useless. The most daring and brilHant of the Span- ish conquests w^ere made by Cortez in Mexico and Pizarro in Peru, but the Span- iards treated the natives with great cruelty. ^ By the aid An Aztec King of superior weapons of war they won crushing victories over the tribes in possession ; they then seized the rich mines, and thus created a new and wealthy empire for Spain. While Cortez and Pizarro were engaged in their conquests, other Spaniards were exploring and mak- ing fresh discoveries. Ponce de Leon, a brave soldier, had accompanied Columbus on his second voyage, and by 15 12 had been made governor of 22 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Porto Rico. Colonists who had returned from ad- ventures in lands north of Porto Rico told wonder- ful stories about what they had seen. They said, " Food and fruits may be had from the soil without labor; the barbarous natives are decked with gold and jewels, and the sparkling rivers carry gold in their waters." Among other wonderful things they spoke of a "magical fountain"; the Indians had told them that one might bathe in its waters and become young again. Now Ponce de Leon was growing old, and he thought that if he might Ponce De Leon ^^d this WOndcrful fountain, it would be indeed a great discovery. Accordingly he sailed northward, and on Easter Sunday, 15 13, his vessel came within sight of a land brilliant with flowers. In Spain Easter day is called Pascua Florida, " Flowery Easter," so De Leon named the land Florida, and went ashore, probably not far from the present city of St. Augustine. But he explored very little, and he did not succeed in founding a colony. Instead of finding the fountain of youth, he met his death. One of the arrows shot by the FERNANDO DE SOTO 23 hostile Indians struck him in the thigh, and after suffering from the wound and the hardships of the journey he died. In the same year in which De Leon discovered Florida, 15 13, Balboa, governor of one of the Span- ish colonies, climbed to a high peak on the Isthmus St. Augustine, Florida, as founded in 1565 The oldest town in North America. of Darien. To his surprise he looked down upon an unknown body of water, which he called the South Sea. It was what we now call the Pacific Ocean, and Balboa was the first white man to behold its waters from this side of the world. In 1 5 19 Magellan, a Portuguese, discovered the straits that now bear his name, and passing through them entered Balboa's " South Sea. " (See map, page 55.) Magellan found the water so calm that he gave it the name Pacific. 24 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY He continued to sail westward, and finally reached the East Indies. Unfortunately he was killed in the Phihppine Islands ; but one of his ves- sels continued the voyage, passing round the Cape of Good Hope, until it reached Spain. There was great ex- citement when this ship came into port. It was the first vessel that had sailed around the world. The question of the shape of the earth was now settled. The cruise of this ship proved that the earth is round, and that no sailor need hesitate to sail out a long way on the ocean for fear of passing over the edge. This great voyage of Magellan settled another ques- tion ; it proved that the land that Colum- bus had discovered was not Asia. Interest in America now became keener than ever. " Why should not I become as rich as Cortez or Pizarro ? " each explorer asked Vasco Nunez de Balboa Ferdinand Magellan FERNANDO DE SOTO 25 himself, and in 1528 a Spaniard named Narvaez set out with four hundred men to settle the Florida of Ponce de Leon. But the swamps and the hos- tility of the Indians were more than the colonists could endure. Out of the whole expedition only four men survived. These four had a strange and wonderful experi- ence. They w^ere in an unknown wilderness, pris- oners of the Indians, and in danger of being put to death. In some way they made the savages believe that their captives were sorcerers, or ma- gicians ; so the Indians spared tlieir lives. For eight long years they led this perilous existence, and at last they reached a Spanish settlement on the west- ern coast of Mexico, having tramped over two thousand miles. In the same year in which the Straits of Magel- lan were discovered, 15 19, Pineda discovered the mouth of a great river, which he named Rio de Santo Espiritu — River of the Holy Spirit. It was the mighty stream that we now call the Mississippi. It remained for Fernando de Soto, a Spaniard of noble birth, to explore the Mississippi River and to make a successful march through Florida. When a boy in Spain, De Soto had been able to outdo his comrades in athletic sports. As he grew to man- hood he became a daring horseman and a fearless soldier. He accompanied Pizarro when the latter set forth on his conquest. 26 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY De Soto gained great wealth in Peru and showed such bravery and abihty that the Spanish king, Charles V, beHeved he could do much to subdue the Indians. So he appointed De Soto governor of Cuba and Florida, and commissioned him to ex- plore and settle the latter country. Florida then included all the land that is now contained in the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In 1539 De Soto sailed from Havana with nine vessels, and landed at Tampa Bay. With six hundred picked men, ban- ners flying, trumpets blow- ing, hehnets and lances Fernando De Soto glittering in the warm southern sun, the conqueror set out on his journey through the wilderness. He followed the coast of the Gulf of Mexico as far west as Mississippi, and he probably went as far north as the Carolinas and Tennessee. De Soto showed no more mercy to the native Indians than had the other Spanish invaders. With- out shame he acknowledged that he enjoyed the " sport of killing Indians." The poor savages were caught, chained together in gangs, and com- pelled to carry the heavy baggage of their captors. FERNANDO DE SOTO 27 When they faltered they were driven forward hke beasts of burden. Other Indians were made to act as guides. Once an Indian princess was rowed out in a covered Map illustrating Spanish Explorations canoe to meet De Soto. She made him presents of furs and beads, and gave him a necklace that she had worn. But the Spaniard laughed at her; he made her a prisoner, and compelled her to walk with his other captives. It is no wonder that the Indian guides purposely misled their tormentors into 28 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY swamps and jungles, and that each fresh tribe that they met proved hostile. After a fierce battle with the Indians at Mobile Bay, De Soto turned northward, and six months later crossed the Mississippi, the "Great River" of the red man, south of the present city of Memphis. He explored the stream nearly as far north as the state of Missouri. The earliest description that we have of the Mississippi was left by his band of Spaniards. They found the current very strong, the water always muddy, and tree-trunks and branches constantly floating down the stream. But De Soto, like so many others, was disap- pointed at not finding gold. He grew weary of marching through the wilderness and fighting sav- ages. So he turned back ; but he was never to see Cuba again. Near the junction of the Mississippi and Red rivers he was stricken with a fever and died. In the darkness of the night his companions buried him in the swift waters he had been the first to explore. Deprived of their chief, the party had now only one question in mind — " How can we get back to Cuba.f^" In hastily built boats they descended the river, and, after many hardships on water and on land, succeeded at last in reaching the Spanish set- tlements in Mexico. In three years of wandering, two hundred and fifty men had perished of disease and privation, or had been killed by the Indians. 30 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Cannon of the Time of Cortez This was Indeed a sad ending of the expedition that had begun so gaily in the hope of gaining wealth and fame. Although DeSoto was the first white man to explore Florida, he did not plant a colony there. But in 1565 a permanent settlement was made by Spaniards at St. Augus- tine, and that city is the oldest in the United States. We now see that at the close of the sixteenth cen- tury Spain could easily understand how much she owed to Columbus. The Spaniards not only had explored the West Indies, Florida, Mexico, and Peru, but had also traveled some distance along the coast of California. In the year 1600, therefore, Spain was practically In possession of this New World. But she knew little about governing such large colonies as she had planted, and the settlers themselves had only one cry : " Give us gold, more gold." The idea of till- ino^ the soil and makino^ homes never occurred to them. Their only aim was to conquer the natives, and to steal from them all the wealth that could be carried back to Europe. One dream of King FERNANDO DE SOTO 31 Ferdinand, Queen Isabella, and Columbus had been to convert the savages to the Christian faith, but the Spaniards had almost entirely lost sight of this in the mad search for riches. Things to Rejmember Balboa, a Spaniard, was the first white man to see the Pacific Ocean. This was in the year 1513. Magellan, a Portuguese, discovered the Straits of Magellan in 15 19, and gave the Pacific Ocean its name. He sailed through these straits to the East Indies, and one of his vessels was the first ship to encircle the globe and prove that the earth is round. In 15 13 Ponce de Leon, while searching for the Fountain of Youth, discovered and named Florida. Pineda discovered the Mississippi River in the year 15 19. De Soto explored the Mississippi River in 1542, St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, was founded by Spaniards in 1565. Map Work. — Note the states crossed by De Soto and the route of the escape of De Soto's men. III. JOHN CABOT Born about 1450 — Died 1498 The meteor flag of England Shall yet terrific burn ; Till danger's troubled night depart, And the star of peace return. Then, then, ye ocean warriors, Our song and feast shall flow To the fame of your name. When the storm has ceased to blow — When the fiery fight is heard no more. And the storm has ceased to blow. — Campbell's " Ye Mariners of England." Five hundred years ago there were few books and few persons who could read them. There were no pubHc schools, no railroads, no steamboats or telegraphs, so that people had slight means of learn- ing about places outside of their own communities. Even after the days of De Soto, Europeans still believed that there was some path of water across America by which they could reach China. So little was known of the geography of the world that correct maps could not be made. The map-makers drew what they knew of the coast lines, and guessed at the rest, and for many years America was put down as an island. 32 JOHN CABOT 33 But merchant ships had carried to England news of the attempts of Columbus to find a new route to China. It happened that there was living at Bris- tol, England, in the days of King Henry VII, an Italian named John Cabot, or as it was spelled in his native country, Cabato. He was born in Genoa, but lived for fifteen years in Venice before he left his own coun- try for England. John Cabot was a brave and able seaman, and he was also a successful mer- chant. He had traveled in Arabia, where he had seen caravans laden -with spices and silk, and he longed to visit the far-away islands where such rich goods could be obtained. His son, Se- bastian, who probably went with his father on his voyages, says that the news of Columbus's discoveries " kindled a great flame of desire to attempt some notable thing." So Cabot at length resolved to sail to the far West. The expedition was authorized by Henry VII, and in the spring of 1497 Cabot sailed across the Atlantic with one small boat, manned by Cabot Memorial Tower at Bristol, England 34 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY eighteen sailors. " I give you authority," said the king, " to sail to the east, west, or north, carrying the Enghsh flag, to seek and discover all the islands or countries of pagans in whatever part of the world." For two reasons Cabot chose a more northerly route than Columbus had taken; he wished to avoid trouble with Spain, and above all he desired to find the wondrous " Isles of Spice " which Columbus had not found. On June 24, 1497, at about five o'clock in the morning, the watchman gave the cry, " Land ahead !" and the Englishmen came in sight of a long stretch of shore. This was probably the coast of Labrador or Newfoundland, and Cabot named it New-found- land. The explorer believed he had landed on the soil of Asia, and in accordance with his instructions he planted the English flag, and said : " I take pos- session of the country in the name of the king of England." Cabot now hastened to return and tell of the land he had found. He was greeted with wild enthusi- asm, and was called the " Great Admiral." He ap- peared in public dressed in beautiful silk robes, and a writer of that time says: " The English run after him like madmen." King Henry presented Cabot with ten pounds, which equals fifty dollars, and he ordered the port of Bristol to pay Cabot a small pension. Thus did Henry think he had repaid the " Great Admiral " JOHN CABOT 35 for securing for England a new country. The king wrote in his notebook : " To him that found the new isle, ten pounds." " I have," said he, " won a part of Asia without a stroke of the sword." The next year, 1498, John Cabot sailed again from England on another journey to these shores. This time his fleet consisted of five or six ships, and Coast of Newfoundland in Cabot's Time the route was farther south. Cabot carefully ex- plored the coast of North America as far south as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but he could not find the desired passage to Asia. The explorer had with him as pilot a man who had been with Columbus on two of his voyages. This pilot made a valuable map of the shore, and Sebastian Cabot made another. These two maps are still in existence. They were the first ever made of the American coast. 36 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY While Cabot in Labrador and Newfoundland in 1498 found the ground covered with deep snow, and the inhabitants clothed in the skins of animals, Co- lumbus was finding in our southern climate a land abounding in flowers and fruits. These things were interesting enough in their way, but both men were bitterly disappointed at not finding rich metals, jewels, and spices. When Cabot returned to England he reported that he had seen enormous quantities of codfish off the coast of Newfoundland. As Bristol was at this time the center of the English trade for the fisheries of Iceland, this news was very welcome. Fisheries at Newfoundland were at once established and these have grown to be the largest in the world. Nothing is known of John Cabot after his second voyage to America. King Henry lost interest in the New World dis- coveries just as King Ferdinand did, and for the same reason ; that is, because the wealth of China and India had not been found. Nearly one hundred years passed before England did anything further in exploring America. When she did make another attempt she found that the voyages of Cabot had been most important. They gave her a right to claim the land that he had dis- covered and taken in England's name. As John Cabot's explorations were made before the Spaniards had conquered Florida, we see that I JOHN CABOT Map of Early Voyages 3^ FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY he and his EngHsh sailors were the first white men, after the Northmen, to visit the shores of North America. Things to Remember John Cabot, an Italian in the employ of the English govern- ment, discovered and explored the New England coast in 1498. The English were the first white men, after the Northmen, to visit the shores of North America. Because of John Cabot's discovery, England claimed, in later years, that the eastern coast of North America belonged to her and not to Spain. Map Work. — Trace the route of Cabot from England to Newfoundland. Sebastian Cabot After the picture ascribed to Holbein. IV. SIR FRANCIS DRAKE Born about 1540 — Died 1596 And the sun went down, and the stars came out far over the summer sea, But never a moment ceased the fight of the one and the fifty- three, Ship after ship, the whole night long, their high-built galleons came. Ship after ship, the whole night long, drew back with her dead and her shame. — Tennyson's "The Revenge.'" Francis Drake was one of the greatest English seamen that ever lived. As a navigator and adven- turer he was almost as great a terror to Spain as the Northmen had been to England. Let us see what had happened in Spain and in England since John Cabot sailed his little craft into American waters. On the throne of Spain in 1577 we find Philip II, while Queen Elizabeth ruled in England. Under Elizabeth, England was fast growing in strength, and Spain regarded her as a powerful rival. Religious disputes had arisen in England. Many of the people were Roman Catholics, while others shared their queen's belief in the Protestant faith. Philip was a devout Catholic and longed to see his 39 40 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY own religion established throughout Europe. " If I could conquer England and govern it myself," thought he, " I could make it a Catholic country." This was one cause that led to war between Eng- land and Spain. There was also another cause. The discovery of the New World had greatly increased the interest in commerce, so that the number of vessels engaged in trade on the high seas had grown to a surprising extent. These were free and easy days, when na- tions did not trouble themselves about the rights of others. " Let us get all we can, no matter how," seemed to be the motto of the times. For example, even before war was declared be- tween England and Spain, if an English ship could capture a Spanish vessel filled with treasure, it did not hesitate to do so. The Spaniards also were equally ready to seize an English ship and steal whatever of value could be found. The sovereigns at home never punished the commanders of these pirate ships. This practice of the robbery of the ships of one nation by another on the high seas, helps us to understand how the adventures of Francis Drake could be possible. Drake had a cousin named John Hawkins, who was older than he by several years. It occurred to Hawkins, who was a daring sea captain, that he might make a great deal of money by sailing to the SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 41 coast of Africa, securing a cargo of slaves, and sell- ing them to the Spanish colonists on the islands of the West Indies. The Spaniards, however, had a law that forbade foreigners to land on Spanish possessions for the purpose of trade. Hawkins knew of this law, but he knew also that the Spaniards would probably be glad to exchange gold and silver for the slaves, if they could do so without being found out. He there- fore took the risk, and succeeded in this way in carrying on a flourishing business. It is said that even Queen Elizabeth was not ashamed to share profits m the large Sir Francis Drake From the painting at Buckland Abbey, England. of this shameful traffic ; for in those days the buying and selling of slaves was common, and most people saw no harm in it. When in the year 1567 Hawkins's fleet set sail for Africa, one of the vessels, the little Judith, was owned and commanded by Francis Drake. Drake had lived near the sea all his life and loved nothing better. He had worked hard, and now he hoped to 42 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY win rich profits from African trade. Unhappily for Drake, however, this voyage of Hawkins did not prove so successful as had his previous ventures. The Englishmen were pursued and overtaken by Spanish vessels, and only two boats of Hawkins's entire fleet escaped destruction. Drake lost every- thing he had in the world and was obliged to make a fresh start in life. But he was able and persevering, and in a few years we find him making expeditions to America on his own account. He skirted the shores as closely as he dared, and whenever it was possible for him to make a landing, attack the Spaniards, and take from them gold and silver, he did so. The Span- iards, who never had held back from robbing the native Indians, now found out how it felt to be robbed. On one of his voyages Drake reached the Isth- mus of Panama, and was just in time to seize some Spanish ships about to sail for home with vast treas- ures. "At last I have my revenge," said Drake; for so much more booty than his boat could carry fell into his hands that he was obliged to leave a portion of it behind. In the year 1573 Drake was again in Panama and with a part of his crew was marching through the dense woods of the Isthmus. Thick tangled under- brush made it impossible for the explorers to see ahead, so Drake climbed a tall tree and from this SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 43 height he could look across to the other side of the narrow strip of land. There lay a great body of water. What could it be ? As we know now, it was the Pacific Ocean, and Drake was the first Englishman to see it. About sixty years had passed since Balboa discovered it, and since Magellan had sailed through the straits and named Balboa's "South Sea" the Pacific Ocean. Drake now gazed at it long and steadily. " I hope," said he, " that I may some day sail a ship on those waters." He did not have many years to wait for the fulfilment of his desire. In No- vember, 1577, at the port of Plymouth, England, five vessels with sails unfurled and spread to the welcome breeze passed proudly out of the harbor. It was Drake's fieet, and his object was to attack Spanish ships on the Pacific seaboard of America. He reached the Atlantic coast safely and succeeded in passing through the Straits of Magellan. No Englishman had ever before sailed on the Pacific. As the fleet proceeded on its course, one of the ships went to pieces on the rocks, and three others Spanish Treasure Ship 44 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY either turned back or were lost. With his one re- maining boat, the Golden Hind, and a scant supply of provisions, Drake boldly sailed into the South American ports of Chili and Peru. In the harbors of Valparaiso and Lima, Drake plundered the Spaniards so successfully that they called him the " master thief of the western world." There were no longer short rations for the crew of the Golden Hind, but more choice food than they could eat. There was also rich booty for all. It was not long before Drake heard that a Spanish ship, the Spitfire, had just left Panama with an un- usually rich cargo. Soon the Englishmen were in hot pursuit. " A chain of gold to the first man who sights the Spitfire'' said Drake. All eyes were strained as the Golden Hind plowed through the deep waters on the exciting chase. At last a nephew of Drake claimed the reward ; the Spitfire was over- taken, captured, and nearly a million dollars' worth of treasure was put on board the Golden Hijid, Drake was deeply grateful for the chance that had led to his climbing that tall tree on the Isthmus. " This ocean brings me good luck," said he; so, instead of returning home, he explored the Pacific coast as far north as Oregon. He spent the winter of 1579 on the shore of California, probably in the present harbor of San Francisco. He named the country New Albion and claimed it in the name of England's queen. When Drake at last left our western coast, SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 45 he crossed the Pacific and cruised among the Malay Islands ; then he sailed down the coast of Africa, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and, in the autumn Queen Elizabeth making Drake a Knight of 1580, brought the storm-beaten Golden Hind safely into the harbor of Plymouth. This was the second time in the history of the world that the globe had been circumnavigated, and 46 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Drake was the first Englishman to accompUsh the feat. On his return, therefore, he was hailed as the hero of the hour. Queen Elizabeth, attired in magnificent robes, visited him on the Golden Hind, and the proud commander prepared a banquet in her honor. As he knelt at her feet, she conferred knighthood upon him, so that alw^ays afterward he was known as Sir Francis Drake. The Golden Hind w^as preserved for one hundred years, and when it fell to pieces from old age part of its timber was made into a chair. The king gave this chair to the University of Oxford, where it may still be seen. Now it was natural that King Philip of Spain should not share the enthusiasm of the English for Sir Francis Drake. To Philip, Drake was a " mas- ter robber," and the court of Spain asked Queen Elizabeth to punish him. When no attention was paid to this request, Philip considered that he had sufficient excuse for declaring war upon England. In order to protect the Spanish treasure ships in their journey from the new land to the old, England m2ist be driven from the sea. Moreover, Philip thought that if he could crush England it would be possible to keep the Protestant faith from spreading. Spain was now one of the mightiest powers in the world. She had partly conquered Portugal, Italy, and Holland, and Philip resolved to destroy the English navy also. So he began to build a mighty SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 47 fleet of ships to use against the Enghsh. The Spaniards called this fleet the " Armada," and the high ships were called galleons. When news of the Spanish shipbuilding at Cadiz reached England, Drake determined to do what he could to hinder the work, and early in the year 1587 The Spanish Armada in the English Channel he set out with a strong fleet. With his usual dar- ing he sailed close to the Spanish harbor, opened fire, and destroyed nearly one hundred unfinished ships. This feat he called " singeing the Spanish king's beard." Although Drake's attack postponed the comple- tion of the Armada for more than a year, it was finally ready to start on its errand of destruction. In the summer of 1588 it passed through the English Channel, and on July 29 came in sight of England. 48 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY That same night dwellers on the English cliffs over- looking the sea licrhted a thousand beacon fires to warn their countrymen that the enemy was approach- ing. Two days afterward the two fleets met off the Cornish coast. The huge galleons were arranged in the form of a crescent. The English navy had fewer vessels, but being smaller they were more easily handled, and they were commanded by more daring and experi- enced seamen. Lord Howard was in charge, Drake second in command, while one division was under Sir John Hawkins, the cousin of Drake. The clumsy galleons built high above the water were an easy mark for the swiftly moving English vessels, which could sail two feet to the Spaniards' one and could fire four shots for every one the Spanish guns sent forth. On the first day of the battle King Philip's loss of men and ships was so heavy that he knew the conquest was not to be an easy one. The first day of ill luck was indeed the beginning of the end. For a whole week the fight continued with practi- cally no loss to the English. The battered Armada, with sails torn and masts shot away, slowly drifted across the channel, Drake and Hawkins with their English ships in close pursuit. At length a terrible storm arose. Unable to do anything but sail with the wind, the crippled Spanish fleet was forced to go around Scotland in an effort to get back to Spain ; SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 49 but galleon after galleon was driven ashore on the wild coast and wrecked on the rocks. After the defeat of the Armada Drake was more popular than ever. In 1595 he and Hawkins set out on another voyage to America. But this expedi- tion was not successful. Haw^kins died before reach- ing Porto Rico. Drake won a few victories, but sickness broke out among his men, and at last the hardy admiral fell a victim to the disease. On January 28, 1596, the English vessels anchored at Porto Bello, and on the same day Sir Francis Drake died and was buried at sea. Robbed by death of its commanders, the fleet returned to England. Of Drake it was said : " Of such captains as Frank Drake heaven never makes but one at a time, and, if we lose him, good-by to England's luck. " Both Drake and Haw^kins were certainly among the bravest of England's navigators. Things to Remember Francis Drake was the first Englishman to look upon the Pacific Ocean. He saw it from the Isthmus of Panama in the year 1573. In 1577 he left England with a fleet of five vessels, and in the Goldeii Hirid he sailed around the world. He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Drake explored the coast of California and Oregon in 1579, and claimed the Pacific coast for England. He was one of the admirals in the English navy that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. Map Work. — Trace the route of Drake in his voyage around the world. V. SIR WALTER RALEIGH Born 1552 — Died 161 8 A wet sheet and a flowing sea, . A wind that follows fast And fills the white and rustling sail And bends the gallant mast ; And bends the gallant mast, my boys, While like the eagle free Away the good ship flies, and leaves Old England on the lee. — Cunningham's " A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea." The hero of this story is the handsome, brave, dashing Walter Raleigh, favorite of Queen Eliza- beth — adventurer, sailor, fighter, and courtier. His life was full of excitement and interest. He was the first man in Europe to make a really great effort to plant colonies and found a civilized com- munity in America. Raleigh was born in a quiet old farmhouse in Devonshire, England, though his father's family had once been rich and powerful. He spent his boyhood near the seacoast. He was fond of boats and sailins^; he liked the old sailors who told him thrilling stories of storms at sea; he liked to hear of the battles that his countrymen had fought with the Spaniards. His older half- 50 SIR WALTER RALEIGH 51 brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had attempted to found a colony in Newfoundland about the time that Drake and Hawkins made their voyages to our coast. Young Raleigh had been fascinated by the stories of Gilbert and his friends, and re- solved to share some day their bold exploits. At the age of fifteen Raleigh entered Oxford University. His unusual talent for books and study, his fine face and figure, Sir Walter Raleigh and his lively, gracious man- ner attracted many friends. But he longed for a life of action, and at the end of three years left college to take part in a w^ar between Protestants and Catholics in France. He remained in that country for six or seven years ; then he became engaged in England's conflicts in Holland and Ireland, and for his services in the latter country Queen Elizabeth gave him large tracts of land. Throughout these years of foreign service Raleigh 52 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY had everywhere shown remarkable bravery and abil- ity, and whether on sea or in camp he found time to read and study, and to write poems and essays. After he returned home his many accomplishments brought him to the notice of the queen, who gave him a place at her court, then one of the most bril- liant in Europe. Here Raleigh's wit, learning, and charm soon made him popular, while his acts of gallantry espe- cially endeared him to the queen. One afternoon while Elizabeth was walking in the palace grounds with her attendants, she came to a place in a path where water from a recent shower had collected. While the queen hesitated, wondering how to cross, Raleigh took off his richly embroidered velvet cloak and spread it over the muddy spot for her to walk upon. It was Elizabeth's custom to reward her favorites by giving them an opportunity to make large for- tunes. She extended to Walter Raleigh the privi- lege of exporting woolen goods and silks, and of selling wines, and he soon became a wealthy man. This enabled him to gratify his love for fine attire. Even the long plume which he wore in his hat was set with precious gems, and his shoe buckles sparkled with costly jewels. It was not until near the close of the sixteenth century that the people of Europe came to America for any other purpose than to find gold and silver. SIR WALTER RALEIGH 53 Gilbert and Raleigh desired to plant colonies in America for other reasons. Their idea was to build houses, cultivate the ground, and establish a farming com- munity, to which England might send her laborers who could find no work at home. These colo- nies, Raleigh hoped, would " put a bridle on the king of Spain," by taking for Eng- land a part of the new land, and establish- ing on this side of the water additional trading points for England. When Sir Humphrey Gilbert died in shipwreck without having succeeded in founding a colony, Raleigh took up the work. The queen turned over to him, in 1584, the charter that she had granted to Gilbert. This gave him " the right to lay claim to any land In the west not actually pos- sessed by a Christian." The charter made Raleigh Queen Elizabeth of England 54 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY governor of all the colonies he might establish ; and it gave to the settlers the freedom and privileges that they enjoyed at home. In the year 1584 Walter Raleigh sent out an ex- pedition that explored Albemarle and Pamlico sounds on the coast of what is now called North Carolina, but he did not go with it himself. The two commanders of the fleet brought back glow- ing reports of the climate and country, — the balmy air, fine rivers and harbors, fruit, fish, and game. Elizabeth was so pleased that she knighted Raleigh, and gave to the new land the name of Virginia. This was in her own honor; for, never having married, she was called the virgin or maiden queen. The next year Raleigh sent out seven more ves- sels, which landed at Roanoke Island. A colony was .planted, but owing to scarcity of food and the hostility of the Indians only part of the men sur- vived. Doubtless all would have gone well had the emigrants treated the natives with the kindness that Drake and Hawkins showed them. But some of the newcomers were idle, overbearing men, who supposed they could treat the redskins as out- rageously as they pleased. This was a dangerous experiment, as the English found to their sorrow. After suffering great hardships the few surviving colonists were taken home by a passing ship be- longing to the fleet of Sir Francis Drake. SIR WALTER RALEIGH 55 This failure would have led some men to give up the idea of planting colonies in America, but Raleigh had great perseverance and did not easily lose heart. In the spring of 1587 / VfRClH A ITHfc first -leT ' "lACtmAMERlCA. '0^ 1 COLOWtSTS SU) V SmVfALICRRALt! 11 f 'P Br- TMEM THE NEW FORT r THtSecOl.O!«UTS»E Tl ifi t^ THE ENCLt IH •r CCTuRMtOTOENtLA A'irH „iR Francis OhAKe, fJEARTHiSPlAi-EUA POW ONTHtIS" A/cuiTl587 VIRGIWI', OAR£ - (t flr^r LHILD CF ENCLIiH P RCST'i dOR„t IN Ai^cpii.i\-LAu hterofAnahIas DhRE ^ ano 'lcamor White his wift Mtnaffts of J *Wl~ ritB BH"JO Of COLONk.TSitWOl.rat^i 1 w\ ;^^RAL^,,H1^I*;87 J 4 UHCAV 'u&u T ^Q I5b7 B >■ DARt Wi': BAf-U'^t' f AN'EO ME r OK CHICr or THt HATTERi llOi/J. I ) >.t6N oAPT17£0 O-. THi iJNCAv P i- Ct -^C fMC E BAPTISMS Af" THt F RSI H4(.'.tut!jrAT I Of /VMFI tl SAt he once more sent out an expedition, which this time in- cluded w^omen and children. It was under the command of Captain John White. Not loner o after the arrival of the colonists at Roan- oke the first English child w^as born in the United States. The little one was the granddaughter of Captain White and monument at old fort raleigh was named Virginia. Quite recently a stone has been set up at Roanoke, commemorating the site of this first settlement. It states that near this stone Virginia Dare was baptized on Sunday, Au- gust 20, 1587, and that on the Sunday preceding a friendly Indian chief had been baptized. Captain White saw the colonists snugly housed in strong huts and well stocked with provisions ; then he set sail for England to report to Raleigh 56 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the success of his venture. But, alas, just at this time Sir Walter, and in fact all England, was pre- paring for the fight with the Spanish Armada. The little settlement on the distant Atlantic coast was lost sight of in England's struggle to conquer her great rival. So a long time passed before White could be provided with more ships and men. Finally, after two years. Captain White returned to America, but a bitter disappointment awaited him, for no sign of the poor colonists remained. Either they had died of starvation or had been murdered by Indians, and little Virginia Dare was never heard of again. The only thing found that would even suggest that Englishmen had lived at Roanoke was the single word " Croatoan " carved on the bark of a tree. This was the name of an island not far away, so a careful search was made there for the missing settlers, but no trace of them ever came to light. Deeply discouraged, but not entirely disheartened, Raleigh continued to send out fresh expeditions to search the wilderness for some clew to his lost colony. The greater part of his large fortune was spent in unsuccessful efforts to establish a settle- ment in this country. One important result of his endeavors was the in- troduction into England of potatoes and tobacco, neither of which had been previously known there. The emigrants who lived to return from Virginia SIR WALTER RALEIGH 57 brought back a certain " root," as they called the potato. They had either discovered for themselves, or had been shown by the Indians, that this root might be boiled or roasted to make nourishing food. Raleigh planted the potato in the garden of his estate near Cork, Ireland, and its use as a vegetable spread over Europe. It is doubtful, however, if men were as much excited over the discovery of this new food as over the Indian herb which they soon learned to smoke. An English scholar who had gone out with one of Raleigh's fleets, brought back not only tobacco but a few of the Indians' clay pipes. Sir Walter had a silver pipe made after the Indian pattern, and an amusing story is told of his first effort to enjoy it. He was sitting by the fire puffing great whiffs of smoke, when a servant entered the room with a mug of ale. Seeing the smoke and thinking that Raleigh was on fire, he flung the ale over the head of his astonished master. After the year 1592 Raleigh gave up his attempt to plant a colony in America. Although Elizabeth was in many respects a great queen, and though she professed warm admiration for Raleigh, she was often harsh in her treatment of him. Once she ordered him imprisoned in the Tower of London, and after his release refused to allow him to present himself at court. This was a great grief to Raleigh, but he did not lose his courage. The sea was always call- 58 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY ing him, and since he could no longer afford to send colonies to America, he organized an expedi- tion to explore the coast of Guiana. He ascended the Orinoco River for many miles. At Trinidad The Tower of London the Englishmen tasted their first pineapple, which they called the " Prince of Fruits." Raleigh was generally loved and admired, but some were jealous of him. After Elizabeth died and James I ruled in her place, these old enemies con- spired against Sir Walter and urged the king to put him to death. Once more the valiant Raleigh was committed to the gloomy Tower, where he was held a prisoner for thirteen years. He occupied the dreary days of his long confinement in writing an important book, "The History of the World." In the palace yard of Westminster, Raleigh was beheaded on October 19, j6i8. To such an ignoble end did King James condemn a great man whose SIR WALTER RALEIGH 59 brilliant record in the struggle against the Spanish Armada, and in other services to his country, entitled him to respect and honor. In St. Margaret's church, near Westminster Abbey, a memorial has been placed to Raleigh's memory. We may to-day read thereon that this brave man "laid the corner-stone of the American Republic." Raleigh lived to hear of the fulfillment of his great desire to " plant an English nation in Amer- ica," but the news was brought to him when he was in prison. Although his own efforts had been unsuccessful, they led to other attempts that resulted in the foundation of an English-speaking nation in America. Long years after his death North Caro- lina named her capital Raleigh in his honor. Things to Remember Sir Walter Raleigh's great desire was to plant an English nation in America. He was the first man who made persistent efforts to found a colony in America for any purpose except the finding of gold and silver. Raleigh's first colony was planted at Roanoke, North Carolina, in 1585. Virginia Dare, born in North Carohna in 1587, was the first English child born in America. Sir Walter Raleigh's efforts to establish a colony failed, but they led others to make attempts that were successful. It is said of Raleigh that ^' he laid the corner-stone of the American Republic." Map Work. — Locate Devonshire and Roanoke. VI. JOHN SMITH Born 1580 — Died 1631 Bless then, our God, the new-yoked plow And the good beasts that draw, And the bread we eat in the sweat of our brow According to thy Law. After us cometh a multitude — Prosper the work of our hands. That we may feed with our land's food The folk of all our lands. — Kipling's " The Settler." It was more than one hundred years after John Cabot made his discovery of American shores, and twenty-two years after Raleigh tried to found a colony at Roanoke, before an English settlement took root and flourished in the New World. This was at Jamestown, Virginia, and the year in which it was begun was 1607. Jamestown, therefore, was the first permanent settlement made by Englishmen in the United States. It survived a desperate strug- gle against starvation and Indian attacks, and the man who more than any one else helped to keep it alive was John Smith. The days of England's courtiers and adventurers were drawing to an end, and Smith was one of the last. His life was filled with so many bold 60 JOHN SMITH 6i exploits and hairbreadth escapes that he makes a picturesque and interesting figure in our early his- tory. John Smith was born in Lincolnshire, England, and, as he was early attracted by a life of activity and danger, he joined in the war then raging in Holland. It has been said of him that he could not hear of a fight going on anywhere in the world without taking a hand in it; so we are not surprised to find him next in Hungary fighting ^ the Turks. Once he was taken >^-:^^ prisoner and thrown Captain John Smith overboard from a ^^°"^ ^^ engraving in his " Description of New England." ship, but escaped by swimming to land. At another time he was robbed, bound, and thrown into a deep wood to die, but again he managed to escape. When he finally reached England he heard that another attempt was to be made to do in America the work that Sir Walter Raleigh had failed in doing, and Smith at once became interested in the project. The experiments made by Raleigh and others 62 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY had proved that planting colonies in America would be a very expensive undertaking. England, how- ever, was not willing to allow Spain to have all this new country; for the idea still prevailed that rich treasures might easily be found in America. With this fond hope in mind a body of merchants in London in 1605 formed themselves into an organi- zation known as the London Company. They pro- cured from King James a charter giving them the right to establish colonies anywhere in America between Cape Fear and the Potomac River. This royal grant stated that the religion of the settlers must be that of the Church of England, that they were to treat the natives kindly, and "use all means in their power to draw them to the true knowledge and love of God." In fitting out the first expedition of the London Company, Captain John Smith took an active part, and when in the winter of 1606 three ships set sail from England, Smith was among the one hun- dred and five men who turned their faces toward Virginia. The Atlantic was safely crossed and the colonists reached Virginia early in 1607. They entered Chesapeake Bay and before landing sailed for thirty miles up a broad and beautiful river. This they named the James in honor of their king, and for the same reason the little settlement was called Jamestown. JOHN SMITH 63 But England had not yet learned what kind of men were needed for a successful settlement in the wilderness, where trees must be cut down, houses built, and all kinds of rough work done. Instead of carpenters and laborers, the colony consisted largely How THE COLONISIS BUILT THEIR New HOMES of men who called themselves " gentlemen," who had been led to come over by the desire for gold. The colonists lacked many tools that would have been of great service in tilling the soil, but there were plenty of pickaxes for digging precious metals. The settlers were so confident that these were plentiful in Virginia, that they sent a ship load of yellow dirt back to England in the vain hope that it might turn out to be gold. At first Captain John Smith paid little attention 64 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY to the management of the settlement, although he was one of the council selected to govern the colony. But as the months passed it became plain that some- body would have to take charge and make new laws, or all the colonists would perish from hunger and the hostility of the savages. As there seemed to be no one else willing or capable, Smith came forward, was chosen governor, and assumed full command. One of his first acts was to make the wise rule, " He who will not work shall not eat." As., all pro- visions were kept in a common storehouse, where each one had to apply for his food, this rule was easily enforced. It had been the custom for the men to help themselves to whatever remained of the scanty store, but now this was changed. Smith taught the " gentlemen " to use tools, and to culti- vate the land ; and he made them build log houses and fortifications for protection against assaults of the savages. With a few of his men he explored the Chicka- hominy River, and traded beads and trinkets with the Indians for corn to feed the half-starved col- onists. He still clung to a belief that the Pacific Ocean was not far away, and that he was likely at any time to find it. While he was out on one of these trading and exploring trips. Smith fell into the hands of hos- tile savages who were ready to put him to death. But he had had too much experience in danger- JOHN SMITH 65 ous positions to lose his wits. He quickly drew from his pocket a compass and showed his captors the trembling needle that always points to the north. This queer little instrument, so dif- ferent from anything the natives had ever seen, aroused their childlike wonder. Their curiosity got the better of their thirst for blood, and Smith was taken from one Indian village to another and exhibited to the astonished savages. One day, finding him- self not far from James- town, John Smith wrote on a piece of paper an account of his condition, and directed the Indians to carry it to the little settlement. The savages learned to their great surprise that when the white people had looked at the paper they knew all that had hap- pened. This " talking on paper " appeared to their simple minds as one of the greatest of wonders, and made them think more highly than ever of their captive. The Indian tribes into whose hands Smith had fallen had a powerful chief called Powhatan. In VIRGINIA IN EARLY DAYS 66 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY one of the books that Captain Smith wrote long afterward, he told how his life was saved by Pow- hatan's daughter, Pocahontas, a little Indian maiden about twelve years of age. The savages had at last grown tired of their white prisoner and had decided to kill him. The head of the' unhappy Englishman was placed on a block and an Indian stood over him ready to strike the fatal blow. Just at that moment Pocahontas rushed forward, and with tears stream- ing down her cheeks begged her father to spare the white man's life, and the old chieftain, with whom the little maid was a great favorite, ordered the prisoner to be released. Smith finally succeeded in reaching Jamestown, which had suffered many hardships during his ab- sence. ® The little settlement was to undergo much more suffering before it became established beyond fear of failure. This, as we have seen, was in a large measure due to the kind of men the settlers were. Smith says of them in his history that they were "better fitted to spoil a community than to begin or help maintain one." Even with the aid of food that Captain Smith was able to get from the Indians, and the fish that could be caught, there were not enough provisions to go around. The river water was not fit to drink, and malaria lurked in the surrounding marshes. Fever broke out, many died, and one hard winter the colonists were forced to eat their horses and dogs. JOHN SMITH 67 Even by resorting to such extreme measures, there were times when the living were too ill and weak to bury the dead. J his titi Jus iflunl^uUnt/} Pocahontas saving John Smith's Life From " A General History of Virginia," by Captain John Smith. London, 1626. Fortunately for the new settlers, more and more people in England were beginning to take an in- terest in the project of founding a colony in America. At last the settlers were rejoiced to see a ship load of men sailing up the James River. Soon other ships came, and some of them brought women and children. 68 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY More houses were built, more seeds were planted, and the Httle colony was firmly established. In 1609 Captain Smith returned to England, partly because of an accident, and partly be- cause some of the new arrivals were jealous of him, wishing to become governor in his place. So they invented charges against him and thus found an excuse for sending him back. The charges came to nothing, but Smith never returned to the Jamestown settlement, though he made several voyages to America for the purpose of exploring the coast. He gave the name New England to the shores that he explored, *and he carried on a profitable trade with the natives in fish and furs. His maps of the coast of Chesapeake Bay and of New England were so nearly correct that they were in use for more than one hundred years. The books written in his later days by this able Englishman are very interesting. His descriptions of America were so enthusiastic that they helped to attract many emigrants to these shores. After a life crowded with adventure on land and sea. Captain John Smith died in London when not much more than fifty years of age, and his body lies buried in the church of St. Sepulchre. In the year 16 19 there were four thousand col- onists in Virginia. The leaders in the colony, desiring to manage their own affairs, appealed to the London Company for permission to elect repre- JOHN SMITH 69 sentatives or " burgesses," to form an assembly to make laws for the colony. The request was readily granted and in 16 19, in the choir of the little church at Jamestown, the first law-making body in America met. This assembly was afterward called the House of Burgesses. We shall learn a little later how this first settlement Jamestown in 1622 After a drawing made by Anthony Chester in 1622. in America came to be burned to the ground. There is now nothing left of Jamestown but a crumbling wall, but the work that Captain Smith and his com- panions began did not perish. As we continue to study, we shall learn how from the humble begin- ning at Jamestown, Virginia grew into a rich and prosperous state, and of how much service the Virgin- ians have been in the history of our country. 70 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Things to Remember The first permanent English colony in America was planted in 1607. It was at Jamestown, Virginia. The leading man among the founders was Captain John Smith. The planting of the colony at Jamestown was the first step in founding the American nation. The first law-making body in America met in Jamestown in 1619. Map Work. — Locate Jamestown, Chickahominy River, Chesa- peake Bay. A DESCRIPTION of tN^y» England: OR THE OBSERVATIONS, AND difcouerieSjof Captain [ohnSmith(AdmiraU of that Country) in the North oi jimerka, in the year of our Lord 1 6 ' 4 : with ihefuaejfe of fixe Shifs, that went the next yeare 1615-, And the acddentsbcfdl himamongthe French men ofwarre: With the proore of the prefent benefit this Countreyaffoords: whither thi s prefent/ejre, J 6 1 6 , eight -voluntarj Ships dregone to make further tryall. At LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lowm, for Robert Clerke ; and are to be fould at his houfe called the Lodge, in Chancery lane, ouer againft Lin- colneslnne. 1 6 16. Facsimile of the Title-page of a Book WHICH John Smith wrote VII. POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS Pocahontas: Born about 1596 — Died 161 7 Who will shield the fearless heart? Who avert the murderous blade ? From the throng, with sudden start, See, there springs an Indian maid. Quick she stands before the knight ; " Loose the chain, unbind the ring ; I am daughter of the King, And I claim the Indian right ! " Dauntlessly aside she flings Lifted ax and thirsty knife ; Fondly to his heart she clings. And her bosom guards his life ! In the woods of Powhatan Still 'tis told by Indian fires, How a daughter of their sires Saved the captive Englishman. — Thackeray's " Pocahontas." In the greater part of what we now call the United States, before the white people came to dis- turb their habits, the savages lived a roving, primi- tive life in the forest and along the banks of streams, with only wigwams for shelter. We already know that the Northmen called the savages Skraelings, because they thought them inferior to Europeans, and that five hundred years later Columbus named 71 72 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY them Indians, thinking that he had reached the East Indies. Sometimes the white people spoke of them as redskins, for they were reddish brown in color. The Indians were a tall, straight, fearless race of men, with small black eyes, high cheek bones, and coarse black hair. They liked to decorate their Indians broiling Fish After a drawing made in 1588 by John White. faces and bodies with bright-colored paints, using certain colors in times of war and others for feasts and festivals. Each warrior allowed one lock of his hair to grow long. This was the " scalp lock," which he was proud to adorn with eagles' feathers as tokens of his bravery. The chiefs sometimes wore a head- dress of feathers that reached nearly to the ground. What little clothing they needed for warmth and protection they made from the skins of animals. POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS 73 On their feet they wore deerskin moccasins which the squaws trimmed with bright-colored embroidery, and with beadwork that was often very beautiful. The beads were tiny pieces of white and purple sea- shells strung upon strips of bark of the slippery elm tree, or on the sinews of deer. The Indians wore long strings of beads about their waists and necks and arms, and also used them for " wampum " or money. Sometimes many strings were joined to- Wampum Belt gether into a belt, and these wampum belts may now be seen in any museum that has a collection of Indian relics. As the Indians seldom stayed very long in one place, they made their houses so that they could be folded up and carried about on the backs of the hunting dogs. These tents, or wigwams as they were called, were circular or oblong in shape. They were made of strips of bark or hides of ani- mals firmly sewed together and stretched over poles. At the top of the wigwam was an opening to allow the smoke to escape from the fire which was built in the center. On the cold winter nights the In- dian boys and girls liked to sit before the wigwam 74 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY fire and watch their elders smoke their long pipes, and hear them tell stories of good and evil spirits, and of their own deeds of valor. There was very little furniture in the wigwams. Blankets made of animals' skins served for bed covering, and the bare floor or the soft green grass an- swered for beds, chairs, and dining tables. Dry sticks rubbed together until they produced a spark were used as matches to light the fire, and for cooking utensils crude kettles were fashioned from stone or clay. Large seashells made excellent plates and platters. The Indians' food was chiefly game and fish, but they also had little gardens in which they raised maize, or Indian corn, and sometimes beans and squash. The squaws did all the work in the gar- dens, their only tool being a stone, or clam-shell hoe. The braves thought it was but right that the squaws should do the gardening, as their own time was needed for killing game and for fighting, which was their chief occupation. Palisaded Indian Village on Albe MARLE Sound in 1585 POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS 75 The various tribes were constantly at war with one another. Their weapons were swift-flying, flint- tipped arrows, and stone knives and tomahawks. Indian Bow and Arrows To this day the Indian arrowheads are dug up from time to time in our pastures. When he was not fighting, the Indian spent his days in hunting and fishing, or in building canoes. These were made of birch bark or of skins, and some- times were hewn from solid logs. The bark and skin canoes were very light in weight, yet strong and swift. They were jpTp managed with great iiiill.ij skill in dangerous cur- rents and rough water. The Indians de- lio^hted in feasts and A Tomahawk For amusements festivals. they played ball, ran races, threw quoits, and had many other games not unlike our own. The famous game of Lacrosse was invented by the Indians. In their sports and games, as in warfare, they were often crafty and cruel. The "talking pages," as the Indians called the books of the palefaces, were meaningless to savages. A rude kind of picture-writing served their simple 76 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY purposes. An Indian boy had no school to attend, but was taught to use the bow and arrow and toma- hawk, and to paddle a canoe. He learned also self- control and to bear pain silently, as the savages had great contempt for any one who could not endure torture without a sound. The little girls, some of whom were exceedingly pretty, helped in the work of the wigwams and in the care of the corn ground. They learned early how to string beads and to make moccasins. By instinct an Indian child could find his way through thick woods where a white child would have been hopelessly lost. The savages had no roads, for they had no wagons or horses or oxen. Their only animals were hunting dogs. Their trained eyes were keen and their sense of direction accurate. They knew how to avoid steep hills and troublesome swamps, and many of our roads and railways, as for example, the New York Central Railroad, follow the old .Indian trails through the wilderness. Each tribe or nation held its own land, and had its chief, and some of the tribes were governed by wise laws. The religion of the Indians was simple. In a vague way they believed in "spirits" and thought that every plant and animal as well as every human being possessed one. Sometimes they talked of a Great Spirit that watched over the world. They had many fantastic dances as a part of their religious ceremony. They knew how to make use of healing POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS 77 herbs in sickness ; but their " medicine men " often resorted to sorcery. The EngHsh colonists learned many valuable things from the Indians. The red man taught the paleface to girdle the tall trees so that they would die, and thus admit light and sun to make the corn and vegetables grow ; and to fertilize the corn by putting a dead fish in each hill where it was planted. From their dark-skinned neighbors the English- IxDiAX Canoe and TEXXi men learned to make maple sugar, to spear fish through the ice in winter, and to make moccasins and snowshoes. They learned also new methods of warfare. As we know, Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, a powerful chief among the Indians in the vicinity of Jamestown. We have learned, too, that Captain John Smith said she saved his life at a time 78 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY when the Indians were preparing to put him to death. After Smith had been released by his Indian cap- tors and permitted to join his companions, Poca- hontas came frequently to the Jamestown settlement, bringing corn to the famished Englishmen. She grew very fond of Smith and his white friends, and they in turn liked to have her visit them. Once she gave warning of an attack the Indians were preparing to make upon them, and so prevented the colonists from being surprised and mas- sacred. Soon after Captain Smith went back to England in From the portraTtTooton painted 1 609 thcSCttlerS had frCSh in England shortly before she trouble with the nativCS. died. ^^ ^. 1 he new governor, Sir Samuel Argall, was a selfish, dishonorable man, who cared for nothing except getting money for his own pocket. He took all the corn that the colo- nists could raise, loaded it on ships, and sent it to England, where it was sold at a profit ; but not a cent did the poor settlers get. As Argall did not allow his conscience to trouble him, you can understand how he could plot with a Pocahontas POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS 79 treacherous Indian for the capture of Pocahontas. She was stolen from her fond old father and delivered into the hands of the tricky governor. Again and again the grief-stricken Powhatan tried, by pleading, threat, or offer of ransom, to get his daughter back, but the English would not give her up. Pocahontas had by this time grown to be a charm- ing, graceful young woman. She became a great favorite in the English settlement and one of the young colonists, John Rolfe, fell in love with her. Now King James had said in his charter to the colony that there was to be no religion except that of the Episcopal Church. Pocahontas was called a heathen, and therefore Rolfe could not marry her until she became a Christian. Accordingly, in 1614, in the rough little log church at Jamestown, Poca- hontas was christened and given the name Rebecca, after which, in broken English, she took the marriage vows and became the wife of John Rolfe. Rolfe was the first Englishman who had ventured to wed an Indian girl. Powhatan was much pleased because his daughter had married a white man. He forgave the palefaces and became their friend. For a long time the settlers had nothing more to fear from attacks of his tribe. As Longfellow says in the " Song of Hiawatha " : — " Buried was the bloody hatchet, Buried was the dreadful war-club, Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. 8o FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY There was peace among the nations ; Unmolested roved the hunters, Built the birch canoe for sailing, Caught the fish in lake and river, Shot the deer and trapped the beaver ; Unmolested worked the women, Made their sugar from the maple. Gathered wild rice in the meadows. Dressed the skins of deer and beaver." In 1612, five years after John Smith had estab- Hshed the colony at Jamestown, John Rolfe planted the first tobacco. Before that time the emigrants had cultivated only corn and a few other vegetables. Rolfe's tobacco crop was a great success and sold in England at a handsome profit. At last a way had been found to earn money, and all the colonists were now eager to raise the tobacco plant and send it to Europe. From that time forward the colony increased rapidly in num- bers and Jamestown became prosperous. So anxious were the settlers to put every foot of land under the cultivation of tobacco, that it was finally neces- sary to pass a law compelling them to plant enough corn for food. In connection with tobacco-raising there is another thing that history forces us to remember — the in- troduction of slavery into Virginia. It was difficult to find enough laborers to care for the enormous quantity of tobacco that England was willing to buy. Orphans were taken from asylums in England POCAHONTAS AND THE INDIANS 8i and even convicts from jails, but Jamestown still had need for more workers. In 1619a Dutch ship sailed up the James River with a cargo of twenty negroes who were sold as slaves to the Englishmen. This was the beginning of slavery in the South, and it quickly spread, until, as the years went on, slaves were found in every colony. Before the opening of this sad chapter in Ameri- can history, John Rolfe and his wife sailed for Eng- land. The English people were so accustomed to kings and princesses that they called Powhatan an Indian king and Pocahontas a princess. It is said that King James was deeply offended because Rolfe had dared to marry a foreign princess. The Eng- lish, however, were eager to see one of the natives of the New World about which they had heard so much, and they treated Pocahontas with great kind- ness. At last King James relented and the Indian "princess" was presented at court. How rejoiced her tribe would have been, could they have seen their favorite thus honored ; and how they would have exulted in the sight of the bright-colored robes and sparkling jewels worn by the lords and ladies ! Pocahontas never came back to her dear Virginia, never again spoke her own language with the redskins. As she was preparing to sail for America with her husband and infant son, she was taken ill, and died at Gravesend, England, in 161 7. Rolfe returned with his boy to Jamestown and 82 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY continued to cultivate tobacco, although the king wrote a book against the " vile weed " and denounced it in Parliament. The young planter became secretary, and later recorder general, of Virginia. The son, Thomas, grew to a prosperous manhood. He was a useful and influential citizen and some of the best families in Virginia to-day proudly trace their ancestry back to the Indian Pocahontas. Things to Remember The red men were called Indians because the Spaniards who first came to this country beheved that the islands on which they landed were the East Indies. The Indians who dwelt in what is now the United States were savages. They lived mainly by hunting and fishing, and knew little of agriculture and nothing of manufacturing. They were divided into tribes, and each tribe was ruled by a chief. Pocahontas, the daughter of a powerful Indian chief, Powhatan, married John Rolfe, an Englishman. In 1612 John Rolfe planted the first tobacco in Virginia. The raising of large quantities of tobacco led in 16 19 to the introduction of slavery. Memory Selection. — Thackeray's " Pocahontas." VIII. MILES STANDISH AND THE PIL- GRIMS Standish : Born about 1584 — Died 1656 The breaking waves dashed high On a stern and rock-bound coast, And the woods against a stormy sky Their giant branches tossed ; And the heavy night hung dark The hills and waters o'er, When a band of exiles moored their bark On the wild New England shore. Ay, call it holy ground, The soil where first they trod. They left unstained what there they found, — Freedom to worship God. — Mrs. Hemans's " The Landing of the Pilgrims." Can you picture a short man with broad shoulders, blue eyes, and reddish hair ; with muscles as strong as iron, and face bronzed by exposure to wind and sun ? He is dressed in a doublet, close-fitting knee breeches, and high leather boots. His breast- plate is of steel, and by his side there hangs a sword, curved at the point and ornamented with Arabic letters. 83 84 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY This man is Miles Standish, a brave, true-hearted Eno^Hsh soldier who in 1620 came to America with the Pilgrims, the first English settlers on the "stern and rock-bound " New England coast. Captain John Smith has often been called the Father of Virginia, because his hardihood, pluck, and common sense saved the life of the first Vir- ginia settlement. In the same way Miles Standish may be regarded as one of the fathers of Massa- chusetts. He was fond of fight- inor and of adventure, and he^ came to America for no other reason than to Mills stvndish j^^jp ^|-^g Pilgrims in their task of making a new home in the forest wilds. He did not share the religious beliefs that drove this little body of emigrants to America. He came as their friend and helper, and his sagacity and bravery in dealing with the Indians once saved their lives, as we shall read later in this chapter. The Standish family had lived for many years at Duxbury Hall, Lancashire, England, and many of its members had been knighted for brave deeds. Miles fought with the English army in France and Holland, where he proved his worth and was made MILES STANDISH 85 a captain. He happened to be living in Leyden, Holland, when the Pilgrims fled from England to that country, and Standish and his wife, Rose, be- came their warm friends. What was it that led these English men and women to abandon their homes and seek shelter first in Holland and then in America ? It was- the desire for freedom to worship God in whatever way they chose. In common with most rulers of his time King James was tyrannical in matters of religion. He would not permit his subjects to use a form of serv- ice that differed in any way from that of the Estab- lished, or Episcopal, Church, and every one was made to pay a fine if he did not attend church. There were many who preferred a simpler service, and at last they left the Church and dared to worship in their own way. For this they were called Sepa- ratists, because they " separated " from the estab- lished form of worship. The king was so angry with the Separatists that he punished them in every possible manner. He even went so far as to throw some of them into prison, where they languished and died. Others were driven from place to place by his persecutions, so they came finally to be called Pilgrims or Wanderers. A small band of these people collected at Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, but the tyranny of King James 86 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY pursued them. Many were seized and put into prison, and all were hunted and persecuted in one way or another. They therefore resolved, in 1608, to for- sake their country and take refuge in Holland, where they knew that they would find the religious liberty they desired. The Dutch treated the Pilgrims kindly. For twelve years, first at Amsterdam and later at Ley- den, the little English community lived in peace. But there were reasons why the Pilgrims did not care to remain permanently in Holland. In spite of all they had suffered, they still loved their country, and wished their children to grow to manhood and womanhood using the speech and customs of Eng- land. This they could not do while they remained in Holland, surrounded by people who spoke the Dutch language and whose manners and habits were Dutch. So at last this little band of exiles resolved to make another effort to find a suitable home. " Let us cross the ocean," said they, " and found a new England in America. There land is plentiful and w^e may live unmolested. We shall have freedom to worship as we wish, and opportunity to bring up our children in accordance with our own ideas." They therefore procured permission from the London Company to settle on the coast of what is now New Jersey. The Pilgrims well knew that a difficult and dangerous undertaking lay be- MILES STANDISH 87 fore them, and it was thought unwise for the whole Leyden community to go. Among the men and women chosen to make the experiment were Miles and Rose Standish. When the little Speedwell ^diW^d out of Delft Haven with her brave company, sad and tearful were the Map of Holland and a Part of England partings of families and friends. Even the Dutch on-lookers wept in sympathy. At Southampton, England, the Speedwell was joined by the May/lower, and both ships set out to cross the ocean ; but after they had "gone to sea again about one hundred leagues without the Land's End," the Speedwell be- gan to leak so badly that it was necessary to put back. The disheartened Pilgrims were obliged to admit that she was totally unfit for the long and 88 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY perilous voyage. So the Speedwell was abandoned. Some of her passengers remained behind in Eng- land, and the rest crowded on board the Mayflower, raising the number of passengers to about one hundred. In the pleasant month of September in the year 1620, this good ship with her precious cargo again left Southampton. For many long weeks she was tossed by heavy gales and towering waves. Only a few men dared venture on deck; the rest were crowded into the ill-ventilated cabin, far too small for the number it sheltered. The intention had been to land near the Delaware River, but the captain was carried out of his course, and on the 21st of November found himself among the shoals of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Through Cap- tain John Smith's explorations of the New England coast the Pilgrims had heard of the cold winters in that region. They had, therefore, wished to settle farther south ; but all were eager to begin life in the new home and it w^as decided to remain at Cape Cod. At what point should they land .^^ There must be an abundant supply of fresh water, and soil free from rocks and stones. For four or five weeks the Mayflower skirted the coast in the neighborhood of Provincetown, while a few of the men in a shallop explored the shore. The little shallop ran upon "dangerous shoals and roaring breakers"; but, with rudder lost and mast MILES STANDISH 89 and sail gone, it kept to its task until a spot had been selected. Miles Standish was the man who chose the site for the new settlement. The land had been cleared to some extent by the Indians, and there was a spring of pure water near. Moreover, while ex- Departure of the Pilgrims from Delft Haven After the painting by Cope. ploring inland, the Pilgrims had discovered several mounds which were found to contain a quantity of corn. This was indeed a welcome sight, and the Englishmen had great need of it before the winter was over. To their credit be it said that some time afterward they found the Indians to whom the corn belonged and paid them for it. 90 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY This place was down on Captain Smith's map as Plymouth, and here the people of the Mayflower came ashore on the 21st of December, 1620. While near Provincetown they had drawn up in the cabin of the Mayflower a solemn compact in which the Pilgrims agreed to enact just and equal laws, which all should obey for the general good of the colony. John Carver was chosen governor. The water at Plymouth was so shallow that even the shallop could not run up to the bank, and the Pilgrims stepped first on a rotk, and then to solid ground. There is still shown at Plymouth a rock which is said to be the one which the Pilgrims used as a stepping-stone. The little band of wanderers came ashore in a storm of sleet and wind. The snow lay deep upon the winter woods, the ground was frozen, and the Pilgrims suffered intensely while they cut down trees and built a log house. At first they all lived together in one cabin. • Soon food became scarce, and many fell sick from lack of nourishment or from exposure. Through- out that first hard winter Miles Standish showed that he could be gentle and tender as well as brave. At one time there were only six or seven well people in Plymouth, and Standish was one of these. He helped prepare what little food there was, and carefully nursed the sick. Before the spring sun shone, more than onfe half of the Pilgrims had been MILES STANDISH 91 laid beneath the snow, and among them was Rose Standish, the wife of the brave captain. Though no Indians came to molest them, the Pilgrims lived in constant fear of attack. Graves were smoothed to a level with the ground, and over them in the spring corn was planted, in order that ,,... ■ IKS i^-^m ^Mi'/>* ->^^ *^ '■ '^Fl"^^^ •f 1 -- ^- '7 , -^-^^ v-jr l^i^^jl , 1/ ■ -' - .* . -■ Signing the Compact in the Cabin of the "Mayflower" the natives might not know how many white men had died. The guns of the Pilgrims were their constant companions, and were carried even to the church services, held in the little cabin that served as both church and fort. At last the dreary winter was over. With the coming of the warm sunshine, the blooming of flowers, and the singing of birds, the Pilgrims took heart. When the Mayflower sailed for home, not one of the number would return. To persevere in 92 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the face of all obstacles is the Pilgrims' great lesson to America. The settlers were astonished one day at having an Indian rush into their settlement and cry, " Wel- come, Englishmen ! " This was Samoset, who had learned a few words of English from fishermen. Soon Samoset made a second visit, and this time brought an Indian named Squanto, who had been captured and taken to England, where he learned the language and habits of civilized people. Then Massasoit, chief of the tribe of Wampanoags, appeared with fifty or sixty warriors gaily decorated with paint and feathers. Squanto acted as inter- preter, and the palefaces and redskins had a friendly conference. According to the Indian custom, a pipe of peace was smoked ; then an agreement was made by which the Indians and the English promised to treat each other as friends. This treaty of peace was kept for fifty years. The Indians not only did no harm to the white people, but helped them in every way, and Squanto expressed a wish to live with the Pilgrims. He died among them, and his last words were : " Pray that the Indian Squanto may go to the white man's heaven." About twenty miles from Plymouth there dwelt a tribe of Indians that hated Massasoit. These were the Narragansetts, and their chief was Canonicus. *' Why should I let these paleface friends of my enemy live in peace ? " thought Canonicus. Accord- MILES STANDISH 93 ingly he sent to the Pilgrims a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a rattlesnake. This was a declaration of war. Governor Bradford, who had succeeded Governor Carver, and Miles Standish were not men to be frightened easily ; they filled the skin with powder and shot and sent it back. The "Mayflower" in Plymouth Harbor After the painting by Hallsall, It happened that Canonicus had heard of the won- derful guns of the white men, and he had no desire to get in their way. When he found, therefore, that the Englishmen were willing to fight, he gave up the idea of attack. One day Massasoit came with a thrilling piece of news — some Indians of still another tribe were plot- ting to massacre the white settlers. Captain Stand- 94 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY ish assembled a company of men well armed with muskets and swords, and marched to meet the sav- ages. We may read about it in Longfellow's poem : " Meantime the stalwart Miles Standish was marching steadily northward, Winding through forest and swamp, and along the trend of the seashore. After a three days' march he came to an Indian encampment Pitched on the edge of a meadow, between the sea and the forest ; Women at work by the tents, and the warriors horrid with war- paint Seated about a fire, and smoking and talking together ; Who, when they saw from afar the sudden approach of the white men, Saw the flash of the sun on breastplate and saber and musket. Straightway leaped to their feet, and two from among them ad- vancing Came to parley with Standish, and offer him furs as a present ; Friendship was in their looks, but in their hearts there was hatred." Pecksuot, the Indian leader, grew very insolent when he saw that the white captain was a man of small stature. He called Standish a boy, and said that his place was at home helping the women, and not fight- ing Indians. Standish quickly decided that, if there had to be bloodshed, the sooner it was over the bet- ter, and it was not long before the savages were so astonished by the power of this " Little Captain " that they decided to keep peace. MILES STANDISH 95 When the golden autumn came the Pilgrims had reason to be happy and grateful. A separate log house had been built for each family, the cornfields had prospered, and game was plentiful. They de- cided to have a feast and to ask Massasoit and his people to come and join them. The Indians brought deer, the Pilgrims shot wild turkey, there was sea Pilgrim Fort and Meeting-house food and corn in abundance ; and thus began the custom of setting aside a day of Thanksgiving each year. Let us remember that the first celebration of this kind was eaten at rude tables in the New England wilderness, with Indians for guests. Other Pilgrims from Holland soon joined the first Plymouth settlement and it grew and prospered. The energetic Captain Standish did his full share of work of every kind, and after a time he went back 96 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY to England to borrow money to help the colonists. The log cabins of the Pilgrims were very simple ; they had fireplaces and chimneys of rough stone. Oiled paper was used for window-panes, and chests which the emigrants had brought with them from England served as chairs and benches. After cabins were built the Pilgrims' next care was to erect a church and schoolhouse, and not much time was allowed the children for play by these serious, hard-working fathers and mothers. Every Sunday morning the people were called to worship by the beating of a drum. A sentinel in a suit of armor stood near the meeting-house to watch for Indians and, if necessary, to give the alarm to the worshipers. As the men filed into the building they left their muskets with the sentinel. Sometimes the services lasted three or four hours. A con- stable with a long wand, on one end of which was a hare's foot, was on duty to keep the worshipers awake. It is said that when grown-up persons went to sleep, the constable would touch them gently on the fore- head with the hare's foot; but if a child nodded, he was rapped with the other end of the wand, not so gently. After the Plymouth colony was well established. Miles Standish planted a little settlement near by, which he named Duxbury in memory of his English home. Here he died after a long and useful life. In Duxbury there has been erected to his memory MILES STANDISH 97 a granite monument one hundred feet high, with a statue of the heroic captain looking out over the sea he so daringly crossed to help others find a home of freedom. If you ever visit Plymouth, do not fail to look at the interesting relics of the Pilgrims pre- served there. You will find among them the trusty sword of Miles Standish. Things to Remember The Pilgrims were a band of Englishmen who were driven out of their country by religious persecution. They came to America in the year 1620 in the ship Mayflower. They planted a colony at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Miles Standish helped to establish the settlement at Plymouth, and to prevent its being destroyed by the Indians. The establishment of Plymouth colony was the second step in founding a new nation in America. The first Thanksgiving in this country was observed by the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 162 1. Map Work. — Locate Scrooby, Leyden, Delft Haven, Plymouth in England, Cape Cod, Plymouth in New England. Memory Selections. — Hemans's " The Landing of the Pilgrims." Whittier's " The Corn Song." The Sword of Miles Standiss In Pilgrim H^,!!, Plymouth. IX. JOHN WINTHROP AND THE PURITANS Winthrop : Born 1583 — Died 1649 " Praise ye the Lord ! " The psahii to-day Still rises in our ears. Borne from the hills of Boston Bay Through five times fifty years, When Winthrop's fleet from Yarmouth crept Out to the open main, And through the widening waters swept, In April sun and rain. " Pray to the Lord with fervent lips," The leader shouted, " pray; " And prayer arose from all the ships As faded Yarmouth Bay. — Butterworth's "The Thanksgiving in Boston Harbor." We have now learned that before 1630 the Eng- lish had two footholds in the New World — one on the shore of Virginia and the other in what we now call the state of Massachusetts. Let us see what was the next important step in the colonization of America by the English. Nearly ten years passed after the Pilgrims landed in New England before they were joined by the Puritans. In 1630 the Pilgrim colonists numbered in all but three hundred — a small group to dwell in a wilderness inhabited by savages. They did not 98 JOHN WINTHROP ' 99 regret the step they had taken, or falter in their resolve to make America their home ; but aching hearts were often hidden by stern faces, and home- sick eyes rested longingly on the dark waters. On the other side lay the mother country, with its well- loved towns, and streams, and farm lands, and there were homesteads and friends. But the years of their solitude were drawing to a close ; for other Eno^lishmen were cominor to keep the Pilgrims company, to form new colonies, and to unite with them in a common defense when the natives became hostile. Who were these new colonists, and what caused them to come to America.^ They were called Puritans, because they wished to change or ptirify some of the forms of the English church service and church government. Neither King James, nor Charles I, who succeeded him, would allow any liberty in religion or politics. " I will make them conform to my ways," said King James, " or I will harry them out of the land." Both monarchs were to find that the Pilgrims and Puritans were willing to be harried out of the land rather than submit to the harsh laws of their royal rulers. The Puritans, therefore, left England, as the Pilgrims had done, because they desired greater religious and political freedom than it was possible for them to have at home. While the Pilgrims had been practically cut off loo FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY An Old House in Salem from the rest of the world, they managed sometimes to send letters home by the Englishmen who had fisheries on the New England coast. From these letters, as well as from the fishermen themselves, the Puritans heard descriptions of America, of its vast acres of rich land ready for the plow, and of the abundant " fish and game and fur-bearing animals. So they, too, at length decided to come to this new country. The first of the Puritans came over in 1628 under John Endicott. They settled north of Plymouth, and gave to their little colony the Bible name of Salem, meaning " peace." The Indians called this whole region Massachusetts, or the Land of the Blue Hills. Two years later a company larger by far than any that had yet left England for this country, was headed by John Winthrop. He was a gentle- man of wealth, a descendant of a fine old family living near Groton, England, a man of strong mind and high moral character. Always deeply religious, he had studied for the ministry, but to please his father had given it up for the law. He held the ofiice of justice of the peace before he was eighteen years of age. JOHN WINTHROP lOI As the years passed John Winthrop grew tired of the despotism of the king. At last, in 1629, he met with about a dozen companions, and after serious discussion they resolved that " for God's glory and the country's good " they would " pass the seas under God's protection to inhabit and continue in New Eng- land." They had little difficulty in obtaining from the king a charter granting them per- mission to establish a new colony with the right to make their own laws. Their cor- poration was called the Mas- sachusetts Bay Company, and their leader, John Winthrop, was appointed first governor of the Massachusetts colony. This large Puritan migration which set out in 1630 was very different from that of the Pilgrims of ten years before. The little Mayflower had alone borne the Pilgrims across the Atlantic. This same Mayflower was now one of the ships of the Puritan fleet that sailed happily out of Yarmouth Bay; but there were ten others to keep her company. The Arabella was the one in which Winthrop crossed. From March until June they sailed across the ocean, and then : — John Winthrop From the portrait by Van Dyck in the Senate Chamber of Massa- chusetts. I02 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY " ' Praise ye the Lord with fervent Hps, Praise ye the Lord to-day,' The anthem rose from all the ships Safe moored in Boston Bay. The Ai-abella leads the song, — The Mayflower sings below. That first the Pilgrims bore along The Plymouth reefs of snow." In the eleven ships were seven hundred men and women. There were horses and cattle, tools of many kinds, powder and shot, grain and seed, cloth- ing and provisions. Far different, too, from the winter desolation of the coast on which the Pilgrims first set foot, was the sight that greeted the Puritans when they ar- rived in the pleasant summer of 1630. It was the month of June ; flowers were holding up their bright faces and filling the air with perfume, straw- berries were ripening, and better than all, Endicott and his companions at Salem were waiting to give them welcome. Winthrop did not remain at Salem, but estab- lished his little community at Charlestown. It was soon found, however, that the water there was im- pure, and many died from its unwholesome effects. Across the river from Charlestown was a piece of land consisting of three hills. This was known as Tri-mountain, a name afterward shortened to Tremont. JOHN WINTHROP 103 To TrI-mountain Governor Winthrop moved his colony, and the place was called Boston, after a fine old city in England, which many of the settlers knew and loved. On the highest of the three hills a beacon light was set to pilot ships coming into the W -^^^'A The Land of the Pilgrims and Puritans harbor, and from this point beacon fires gave the signal of danger from Indian attacks. It is still called Beacon Hill, and one of Boston's chief thor- oughfares is known as Beacon Street. The Puritans' first winter in New England was almost as severe as had been that of the Pilgrims. I04 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY The new settlers were not accustomed to the hard- ships of life in a strange, cold wilderness, and their provisions ran short. One of the men wrote : " Bread was so very scarce that sometimes I thought the very crumbs of my father's table would be sweet unto me." There came a day in midwinter when even Gov- ernor Winthrop's corn meal was reduced to a quart, and this he shared with a man poorer than himself. Happily, in that very hour, the hungry Puritans were cheered by the sight of an English ship sailing into Boston harbor. More Puritans with an abun- dant food supply had come to join the colonists. Although two hundred died during that first bit- ter winter, Winthrop, calm, courageous, and ener- getic, never lost heart. He helped with his own hands to do whatever labor was to be performed, and his example of patience and endurance did more than anything else to cheer and save the colony. Many more emigrants arrived in the spring, the outlook brightened, and from that time the Massa- | chusetts colony steadily grew. During the next ten years more than twenty thousand persons flocked to New England, and settlements were started at Watertown, Roxbury, and other places near Boston. To each person who subscribed fifty pounds — about two hundred and fifty dollars — toward a colony, was given two hundred acres of land ; but the Puritans did not depend entirely upon agricul- JOHN WINTHROP 105 ture. They became shipbuilders, engaged in com- merce with the West Indies, and estabhshed fish- eries at Newfoundland, which were so successful that the codfish became the emblem of wealth in Massa- chusetts. To-day a golden codfish may be seen in the State Capitol at Boston, showing that it is still a symbol of prosperity. How as- tonished the Puritans w^ould have been, could they have foreseen that in the year 1905 the codfish catch of North America would be w^orth more than twelve million dollars. The Puritans be- lieved that they had a perfect right to the land be- cause it had been given them by the king, and they therefore did not hesitate to take from the Indians, without paying for it, all they desired. When one of their number, a clergyman named Roger Williams, dared to insist that the Indians should be paid, the Puritans were very indignant. When Roger Williams further said that the Pu- ritans had no right to punish those colonists who did not attend church, he was turned out of the colony; yet his advice was often sought and followed by Beacon Hill, Boston, in 1640 io6 FIRST COURSE IN AMEklCAN HISTORY Governor Winthrop and his colonists. The Puri- tans were no more willing to grant freedom to those whose views differed from their own, than the heads of the Episcopal Church in England had been. But the Puritans felt that they had suffered so much for their faith that they had a right to maintain it at any cost. The custom of holding town meetings, now so general, was first established by the Pilgrims and Puritans. The town meeting was the beginning of government by the people without the aid of kings. Each colony held its own meeting in either the church or schoolhouse and no man was allowed to vote at town meeting unless he was a church mem- ber. The colonists selected their own governor, dep- uty governor, and a council of eighteen men to make the necessary laws. At first the council managed all public affairs, but after a few years there was a General Court or legislature elected to make the laws. One of the wisest acts of the Puritans, and one which had a far-reaching result, was the early estab- lishment of schools. Many of the colonists were college-bred men, and they desired their children to be educated. They said: "In order that learning may not be buried in the graves of our fathers we will establish free schools." In 1647, only nineteen years after the landing of the Puritans, the General Court passed a law requir- ing that there should be a school in every town hav- JOHN WINTHROP 107 ing fifty or more householders ; and thus was laid the foundation of the present free school system of the United States. These schools of the Puritans, we must not forget, were for boys only. Girls then and for many years afterward were taught at home. Six years is a very short time in which to estab- lish a town on the shores of a wilderness and bring it to such a condition that a college may be thought of; and yet this is exactly what Governor Winthrop and the Puritans did at Boston. Only six years after they landed they set aside a fund for the founding of a college. The amount of money was not large, but ^'^'' ^^^^ ^"^^" ^^ ^°^^""' '''' two years later John Harvard died in Charlestown, leaving his library and half of his estate to aid in carrying out the plan. Such was the beginning of Harvard College. John Winthrop was more than forty years of age when he came to America. From that time until his death, nineteen years later, he nev^er ceased to work for the good of the Massachusetts colony, and for twelve years he served as its governor. In his I Jl Wll -^, MH mm v;; mr- y io8 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY busy life he found time to write many books, one of them a " History of Massachusetts." He died in Boston, deeply loved by friends in England and America for his devotion to what he An Early View of Harvard College believed to be his duty, and for his patience and kindness. Some one has said of him : "Among the millions of men descended from those whom he ruled, there is no one who does not owe much of what is best within him to the benevolent and courageous wisdom of John Winthrop." As we follow the fortunes of the United States through the years that have passed since John Winthrop founded Boston, we shall learn of the prominent ai^d useful part Massachusetts has always taken in the affairs of the nation, JOHN WINTHROP 109 Things to Remember The Puritans were Englishmen who, like the Pilgrims, left their native country because they desired greater religious and political liberty. The first Puritan settlement in New England was planted at Salem, Massachusetts, in 1628. The chief figure in the early life of Massachusetts was Governor John Winthrop. Governor Winthrop founded a much larger colony at Boston in 1630. Harvard College was founded only six years after the Puritans settled at Boston. To the Pilgrims and Puritans the United States owes the beginning of its present free school system, and its system of government by the people. Map Work. — Locate Salem, Charlestovvn, Boston, Cambridge, Dorchester, Watertown. X. HENRY HUDSON Born about 1566 — Died 1611 There we moored our vessel safely from the swirling autumn tides, And the red men in their shallops came and stroked her salty sides ; As they marveled at her hugeness, of our friendship grew they fain, And they brought us pipes of copper, mellow grapes, and yellow grain. When I questioned them for tidings of our much-desired goal, Though their savage tongue I knew not, yet they beckoned toward the Pole. So we heaved the Half Moon's anchor, and we got her under way, And we shaped our voyage Northward for the harbors of Cathay. — Guiterman's "Hudson's Third Voyage." While Captain John Smith was working hard in Virginia to keep alive the Httle Jamestown colony, his friend Henry Hudson, in 1609, discovered and explored the river that bears his name. There are few more beautiful rivers in the world than this broad stream that flows through what we now know as the state of New York. Hudson was born of English parents, probably in London, and his home, so far as he had a home on land, was always in England. Like many men of his time, he was a sea rover, one of the brave, hardy navigators who were ready to sail at a moment's notice in any direction that suggested fresh adven- ture or discovery. no HENRY HUDSON The journal of this able sea captain shows that in the year 1607 there assembled in St. Ethelburga's Church, London, the men " who proposed to go to sea to discover a passage by the North Pole to Ja- pan and China." The list of eleven names that fol- lows in the journal begins with " Henry Hudson, mas- ter," and ends with that of his son, "John Hudson, a boy." On this voyage Hudson explored the coast of Green- land until his path was blocked by ice, and he sailed nearer to the North Pole than had any one before. The next year, 1608, he made another attempt to find a northwest passage by sailing between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. Again he failed to find Asia, but the voyage was not without important results. It led to the establish- ment of English whale fisheries near the island of Spitzbergen, and to valuable corrections in the map of that bleak country. These two daring attempts of Hudson to discover a path to Asia through the icy northern waters were much talked of. His fame as an explorer reached the ears of the Dutch East India Company, a great Henry Hudson From a painting said to be from life. 112 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY corporation in Holland which carried on trade with India and China. Holland was at that time one of the chief commercial nations of the world, and the city of Amsterdam was a center for European com- merce. The Dutch, therefore, were particularly in- terested in a shorter passage to the rich countries and islands of the East. " Since Hudson is one of the best seamen in Europe," reasoned the Dutch East India Company, "why should we not engage his services to find this long-looked-for gateway, and thus perhaps save our ships the tedious journey around Africa ? " No sooner were the arrangements between the Dutch Company and the English captain completed, than the kins: of France offered Hudson four hun- .* . dred crowns to make similar explorations for the French. But France was too late, and on April 4, 1609, Henry Hudson set out from Amsterdam on his memorable voyage. He sailed in the Half Moon, a boat of about eighty tons' burden, with a crew of twenty English and Dutch sailors. He was pro- vided with maps and log books of previous explorers, and he carried also a letter that he considered most important. It was from Captain Smith, suggesting to Hudson that there was "a strait leading into the western ocean, by the north of the English colony in Virginia." Little indeed did these men know of the vast continent of America. Instead of a strait HENRY HUDSON 113 leading to the Pacific Ocean there were three thou- sand miles of land. Since the hope of the Dutch Company was to find the northern route, the little //a// Moo /i at first held steadily to the northwest. Colder and colder blew the biting winds until finally the dreaded ice- bergs compelled the voyagers to turn south. But Hudson would not give up the search. Why should he not try that route north of the Virginia colony ? We learn from the record of his voyage that by the second of July he found himself off the Great Bank of Newfoundland, on the fourth of August he was at Cape Cod, and a fortnight later near the James River in Virginia. No doubt the explorer would have liked to stop at Jamestown and visit his friend Smith, but he did not dare yield to the temptation. He had already disobeyed his company's orders to " return to Am- sterdam if he failed to find the northern passage in the vicinity of Nova Zembla." So in the pleasant weather of late summer Hud- son turned back and pressed on under full sail until, on September 3, he reached the entrance to what is now New York Harbor. Imagine the joy with which the captain and his men found themselves one day ascending a broad salt stream. " This," cried they exultingly, " is at last the coveted opening to the great East." It was what the Indians called the " River of t;he 114 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Mountains," and as the Half Moon proceeded slowly on her course, the friendly natives glided from the banks in their canoes and came close to the "great white bird." The savages thought the paleface brothers had been sent to them from heaven. It needed only a little urging to induce them to come on The " Half Moon " at the Highlands After the painting by Moran. board and exchange furs, skins, pumpkins, and grapes for beads, knives, and pieces of bright cloth. At a- point on the river near where the city of Hud- son now stands, the captain went ashore and visited an Indian camp. He found the Indians " very lov- ing," and to show their appreciation they prepared a feast, roasting pigeons and one of their hunting dogs. They became so interested in their new guest with the white face and scarlet clothes that they urged him to remain over night. When Hudson refused, they HENRY HUDSON 115 fancied it was because he was afraid of them ; so they collected all their arrows and broke them before his eyes. The explorer, however, was eager to pursue his journey, and bidding his red friends good-by, he went on board ship and ordered all sail spread. Soon the Half M0071 was gliding northward between the banks that Hudson described as " pleasant with grass and flowers and goodly trees, — as beautiful a land as one can tread upon." Again he was doomed to defeat. He had noticed that, as his vessel proceeded, the water became more shallow, and he found to his dismay that it was fresh instead of salt. Before Albany w^as reached the Half Moon was obliged to anchor for fear of run- ning aground. A smaller boat was used to explore the stream, and after a month of vain effort, Hudson and his men turned their faces toward the Old World. The spring of 1610 marked the departure of Hud- son, this time under the English flag, on what proved to be his last effort to find the northwest passage. In due time he reached North America, and entered the great land-locked bay that now bears his name. Carefully he sailed along its coast, mile after mile, until he found that he had come back to his starting point, and that there was no other outlet. In these ice-bound regions he and his men spent ii6 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the long Arctic winter, suffering frightfully from cold and lack of food. But Hudson had a spirit that failure could not conquer, and warmer weather found him still hopeful and determined to push his explorations. The crew, however, tired of cold. Trading with the Indians hardship and hunger, became mutinous, and refused to sail in any direction but toward England. The captain pleaded with them, but they would not re- lent. They bound their master hand and foot and put him in a small boat with his young son and five or six starving sailors. They then cut these unfor- tunate men adrift and headed their ship for home. Nothing more was heard of the brave Henry Hudson, and the wild waters of Hudson Bay are HENRY HUDSON 117 his grave and monument. Hudson died without dreaming of the future importance of his discovery of the Hudson River ; nor did he realize that new- colonies in America would result from his report to the Dutch East India Company. The valuable furs that the explorer had brought back with him tempted Hollanders to make voy- ages to the Hudson River, and gradually there was built up a profitable trade with the Indians, "in this country full of great and tall oaks, peopled with strange-looking red men." Many trading posts were established, the most important being Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, Fort Orange, — the present site of Albany, — and Fort Nassau, near where Philadelphia now stands. Long years after Hudson's death the Dutch settlers on the green banks of the Hudson River kept the discoverer's name alive in story and legend. When peals of thunder rolled over the Highlands or Catskills, they would say: " Hendrik Hudson and his crew of the Half Moon are playing ninepins among the hills." They liked to think of Henry Hudson as a Dutchman, and to picture him smoking a long pipe, from which such whiffs of smoke arose that, when the Half Moon first entered New York Harbor, the smoke was like a dense fog around the ship, and prevented the sailors from see- ing land ! Seated around the hearth at twilight, before the crackling logs, the Dutch parents would ii8 FIR^T COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY tell their children the mythical tales of the Hudson valley, of the hobgoblins in the Highlands, or of the haunted glens of Sleepy Hollow. Things to Remember Henry Hudson was an English explorer employed by the Dutch East India Company to try to find -a short route to Asia. While searching for this route in 1609 he discovered the river that we now call the Hudson. The discovery of the Hudson River led to a profitable fur trade between Holland and the Indians, and to the establishment of Dutch trad- ing posts in America. The great bay north of Canada, which Hudson ex- plored, was named in his honor. Map Work. — Locate Hol- land, Norway, North Cape, Hudson River, Fort Orange (Albany) , Hudson Bay. Trace the two routes known at this time by which the Dutch could sail from Holland to the East Indies. Map showing Early Dutch and Swedish Settlements I XI. PETER STUYVESANT Born 1602 — Died 1682 Behind the scared squaw's birch canoe The steamer smokes and raves ; And city lots are staked for sale Above old Indian graves. — Whittier's " On Receiving an Eagle's Quill." Soon after Hudson's voyages Holland took pos- session of the lands along the Hudson River and as far south as Delaware Bay. This region the Dutch called New Netherland. In 1625 Peter Minuit came over as governor. He at once bought from the In- dians for about twenty-four dollars the island of Manhattan. The little town on it he called New Amsterdam, and it later became New York. The governors who followed Minuit got into trouble with the Indians, and also with the English, who claimed all of Connecticut. The conditions in New Netherland were far from satisfactory when a new governor, Peter Stuyvesant, arrived in 1647. The colonists soon found that he was an honest man with courage, sound judgment, and a firm will. It did not take him long to make a new treaty of peace w^ith the Indians and to quiet the dispute with the English as to their possessions. There were difficulties also to be overcome in 119 I20 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Delaware. The Swedes, who had settled near Wil- mington under Minuit, claimed that country, and opposed the building of a Dutch fort at Newcastle. Three years later they forced the Dutch to surrender the fort. The next year, 1656, saw Governor Stuyvesant with seven Dutch vessels and as inany hundred men sailing up the Delaware River. He recaptured the fort, took possession of the entire colony of New Sweden, Peter Stuyvesant and Sailed triumphantly After the portrait in the possession back tO NcW Amsterdam, of the New York Historical tt i Oj. i. g^^jg^ Under Stuyvesant com- merce began to increase. He obtained for the colony the privilege of trading with Brazil and foreign ports and, what was less fortunate in the end, the right to bring slaves from Africa. While the fur trade laid the foundation for the wealth of New Amsterdam, shipbuilding from the first played an important part. Before Governor Stuyvesant's time, the Manhattan ship- yard had built the New Netherlands one of the largest vessels then afloat. Stuyvesant enforced a strict observance of the Sabbath, forbade the sale of firearms and liquor to PETER STUYVESANT 121 the Indians, founded a public school, and encouraged the colonists to erect better buildings. Their first houses were much like those of the English colo- nists, log cabins 6i one or two rooms, with thatched roofs. The dwellings afterward erected for perma- nent use were of wood, with a gable end made of yellow bricks brought from Hol- land. Usually a weathercock was placed on the roof, and the year in which the house was built might be found in iron letters over the door. The large open fire- places were decorated with colored tiles, and the floors were covered with white sand. The clothing and household linen were spun by the women of the family, who were noted for indus- try and good housekeeping. These Dutch women were very picturesque. Their hair was brushed smoothly back under large white caps, and they wore gay-colored skirts and bright stockings which they knitted themselves. The men wore knee breeches with silver buckles and wide-skirted coats ornamented with buttons of silver or brass. Early Dutch Costumes 122 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Though the affairs of New Netherland ran smoothly for a time, there were ever increasing anxieties for Governor Stuyvesant. The EngUsh colonists continued to come to America in such large numbers that they needed more land, and the question of boundary lines came up again. There were also serious difficulties with the patroons, who were growing so rich and independent that they paid little attention to the governor, or to the Dutch West India Company. One patroon, Killian Van Rens- selaer, owned the greater part of what are now three counties near Albany, a tract of land larger than the state of Rhode Island. Nor was Governor Stuyvesant personally popular with the colonists. Although a council of nine men had been elected to assist him in the government of New Netherland, he was headstrong and inclined to decide all matters for himself. This led to his being nicknamed " Hardheaded Peter." When his people wished to be very disrespectful, they called him " Old Silverleg " ; for a w^ooden leg ornamented with bands of silver replaced a limb that Stuyve- sant had lost while serving his country in the W^est Indies. On one occasion when the colonists asked for reform, the governor refused to listen to them. " We derive our authority," said he, haughtily, "from God and the West India Company, and not from a few ignorant subjects." Hence it is easy I PETER STUYVESANT 123 to understand why the people of New Netherland felt little affection for Peter Stuyvesant, though they were willing to admit that he had many worthy traits. The day was close at hand when they must choose between him and the rule of a foreign power. We know that the English had claimed America The Stadthuys, New York, 1679 After Brevoort's drawing. ("Stadthuys" is Dutch for "statehouse.") since the days of John Cabot's discoveries. In the year 1664 King Charles II gave to his brother James, Duke of York, a large tract of land in Amer- ica, including New Netherland. Toward the close ' of the summer the Dutch in New Amsterdam were astonished at the sight of a fleet of British war-ships sailing into the harbor. They were even more star- tled when Colonel Nichols, the commander, sent a letter to Governor Stuy:^esant demanding the sur- 124 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY render of New Amsterdam to the English. " If you do not haul down the Dutch flag," said he, " I will fire upon the fort." As England and Holland were at peace, Stuyve- sant regarded this as an outrage. He indignantly tore the letter in shreds and hastily ordered his troops to prepare for attack, though he knew that there were five or six armed Englishmen for every soldier he could muster. But alas for brave Gov- ernor Stuyvesant. His people had grown tired of him and of the whole system of government under the Dutch West India Company. " We are willing to try English rule," said they, " and thus save the shedding of innocent blood." In vain did Stuyvesant declare that he would rather die than surrender ; the colonists would not fight, so he was compelled to yield. A treaty was signed at his " Bouwerie," or country house, near the present Bowery and Tenth Street, on Septem- ber 3, 1664, proclaiming Nichols governor, and renaming the town New York, in honor of the Duke of York. With a heavy heart Governor Stuyvesant returned to Holland to report what had happened. He did not think that he would ever care to see the weak- spirited New Netherlanders again. But he found that he had grown to love the island of Manhat- tan, and after a time he returned to the stately man- sion on his Bowery farm. Here he lived until his PETER STUVVESANT 125 death, and the tombstone of this last of the Dutch governors is set in the outer wall of St. Mark's church. Peter Stuyvesant tearing up the English Letter Under English rule the people of New York were allowed to have a voice in their government, and later they obtained a charter much like the charters of the New England colonists. 126 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Though EngHsh people came in large numbers to New York, Holland traits long survived, and for many'years Dutch continued to be the common lan- guage. It was used in the schools, while English was taught merely as an accomplishment. The children of America have to thank the Dutch for Santa Claus, for they brought from Holland the jolly custom of celebrating in honor of the good St. Nicholas at Christmas time. Crullers and cookies also were first introduced into this country by the Hollanders. The early Dutch settlers in America did not work so hard as their English neighbors. The Dutch believed that " all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," and they were fond of indulging in games, such as quoits, or of sitting on their "stoops," or porches, and smoking long-stemmed pipes, after their day's work was ended. Since Holland had long been a refuge for the persecuted of all lands, it is said that when the English took possession of New Amsterdam they found eighteen different nations represented. From its very foundation, therefore. New York has been, what it is to-day, a cosmopolitan city. The surrender of the Hollanders to the English was a great relief to the colonists in New England and Virginia, who had been separated by the Dutch possessions. The Duke of York gave to two friends, one of whom was Sir George Carteret, that part of PETER STUYVESANT 127 New Netherland which lay between the Hudson and Delaware rivers. As Carteret was governor of the island of Jersey in the English Channel, this part of New Netherland was called New Jersey. Although Dutch rule in America was of short duration, what the Dutch accomplished was of great importance in the development of the new country. ■■^91 m^^i; -<%^ ' >',J'f' A BOUWERIE "Bouwerie" is from the Dutch word meaning " farm." A valuable fur trade with Europe had been estab- lished, thousands of acres of fertile land had been cleared for farming, and the friendship of a power- ful tribe of natives, the League of the Iroquois, had been won. We are soon to learn about the French people who came to this country, and how the good will of the Iroquois Indians helped to prevent the French from driving the Dutch and English out of America. 128 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Things to Remember Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Netherland, served from 1647 to 1664. During his administration the Dutch took possession of the Swedish colony in Delaware. The Enghsh sent a British fleet to New Amsterdam in 1664 to demand its surrender, for they claimed the land because of John Cabot's discoveries. The Dutch surrendered to the English without a struggle on September 3, 1664, and New Amsterdam was renamed New York in honor of James, Duke of York. The Dutch had won the lasting friendship of the Iroquois, the most important Indian power in America. This Indian support helped the Dutch and their English suc- cessors to prevent the French from obtaining control of America. Prow or a Dutch Vessel of the Seventeenth Century Showing the figurehead of St. Nicholas. XII. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN AND OTHER FRENCH DISCOVERERS Champlain : Born 1567 — Died 1635 Once more on the deck I stand Of my own swift gliding craft. Set sail ! Farewell to the land ! The gale follows fair abaft. We shoot through the sparkling foam, Like an ocean bird set free ; — Like the ocean bird, our home We'll find far out on the sea ! — Sargent's " A Life on the Ocean Wave." We have been following the fortunes of the Span- ish, English, and Dutch in the New World. If we turn our attention to France, we find that she had not been idle while other nations were sending men and ships across the Atlantic to make discov- eries and to found new colonies. The French mon- archs were quite as eager as those of other nations to increase their wealth and power. Spain and Portugal, because of discoveries of Columbus and others, claimed the entire new terri- tory. To prevent quarrels, the Pope, in 1494, divided as he thought best the " lands discovered or to be discovered." He drew an imaginary line three hundred and seventy leagues (about 9ne thousand miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands ; all 129 I30 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY lands west of this line were to belong to Spain, all east of it to Portugal. Measured by this line, Brazil was the only part of the New World that Portugal could claim. All the rest belonged to Spain. But of course at that time no one knew the size, shape, or extent of the undiscovered country. The governments of England and Holland paid no attention to the claims of Spain and Portugal, or to the division of land by the Pope. The French king, Francis I, treated the Spanish and Portuguese claims just as lightly. " I should like you to show me," said he to the kings of these two countries, "that part of Father Adam's will which divides America ^between you and leaves out the French." And he began to take steps whereby France might get her share. At about the time that Cortez and Pizarro were conquering the Indians of Mexico and Peru, and stealing their treasures, France sent a vessel to our shores. It was under the command of Verraza^no, an Italian. Verrazano skirted the American coast in 1524, in the vicinity of what is now North Carolina. He then cruised along the Atlantic seaboard to Newfound- land, and was probably the only white man before Henry Hudson to sail into New York Bay. Soon after Verrazano's return, France became engaged in \var with Spain, and for the time lost all interest in the new country. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 131 Ten years passed before the French government sent out another exploring expedition. In 1534, and again in 1535, under the command of the jovial, light- hearted Jacques Cartier, French vessels crossed the Atlantic. Reaching Newfoundland, Cartier sailed westward across a gulf to which he gave the name I T r D SCALE OF MILES. q , , ^ 100 290 300 400 MAP SHOWING JACQUES CARTIER'S VOYAGES. Thus: ist Voyage , 2nd. Voyage ^._ ,3rd Voyage -i-»-*-+ St. Lawrence, because the day happened to be the feast-day of that saint. Later he passed up the St. Lawrence River, where the French found a beautiful, fertile country, in- habited by friendly Indians. At Gaspe, Cartier planted a cross thirty feet high with the inscription, Vive le Rot de France, — Long live the King of France. The Indians were alarmed at this unusual 132 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY sight, but Cartier explained that it was merely " set up to be as a light and leader " to guide his ship into port when he should come again. Cartier felt well repaid for his voyages. He had taken possession of the country for the French, and he thought the St. Lawrence might prove to be the pathway to China. He learned from the natives that there was a large Indian town called Hochelaga on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and he resolved to see it. The savages, however, distrusted these strange white men, and did not approve of their plan. So three Indians disguised themselves as devils, and tried to frighten the Frenchmen by appearing before them with blackened faces and long horns. Cartier only laughed at this ridiculous sight, and spreading his sails proceeded to Hochelaga. He found the town beautifully situated on a high hill on an island in the St. Lawrence River, and Cartier gave it the name of Montreal, or Mount Royal. The Indians at Hochelaga were delighted with the visit of the white men, who distributed knives, rings, and metal trinkets to the wondering natives. Perhaps these strange palefaces might be able to cure the sick ! The chief of the tribe, a helpless old man, was accordingly carried on a mat before Cartier to be healed. The Frenchman was touched by this simple faith, and gladly did all he was able to do. He laid his hands upon the old warrior and offered up a prayer for his recovery. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN ^33 Cartler at length sailed back to France. Owing to religious wars it was nearly thirty years before Cartier taking Possession of the Country that country did anything further in the way of dis- covery or exploration in America. In the meantime there was much suffering at home. The Huguenots, 134 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY as the French Protestants were called, were being cruelly persecuted for daring to hold religious views which differed from those of their king. Accordingly Coligny, the celebrated leader of the Huguenots, decided to send enough Protestants to America to found a colony. The expedition was in charge of Jean Ribault and sailed from France in 1562, a few years before Sir Francis Drake left England on his first voyage to America. The Huguenots landed on the coast of South Carolina, and began to build cabins and found a settlement, while Ribault went back to France for more colonists. But, alas, Ribault did not return, and the starving settlers in despair decided to build a ship in which to sail for home. With such crude tools as they possessed, they constructed a strange little craft, using for sails sheets and pieces of clothing. In this frail structure they pluckily put out to sea, and after barely escaping shipwreck were picked up by an English vessel. Ribault's delay was caused by war at home, and it was two years before Coligny could send out another colony. This time the Frenchmen landed on St. John's River in Florida. Later they were joined by other Huguenots, and the happy colonists thought that at last they had found peace. The king of Spain, however, heard of the little Prot- estant settlement, and determined to destroy it. He did not mean to allow any French or English SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 135 to settle In this country, so he ordered a ship load of soldiers to attack the French colony. Men, women, and children, about seven hundred in all, were mercilessly killed. It was not until Samuel de Champlain followed Cartiers footsteps to Canada that a permanent French settlement was made in America. Cham- plain was the son of a ship captain, and had been carefully educated as a navigator. He has been called "one of the most remarkable French- men of his time, — a beau- tiful character, devout and high-minded, brave and tender." He had Samuel de Champlain served in the French navy, and was a favorite of his monarch, Henry IV. Champlain's daring and roving disposition led him to visit the Spanish settlements In the West Indies. He explored a part of Mexico, and, return- ing by way of Panama, was the first man to suggest building a ship canal across that Isthmus. He care- fully explored our northeastern coast and gave to many places the names they still bear. In 1603 he explored both banks of the St. Lawrence River, and pressed eagerly forward to find the Indian town of 136 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Hochelaga described by Cartier. But Hochelaga was now a ruin, the little cabins destroyed, the corn-fields waste ground. The explorers soon re- turned to France. In 1604 Champlain again set sail with a number of colonists for Acadia, as the whole Canadian region was then called. He cruised along the coast of Nova Scotia and landed at a place which he named Port Royal. Sailing around the Bay of Fundy, the ex- plorers entered the mouth of a river which they called St. John's, and finally settled on the island of St. Croix. Trees were cut down to build houses and bar- racks, and these were surrounded with a palisade for defense. The pleasant autumn was followed by a long, hard winter, when food, fuel, and fresh water were difBcult to obtain "on the island. Scurvy broke out, and by spring only forty-four of the seventy-nine colonists were left alive. Had it not been for Cham- plain's courage and energy, this first little French settlement in Canada would not have survived. Soon another ship, with more settlers, came from France, and the colony was moved to Port Royal, where it was permanently established. In 1608, the year after the first English colonists came to Virginia, Champlain laid the foundation of Quebec, the first trading post on the St. Lawrence. A few small houses were built around an open square, and outside of these a wooden wall and ditch. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 137 In the center of the square Champlain set up a pole with a dovecote on the top, to show the Indians that his intentions were peaceful. Gardens and small farms were laid out, the Indians were encour- aged to bring their furs, and soon the French settle- ment of Quebec began to grow. After a w^hile Champlain brought his young wife, a beautiful, devout woman, to the cold little settle- ment in Aca- dia. Her name still lives in one of the islands of the St. Lawrence, Helen's Island. She gave her- the cou- th e Indian women self to work of verting Champlain's Picture of Quebec in 1613 and children, and for five years labored among them with unselfish devotion. " France," says the historian Parkman, "aimed to subdue the natives not by the sword but by the cross. She invaded but to convert, to civilize, and embrace them among her children." When Champlain first came to Canada he found two powerful bands of Indians, the Hurons and the Algonquins, .joined in war against the fierce Iroquois. 138 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY The Hurons were deeply impressed by the guns and armor of the Frenchmen. They begged Champlain, whom they called " the man with the iron breast," to help them in their struggle with the enemy. The explorer thought that it would be to his ad- vantage to make friends with these Indians, so he promised to give them his support, and to join in an attack which they had planned. On his way to meet the Iroquois, Champlain came out on the beau- tiful lake that separates northern Vermont and New York. To this sheet of water the Frenchman gave his name, and later he discovered Lakes Huron and Ontario. The warring tribes came together near the site of Ticonderoga, at the head of Lake Champlain, in 1609. The Iroquois expected to meet only men of their own color, who would fight with the bow and arrow and tomahawk. Imagine their astonishment at the sight of the palefaces, and the noise of the Frenchmen's muskets ! Champlain himself killed two Indian chiefs and mortally wounded another, and it was not long before the Iroquois fled in terror, while the joyful war whoops of the Hurons and Algonquins rang through the forest. Dearly in after years did the Frenchmen pay for this victory, for it brought them the lasting hatred of the Iroquois Indians. These Indians played a very important part in our history, as we shall learn SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 139 a little later. They were known as " The Five Nations" because they were divided into five tribes: the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas. They lived in New York state and were on very friendly terms with the Eng- ^^ M ii The Defeat of the Iroquois at Lake Champlain After the drawing by Champlain, in his "Voyages." lish and Dutch, with whom they formed an alliance against the French. It was through their aid in after years that the English were able to prevent the French from getting control of New York. Champlain was governor of Canada until his death. He built fortifications on Richelieu Island, founded the town known as Three Rivers, and es- tablished a college for Indians at Quebec, where they were taught the French language. As fur I40 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY trading was the principal attraction which drew the Dutch to New York, so it was for a long time the chief interest of the French in Canada. Twenty-two thousand beaver skins were sent in one year from the St. Lawrence to France. The French had also large fisheries at Newfoundland. When Champlain had reached his sixty-eighth year, he saw in the tiny, but thriving, village of Quebec the fruits of his hard labor. The long struggle to establish a colony in Canada had been successful. He died on Christmas Day, 1635, in the community that he had founded, and his brilliant record still lives. Well had he earned his title, " Father of Canada." We have now seen that, in the early part of the seventeenth century, the nations of Europe were beginning to covet the American continent. Some one has said : " Here lay the shaggy continent from Florida to the Pole, stretched in savage slumber along the sea. On the bank of the James River was a nest of woe-begone Englishmen, a handful of fur traders at the mouth of the Hudson, and a few shivering Frenchmen among the snowdrifts of Acadia." Things to Remember Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, in 1534 discovered and named the Gulf of St, Lawrence. In 1564 the French planted a colony on the St. John's River in Plorida, but it was destroyed by the Spaniards. A Frenchman, Samuel de Champlain, was the founder of Canada. He first visited it in 1603. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 141 The first permanent French settlement in America was made at Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in 1607. Quebec was founded in 1608 by Champiain. Champlain discovered Lakes Champiain, Ontario, and Huron. Champiain helped the Huron and Algonquin Indians to defeat the Iroquois at Ticonderoga in 1609. The Iroquois never forgave the French, and always afterward helped the Dutch and English in their conflicts with the French in America. The French in Canada carried on an extensive fur trade with the Indians, and established trading posts which afterward became permanent colonies. Map Work. — Locate Quebec, the Richelieu River, Lake Champiain. Joliet's Map of North America XIII. ROBERT DE LA SALLE Born 1643 — Died 1687 We that had loved him so, followed him, honored him, Lived in his mild and magnificent eye, Learned his great language, caught his clear accent, Made him our pattern to live and to die. — Browning's " The Lost Leader." In 1 64 1 three ships sailed across the Atlantic from France and anchored in the St. Lawrence River. They had brought men to establish a settlement at Montreal, at the foot of the stately hill Cartier had discovered. Montreal was destined to grow into a beautiful city, and to hold an important place in Canadian commerce, but for years it was only a small community, struggling for existence. The people in Quebec and Montreal were devout Catholics, and with the exception of fur trading, their chief thought seemed to be to convert the Indians to the Catholic faith. Jesuit priests came over from France to teach the Indians. These missionaries endured great hardships in their wan- derings from tribe to tribe. They suffered from cold, hunger, and exposure, but they never lost cour- age or cheerfulness. They pushed farther and farther west, and established many missions in the wilderness. 142 ROBERT DE LA SALLE 143 The Iroquois were a source of constant trouble to the French. One of the Jesuit missionaries, Father Jogues, was captured by the savages and cruelly tor- tured. The Indians took the priest with them on ope of their visits to the fur- trading station at Fort Orange, and the Dutch governor helped Jogues to escape and return to France. The priest thrilled his countrymen with the tales of his torture ; but with true heroism he returned to Canada and to his work. He was finally cap- tured again by the Indians and put to death for a sorcerer. By the year 1670 the French had explored as far west as Wisconsin. Three years later a fur trader named Joliet, and a priest, Father Marquette, set out with five companions from a mission on the Strait of Mackinac to find a great river that the Indians called the Father of Waters. The Frenchmen hoped that it might lead to China. They went in canoes across Lake Michigan to Green Bay; then they followed the Fox River until they reached the Wis- consin, and gliding down this stream they came out on the broad Mississippi. "This," said Father Marquette, "is such joy as we cannot express." A Jesuit Father 144 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY The Frenchmen floated with the current down the Mississippi past the mouths of the Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio rivers. They made frequent landings and met many Indians, who, as a rule, were friendly and treated the travelers well. • At the mouth of the Arkansas River the explorers turned back, having made up their minds that the Father of Waters did not lead to the Pacific Ocean. Without knowing it, they had passed the spot where De Soto, the first explorer of the Miss- issippi, had found his grave more than a century before. Joliet and Marquette reached Green Bay in safety. In four months they had covered in canoes more than two thousand miles. For the next six years, however, nothing of importance resulted from this remarkable journey, and no steps were taken toward claiming this rich western country for France. It was Robert de La Salle, " one of the bravest and most sagacious explorers that ever lived," who ex- plored the Mississippi River to its mouth and there planted the banner of France. James Marquette From the statue by G. Trentenove, in the Capi- tol at Washington. ROBERT DE LA SALLE 145 Robert de La Salle In the year 1666 La Salle came from France to seek his fortune in America. He was the son of an old and rich family and had been carefully educated and sur- rounded with luxury. He settled at Montreal and began to study the Indian language. Soon he started out to find a pathway to China. Slowly making his way toward the southwest, he explored Lake On- tario, discovered the Ohio River, and sailed down its waters as far as Louis- ville. Later he trav- eled northward as far as Lake Michigan and crossed to Illinois. After a time La Salle returned to France and obtained permission from King Louis XIV to push ex- plorations in America, to colonize the lands he might discover, and to open trade with the Indians. The young Louis Joliet After the bronze relief tablet by E. Kemys in the Marquette Building, Chicago. 146 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY explorer had little difficulty in interesting his friends and relatives in his proposed ventures in New France, as the French possessions in America were called. He raised a considerable sum of money for the enterprise, and returned to Montreal accompanied by a young friend, Henri de Tonty. By this time La Salle had entirely given up hope of finding a sea route to China through the conti- nent of America. Henceforth he devoted all his efforts to opening up the interior of the country. His bold idea was to build a chain of forts from Niagara to the mouth of the Mississippi River. These were to grow into settlements of French and Indi- ans, who would carry on a trade in furs, timber, and other products of the new country. Thus would a province many times the size of France be added to the French possessions. Truly this was a great plan. It was not long before Count Frontenac was ap- pointed governor of Canada. He was a warm friend of La Salle, and the explorer obtained from him a grant of land which included Fort Frontenac, now Kingston, on Lake Ontario. Four years later, in 1677, La Salle began his famous exploration of the Mississippi Valley. He and his companions proceeded as far as Niagara, where they stopped for the winter and built a small vessel. On her prow was carved a great monster, a griffin, taken from Count Frontenac's coat-of-arms, ROBERT DE LA SALLE 47 and the vessel was called the Griffin. It was the first ship ever launched on the Great Lakes. In the summer the explorers sailed through Lakes Landing of La Salle's Expedition at Montreal From an engraving in Hennepin's " Voyages." Erie, Huron, and Michigan. The simple Indians along the banks of these inland waters were speech- less with astonishment when they beheld this ship with its white sails. Never before had they seen a boat larger than a canoe. 148 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY From Lake Michigan, La Salle sent the Griffin, loaded with furs, back to Niagara, an^ instructed his men to return with a supply of provisions. With the remainder of his company the explorer worked his way through the forests to the Illinois River. Not far from the present town of Peoria, the men built a fort, and because of their hardships and suffering, they called it Crevecoeur, meaning Heartbreak. The Griffin did not return, and it was never known whether she had been wrecked, or was deserted by the crew in order that they might barter the furs for their own profit. The loss of the Griffin was indeed a severe blow, but La SaMe was a man of determination, and he began to plan a way out of the difficulty. Intrust- ing the little band of men to the care of Tonty, the explorer set out on foot in 1680 for Fort Frontenac. In spite of cold and snow, the thick tangle of the forest, and insufficient food, he pushed bravely for- ward, with an Indian hunter and four Frenchmen as companions. Often they tramped for miles through blinding storms, their clothing frozen stiff; at other times, in crossing marshes, they would wade waist- deep through mud and water. La Salle was obliged to leave his worn-out companions on the way, and was nearly exhausted when a familiar sight greeted his eyes; before him loomed the gray walls of Fort Frontenac. He had walked a distance of one thousand miles. ROBERT DE LA SALLE 149 But continued misfortune pursued this brave man. For a long time many had been jealous of him, and he found bitter enemies on all sides who tried in every way to crush him. Once he was poisoned and barely escaped death. He now found that his agents had plundered him, and that creditors had Building the " Griffin " From an engraving in Hennepin's " Nouvelle Decouverte." seized his property. Before he could start back with provisions and men for the relief of Tonty and his party. La Salle heard further disastrous news. From two exploring traders he learned that soon after his departure from the Illinois, nearly all the men had deserted Tonty and destroyed the fort. These mutineers, it was said, were now on the coast of Lake Ontario watching for La Salle in order to kill him. La Salle immediately chose nine trusted I50 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY men, and hastened to meet the deserters. Soon his canoes overtook those of the faithless French- men, who were captured and punished. La Salle's chief thought was now of Tonty. Was he alive .f^ And had the handful of men who re- mained true been able to survive the dangers of the wilderness? On the loth of August, 1680, La Salle once more set out for the Illinois, taking with him twenty-five men. The long journey was made in safety, but, alas, the camp was in ruins, and the explorer found that the Iroquois Indians had swept over the Illinois country, spreading terror and de- struction in their path. In every direction, far and near, did La Salle search for some clew to the missing men, but none could he find. He made friends with the Miami In- dians and other neighboring tribes, and then started once more for Montreal. He was still determined to raise enough men and supplies to carry out his plan for establishing settlements. Imagine his joy when, on reaching Mackinac on Lake Michigan, he found his lost comrade! Tonty had escaped from the Indians, and was making a brave struggle to reach Fort Frontenac. The two friends traveled together to Niagara, where discouraging news again greeted La Salle. A ship from France, carrying several thousand dol- lars for his use, had been wTecked and the money lost. No amount of ill luck, however, could turn ROBERT DE LA SALLE 151 this heroic man from the course he had determined upon, and it is not long until we find him starting Map of Country explored by La Salle on another expedition. Accompanied by Tonty and a party of French and Indians, he proceeded by way of Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan, 152 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY thence through the Chicago and IlUnois rivers to the Mississippi. As the canoes sped over this broad river, the Frenchmen viewed with dehght the level prairie lands and miles of forest. Herds of buffalo and deer came down to drink at the water's edge, and only the cries of birds and wild animals broke the stillness. t On the 9th of April, 1682, they arrived at the mouth of the Father of Waters, and looked out over the great Gulf of Mexico, " tossing its restless billows, lonely, without a sail, without a sign of life." A short distance above the mouth of the river the party landed. With impressive ceremo- nies. La Salle planted the banner of France, and in the name of the king took possession of the whole valley of the Mississippi, naming the region Louisi- ana, or Louis's land. This included all the ter- ritory lying between the Alleghany and Rocky mountains. The next step was to establish a fortified post at the mouth of the river, to guard the Mississippi valley against the Spanish and English. As a beginning toward this and the colony he hoped soon to establish, La Salle directed the cutting away of the forest, and the building of cabins and a storehouse for furs. On the top of a cliff a pali- sade was erected, and the fort named St. Louis. " La Salle looked down from his rock on a scene ROBERT DE LA SALLE 153 of wild human life. Lodges of bark and rushes, or cabins of logs were clustered on the open plain or along the edges of the bordering forests. Squaws labored, warriors lounged in the sun, naked children whooped and gamboled on the grass. Beyond the river, the banks were studded with the lodges of the Illinois Indians." The Site of Fort St. Louis On the top of this rock on the Illinois River La Salle built his stronghold. When Fort St. Louis was finished La Salle made his way back to Montreal, and from there sailed to France to lay his plans before the king. Although he was as brave as a lion in the wilderness, the explorer had a shy, reserved nature. He preferred to lodge in a poor street, and to meet few people. He had 154 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY many misgivings about asking the king for help to plant a colony in Louisiana, but his request had come at the right moment. For a long time the king had been angered because the Spaniards had forbidden French vessels to trade at Spanish ports in America, or to enter the Gulf of Mexico. French sailors who had dared to enter the gulf had been seized and imprisoned. Now war had been de- clared between France and Spain, and here was La Salle ready to help break the power of Spain in America. King Louis, therefore, willingly placed at La Salle's command a French squadron of four vessels. With a light heart La Salle set sail for the Gulf of Mexico. As we know, he had reached the mouth of the Mississippi by coming from the north, but he had never seen it from the gulf. He had not doubted, however, that he should be able to find it ; but all his efforts were vain. He passed the spot for which he was so anxiously looking, and landed on the coast of Texas, probably at Matagorda Bay, four hundred miles west of the mouth of the river. Truly this explorer has been well called " a man of iron," for he immediately set to work to build a fort and make his little band of colonists comfortable ; then he started out to find the lost river. Now followed two long years of bitter disappointment and disaster. One of the vessels, loaded with supplies, was wrecked through the treachery of the crew; the others sailed ROBERT DE LA SALLE 15 5 back to France and left La Salle and his colonists alone. Week after week, month after month, he tried to find the Mississippi, that he might ascend it, reach Montreal, and procure help. In 1687, when near a branch of the Trinity River, some of his men, desperate from continued hardship, resolved to take his life. They hid themselves in the tall grass and waited for an opportunity to shoot their leader. Thus died the great La Salle in the land for which he had dared and suffered so much. A few of La Salle's companions succeeded in reaching Fort St. Louis on the Illinois, and bitterly did the noble Tonty grieve when he learned of the death of his friend. These Frenchmen at last found their way back to Montreal, but nothing was ever heard of the few colonists left at the fort in Texas. "Where La Salle had plowed, others were to sow the seed." His great plan was carried out, and set- tlements were established from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. By 1689 the French were in possession of the broad valleys of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, and were watching for an oppor- tunity to seize the land in the Hudson valley. They feared that the English would reach the Great Lakes and become rivals in the rich fur trade of the northwest. But standing like watch dogs guarding New York state were the Five Nations, ready always to fight their old enemies and to help their friends, the English. 156 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Things to Remember Montreal was founded by the French in 1641. The French possessions in America were called New France. Marquette and Joliet discovered the Mississippi River in 1673, and explored it as far as the Arkansas River. The first white man to explore the Mississippi River to its mouth was Robert de La Salle. In 1682 La Salle planted the banner of France at the mouth of the river, and claimed that whole section for the French. He named the country Louisiana, in honor of King Louis XIV. Louisiana then included all the land between the Alleghany and Rocky mountains, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle tried to build a chain of forts, or settlements, across America from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Map Work. — Trace on a map the journey of La Salle from Fort Frontenac (Kingston) to the Gulf of Mexico. XIV. LORD BALTIMORE George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore: Born about 1582 — Died 1632 Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore : Born 1605 — Died 1675 Spread, spread thy silver wings, O Dove ! And seek for rest by land and sea. And bring the tidings back to me, For thee and me and those I love. — Procter's "Rest." Before continuing the history of the French in America, let us see how much of the country England had settled by the year 1689. While the French were establishing themselves in Canada and the West, what colonies had the English planted in the East and South outside of Virginia, New Eng- land, New York, and New Jersey .f* There dwelt in London in the days of King James a wise and just Englishman named George Calvert. He had been educated at Oxford, had spent much time in travel, and held important offi- ces in the English government. King James thought so highly of him that he made him a peer of Ireland with the title. Lord Baltimore. For many years Calvert had been deeply inter- ested in the settlements in the New World. Roman Catholics were not well treated in England in those days, and as Lord Baltimore was a Catholic he re- 157 158 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY solved to establish in the New World a colony of his own, w^here those of his faith would be welcome. In 162 1 he obtained from the king a grant of land in Newfoundland. Lord Baltimore named it Avalon, and here he started a colony and built a fine house for himself. But he found the climate much colder than he had expected. There was fog winter and summer, and the soil was so poor that very little would grow. Furthermore, he was con- stantly in danger of being attacked by the French. He wrote to a friend in England: " I came to build and settle and sow, but am fallen to fighting with Frenchmen." Lord Baltimore had been at one time a member of the Virginia Company and had heard a great deal about the balmy winds and clear skies of Vir- ginia. He now resolved to visit these southern shores, and with a few friends he sailed across the Atlantic, landed at Jamestown, and later explored Chesapeake Bay. He had hoped for a hearty welcome from the Virginians, but in this he was disappointed. They knew that Lord Baltimore wished to. found a colony near their own, and they would not tolerate the idea. Their distinguished visitor, however, was so delighted with the beautiful scenery and agreeable climate that he did not allow the inhospitality of the Jamestown settlers to chill his enthusiasm. He sailed for home and procured from the new king, LORD BALTIMORE 159 Charles I, a grant including the land now contained in the states of Maryland and Delaware, which both the Dutch and the Swedes had hoped to occupy. The king asked in payment for these twelve thousand square miles of land one fifth of all the gold and silver that should be mined. He also required that two Indian arrows be ' ~ sent each spring to his ^ecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore palace at Windsor, as a After a portrait in the British Publk Record pledge of loyalty. ^^''• Before the charter was signed Lord Baltimore died, but the idea of a Catholic colony was not abandoned. Calvert's eldest son, Cecil, succeeded to the title, and becarne the second Lord Baltimore. He was as generous and noble as his father, and was eager to carry out his father's plan. Soon arrangements were completed, but, as business interests in Eng- land prevented Cecil Calvert from going to America himself, he appointed his brother governor of the new province, which in the charter had been called Mary's Land, in honor of the queen, Henrietta Maria. In the winter of 1634 two little vessels, the Ar^ i6o FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY and the Dove^ carrying between two and three hun- dred colonists, sailed from Cowes, and after a stormy voyage arrived in February at Point Comfort, Vir- ginia. They then sailed up Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River and landed on a small island, where they raised a cross, and kneeling around it gave thanks for their safe journey. After making some explorations the colonists set- tled near the junction of the Potomac and St. Mary's rivers, where they purchased from the friendly Indi- ans a half-deserted village, which they paid for in cloth, hoes, and hatchets. The natives treated the newcomers as kindly as they had at first treated the Virginia colonists. They taught the white stran- gers how to hunt in the dense forest and to plant corn. The squaws taught the wives of the settlers how to make bread of corn meal. The Indians had called their village Yoacomico, but the English renamed it St. Mary's. Although the settlement was intended chiefiy for. Catholics, all Christian denominations were welcome. Many Quakers driven out of Virginia took refuge in Maryland. There were two priests in the colony who at once became interested in converting the Indians, and as the purchase of the Indian settle- ment had included its wigwams, one of these was used for a church. King Charles allowed Lord Baltimore great free- dom in the manas^ement of the colonv. All the laws LORD BALTIMORE i6i were made by him, or by the men whom he ap- pointed, and his son was to inherit his power. The Maryland colonists had been fortunate enough to arrive in the spring, and, as they pro- cured land which had already been cleared, they were at once able to plant cornfields and gardens. Calvert making a Treaty with THE Indians A Family of CoLo^■ISTS viewing the Ships After the paintings by C. Y. Turner in the Baltimore courthouse. In the autumn the Dove was loaded with corn and sent to Boston, where the cargo was traded for dried fish and other supplies. From Virginia the Mary- landers could get domestic cattle, as well as food, and the colony at St. Mary's, therefore, did not suf- fer the hardship that the Jamestown and Plymouth settlers had endured. It was prosperous from the very start. But there came a time when the happiness of i62 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Maryland was disturbed. Captain William Clai- borne of Virginia had obtained permission from the king to explore this southern country and to en- gage in fur trade with the natives. He had formed a settlement on Kent Island in Chesapeake Bay, in the very heart of Maryland. Lord Baltimore claimed that under his grant Claiborne had no right to Kent Island or to any part of Maryland, and quarrels arose which led to bloodshed. Claiborne has been called "the evil genius of Maryland." He had no charter giving him the land, only a license to establish a trading post and to make discoveries. But in spite of this he continued for years to give the Maryland colonists trouble, and at one time the governor was obliged to flee to Virginia for safety. In 1658 the English government decided that the Calverts and not Claiborne were entitled to Maryland, and peace was restored. For more than one hundred years a Calvert was at the head of the Maryland colony, but the question of whether Protestants or Catholics should rule came up again and again, and was not finally settled until 1 7 14, when the fourth Lord Baltimore turned Prot- estant. Notwithstandinor its trouble with Claiborne and o its religious disagreements, Maryland continued to grow in numbers and wealth. In less than thirty years after its foundation the three hundred settlers that had at first lived in Indian wigwams had 'yv//}W//A/i^^tiS.^////M/^^ w/fetfedtH '^y^.-— ^recvriv^kft/Z/^a^"/''"/"'/' 60 100 ■1^-\ 'waTlinG'S I "\ ISLAND "~ 1492 EUROPEAN COLONIES--ABOUT 1650 163 1 64 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY increased to ten thousand. It adopted many of the habits of its neighbor,Virginia. Both colonies con- tained wealthy planters, who lived in large brick houses and were famous for their hospitality. " Planters' tables you must know Are free to all that come and go." As there were so many rivers, creeks, and inlets along Chesapeake Bay, the planters depended upon boats to go from place to place, and the building of roads was neglected. But, if there were no high- ways, there were numerous bridle paths running in every direction through the forest, and every man, woman, and child could ride. Both Virginia and Maryland were slow in establishing schools. Both were slaveholders, and their chief industry was tobacco raising. The use of tobacco as money in the payment of bills seems strange to us. But long years after the period we are studying the Mary- land statehouse was purchased for forty thousand dollars' worth of tobacco. Cecil Calvert died in 1675, deeply mourned by his devoted colonists, who praised him for " his un- wearied care to preserve them in the enjoyment of their lives, liberties, and fortunes." At the time of his death there were nearly twenty thousand colonists in Maryland. In 1729 a new town was founded and named in his honor Baltimore. This has grown into a beautiful city, and is now one of the most important seaports on the Atlantic coast. LORD BALTIMORE 165 We have thus seen that Maryland was founded by a proprietor, and not by one of the companies such as had laid the beginnings of Virginia and Massachusetts. The kings who gave grants of land to American settlers knew very little about this new country, and often territory given in one Baltimore in 1752 After an engraving in Scharf's " History of Baltimore." grant would overlap the land that had been named in another charter. In the early history of America there were many quarrels over boundary lines, and there was much dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania as to where the line between them should be drawn. The question was finally settled in 1767 by two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. This boundary afterward be- came famous ; for, when the Northern states gave up slavery, it happened that " Mason and Dixon's line " i66 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY divided the slave states of the Union from those that beHeved all slaves should be freed. Things to Remember Maryland was founded in 1634 by the second Lord Baltimore. The territory was called Maryland in honor of the queen, Hen- rietta Maria, wife of Charles I. The first settlement was St. Mary's. The city of Baltimore, founded in 1729, was named for the founder of Maryland. The boundary line between Maryland and Pennsylvania was called "Mason and Dixon's line." It became famous as a divid- ing line between the states that believed in slavery and those that held all men should be free. Map Work. — Locate the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River, St. Mary's. A Maryland Shilling XV. WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS Penn : Born 1644 — Died 1718 The Quaker of the olden time, How calm and firm and true. Unspotted by its wrong and crime, He walked the dark earth through. — Whittier's " The Quaker of the Olden Time." Among the people who suffered in England in the early times because of their religious beliefs, none were more persecuted than the Quakers. Their founder was George Fox, a young English shep- herd. While Fox tended his sheep on the hillside, his mind dwelt on serious matters, and he thought much about religion. He came to believe that every person, high or low, rich or poor, is given light from heaven for his own guidance, and that it is his duty to obey the light as it comes to him. In spite of ridicule and abuse Fox began to preach, and soon had many followers. He was often im- prisoned, but his faith remained unshaken. He kept on preaching that every man is the equal of every other, that we are all brothers, and that a king is no better than a laborer. In the same way that the Pilgrims and Puritans 167 i68 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY had separated from the EstabHshed Church, because they wished to simplify and purify their rehgion, so the Quakers withdrew, and formed the Society of Friends. They addressed every person as " Friend," and they used the terms " thee " and " thou " instead of " you." In place of regular church serv- ices the Quakers held " meetings." There was neither music nor ser- mon, but the people silently waited for a communication direct from God. When one felt that he had received such a message, he would rise and tell it to the others. The Friends would not take an oath of any kind to bind themselves to a promise or agreement ; for they said that a man's word was as good as an oath. Since they believed all men were equal, they would not take off their hats, even in the presence of a judge or king. Their clothing was drab in color and of the plainest cut. They loved quiet and thought wars were wrong, and that all men should live at peace. Consequently, they refused to serve in the army or navy, or to pay taxes for their support. It will readily be seen that the unusual beliefs of the Quakers and their refusal to obey the law of their country soon brought about serious trouble. A Quaker of the 17TH Century WILLIAM PENN 169 These were stern fighting days, when the nations of Europe were almost constantly at war, and the peace-loving Quakers were laughed at and scorned. And not only were they ridiculed ; in England and New England they were shamefully abused. Hundreds were thrown into prison, some were hanged, and many more died from cruel treatment. The Puri- tans in Massachusetts showed them as little mercy as the English in the mother country. ^^^^^^^ p^^^ Quakers were flogged At the age of 22. After the portrait attrib- On Boston Common, med to sir Peter Lely. burned with hot irons, and driven from the com- munity. Many fled to New Jersey and started settlements of their own. In the year 1644, there was born in London a boy whose name was William Penn. He was des- tined to become one of the greatest Quakers of all time. His father was an admiral in the English navy, a wealthy and respected man. As the years went by, young William entered Oxford University, and was known there as a faithful student and a splendid oarsman. He was ready for sport of every lyo FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY kind, handsome, strong-willed, but with a sweetness of character that end.eared him to all who knew him. One day Penn happened to hear a Quaker talk, and from that time he declared himself a Friend. Because of his new religious belief,, he refused to attend the regular services of the college. His companions ridiculed him, and spoke of him as " a Quaker, or some other melancholy thing," but this had no effect upon Penn. He refused also to wear the college gown, preferring the simple dress of the Friends. The college authorities would not toler- ate his disobedience, and young Penn was expelled. Admiral Penn was very angry with his son for bringing such disgrace upon the family. He con- sidered that the boy's religious notions were the greatest folly, something that he would quickly for- get if he were placed in new surroundings, free from Quaker influence. " I will send him to France," said the admiral, " and there he will for- get all about the foolish Quakers." Accordingly, William found himself not long after- ward in Paris, and in the gay life of the French capital there was little time for religious devotion. He was a very attractive youth, just eighteen years old, tall and strong, with a frank, honest face, and beautiful brown hair that fell in curls on his shoul- ders. He was presented at court, spent much time in the fashionable world, and studied with an able French scholar. WILLIAM PENN' 171 Returning to London after two years, he took up the study of law. But soon a terrible plague broke out, and again the mind of the young man turned to the religion of the Friends. This so angered his father that he refused even to see his son ; but William continued to attend Quaker meetings and wrote books on the Quaker belief. Finally, the London authorities imprisoned him, with several of his companions, in the gloomy old Tower. But, when Penn was released after several months, he was just as strong a Quaker as ever. A year or two afterward he was again imprisoned, and again released. At length, in 1674, he became greatly interested in the colonies in the New World. A small settle- ment of Friends had been made in New Jersey, and Penn had helped to end a dispute that had there arisen over the division of land. He had also been one of a company of Quakers that had purchased a part of New Jersey from the Carteret family. Lord Baltimore had founded in America a home for per- secuted Catholics. Why should not Penn make a home in this new country for his persecuted Quaker friends ? By this time Admiral Penn had died, leaving a large fortune to his son, and saying that he forgave him, and loved him all the more for having had the courage to suffer for his faith. About eighty thou- sand dollars was owed to William Penn by the Eng- 172 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY lish government. King Charles II was not at all fond of parting with his money, so Penn proposed that he should receive land in America in payment of the debt. Accordingly, Charles gladly signed a charter, giving Penn forty thousand square miles of the wild land west of the Delaware River, the largest tract in America ever given to one person. With this light-hearted monarch Penn was on the best of terms. It is said that the first time the king met Penn in his Quaker dress, he was much amused to see that his friend kept his head covered. Charles removed his own hat, whereupon Penn asked, "Friend Charles, why dost thou remove thy hat.^" "Because," laughingly replied the king, "it is cus- tomary for only one person to remain covered in my presence." Penn proposed to give the name Sylvania to his land in the New World, but the king insisted that, in memory of the admiral, Penn's father, it should be called Pennsylvania, meaning Penn's Wood. In September, 1682, Penn set sail from England in the Welcome accompanied by two other vessels. In October the little fleet reached Newcastle on the Delaware River, where the Swedes gave them a hearty welcome. Penn divided his land into sec- tions, and sold it to the colonists at a very low price. He next chose, as a site for his capital, a strip of land between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. WILLIAM PENN 173 He found, however, that this tract was claimed by the Swedes, who had purchased it of the Indians and had built a little hamlet upon it, called Wicaco. Penn, therefore, paid the Swedes for it, and renamed the settlement Philadelphia, or " Brotherly Love." Penn making a Treaty with the Indians After the painting by West. Penn allowed the colonists a large share in the government. " You shall be ruled," said he, " by laws of your own making, and live a free, and, if you will, a sober and industrious people." He desired " to show men how free and happy they can be." He insisted that no person who believed in God should be persecuted on account of his religion, and that the Indians should be treated justly and kindly. He further required that the village should 174 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY be laid out in wide streets, many of which were named from trees that shaded them, such as Wahiut, Spruce, and Chestnut. Each building lot was large enough to allow plenty of ground around the dwelling. Although the king had granted Penn the land, the latter thought the Indians should be paid for it, so he gave them enough blankets, knives, and trinkets to make them feel well treated. One of Penn's first acts was to make with the red men a treaty which has since become famous. Under a large elm tree, at a place called Shack- amaxon, on the Delaware River, the Friend met his Indian neighbors. He told the listening sav- ages that they came together " on the pathway of good faith and good will," and that he intended that everything between them should be " openness and love." The Indians were deeply impressed by his kind words and gentle manner, and replied, " We will live in love with William Penn and his children as long as the sun and moon shall shine." This treaty the natives carefully recorded in a wampum belt, still in existence. It consists of eighteen strings of black and white beads, in which are woven two figures clasping hands. These are supposed to represent an Indian and an English- man, with hands joined in friendship. Some one has said : " It was the only treaty never sworn to, and the only one never broken. " Though the WILLIAM PENN 175 Indians waged bitter war on the other colonies, they never shed a drop of Quaker blood during the years that the Friends controlled Pennsylvania. The elm tree under which Penn met the Indians was still standing in 18 10; the spot is now marked by a stone. Once a band of Indians found two strange white men asleep in the woods. The younger members of the party were about to disturb the sleepers, but the old warriors said : " These men are English, and they are our friends ; let them alone." Penn often visited the natives in their dirty wigwams, and ate with them. When some of the younger savages were hav- ing a contest in running, jump- ing, and leaping, Penn joined in the sport, and to their great astonishment outdid them all. After that their ad- miration for him became still greater. From the first Philadelphia attracted large numbers from all countries and of all beliefs. There were English, Swedes, Dutch, Germans, Scotch, Irish. At the time of its purchase, the little tract of clear ground was surrounded by a bound- less forest, through which the frightened deer ran from the invading settlers. Within a year, one hundred houses had been built; in two years Phila- Penn's Treaty Monument 176 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY delphia had two thousand inhabitants ; and in three it had grown more than*the city of New York grew in its first fifty years. Before the close of the seventeenth century, Phila- delphia contained many handsome brick houses and fine squares and courts. The people were happy and prosperous, and it was said that there was not a beggar in the city. This undoubtedly was largely due to the wise rule of Penn, that every child should be taught some trade, so that when he grew up he might earn his own living. After a time business matters recalled Penn to Enorland. Amons^ other thinsfs, he wished to have the question of the boundary line between his land and Lord -Baltimore's settled by the king. Pie was justly proud of the condition of his colony. " We are the wonder of our neighbors," said the happy founder. The settlers were sorrowful at his depar- ture, and his affection for them was shown in his parting words : " Dear friends, my love salutes you all." Penn took up his residence in Kensington, and, through his great influence with the king, thou- sands of imprisoned Quakers were set at liberty. Many years later, in company with his wife and daughter, Penn returned to Pennsylvania. His town residence was on what is now Second Street, between Chestnut and Walnut. It was a spacious house, with a slate roof, beautifully furnished with WILLIAM PENN 177 massive pieces of mahogany and walnut brought from England. There were "plushes, satins, and even carpets, which were enjoyed by few but princes in those days." The dining hall would seat a large number, but Penn's hospitality was so great that Thl tiRhi Town IIml v\i) Colrt IIouse^ Philadelphia often his guests would overflow into the adjoining rooms. He once gave a dinner for which one hun- dred roast turkeys were provided. In this fine man- sion his son John was born, the only one of his children who was a native American. Penn had also a beautiful country house on the Delaware River. But again Penn was obliged to return to Eng- land. His business had been mismanaged by a dis- 1 78 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY honest agent, and the great and good man, who had done so much for others, found himself on the verge of bankruptcy. His affairs were in such serious con- dition that he was even thrown into Fleet Prison for debt. This villainy on the part of a trusted agent, and the disgrace and confinement of prison life, shattered Penn's health. He died in England, in" 1718, after a long illness, and lies buried in the churchyard of a little Quaker meeting house, not many miles from London. The Indians, as well as the colonists, were very sad when they heard of the death of their friend. The Indians sent Mrs. Penn the choicest furs that could be found. " These," they said, " are for a cloak to protect you while passing through this thorny wilderness without your guide." Little did King Charles dream, when he granted his young Quaker friend a tract of land in the for- est of America nearly as large as England, that he had parted with an immense fortune. Could he have known that underneath Penn's Wood there were vast mines of coal and iron, worth millions of dollars, the Quaker colonists would probably never have built their cozy homes and tilled their little farms in Pennsylvania. Things to Remember Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, an Englishman, in 1682. WILLIAM PENN 179 Pennsylvania means Penn's Wood. William Penn was a Quaker. He founded the colony in Penn- sylvania as a refuge for persecuted Quakers. Philadelphia was the first settlement. The word means "Broth- erly Love." Penn made a famous treaty with the Indians, which was never broken. People from many countries besides England found a welcome in Pennsylvania. Map Wo7-k. — Note the location of Philadelphia between the Schuylkill and the Delaware. Why was it a good place for a city? Letitia Cottage, Penn's City Residence Parts of it were prepared in England and shipped to Philadelphia. From Watson's "Annals of Philadelphia." XVI. JAMES OGLETHORPE Born 1689 — Died 1785 Peace to the just man's memory; let it grow Greener with years, and blossom through the flight Of ages ; let the mimic canvas show His calm benevolent featm-es ; let the light Stream on his deeds of love. — Bryant^s " The Ages." We have seen that the chief reason for founding colonies in America was the desire for freedom from persecution and for greater poHtical Hberty. The colony of Georgia, whose founder was James Ogle- thorpe, was likewise started largely for the purpose of helping the unfortunate and oppressed. James Oglethorpe belonged to an old and re- spected English family. When his college days were over, he joined' the army, served under the great Duke of Marlborough, and later was made a general. Now it happened that in England at that time there was a law which made it possible to send a man to jail for debt. The prisons were wretched places, dismal, dirty, and unheal thful. Every year thousands of men were confined in them, simply because they had the misfortune to be poor and in debt. Unless their families or friends brought them food, they were left to starve. 180 JAMES OGLETHORPE i8i One day an unfortunate friend of General Ogle- thorpe, having failed in business, was seized and thrown into prison. Oglethorpe had been for some time deeply interested in the condition of the Eng- lish prisons, and he now became more active than / 4 C '-Xb-^^i^ >. King's Bench Prison, London A poor debtor's prison of the eighteenth century. ever in his investigations. He found such dreadful conditions that his kind heart was filled with pity, and he rnade up his mind that the prisoners should be released, and those who were willing to work given a fresh start amid new surroundings. How could men earn money to pay their debts while con- fined in foul jails ? At length General Oglethorpe thought of a plan, which he proposed to King George. " Let us," said i82 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY he, " form a colony in America, where these dis- tressed people may be given another chance to make their way in the world." The plan was carefully discussed, and it was decided to plant such a colony near South Carolina. North and South Carolina were young settlements of English, Ger- mans, Scotch, Irish, and French Huguenots. They were in constant fear of attack from the Spaniards in Florida, and would welcome neighbors. The proposed new colony, therefore, would provide an- other military post against England's old enemy, and against hostile Indians. Persecuted Protes- tants from all the countries of Europe were to be allowed to join it. In the one hundred and twenty-six years that had passed since Captain John Smith and his Eng- lish companions landed at Jamestown, twelve colo- nies had been planted along the Atlantic sea- board from Maine to Florida. In New England were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; in what we now call the Middle States, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, and in the South, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In 1732, the year in which George Washington was born, plans for the new colony were completed. The English government gave Oglethorpe two thousand pounds, and another large sum was raised by generous friends. The king then granted to i) Cape Hatteras A T L A N T 1 C GULF M E X ICO Cape Sable The Colonies in 1734 183 i84 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the general and his associates, " in trust for the poor," a charter of the territory lying on the sea- coast below South Carolina, between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers. In honor of the English ruler, this land was to be called Georgia. Ogle- thorpe was to act as governor of the colony. With about one hundred and twenty happy emi- grants. General Oglethorpe set sail in the Aime in the winter of 1732, and early in January arrived safely at Charleston. There were thirty-five families in all, and among the men were carpenters, brick- layers, farmers, and mechanics. After exploring the lovely Savannah River, Ogle- thorpe chose a site on a high bluff, and laid the foundation of a little town, now the beautiful city of Savannah. Imagine the joy of these released pris- oners in their new-found freedom ! The sound of the ax rang through the woods, and cabins were quickly built. Oglethorpe marked out broad streets, and left plenty of room for public squares and parks. The governor was very successful in keeping peace with the Indians. He paid them for their land and gave them many presents. His dignified appearance, his kindness and mercy, and his sweet nature won their confidence. A chief of one of the tribes presented him with a buffalo skin, on the in- side of which was painted in rude Indian fashion the head of an eagle. " The feathers of the eagle are soft and signify love," said the warrior, " and the JAMES OGLETHORPE 185 warm buffalo skin means protection ; therefore love and protect our families." One day Red Shoes, another chief, appeared in the English settlement. " We have come a great way," said the Indian, "and we are a great nation. The French are building forts around us against our Early Savannah, Georgia From a London print dated 1741. liking. We have long traded with them, but they are poor in goods ; we desire to trade with you." Soon Oglethorpe could write home that the Indians "for seven hundred miles" were friends of the Georgia colonists. The English in Georgia were joined by many Scotch Highlanders, and by a number of Germans. As these settlers were hard-working, thrifty people, they were very welcome. " General Oglethorpe's undertaking will succeed," wrote the governor of South Carolina, "for he nobly devotes all his powers to rescue the poor from their wretchedness." i86 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY When the colony was well started, the governor went back to England, taking with him Tomochichi, an Indian chief whose friendship had been of the greatest service to Georgia. When the governor returned in 1736, three hundred men and women came with him, and among the number was the celebrated leader of the Methodists, John Wesley. " They all knelt and returned thanks to God for having safely arrived in Georgia." A new town was now started at Frederica, and a fort was built for better defense against the Spaniards. As there were many mulberry trees in Georgia, the settlers sent to Europe for silkworms ; for the silkworm feeds on the leaf of the mulberry tree. It was hoped that the colony would produce a great quantity of silk. In view of this, and of the unselfish motives of its founders, the seal of the colony bore a group of silkworms, and the motto, Non sibi, sed aliis — ■'' Not for themselves, but for others." Enough silk thread was soon sent to London to make a dress for the queen, who felt proud to wear this first gown of American silk. But the colonists found that they could not make a living from silk, so they tilled the ground, carried on fur trade with the Indians, and cut down timber, which they sold in the West Indies. General Oglethorpe forbade dealing in slaves, but after he gave up the manage- ment of the colony, negroes were bought and large plantations of rice and indigo were cultivated. JAMES OGLETHORPE 187 The Spaniards gave the Georgia settlers a great deal of trouble, but in spite of this the colony pros- pered, though it grew slowly in numbers. Six years after it was founded, war was declared between England and Spain. " Now," thought Governor Oglethorpe, " the time has come to subdue the Spaniards in America." The people of South Carolina gladly joined him, and in the spring of 1 740 an attack was made on St. Augustine. But the Spaniards drove the Eng- lish back, and they were obliged to return home without having conquered their enemy. Two years later a Span- ish fleet of thirty vessels with five thousand men set out to capture Savannah. Although Oglethorpe had less than one thousand men, his splendid military skill and great courage won the day, and the invaders were glad to retreat to Florida. After that Georgia was never in danger of being attacked by Spaniards. After many years of usefulness, General Ogle- thorpe grew tired of active life, and doubtless thought he had earned a rest. He went to reside at his beautiful country home in Essex, England, where James Edward Oglethorpe After the painting by Ravenet. 1 88 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY he was often visited by the most noted men of the country. He lived to be nearly ninety years old, and retained to the last his fine figure and bright eyes. Before his death the American colonies had declared themselves free from the mother country, and his little Georgia settlement had become an independ- ent state. No one of the men who laid the beginnings of the American nation was a wiser or a nobler man than James Oglethorpe. " The gentleness of his nature appeared in all his actions ; he was merciful to the prisoner; a father to the emigrant. He loved to relieve the needy and to soothe the mourner." Such was the founder of Georgia, the last of the thirteen original English colonies. Things to Remember Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe, an Englishman, in 1733- It was started as a refuge for unfortunate Englishmen imprisoned for debt, and to help protect South Carolina from the Spaniards in Florida. The Englishmen were soon joined by persecuted Protestants from many countries in Europe. The colony was named in honor of King George 11. Savannah was the first settlement. Georgia was the last of the thirteen original English colonies in America. Map Work. — Locate Savannah. Note its approximate dis- tance from Charleston and St. Augustine. XVII. KING PHILIP Born (?) — Died 1676 It is the spot I came to seek — My father's ancient burial-place, Ere from these vales, ashamed and weak. Withdrew our wasted race. It is the spot — I know it well — Of which our old traditions tell. This bank, in which the dead were laid. Was sacred when its soil was ours ; Hither the silent Indian maid Brought wreaths of beads and flowers, And the gray chief and gifted seer Worshiped the god of thunders here. — Bryant's "An Indian at the Burial-place of his Fathers." Do you remember the story of Massasoit, the Indian chief, who was such a good friend of Miles Standish and the Pilgrims in New England ? Sad to say, his son, who called himself "King" PhiHp, waged war on the Englishmen, and caused much bloodshed and great loss of life. One day while Massasoit was still alive, the Plymouth colonists beheld the old chieftain walk- ing into their settlement with his two sons, Wam- sutta and Metacomet. He had come to ask his I90 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY paleface friends to give the lads English names. Thereafter these two young Indians were known as Alexander and Philip. After the death of Massasoit, Alexander, the elder, became chief of the tribe of Wampanoags. The Plymouth settlers did not trust him as they had trusted his father, and at length they suspected that he was plotting to destroy them. So they had him brought to Plymouth, but they were unable to prove the charges against him. On the way home Alex- ander suddenly fell ill, and a few hours later he died. His young wife declared that the English had poisoned him. Soon other Indians shared her belief and began to talk of revenge. Philip, who now became chief, took for himself the title of "king." He wore a crown of wampum decorated with shells, and on very important occa- sions wrapped around his shoulders a bright scarlet blanket. Such was his idea of a king's robe. The English had always considered Philip a brave, wise, energetic Indian, and a good friend. Now, when he became "king," he renewed his father's treaties, and for two or three years the relations between the whites and redskins were as pleasant as formerly. But there were many who still believed that the death of Alexander should be avenged. Further- more, the shrewd savages were beginning to see that the coming of the white men had not made life KING PHILIP 91 easier or better for them. Gradually, and almost without the Lndians' noticing it, the palefaces had taken possession of the best land. Only the swamps and less desirable places were left for the redskins. Armed with muskets, the English had hunted so much that the Indians w^ere finding it harder and harder to get game. "In a short time," thought they, "we shall have no hunting ground left, and the English will be glad to have us starve, for then they can take the whole country." At first Philip paid little attention to the discontent felt by his tribe, but after a while the complaints of the white man's trespassing became so frequent that he was forced to listen to them. Meantime, a great and good Englishman, John Eliot, was making his way through the wilderness, preaching to the savages, and converting many of them to Christianity. The unconverted braves sneeringly called them " praying Indians." Now Eliot's missionary work was stoutly opposed by Philip, who argued that the religion of his old father, Massasoit, w^as good enough for him and for his people. By 1670 matters had reached a crisis. The In- dians determined to get all the tribes of New England King Philip 192 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY to join against the white men and drive them from the country. But they found, to their disgust, that the " praying Indians " would not allow a white man to be harmed. They were even willing to sacrifice their own lives for the English. This made Philip more angry than ever. The Massachusetts colonists happened to hear that Philip and his Wampanoags were turning against them, so they sent for him to come to Ply- mouth and talk over his grievances. Philip attended this council, but was careful to bring with him a guard of seventy armed warriors. After a long and friendly discussion, however, he signed a paper which guaranteed lasting peace, and the Indians promised to give up firearms, which the English had long be- fore taught them to use. Although there was no open hostility for some time after this, the whites well knew that the Indians were growing more and more sullen and discon- tented. By 1675 King Philip had become so bitter toward the colonists that he openly prepared for war. He sent the women and children of his people to the tribe of the Narragansetts for protection, and gave warning to a few of the white settlers to whom he had become attached. Finally he made all his peo- ple swear to be forever hostile to the white man. And then began a horrible war that for nearly two years raged in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. KING PHILIP 193 On a pleasant summer day in 1675, Philip made an attack on Swansea, a little settlement about thirty miles south of Plymouth. It was Sunday, and the Pilgrims were walking quietly home from church, talking about the danger of Indian attack. Sud- denly, from behind rocks and trees, they were fired King Philip signing the Treaty of 1671 After the engraving by F. T. Merrill. upon by the savages. Several Englishmen fell, killed or wounded. This was the Indian method of fighting. The red men never came out in the open and made a bold assault, but always hid behind some shelter, until their victim was too near to escape. Then, with a horrible war whoop, they sprang forward like panthers and did their deadly work. 194 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY News of the attack at Swansea spread rapidly, and the colonists became thoroughly aroused. Soon the entire frontier was terror-stricken ; even the women and boys armed themselves to defend their lives and homes. No white man's cabin was safe, for the In- dians would watch from their hiding places to see the men leave the dwelling ; then they would rush in, steal the women and children, set fire to the building, and drag their prisoners into the forest. With about fifteen hundred Indians Philip swept over the country, calling on all the red men to kill the palefaces. Groton, Medfield, Marlborough, and many other English settlements were destroyed, and the few colonists who escaped with their lives fled to the woods in terror. Brookfield and Deerfield were burned, but by a curious circumstance Hadley escaped. Hadley is a little town on the Connecticut River and this is the story as it is still told by the townspeople : — When the furious savages burst upon this unpro- tected little hamlet, the people in their fright and confusion seemed unable to make any defense. Suddenly there appeared a strange old man with a long white beard, whom no one had ever seen before. Immediately he took the leadership and gave a mili- tary command. The astonished settlers quickly re- covered their senses, fell into fighting order, and following their venerable leader drove the enemy from their gates. Then the old man disappeared as KING PHILIP 195 mysteriously as he had come, and the astonished villagers believed that God had sent an angel to their rescue. It was afterward thought that this man was William Goffe, one of the Englishmen who had sentenced King Charles I to death, and who was Goffe repulsing the Indians at Hadley After the engraving by Corbould. then hiding in America to escape the vengeance of Charles II. Several tribes of Indians had intrenched them- selves for the winter in a fort or palisade, which stood in what is now the town of Kingston, Rhode Island. This section was then little more than a swamp, and the savages had built their barricade of such strong timber that they felt perfectly secure. They preferred to do their fighting when the leaves MH 196 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY were on the trees to afford shelter. Inside the fort were two thousand Indian warriors and many women and children. But the savages were soon to learn that they had made a mistake in collecting so many men in one place. As some one has said, they were " cooped up for slaughter." The English had no idea of delaying the war until warm weather. In the mid- dle of the winter about one thousand well-armed colonists under Governor Winslow marched on a terribly stormy day to the fort of the Narragansetts. How they suffered from the stinging cold, the bit- ing wind, and the fatigue of wading for miles through deep snowdrifts ! But at last they reached their journey's end. The Indians were taken entirely by surprise, though they fought desperately. One after another the white men were shot down, until more than two hundred lay dead or dying on the snow-covered marshes. The Indians were killed in even greater numbers, and at last the English set fire to the palisade. Five hundred wigwams were burned to the ground, and with them perished nearly one thousand Indians. Canonchet, chief of the tribe, made his escape, but later was taken prisoner by the English. One of the leaders of the colonists, himself so badly wounded that he had to be supported, said to Ca- nonchet: " Promise that you will try to make peace KING PHILIP 197 and we will spare your life." But the old chief stoically replied : " I would rather die before my heart becomes soft, and I say anything unworthy of myself. We will fight to the last man rather than become your slaves." The Indians who had escaped destruction waited until spring before they tried to get their revenge. Then five English settlements in Massachusetts, and two in Rhode Is- land, were destroyed. But the white people were desperate. They knew they were fight- ing not only for their own lives, but for the future of the whole white race in Amer- ica. With heroic ef- fort they struggled to subdue Philip by force of arms. At the same time they made every effort to keep the confidence of the few friendly Indians, hoping through their help to lessen the number of Philip's supporters. At length Captain Benjamin Church of Plymouth, a famous Indian fighter, led an expedition to hunt for Philip and to destroy him. Church succeeded in capturing the Indian's wife and child, and sent them as slaves to the Bermuda Islands. Philip knew that they were likely to be worked to death Garrison House at York Built against Indian attacks in 1640-44. was standing until 1889. 198 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY in the hot sun, or cruelly beaten by the slave- driver's whip. The child was a boy nine years old and the last of the race of Massasoit. " My heart is broken," said Philip, " and now I am ready to die ! " In August an Indian deserter guided Captain Church's party at midnight to Philip's camp, near Mount Hope, Rhode Island. The Indians were asleep, but Philip wakened at the sound of the first strange footsteps. He seized his musket and tried to escape, but stumbled, and as he fell he was shot dead by the Indian who had betrayed him. King Philip's head was then cut off and carried on the point of a spear to Plymouth, where it was exposed as a warning to the Indians. The death of Philip ended the war, for by this time there remained only a few savages of the fight- ing tribes. The struggle had cost the English more than a thousand lives, and a great deal of money. Twelve of the early towns in Massachu- setts had been completely destroyed, and many farms were laid waste. But, with the perseverance and courage that the New Englanders have always shown, they now went to work with a will to repair the dreadful damage. After a few years the fields again yielded rich har- vests ; and new buildings, larger and better than the first, took the place of those that the Indians had destroyed. KING PHILIP 199 Things to Remember A terrible war between the English and the Indians occurred in New England in 1675 ^^^ 1676. It is known in history as King Philip's War, because Philip, chief of the Wampanoags, was the leader. The Indians feared that the white people were taking so much land that they would soon have none left for hunting grounds. During the war twelve towns in Massachusetts were utterly de- stroyed, and more than one thousand white persons were killed. The English finally won, and King Philip's War ended forever the power of the Indians in New England. King Philip's " Mark " XVIII. NATHANIEL BACON Born 1647 — Died 1676 One song of Liberty and Life That was and is to be, Till tyrant flags are trampled rags And all the world is free ! — Stanton's " A Song of Liberty." While King Philip's War was being waged in New England, the English in Virginia were finding it difficult to protect their lives and property from Indian attack. The men who were chosen to govern the young American colonies did not always understand the needs of the settlers. The experiment of found- ing a nation in a new world was a difficult one. Many mistakes were made, and the colonists often suffered from unjust laws. For example, the Vir- ginia settlers were forbidden to send tobacco to foreign ports except on English vessels, and they could import goods only from England. In this way the mother country could pay as little as she pleased for tobacco, and charge as much as she liked for the articles of commerce sent to America. The colonists were quite helpless. In addition to this, they were compelled to pay heavy taxes from which they did not receive any benefit. 200 NATHANIEL BACON 201 Now William Berkeley, who was sent as gov- ernor to Virginia, first in 1642, and again in 1660, was much disliked by the settlers. He was a brave soldier, a loyal friend of the king, and in many respects a good man; but he was tyrannical, and tried not so much to help the Virginians as to increase his own property and send money back to England. He lived in fine style and has been called a "man of velvet and gold lace." He kept stables full of horses, of which he was extremely proud. The discouraged colonists felt that he cared much more for his horses than for them. In Governor Berkeley's time the Indians were beginning to cause the Virginians much anxiety. Many fine families in England who had been friends of Charles I, dissatisfied with conditions at home after his death, had come to Virginia ; among them were the ancestors of George Washington. These people had lived on great estates, and they preferred to continue a country life in America. It therefore happened that there were few merchants and no large towns in Virginia. The tobacco plantations covered many acres of ground, and the houses of the settlers were long distances apart. When the men were at work in the fields, or were riding over their estates, the women and children were at the mercy of prowling Indians. At last the scattered settlers were in such urgent need of protection from the savages that they begged 202 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the governor to call out military force, but he paid no attention to their pleading. He well knew how much the colonists disliked him, and he was afraid that an armed body of men might turn against him and his friends. His enemies in the colony said that he was carrying on such a profitable fur trade with the Indians that he did not care to have their ill will. In addition to all this, Berkeley did not believe in religious toleration, and when Quakers came to Vir- ginia he showed them no mercy. Last of all, he did not believe in free schools and the education of the poor. He even went so far as to say of his colony : " Thank God there are no free schools or printing-presses, and I hope there will be none for a hundred years." He believed that only the children of the rich should be educated. The Virginia colonists, who now numbered forty thousand, had good reason for finding fault with Governor Berkeley. For the sake of freedom and greater opportunity, they had crossed the seas. Now they found themselves under a governor who practically said : " I will not even try to protect your lives from the Indians ; I will not allow reli- gious freedom; and I will not allow you to choose whether your children shall be educated." Among the Virginia colonists was a wealthy, elo- quent young Englishman, with unusual courage and a strong will. He was twenty-eight years old, well NATHANIEL BACON 203 educated, tall, and commanding. His name was Nathaniel Bacon. He and his young wife lived on a large tobacco plantation near the head of the James River, and would have found life very pleas- ant, had it not been for the hourly fear of Indian attacks. Almost immediately Bacon became popular with the Virginians, and they soon looked to him as a Westover Mansion on the James River Its owner, Colonel Byrd, held a command under Bacon during the rebeUion. leader. The Indians were growing bolder and bolder. They would steal from the plantations, and would often kill the men who tried to protect their own or their master's property. One day in 1675 ^^ Indian murdered an overseer em^ployed on one of Bacon's plantations, and the young man demanded that Governor Berkeley take steps to prevent such an outrage occurring again. As usual, the governor paid no attention to the 204 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY request. Bacon decided, therefore, that the time had Bacon confronting Berkeley After the painting by Kelley. come when the planters ^ould have to take matters into their own hands. Five hundred men of the neighborhood organized NATHANIEL BACON 205 themselves Into a company, and, headed by Bacon, asked permission of the governor to go out to fight their red foes. But Berkeley still refused to pay any attention to the matter, so Bacon waited no longer for a regular commission. He marched against the enemy, set fire to their palisades, and killed one hundred and fifty redskins with the loss of only three of his own men. He now entered Jamestown, followed by his loyal neighbors, and demanded that the governor give him a commission to continue fighting the savages. Berkeley was furious. He called Bacon's conduct " treason," said that he was " the greatest rebel that ever was in Virginia," and ordered his arrest. But the colonists were true friends of Bacon and in- sisted that he should be released. Bacon saw that something further must be done, for the settlers could not continue to submit to the tyranny of such a man as their governor. Knowing that he was backed by the entire colony. Bacon drew up his troops, and at the point of the sword de- manded that Berkeley give him a commission. One of the frightened burgesses called out: " Hold your hand, and you may have what you please." Thus was the angry governor forced to make Bacon major general. The next thing that the people did was to insist upon a new House of Burgesses, or body of law- makers, and Bacon was elected a member. Through 2o6 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY his influence the severe laws of Jamestown were re- pealed, and many reforms introduced. These new measures were called " Bacon's Laws." Not long afterward Nathaniel Bacon heard of a cruel Indian attack only a few miles away, and marched with his men to punish the offenders. As soon as he had gone, the governor attempted to undo all the good that had been done. He called together a body of troops from near-by colonies with the idea of following Bacon and attacking him. But, when the troops found what was ex- pected of them, they refused to move. It is said that the governor fainted from rage and disappoint- ment. When Bacon heard what the governor had tried to do, he marched straight to Jamestown. Berkeley learned of his coming and fled to one of the ships of the English fleet lying in the harbor. Jamestown was now entirely in the hands of Bacon, but he was soon obliged to leave it to put down another Indian attack. This battle completely broke the power of the savages, and for a long time afterward they gave the English no trouble. It was fought on ground that is now a part of the city of Richmond. A stream that flows near it is to this day called " Bloody Run," because it is said that on the day of the battle it ran red with the blood of the Indians. Of course the governor was watching for an op- NATHANIEL BACON 207 portunity to return to Jamestown, and he did so as soon as Bacon had again departed to punish the redskins. Berkeley had httle trouble in landing, as most of the fighting men were away ^ith their leader. When, however. Bacon had subdued the Indians, he drove Berkeley again from Jamestown. Once more was the orovernor forced to retreat to his ves- sels, but he did not succeed in subduing the rebel- lious colonists. Bacon and his friends resolved that Governor Berkeley should never again enter James- town, so they promptly burned the town to the ground. It is said that Bacon himself set fire to his home. A heap of ruins is all that is now left of this first English colony in America, which Cap- tain Smith and others had worked so hard to found. A crumbling old church tower, with arched door- way, may be seen by any one sailing up the James River. It is partly hidden from view by the lovely green shrubbery and the ivy and moss that cling to its walls. It was most unfortunate for Virginia that Na- thaniel Bacon died of a fever in 1676, not long after the burning of Jamestown. The months that he had spent in the malarial marshes fighting the In- dians had undermined his health, and the hard work, strain, and anxiety had sadly weakened him. He died idolized by the Virginia colonists, who hid his body, fearing that Berkeley would hang it if it 2o8 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY could be found. No stone marks the grave of this daring young leader, and even his burial place is unknown. Berkeley revenged himself by hanging many of the men who were Bacon's friends. When one of the young man's most loyal supporters was brought Jamestown in 1857 After a drawing by Miss C. C. Hopley. to Berkeley a prisoner, the governor said grimly: " You are welcome. I am glad to see you. You shall be hanged in half an hour." When Charles II heard of this, he was very angry, and exclaimed: " That old fool has taken more lives in his naked country than I have taken for my father's murder." King Charles had condemned to death only six of the fifty- nine men who had voted that his father, Charles I, should be beheaded. The king at once recalled NATHANIEL BACON 209 Berkeley to England, and rebuked him for his cruelty to the American colonists. This was more than the loyal old governor could stand, and it is said that he died of a broken heart. Although Nathaniel Bacon did not live to see the result of his efforts for better government, the colo- nists profited by them. They always remembered " Bacon's Laws " and " Bacon's Rebellion," and they never ceased to protest against tyranny. Exactly one hundred years after this uprising against unjust government, all of the American colonies rebelled against the tyrannical laws of the mother country. We shall see, at the proper time, what an active and important part Virginia played in this great move- ment. Things to Remember Nathaniel Bacon of Virginia was one of the first men to attempt to reform England's unjust government of her American colonies. William Berkeley, governor of Virginia, refused in 1675 to give the colonists military protection against hostile Indians. Nathaniel Bacon then organized a party of armed men and sub- dued the savages. As a member of the House of Burgesses, Bacon urged the passage of laws that would give the colonists greater freedom. In the struggle known as Bacon's Rebellion Jamestown was destroyed in 1676. XIX. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Born 1706 — Died 1790 God bless our native land ! Firm may she ever stand, Through storm and night. When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of wind and wave. Do Thou our country save, By Thy great might. — Brooks's "God Bless Our Native Land." We are now comino^ to the time when the American colonies united to free themselves from the rule of England. As we have already seen, nearly all of the settlements had been started by men who sought freedom from oppression. But the mother country had not yet learned how to rule her children so that they could be happy and contented. She did not realize what they had suffered for the sake of greater independence, and she did not dream how much more they w^ere willing to suffer to pre- serve that independence. Among the brave, wise leaders who guided the struggling colonists in their trouble with England was Benjamin Franklin. The story of his life is full of interest. He was born in Boston in 1706, the fifteenth of seventeen children. At the time of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 211 his birth his father and mother were living in a small wooden house on Milk Street, and Benjamin was baptized in the historic Old South Church. The}^ were English people, industrious and re- spected in the community. Benjamin early became popular with his play- mates, and was looked upon as a leader whom they would cheerfully follow on any adventure. The boys were in the habit of fishing from the edge of a salt marsh that was little better than a mud hole. One day Benjamin's active mind devised a plan for making the marsh a more comfortable fishing ground. Under cover of the darkness he piloted his companions to a great heap of stones that were in- tended for use in building a house. These stones the boys carried to the water's edge, even though it took three or four boys to carry one stone. It was hard work, but they toiled with a will, and at last they completed a fairly good wharf from w4iich to fish. Imagine the surprise and anger of the vv^orkmen the next morning when they found what had happened ! The boys' parents, also, were very indignant, but Benjamin declared that, as a dock was needed, they had done a serviceable piece of w^ork. Benjamin said afterward that his father had then and there taught him a great truth, that " nothing can ever be truly useful, which is not at the same time truly honest." 212 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY At eight years of age Benjamin entered a grammar school. He was a bright boy and could not remem- ber the time when he was not able to read. His father had intended to send him to college, and hoped that his son would some day be a clergyman. But the expense of rearing his large family was so great that Mr. Frank- lin could not afford to keep the boy in school. Consequently, when ten years old, Ben- jamin was put to work in his father's soap and candle fac- tory, cutting wicks for candles, filling the molds with tallow, and running errands. But he was not at all interested in mak- ing soap and candles. He had always lived near the water and was fond of sailing boats. This made him think that he would like to spend his life on the sea. He liked also to read, and would pore for hours over the pages of the few books he could obtain. By the time Benjamin was twelve years of age his father had decided that the boy would not long be contented with work in the candle factory. Benjamin Franklin BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 213 What was to be done with him ? It was necessary that he should earn his own hving, and as he had a great love for books, why should he not be taught printing? If he became interested in printing, his father and mother need no longer worry over the possibility of his running away to become a sailor. Benjamin's older brother James was already carrying on a successful printing business in Boston, and to him Benjamin was now apprenticed, or bound, for nine years. From the start young Benjamin showed great ability in his new work and soon became extremely useful to his brother. His new acquaintances were glad to lend him books. Often, when he borrowed a volume that had to be returned the next day, he would sit up half of the night to read it. Some- times he wrote little ballads which he offered for sale on the streets. When Benjamin was fourteen years of age his brother started a newspaper. By this time the boy had become as good a printer as there was in Boston. He had read the best books that he could find, and had practiced during his leisure moments the writing of prose and poetry. He now began to write articles, which he would slip under the door of his brother's office at night. James had no idea who wrote the articles, but he considered that they were good enough to print. When Benjamin saw his composi- tions in the newspaper, his joy knew no bounds. 2 14 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY But the two brothers did not get on well together, and Benjamin felt that James treated him harshly. When he was seventeen years of age he resolved to run away from Boston, and make his own way in the world. He raised a little money by selling a few of his precious books, and one fine autumn day in 1723 he Benjamin Franklin, Apprentice After a bronze tablet on the pedestal of the statue by Greenough. sailed away on a sloop bound for New York. Here he tried to get work as a printer, but finding none started for Philadelphia. He went first by boat from New York to Amboy, New Jersey. While this was but a short distance, the boat was out thirty hours owing to a heavy storm, and during that time the boy had neither food nor drink. As he had very little money, he covered on foot the next fifty miles of his journey through New Jersey. Part of the distance BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 215 he walked in a downpour of rain, so that he reached BurHngton bedraggled, tired, and hungry. From Burlington he proceeded to Philadelphia by boat. At length he reached the Quaker city, on a cold Sunday morning, travel-stained, half famished, a stranger in the town, and with only a dollar in his pocket. His first act was to buy three "great puffy rolls." Then he started up Market Street with a roll under each arm, eating the third. Wandering along in this way, he passed the house of a Mr. Read, whose daughter, Deborah, stood in the door looking with amusement at the lad's appearance. He was dressed in buckskin knee breeches, and the pockets of his long coat bulged with his extra shirts and stockings. Curi- ously enough, this fair girl, who laughed at the ridiculous appearance of the tired boy, was the one whom Franklin afterward married. A kind Quaker aided the young Boston printer to get work. His employers found that he had a man's judgment and sound sense, as well as unusual ability in his trade, and they helped him forward as fast as possible. He soon attracted the notice of the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith, who encouraged him to go to London, buy a press and type, and set up in business for himself in Philadelphia. Keith promised the young man that he would write letters to people in London who would help him. Franklin 2i6 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY did not know that the English governor was more ready to make promises than to keep them, so with a hght heart he set off for England. But, when he reached London, he found that the letters that he had counted upon for help had never been sent. The American youth had very little money, but he had what was far better, a brave spirit and a Num. ioS. The AMERICAN WE EKLY MERCURY. From Thurfday OStobei^ »>to Thurfday Odoberq^ ij^. Reduced Facsimile of the Heading of an Early Issue of the First Newspaper in Philadelphia determination to succeed under all circumstances. He soon found work in a London printing office, and immediately began to save money and to study during, his spare hours. In less than two years he was back in Philadelphia to start a press of his own. Soon afterward he began to publish a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, At the age of twenty-six he married Miss Debo- rah Read. At first their home was very simple. Long years afterward, when Franklin had dined with kings and queens and the greatest men and BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 217 women of England and France, when his name was known all over Europe and people were proud to speak with him, he wrote the story of his life. In this book he says of his early married years : " Our breakfast was for a long time bread and milk (no tea) and I ate it out of a twopenny earthen por- ringer, with a pewter spoon." Nor was he too proud to carry paper to his shop in a wheelbarrow. One of the first things that made Franklin famous was his " Almanac." In those days, next to the Bible, the Almanac was the book most read in American households. Franklin thought he could help a large number of persons by publish- ing useful information, not generally known, and by giving good advice. So he started " Poor Rich- ard's Almanac," which was gratefully received and carefully read in hundreds of homes here and in England. These are some of the wise proverbs of "Poor Richard": — ^^ Lost ti7ne is never fou7id agairir ''''Beware of little expenses ; a small leak will sink a great skipT ^' Rather go to bed supper less than rise hi debtT ''A word to the wise is enotigh!' In the course of years Benjamin Franklin became not only a very prosperous man, but a man looked up to by all the people of Philadelphia as one of their ablest citizens. He took deep interest in all 21 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY public affairs. He founded the first library in Phila- delphia, which was really the beginning of our present library system. And he laid the founda- tion for a high school which grew into a college and is now the great University of Pennsylvania. All the time that he was carrying on his news- paper work he did much good, made hosts of Franklin and the Lightning After a bronze tablet on the pedestal of the statue by Greenough. friends, and found opportunity for study. He learned several languages, and spent hours in reading books on science, and in making experi- ments. His first important invention was the Franklin stove. Up to that time open fireplaces had been the only method of heating. When Franklin was forty-six years old he made one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the eighteenth century. By a simple experiment with BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 219 a kite in 1752 he showed that lightning is elec- tricity. His kite was covered with a silk hand- kerchief, and to the stick was attached a pointed wire. The string was of hemp and at the end which he held was placed an iron key. One day, during a thunderstorm, he and his son took the kite to the fields. Soon Franklin discovered that electricity was coming down the string, for the little fibers of thread stood out stifily ; and when he placed his knuckles near the key he felt a shock. This led to his invention of the lightning rod, now in com- mon use. From this time on Franklin's name was known all over America and Europe. In 1753 the king appointed him postmaster-general of all the Ameri- can colonies, and, as we shall see, he did some of his most important work after he had passed his fiftieth year. About this time the English colonists began to see that there was likely to be war with the French, who had come down from Canada and were taking possession of much of the territory that the English claimed. Something had to be done, and accord- ingly, in 1 754, representatives from the different colo- nies met in a congress held at Albany, New York. Franklin's newspaper immediately came out with the motto, " Join or Die," and, when he went to Albany as the representative of Pennsylvania, he carried with him a plan to unite all the colonies 2 20 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY under one government. But the young settlers were not yet ready for this union, for they had not begun to think of themselves as Americans. It was customary for a man to speak of himself as a New Yorker, or a Virginian, as the case might be, but he was quite certain not to call himself an American. The colonists, therefore, did not see the wisdom of Franklin's scheme and rejected it. However, twenty years later it was regarded as the only means Device printed in Franklin's of preserving in the NcW "Pennsylvania Gazette."! 754 World the freedom which the colonists had sought in their flight from the mother country. Franklin's " Albany Plan " was in the end a stepping-stone to the founding of the American nation. Franklin's life is so interwoven with important events in American history that there is not room here to tell them all. Two years after the congress met at Albany he was sent to England to present to the king a protest from the Pennsylvanians; for the descendants of William Penn were not manag- ing the colony in a way that satisfied the settlers. He was successful in obtaining the rights which the Pennsylvanians asked for, and for more than five years matters of great importance to the American colonists kept Franklin in England. His discover- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 221 ies in electricity had made people eager to meet him, and he was everywhere received with enthusiasm. Later, when England threatened to tax the American colonies for more than they considered just and right, Franklin was again sent to London to present the American side of the case to King George IIL This monarch is said to have warned his court that Franklin was more than a match for them all. With untiring patience and wise fore- sight, Franklin tried to show the king that his tax was " the mother of mischief." If George III had listened to the counsel of Benjamin Franklin, the destructive war between England and America might have been avoided. Franklin reached London in 1764 and remained there for eleven years. Throughout that time he was nobly engaged in assisting his countrymen in various ways. At length, when he found that it was no longer possible to avoid war, he returned home. But before his arrival the first blood had been shed. Franklin now gave his best efforts to helping his fellow -sufferers in their brave resistance to oppres- sion. The very day after he reached home he was chosen a member of the celebrated Continental Congress, which met at Philadelphia in 1774. Of this we shall learn more in later chapters, when we study the lives of other famous men. Franklin was also one of the men who were chosen to draw up the great Declaration of Independence in 1776. 222 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY In rebelling against England, and in declaring that they would rather fight than submit to unjust laws and taxation, the Americans had set for them- selves a difficult task Here was a handful of poor colonies going to war with the powerful English Franklin and the Committee presenting the Declaration of In- dependence TO THE President of Congress After a bronze tablet on the pedestal of the statue by Greenough. nation. Money and arms were needed, and Frank- lin was chosen as the one man among all the Amer- icans who could obtain the necessary aid. He was sent to France to secure her assistance. The French people received him with every honor, and during his stay in Paris the wisest statesmen, as well as persons of wealth and fashion, treated him with great respect. Even shopkeepers would rush to their doors to get a glimpse of Franklin." the great Doctor BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 223 He was most successful in the mission he had un- dertaken. The French government in 1778 signed a treaty which recognized the American colonies as a nation, the United States, and France agreed to furnish arms, ammunition, and money to help this new nation fight England. When the long war was over, and representatives from England and America met in Paris in 1783 to sign a treaty of peace, Franklin's sound judgment was eagerly sought. Later, when he learned that he had been chosen special ambassador to France, he said : " I am old and good for nothing, but, as the storekeepers say of their remnants of cloth, ' I am but a fag end, and you may have me for what you please.' " In 1789 the people of each state sent a number of their ablest men to Philadelphia to make laws for the nation just born. Benjamin Franklin was among the number who framed the Constitution of the United States, under which we now live. He was seventy-eight years old when he returned from his last European sojourn, and his name was venerated in England and France as well as in America. Everybody spoke of him as one of the greatest Americans, one of the founders of the American republic, and its most distinguished scien- tist and diplomat. After a long, busy, useful life, Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia in 1790, at the age of eighty- 2 24 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY four. Twenty thousand persons attended his fu- neral. He was laid to rest beside his wife and daughter in the burying ground of Christ's Church. The plain marble stone bears the simple words, " Benjamin and Deborah Franklin." Things to Remember Benjamin Franklin was the first American to make important discoveries in science. He was also famous as a diplomat, a statesman, and a writer. He was the first to propose a union of the thirteen American colonies under one government. In 1764 he was sent to the court of King George III to urge just taxation of the colonies. Through his influence aid was procured from France in 1778 to help the colonists free themselves from England. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and one of the men who framed the Constitution of the United States. Map Work. — Trace Franklin's first journey from Boston to Philadelphia. I XX. LOUIS MONTCALM Born 1712 — Died 1759 Yea, happy they who serve our France, And neither pain nor danger fly ; But in the front of war's advance Still deem it but a glorious chance, To be among the brave who die. — Deroulede's "Good Fighting." In the government gardens of the beautiful city of Quebec there stands a tall monument to two heroes, a Frenchman and an Englishman. Both were brave, noble men, and each died trying to secure Canada for his own nation. The older of the two was Louis Montcalm. He was born in a pleasant old chateau in France, was carefully educated, and at an early age entered the army. When thirty years old he became colonel of a regiment, fought for his country in Italy and Germany, and won great distinction. He loved books and the quiet of country life, but he loved France better; and his high sense of duty and honor kept him throughout his life a soldier. How did it happen that he found a soldier's grave in America ? We have learned that the brave La Salle had tried to build a chain of forts from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, along the Great Lakes and the 225 226 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Mississippi River. We know that, as the years went by after his death, his countrymen gradually erected outposts, and claimed all the land in the Mississippi valley for the French. Now the English, who had established colonies along the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico, were creeping farther and farther west. " Somethinor o must be done," said they, " to stop the French from building forts. They are blocking our passage across the Alleghany Mountains." Accordingly, in 1750, a company was organized in Virginia known as the Ohio Company, to explore and settle the lands on the east bank of the Ohio River. As a first step they sent a party of surveyors to measure and mark out the territory. When the French heard of this, they immediately began to build another fort on the Alleghany River. This river unites with the Monongahela to form the Ohio, and the French considered the junction of the two rivers one of the most important gateways to the Great West. As soon as Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia Louis Montcalm I LOUIS MONTCALM 227 learned what the French were doing, he decided that the time had come to settle the matter once for all. " We will order them to stop work," said he. A young surveyor was chosen to be the bearer of this important order. It was George Washington, then only a little more than twenty years of age. Washino:ton found a difficult and dangerous journey before him. The country was full of hostile Indians ; there were no roads or bridges, and deep snow covered the trails. But he was al- ways fearless in the dis- charge of his duty, and he boldly set out with six companions and an Indian guide. * At last, after many exciting adventures and hard- ships, the journey was completed in safety, and the messenger was kindly received by the French. But, naturally enough, they refused to stop build- ing their fort. " You may tell Governor Din- widdle," said the French commander, "that France owns this country, and we intend to go on with our work." Washington as a Young Man In the uniform of a Virginia colonel. After the painting by Peale. 228 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY There was now nothing left for the English to do but to build forts of their own faster than the French, and in this way to take possession of the country. A body of men was sent to begin work on a spot which Washington had selected, the site of the present city of Pittsburg. But the French, who were in that country in far larger numbers than the Fort Duquesne English had supposed, drove the latter away, and finished the stronghold for themselves. This they named Fort Duquesne, in honor of the Canadian governor. The French, however, did not win this victory without bloodshed. Washington, as leader of the party, made an attack at a place called Great Meadows, and many of the French were killed and others carried away prisoners. In great haste Washington now began to build a I LOUIS MONTCALM 229 shelter, which he called Fort Necessity ; for he well knew that the French would next attack him. He fought bravely with his little body of men, but he could not long withstand the superior force of the enemy, and he was obliged to surrender. The English were now thoroughly aroused and determined to drive out the French and to force a passage through the Alle- ghanies to the land farther west. It must be remembered that the English claimed the entire country as far west as the Pacific Ocean. For had not Sir Francis Drake sailed along the coast of California, planted the English flag, and taken possession of that whole western territory in the name of the English ruler ? Accordingly, General Brad- dock, an old, experienced - soldier, was sent over to America in the summer of 1755 to lead the colonists in their fight against the French. With him came red-coated regiments of the regular army. " Now," thought the delighted colonists, " we shall soon see the Frenchmen fleeing to Canada." There was no disputing the fact that General British Soldier 230 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Braddock knew a very great deal about fighting in the regular way, against armies in the open field ; but it is equally certain that he knew nothing what- ever about fighting in a forest against the Indians who were helping the French. The Five Nations still cherished their hatred of the French, and took revenge by siding with the English. This last con- flict between the French and English in America is known as the French and Indian War. Young George Washing- ton, who was one of Brad- dock's aides, gave the Eng- lish general some sound ad- vice about the best method of fighting Indians, and warned him to proceed quietly and with caution. But Brad- dock replied that, while the Indians were no doubt more than a match for the colo- nists, they certainly could make no impression upon the king's regulars. It was, therefore, with flying banners and loud music that General Braddock marched his soldiers toward the French posts. Alas, when too late, Braddock found that the young Virginia major was right. Out of deep French Soldier LOUIS MONTCALM 231 ravines, and from behind trees, shrubs, and thickets, the Indians attacked his regiments, and the bewil- dered EngHsh soldiers, so willing to fight, could not even see the enemy. For three long, terrible hours the French and Indians kept up their fire. At the end of that time hundreds of Englishmen lay dead, and the rest were fleeing for their lives. All of Braddock's ofiicers except Washington were killed or wounded. Washington had two horses shot under him, and four balls passed through his coat, but happily he was to be saved for greater undertakings. At last General Braddock received a mortal wound, and at midnight, by the light of the torch, Washington read the burial service over the grave of the commander. Then the young major sadly led the defeated English redcoats back over the mountains to Virginia. It was now high time for France to show some interest in her struggling Canadian colonies, and in 1756 a body of French troops was sent to America. With them, in command of the French army, sailed the brave, daring Louis Montcalm. Fresh from the scene of battle had he come, for at home, also, Eng- land and France were fighting each other, and each was determined to conquer in America as wxU as in Europe. Montcalm's first victory, at Oswego, New York, was a brilliant one, and a hard blow to the English ; for it gave the French control of Lake Ontario. 232 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY His next move caused the enemy still greater alarm. In the summer, with eight thousand French and Braddock surprised by an Ambuscade Indians, Montcalm crossed Lake George and cap- tured Fort William Henry, which the English, under the wise leadership of Sir William Johnson, had J LOUIS MONTCALM 2^^ built at the head of the lake to guard the northern waters of the Hudson River. The dreadful massacre that followed this victory showed how little the Indians could be trusted when once their thirst for blood was kindled. The Eng- lish had surrendered the fort to the French, who, though holding them as prisoners, had promised to protect their lives. This did not satisfy the savages. In spite of all that Montcalm could do to prevent it, even to the risking of his own life, the redskins fell upon the defenceless English and murdered a large number of men, women, and children. But now came England's turn to win, and Fort Niagara, the strong, important post between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, fell into her hands. " Now," said the victorious English, " we have one of the keys that unlock the passage to the rich fur trade of the West. We have only to capture Fort Du- quesne and the control of the Mississippi valley is in our hands." First, however, the English resolved to attack Fort Ticonderoga, where Champlain had won his victory over the Iroquois one hundred and fifty years before. An army of fifteen thousand English and colonial troops was sent to capture the fort. Montcalm had only four thousand men to defend it, but he secured a commanding position on a neck of land, with clumps of trees for protection. The battle lasted from noon until night, when the Eng- 234 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY lish were obliged to abandon the attack. This was the last great victory won by the French in America. Fort Edward, Ti- conderoga, and Crown Point on Lake Cham- plain fell, one after the other, into the hands of the English. Step by step the French were driven back toward Canada. The brave Montcalm Map showing French and English Forts was fighting under terrible difficulty. The French government was so taken up with its wars at home that the struggling colonies in Canada were left to take care of themselves as best they could. I LOUIS MONTCALM 235 In the summer of 1758, the English captured Louisburor " the Gibraltar of America." This was one of the Frenchmen's strongest forts, and one of the most important ; for it stood on Cape Breton Island at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It covered a large plot of ground, and its thick walls were over thirty feet high. Once in possession of this, the English controlled the St. Lawrence River, and could prevent the French in Canada from re- ceiving help by this waterway. In November Fort Duquesne also fell into the hands of the English. This was renamed Fort Pitt, in honor of William Pitt, a great English statesman of whom we shall soon learn. Later the French lost Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario. All through the year 1759 the fighting continued. The great, decisive battle came on the morning of the 13th of September, when the English captured Quebec. For weeks Montcalm had known that the English were planning to attack this strong- hold, and with every means in his power he strengthened his defenses. He was expecting the attack to come from the English ships below in the river. In the next chapter, however, we shall learn how the English commander. General Wolfe, with several thousand men climbed the steep heights that led to the town and joined battle with the French on a level spot known as the Plains of Abraham. Words cannot describe the astonishment of the 236 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY French when at daybreak they saw the English soldiers lined up for battle. Was it possible that these were the men whom Montcalm had believed to be on the ships in the river, or encamped along the shore, far below ! The situation was indeed a desperate one for the French, but Louis Montcalm never flinched in times of danger. " This is serious business," he said calmly, and immediately gave his orders. Officers spurred their horses forward, now in one direction, now in another, and among the troops there was the greatest activity. By ten o'clock Montcalm had rallied his forces, and amid shouting and firing the French army rushed upon their foe. Silently the English waited until the enemy were near ; then the redcoats pushed forward with such terrific force that the French were obliged to fall back. Montcalm, mounted on his spirited horse, galloped back and forth among his distracted troops, trying in vain to spur them to fresh attack. But they had given up all hope of victory and were running for their lives. As Montcalm was swept along by the wild rush, a bullet entered his body and fatally wounded him. Tenderly supporting their gallant commander, the soldiers led his horse back to the town he had so bravely tried to save for France. A little group of frightened women stood huddled together near the city gate. " Look," cried one of them, " the LOUIS MONTCALM 237 Marquis is killed ! " But, with heroic effort, Mont- calm replied : " It is nothing; do not trouble for me, good friends." The next morning he died. When told that the end was near, he said : " It is better so. I am happy that I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." IjWik,/' Quebec in the Eighteenth Century His dying thought was for the men of his army. His last words to one of his generals were : " The humanity of the English sets my mind at peace con- cerning the fate of the French prisoners and the Canadians. Feel towards them as they have caused me to feel. Do not let them perceive that they have changed masters. Be their protector as I have been their father." The confusion and distress in Quebec were so 238 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY great that no coffin could be found for the dead commander, and an old servant of the Ursuline con- vent made one as best he could out of a few rough boards. In this rude box Montcalm was that night laid to rest under the floor of the convent. There were no cannon to fire a volley over the grave of the brave soldier, but the army that had loved and trusted him, and the enemy that had defeated him, respected his memory and honored his name. " The funeral of Montcalm was the funeral of New France." Not long after the fall of Quebec the whole of Canada was surrendered to the English. Not French, but English, was to be the language spoken on the vast continent of America. Things to Remember The last great struggle between the French and English in America is known as the French and Indian War. In 1755 England sent out an army under General Braddock to help her colonists. Braddock was killed, and his army defeated by the French. General Montcalm, a brave French soldier, was sent with a body of French troops, in 1756, to command the army against the Eng- Hsh. Quebec, the main stronghold of the French, was captured by the English in 1759. In this battle Montcalm was killed. After the fall of Quebec, the Canadian possessions in America fell into the hands of the English. Map Work. — Locate on an outline map the line of French forts from Louisburg to Duquesne. Locate the Enghsh forts, Oswego, William Henry, and Edward. XXI. JAMES WOLFE Born 1726 — Died 1759 " Now tell us what 'twas all about," Young Peterkin he cries ; And little Wilhelmine looks up With wonder-waiting eyes ; " Now tell us all about the war, And what they fought each other for." " It was the English," Kaspar said, " Who put the French to rout ; But what they fought each other for I could not well make out. But everybody said," quoth he, "That 'twas a famous victory." — Southey's "After Blenheim.'' The French and Indian War in America was only a small part of the great struggle between France and England. At the same time the bitter conflict known as the Seven Years' War was raging in Europe. At length England's interests, both at home and abroad, were intrusted to William Pitt. " I am sure I can save this country," said Pitt, when he took charge of affairs, and time proved that this was no idle boast. It was the energy and daring of this great man that ended the wearisome years of fighting between France and England. It 239 240 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY was the power and eloquence of William Pitt that aroused England to hold all the land she had in America, and to get as much more as possible. " We must continue to send ships, soldiers, arms, and ammunition to protect our colonies in America," urged the great statesman, over and over again. Among the officers who were sent on this mission was young James Wolfe. His father had served with distinction in the English army, and his mother was a sweet, gentle lady, to whom Wolfe was always devoted. When grown to manhood, he once wrote her from a distant country, where he was gallantly fighting for England : " The greatest happiness that I wish for is to see you happy." Even in boyhood Wolfe showed evidence of marked military ability, and was allowed to serve as adjutant of a regiment at the age of sixteen. In spite of frail health he rose rapidly to the post of major general, and was only thirty-two years old when he came to America. He was tall, slender, with reddish hair and bright, fearless eyes. He had the faculty of winning the loyal devotion of his sol- m WM 1^1 ^^m L ^ ^ms^^-^^^^m ^^''^t-^^^^M 1 James Wolfe JAMES WOLFE 241 diers. There was no danger that they would not will- ingly face at the suggestion of their beloved leader. As for himself, he was absolutely without fear. He wrote to his mother, " My utmost desire and ambition is to look steadily upon danger ; " and to his uncle, " If I have health and constitution enough for the campaign, I shall think myself a lucky man ; what happens afterwards is of no great consequence." In the capture of the stronghold of Louisburg, Wolfe had assisted General Amherst and had shown great courage and skill. When the report of his brilliant conduct reached Pitt, it was decided that Wolfe should be placed in command of an ex- pedition against Quebec. Many of the older officers opposed the idea of conferring such honor upon a young man of thirty-three, and some one told George II that Pitt's new general out in America was mad. The old king is said to have retorted: "Mad, is he? Then I hope he will bite some others of my generals." No one knew better than young General Wolfe the difficulties and dangers of the undertaking that had been assigned him. A great responsibility rested upon his shoulders. Could he capture Quebec ? If so, the war would probably be ended. He at once ordered his ships to sail out of the harbor of Louisburg and up the St. Lawrence nearly as far as Quebec. Then he encamped his soldiers on the opposite bank and waited for reinforcements. 242 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Before him, on a hill more than three hundred feet above the river, lay the most strongly fortified city on the American continent. All along its walls guns were placed for defense, and Wolfe felt that it would The Siege of Quebec be almost impossible for him to force an entrance. He knew also that Montcalm was collecting a large army to oppose him. One day he made a happy discovery. With the aid of a powerful field glass he saw a steep, narrow path winding along the side of the cliff to the heights, JAMES WOLFE 243 about two miles from Quebec. If only his men could get up this rocky pathway ! After thinking the matter over carefully, Wolfe decided to make the hazardous attempt. The long hours of one whole day and night he spent in care- ful preparation. Finally all was ready. At one o'clock on the morning of September 13, 1759, his soldiers stepped quietly into small boats, and silently rowed to the landing-place selected by their com- mander. Like many another brave warrior, Wolfe loved peace and quiet and many things that his busy life of fighting left him little time to enjoy. He liked nothing better than to spend an hour with books, and especially books of poetry. As he was borne along the stream, in the still autumn night, the generals thoughts were naturally of serious matters. " The coming day," thought he, " will probably decide whether Canada shall belong to England or to her rival, France. Before another dawn, hundreds of men will have sacrificed their lives for their country." He is said to have re- peated Gray's beautiful poem, " An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," and to have dwelt par- ticularly on the following lines : " The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Await alike the inevitable hour, The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 244 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY With as much calmness as if he were beginning a pleasant journey instead of facing a desperate battle, Wolfe remarked : " I would rather have been the author of that poem than take Quebec." Before dawn the English redcoats made their landing, and, guns in hand, stealthily climbed the steep, rocky wall on the north shore of the river that led to the Plains of Abraham. It was a long hard climb, up an almost perpendicular cliff, with only here and there a bush or tree to hold to. But by sunrise the entire army had completed the ascent. Suddenly the sharp challenge of a French sentry rang through the air. One or two questions were asked, to which reply was given by an English officer who spoke perfect French. It was still dark. The sentry was on the lookout for French boats bringing provisions, and thought that the English were his own countrymen. He therefore allowed them to proceed, and Wolfe's men charged upon the tents sheltering soldiers whom Montcalm had stationed to watch this very path. They had failed to do their duty, and now those who were not caught by the English fled in terror. We have already learned how surprised was the French army when, in the early morning light, they saw the red uniforms of the British soldiers and the glitter of their muskets. We know that the brave Montcalm did not falter, but that his troops were soon forced to fall back in confusion. JAMES WOLFE 245 Wolfe now shouted to his men to press to the front, while from hundreds of throats came the British cheer. He was still leading the charge, and Before the French and Indian War cheering his men on in the victorious attack, when three bullet wounds brought him to the ground. As he was tenderly supported by his officers, he heard shouts of "They run! They run!" "Who run ? " quickly asked the dying general. " The 246 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY enemy, sir," was the reply. " Now God be praised," said General Wolfe, " I shall die in peace." With sincere affection and grief, his comrades placed his body on a ship, which bore it to Eng- After the French and Indian War land. A monument to Wolfe's memory now stands in that grand old church, Westminster Abbey. Great was the joy in England when word was re- ceived that the French possessions in America had JAMES WOLFE 247 passed into English hands. Thousands of bonfires all over the country were kindled in celebration. " In one spot alone all was dark and silent. A wid- owed mother mourned for a loving and devoted son, and the people forbore to profane her grief with the clamor of their rejoicings." Naturally enough, the rejoicing among the colo- nists in America was greater even than that in England. With the fall of Quebec, French power in America was broken, and the English became masters of the greater portion of the continent. France surrendered all the land she had claimed east of the Mississippi, together with the whole of Canada. The English came into possession of Florida also; for, in the Seven Years' War, Eng- land had taken from Spain Cuba and the Philippine Islands, and later exchanged them for Florida. If you look on the map at the strip of land ly- ing between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, you will see the portion of the country that Eno^land could not claim. Before the war ended France had given this territory, together witl\ the town of New Orleans, to Spain in pay- ment for her aid. Now that the American colonists had nothing further to fear from the French, all things seemed possible, and an idea of the future greatness of America began to fill their minds. A Boston clergyman said: "With the continued blessing of 248 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY heaven the colonies will become, in another century or two, a mighty empire." The colonies had learned a great lesson ; they had found how much could be accomplished by joining forces against a common enemy; they saw the wisdom of Benjamin Frankhn's motto, "Join or Die." With Wolfe's triumph on the Plains of Abraham, the history of the separate colonies in America draws to an end, and the history of the United States begins. Things to Remember William Pitt was a great English statesman who helped the American colonists defeat the French. In 1759 Pitt chose James Wolfe, a brave young English officer, to lead the attack on Quebec, the most important stronghold of the French. Wolfe led the English and colonial troops to victory, but lost his life in the battle on the Plains of Abraham. After the fall of Quebec, France surrendered all of Canada to England, together with the whole country between the Mississippi River and the Alleghany Mountains. France had already given to Spain the country between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Spain gave Florida to England in exchange for Cuba and the Philippine Islands. I XXII. PATRICK HENRY Born 1736 — Died 1799 Freedom ! sweet Freedom ! our voices resound, Queen by God's blessing, unsceptered, uncrowned ! Freedom, sweet Freedom, our pulses repeat, Warm with her life-blood, as long as they beat ! — Holmes's "Freedom, our Queen." Had you chanced to walk many years ago in the streets of a certain httle Virginia town, you might have met a tall man, carelessly dressed, with a slouchinor aait and an air of indifference. Such was the general appearance of Patrick Henry. But if you had seen this same man an hour later in the court room, you would have scarcely believed your eyes. In the heat of an exciting debate Patrick Henry's lank form would straighten ; his calm face become intense ; his eyes flash fire ; while the magic of his words held his hearers spellbound. After his first important speech, a listener said : " He made our blood run cold and our hair stand on end." Such was the power of this great orator who helped to bring about the founding of the Ameri- can nation. Let us see how it happened. 249 250 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY When Patrick Henry was a young man, the United States as a nation did not exist. There was no central government — no President, no United States Congress. The street bands did not play the "Star-Spangled Banner," for there was no Ameri- can flag. Instead, the people listened to " God save the King," for the colonists in America looked Stamps used in 1765 upon England as their mother country, and regarded her king as their ruler. In the year 1765 a bill called the Stamp Act was passed by the English Parliament. Parliament makes England's laws just as Congress at Wash- ington makes our own. By this act the colonists were obliged to put a stamp, from a half -penny to ten pounds in value, on paper used for newspapers, or for legal purposes, such as wills, deeds, and notes. In this way King George III proposed to raise money to keep a small English army in America, for he felt that such a body of troops was needed PATRICK HENRY 251 to defend the settlers. " It is, therefore, only fair," said the king, " that the colonists should support this army." Now in America it was believed that people should not be taxed except by their own representa- tives. For hundreds of years their forefathers in Ens^land had stood for this great principle. Each colony had its legislature, elected by the people, and if it chose to levy a tax, well and good. But since the colonists were al- lowed no voice in the English government, it seemed to them very unjust that Parliament should decide the taxes that they must pay. Prominent men, such as Ben- jamin Franklin, were sent to England to protest that "taxation without representation" was tyranny. From Maine to Georgia people were aroused over the Stamp Act. Furthermore, the colonists did not want British soldiers in America. They said that they were able to protect themselves, now that the trouble with the French was ended. The king did not pay any attention to the protest of the colonists. The leaders among the Ameri- Patrick Henry 252 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY cans, therefore, urged their friends and neighbors to refuse to pay the tax, and Patrick Henry was one of the foremost of these leaders. Besides being one of America's greatest orators, Henry was an able lawyer, a wise statesman, and a true-hearted, lovable man. He was born at Stud- ley, Virginia. His father was a well-educated Scotchman, and his mother an English woman with ready wit and a great fondness for music. When Patrick was taken from the village school, at the age of ten, his father and uncle became his teachers. He studied mathematics, Latin, and Greek, and when fifteen years old was apprenticed to a country shopkeeper. A year later his father started Patrick and a brother not much older in business for themselves. Would you think it strange if boys of that age did not succeed ? As might have been expected, the venture failed, but Patrick did not lose heart. He kept up his interest in study, and read many of his books over and over again. He liked best geog- raphy and history. He loved out-of-door pastimes, hunting, fishing, and roaming through woods and fields. His friends thought him an idle, dreamy youth, jovial and fond of frolic ; but no one foresaw that he was destined to play an important part in American history. When eighteen Patrick Henry married, and after a few years spent in trying to make a living at farm- I PATRICK HENRY 253 ing, and again at store keeping, he decided to study law. At last he had found the right work. After a few months of study, he was admitted to the bar, and his fine mind, good judgment, and remarkable gift of speech soon won him fame and fortune. His first celebrated case was known as the " Par- was to secure larger son's Cause." Its object salaries for clergymen. Nothing like Henry's elo- quence in arguing this case ever had been heard in the colony. A few moments after he began to speak his listeners were leaning for- ward in breathless silence. The young lawyer's father was so amazed and de- lighted by his mastery of words that " tears of ecstasy streamed down his cheeks." When the trial came to a Patrick Henry on their shoulders out of the court- house, and carried him around the yard in triumph. But Henry's name was to become known far beyond the borders of Virginia. In 1765 he was elected to the House of Burgesses. On his twenty-ninth birthday, only a few days after tak- ing his seat in the House, a debate arose over the stamp tax. Henry sprang to his feet, and in a King George III After the painting by Zoffani. close, the people bore 254 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY ringing oration declared that no power outside the colony itself had any right to impose a tax on its people. He offered a series of resolutions condemn- ing the Stamp Act as dangerous to liberty. Thomas Jefferson, then a young man, was present. Long years afterward he said : " That speech of Patrick Henry's excelled anything I have ever heard." That was a lively day in the House of Burgesses. Among the members were many Tories, that is, per- sons so loyal to the king that they believed America should submit to whatever he thouQ^ht best. You can imagine the excitement when young Patrick Henry, ending his great address, exclaimed : " Cae- sar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third" — he was stopped by cries from the king's friends of "Treason! Treason!" But the orator was not to be frightened. When the cries ceased, he finished with great earnestness- — " and George the Third may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." In the audience were many persons who thought that Patrick Henry would surely be hanged for his bold words against the king. But to commit an act of treason was far from Henry's intention. Simple ^ justice was all that he demanded of George III. He little dreamed that he had made a speech that would stir all the colonies and live in history. His resolutions passed the House in the face of great opposition, and were soon printed and scattered 256 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY broadcast through the colonies. They helped to strengthen the other colonies in their determina- tion to resist the stamp tax. When the heated session was over, Henry started quietly for home. " He passed down the street," said a neighbor, " wearing buckskin breeches, his saddlebags on his arm, leading a lean horse, and chatting with a friend who walked at his side." George HI was slow to learn that the people have rights as well as the king. He would have done well to give heed to the discontent of the colo- nists and to the counsel of wise English statesmen. Many members of Parliament, among them William Pitt, sympathized with the Americans, and were glad when they refused to pay the stamp tax. " I rejoice," said Pitt in a great speech in the House of Commons, " that America has resisted." If this had been the first unjust measure imposed by England upon her colonies, they might have regarded it with less concern. We have already learned how they had to confine their trade in tobacco, rice, and other American products to English ports, to use only English ships, and to buy nothing made in any factory or mill except an English one. They were not allowed to make for themselves so much as a horseshoe nail, or to print even a copy of the New Testament. We know, also, that some of the governors who were sent out from England, men like Berkeley, for example, were more PATRICK HENRY 257 concerned with making fortunes for themselves and for the king, than in advancing the interests of the settlers in America. [yi ll||IJ^mHL_^ . >?f.# •s^t^^^-i " . ^B^ H ^^^^^.v^*" ®l1i Pi s • ''Mm wK^m i Wm^"^' ^s W\ Wm i -r^^^WK^ ^^m" Patriots burning Stamped Paper So the colonists everywhere agreed that they would not pay the hated stamp tax, and to show they were in earnest, they burned boxes of stamped paper as soon as they were taken from the ships. 258 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY When King George found that the colonists would not pay this tax, he tried a new method of getting money from them. Another act was passed, pro- viding that they should pay a tax on all tea, glass, paper, and paint which they bought in England. This only aroused anew the anger of the colonists, who declared : " We will do without all these things rather than pay duty on them." In the next chapter we shall learn more about this tax and what came of it. Boston resented it so bitterly that the king thought he would punish that town by closing the port, so that no vessel might enter or leave the harbor. Upon hearing this, all the colonies determined to help Boston in her trouble. Some of the wisest and best men of each colony were chosen in 1774 to meet in Philadelphia at what is known in history as the First Continental Congress. They met to talk over the alarming situation and to agree upon some plan of action. Patrick Henry and George Washington were among the delegates sent from Virginia. These were the days before railroads and steamboats, and Henry made the journey from Virginia to Phila- delphia on horseback, stopping over night at Mount Vernon. In the morning he and Wash- ington set out together for the Congress. In the convention Patrick Henry's words made a deep impression. He urged the delegates to forget that they were from the colonies of Pennsylvania, PATRICK HENRY 259 New York, or Massachusetts, and to remember that hereafter they must all unite in a common cause. For himself he declared, " I am not a Virginian, but an American." John Adams afterward said : " No one in the Congress except Patrick Henry appeared to understand the precipice upon which Washington, Henry, and Pendleton going to the First Congress we stood, and had candor and courage enough to acknowledge it." Not long after the close of the Continental Congress, a convention was held in Vircrinia. Matters had orone from bad to worse, and the trouble with King George was daily grow- ing more serious. The convention met in St. John's Church, Rich- mond. This old building is now visited every year by thousands of persons eager to see the place 26o FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY where Patrick Henry made his wonderful speech. On that memorable day it was crowded to the doors. The greatest excitement prevailed. But when the clear voice of the orator rang out a deathlike silence fell upon all. Straightening himself to his full height, with commanding and graceful gestures, and the passion for freedom flashing from his eyes, the speaker said : " There is no longer any room for hope of peace. If we wish to be free, we must fight ! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us. We shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be pur- chased at the price of chains and slavery .^^ Forgive it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death." In this famous address, parts of which are to-day known to every schoolboy, Patrick Henry had the courage to utter words which most of his country- men felt, but did not dare express. As we continue our story we shall see that war did come, with all its horror and bloodshed, and we shall learn what were the results of that great conflict. Throughout the rest of his life Patrick Henry was a brave, loyal, and useful citizen. Just before war was declared, the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, took all the colony's gunpowder PATRICK HENRY 261 from the public storehouse and placed it on board an English vessel. The people could stand such injustice no longer, and Patrick Henry led the first armed resistance to English rule in Virginia. He organized a volunteer force and compelled the gov- ernor to pay the colony for the gunpowder. St. John's Church, Richmond In this church the Virginia Convention met in 1775. Henry was a delegate to the Second Continen- tal Congress, and he was the first commander of the Virginia Revolutionary army. When the war cloud burst and the royal governor was obliged to withdraw, Henry was made the first governor of Virginia. To this post Patrick Henry was twice reelected, but he declined many national ofiices — secretary of state under President Washington, chief justice of the United States, and an am- bassadorship to France. 262 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY The last years of the great orator's life were spent on his large plantation, Red Hill, surrounded by his children and grandchildren; and he loved nothing better than to play and romp with little children. Patrick Henry suffered from poor health for many years, but he was always ready to do whatever he could for his state and country. He was beloved by every one for his sweetness of character, sympathy for the oppressed, and willingness to help all who were in trouble. " He was a good fighter," said one in speaking of him, "but never a good hater." People sometimes wronged him because they were jealous of his fame and power, but his heart was too kind to harbor bitterness even toward these. The terrible war between England and her Ameri- can colonies is known as the Revolution. Wher- ever its story is told, the name of Patrick Henry will live. Americans will never forget the man who dared to rise in that famous Virginia conven- tion and declare that he would rather die than live without liberty. By this and similar speeches he helped to inspire the colonists to stand firm for freedom, and to win it. Things to Remember In 1765 the English Parhament passed the Stamp Act, which laid a tax on paper used by the American colonists for legal and other purposes. The Americans believed that Parliament had no right to tax them, because America had no representatives in Parliament. PATRICK HENRY 26t, Patrick Henry, a native of Virginia, was one of the greatest American orators. His eloquence convinced the colonists that they would no longer be free men if they submitted to unjust taxation. Henry became one of the leaders of the colonists. He was among the first to insist that they must fight for freedom, rather than submit to the tyranny of King George HI. Henry was the first governor of the state of Virginia. Alap Work. — Locate Williamsburg and Richmond. Memory Selection. — Patrick Henry, " War Inevitable." The Colonies in 1776: Southern Section XXIII. SAMUEL ADAMS Born 1722 — Died 1803 Swift as their summons came they left The plow mid-furrow standing still, The half-ground corn grist in the mill, The spade in earth, the ax in cleft. They went where duty seemed to call, They scarcely asked the reason why ; They only knew they could but die, ■ And death was not the worst of all. — Whittier's " Lexington." " This is a glorious morning for America," said Samuel Adams when he heard the first guns fired at Lexington. He knew that his countrymen had at last begun the fight for independence. Samuel Adams was a quiet, peace-loving man, who hated the horrors of war, but he also hated injustice and oppression. " Unless King George's tyranny is checked," said he, " it will increase until we are little more than slaves." Adams was among the very first to declare that England had no right to tax the American colonies. At a town meeting held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, a building which has been called the " Cradle of Lib- erty," he spoke out almost as boldly as had Patrick Henry in Virginia. " I denounce the act as un- 264 i SAMUEL ADAMS 265 just," said he, " and I urge you not to submit to it." Benjamin Franklin, who at this time was in Eng- land, advised the king and Parliament not to attempt to enforce the tax. " I warn you," said Franklin, "that my countrymen will never submit." But, as he afterward re- marked, " I mis^ht as well have tried to stop the sun setting." The colonists were no more willing to pay the tax on tea, glass, and paint than they had been to pay the stamp tax. " Let us all agree," said Samuel Adams, "to eat and drink and wear nothing which England sends here to sell, so long as the king demands this money from us." Through- out the colonies thousands of persons refused to use anything of British manufacture. Wives and daugh- ters, no matter how wealthy, wore fabrics which they themselves spun and wove, while men banded together to resist the tax. They called themselves the " Sons of Liberty." Month by month the feeling against King George grew more bitter. On the day when the new tax went into effect business was suspended, bells were tolled, and flags raised at half-mast. Urged by Samuel Adams After the portrait by Copley. L 266 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Adams, the Massachusetts Assembly sent to the other colonies a letter asking them to resist the English agents who tried to collect the money. But England seemed bent on doing everything in her power to annoy the Americans. She sent troops to New York and to Boston, with orders that they should be supported at the public expense. " In this way," said the king, " I will punish these obstinate people." Two regiments landed at Long Wharf, Boston, and marched to the common, where they paraded with much pomp. The citizens were very indig- nant, and, as might have been expected, trouble came before long. Workmen and idlers constantly passing the places where the troops were quartered, managed to bring on disputes and quarrels, and as time wore on people of all classes became more and more angry at the presence of the soldiers. But the royal governor felt himself much safer with English soldiers in the town, and would not with- draw them. One day in March, 1770, after the soldiers had been quartered in Boston about a year and a half, a mob of excited people attacked a body of troops with stones, sticks, and pieces of ice, and dared the " lobster backs " to fire. The red-coated British sol- diers accepted the challenge. They discharged their muskets into the crowd, and several persons were killed or wounded. SAMUEL ADAMS 267 On the morning following this massacre the peo- ple of Boston rose in their might. With one voice they declared that England had no right to send armed troops into a peaceful city, and they demanded m -^.mn iSv ■^•3^ii ■P^'L gilN'r'- ■#;iiis'Tfl:l Mm The Boston Massacre — the First Blood shed in the American Revolution After the engraving by Paul Revere. that these hated regiments be removed from the town. After much discussion Governor Hutchinson agreed to send one regiment away. But this did not satisfy the colonists. A com- mittee of fifteen men, led by Samuel Adams, called 268 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY a town meeting in the Old South Meeting House, as Faneuil Hall was too small to hold all those who were eager to attend. The people of Boston held Adams in great respect, and when he earnestly in- sisted that " both regiments or none " should be re- moved, the crowd took up the cry. " Both regiments or none ! Both regiments or none ! " shouted thou- sands of voices in the building and in the streets At length the governor was forced to yield, and promised to send all the soldiers to an island in the harbor. These troops were always jokingly called " the Sam Adams regiments." Let us now look a little more closely at Samuel Adams himself. He had a fine face, clear, steel-blue eyes, was of medium height, and possessed pleasing manners. He was born in a fine old mansion in Boston, and was educated in the local schools and at Harvard. His father, who was a man of influ- ence in the town, had at one time been wealthy, but had lost his money in an unfortunate banking ven- ture. Forced to enter business again, he became the owner of a malt house, with Samuel for his part- ner, and after the father's death the young man car- ried on the business. He was nicknamed " Sammy the malster." Samuel Adams w^as nearly thirty years old before he began to take an active interest in public affairs. He had passed 'his fortieth year before his career as a great statesmian began. At this age his hair SAMUEL ADAMS 269 turned gray, and he began to suffer from a peculiar nervous trembling of the head and hands. Notwithstanding this outward appearance of age, a youthful fire burned in his heart. In his fortieth year he gave up all personal business, and until he was over eighty devoted his life to his country. Faneuil Hall — "The Cradle of Liberty" When not attending public meetings or to the duties of his offices, he was busy writing until long past mid- nio^ht. Seeino^ a bris^ht lio^ht in his window when they were ready for bed, his neighbors would say, " Sam Adams is still at work writing against the Tories." Brave Mrs. Adams shared her husband's patriotism. While he gave his time to the cause of American independence, she cheerfully toiled with her needle to obtain food for the children. Of the long struggle between America and Eng- 270 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY land before war was finally declared, it has been said that in the North : " Boston led the thirteen colonies, and Sam Adams led Boston." It is cei*- tainly doubtful whether the courage of the colonists would have held out if Samuel Adams had not worked night and day, always cheerfully, always hopefully, urging his countrymen to stand firm for liberty. To return to the exciting events in Boston ; nothing after the withdrawal of the troops so aroused the public as the " Boston Tea Party." In those days the men and women of Massachusetts were quite as fond of good tea as they are now ; but you remember that tea was one of the articles Eng- land had taxed, and the colonists had pledged them- selves to do without it. Accordingly, when a vessel bearing chests of tea came up to a Boston wharf, the inhabitants declared that it should not be un- loaded. Notices were posted, inviting the citizens to meet under the Liberty Tree, to take such action as would compel the shippers to carry their goods back across the water. At this moment news arrived that three more tea ships were on the way. " This tea," said Adams, " is more to be dreaded than plague or pestilence." Another meeting was called, and seven thousand people filled the Old South Meeting House and overflowed into the street. They sent for one of the shippers and put to him the question : " Will you take your tea back to England.^" His reply was : "The governor will SAMUEL ADAMS 271 not permit me to do so at present." " Then," said Samuel Adams, "this meeting can do nothing more to save the country." It had been previously arranged that this remark of Adams should be a signal for action. Men rose from their seats, and followed a few disguised as :.^t'i'S'iAX*~aJ^j2Aj^ ^tCC desL. Kio -C Work. — Locate Montreal, Lake Champlain, Lake George, Ticonderoga, Bennington, Fort Edward, Bemis Heights, Stillwater, Oswego, Fort Stanwix, Oriskany. General Schuyler's Home in Albany I XXVI. NATHANAEL GREENE Born 1742 — Died 1786 Sleep, soldiers ! still in honored rest, Your truth and valor wearing ; The bravest are the tenderest — The loving are the daring. — Taylor's " A Song of the Camp." The principle for which the Americans were fight^ ing was such an important one that even a Quaker who hated war would often turn soldier. Nathanael Greene was born and brought up in Rhode Island, where his father and grandfather had led the quiet life of the Friends. Perhaps the very air of freedom that Nathanael breathed in that colony, founded by liberty-loving Roger Williams, made him more ready to fight for the independence of America. The young Quaker grew up a strong boy, indus- trious, self-reliant, fond of athletics, and able to sur- pass m.ost of his playmates in outdoor sports. He loved books, also, and urged his father to provide better teachers for him than were to be found in the little Quaker community of Warwick. He worked in his father's fields, the mill, and blacksmith shop. He read, studied, and played whenever he could. 330 NATHANAEL GREENE 331 Greene was always kind and gentle, but he was also firm in his own convictions. When eighteen years old, he visited New York at a time when many people had the smallpox. He insisted upon being vaccinated, though vaccination was then for- bidden by law in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and the prejudice against it was very strong. Young Greene's friends were as- tonished, but he was will- ing to think for himself and to take the conse- quences. Not long after- ward his father became involved in a lawsuit, so the youth promptly set himself to the study of law, — another instance of his eagerness to prepare for any emergency. It is not surprising, therefore, that w^hen the war clouds began to gather Nathanael should have turned his attention to military matters. From the best books he obtained a knowledge of war that was soon put into practice. A bitter disappointment threatened him at the beginning of his career. When his friends and neighbors formed a company for military drill, a slight limp in his walk was at first thought to un- Nathanael Greene 332 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY fit him for service. It would have been a sad mis- take if he had been left out, for no other of the " Kentish Guards," as the company called itself, ever became so famous a soldier as Nathanael Greene. Greene was only a private when he entered the ranks, but he began to work at once for his com- pany. He drove to Boston, purchased a musket, and hid it under straw in the bottom of the wagon, that the Tories might not see it. Also, he suc- ceeded in bringing back, as drillmaster for the " Guards," a trained English soldier who had come over to the American side. Greene quickly rose from the ranks. When news of the battle of Bunker Hill reached Rhode Island, three regiments were quickly raised to march to the scene of trouble. Nathanael Greene was chosen brigadier general of this little band. He led his troops to Boston, and when Washington arrived at Cambridge, Greene was selected as the officer to welcome the new commander-in-chief. The young Quaker was placed in charge of a brigade at Dorchester Heights, and had the pleas- ure of seeing the English march out of Boston. General Washington soon discovered that Greene was a valuable man and made him major general in the regular army, where he did good service in New York and New Jersey. The British, defeated in both of these states in 1776 and 1777, turned their attention to the South. NATHANAEL GREENE 333 They had captured Savannah and Augusta, and restored the royal governor in place of the one that the colonists had chosen. In addition to this, Sir Henry Clinton had brought his redcoats down The Siege of Charleston from New York, and had driven the American army out of Charleston. As they now held possession of Georgia and South Carolina, it was an easy matter for the Eng- lish to get by water all the supplies of food and am- munition that they needed. They were thus saved the trouble of carrying them over land. This condition of things in the South caused Washington great anxiety, and he desired to send General Greene to take command of the southern forces. But Gates, who had tried to steal Schuyler's 334 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY victory at Saratoga, was still influential with Con- gress, which forced Washington to send Gates, in- stead of Greene. This was in the winter of 1780. The country paid dearly for this interference with Washington's plans. Gates mismanaged every- thing that he undertook. In the battle of Camden, in what was perhaps the worst American defeat of the war, Gates's troops were almost entirely de- stroyed. He himself acknowledged that he was left with "only the shadow of an army." Something must be done, and Washington now hurried Greene to the scene of disaster. In the meantime, all over the mountainous country of the Carolinas, men formed themselves into little bands to defend their homes against the raids of the Brit- ish soldiers. Parties of redcoats roamed over the hills, plundered and burned houses, and murdered the inhabitants. General Francis Marion, the " Swamp Fox," came to be looked upon as the leader of these mountain- eers. He knew every foot of the country, was fear- less %nd untiring. He and his comrades were poorly clad, and were often without blankets to sleep in. They frequently had little to eat, but they never complained. While the main Eno^lish armv under Cornwallis was resting after its defeat of Gates, Major Ferguson was sent out with twelve hundred men, under orders to " scour the country for provisions and frighten NATHANAEL GREENE 335 the Inhabitants into coming over to the Tory side." He was then to join Cornwallis in North Carolina. But this mission was not so easy to accomplish as Cornwallis had expected. News soon reached Ferguson that bands of hardy mountaineers were on his trail. Thick and fast they gathered round him, clad in homespun gar- ments and armed with long rifles and hunt- ing knives. It was not long before Fer- guson and his soldiers fleeing these backwoods- men. On a steep hill, were before daring Francis Marion * known as Kings Mountain, the British intrenched themselves. The sides of the mountain were cov- ered with forest trees and gigantic bowlders. But nothing could daunt the Americans In pursuit. They separated into three divisions which climbed the mountain at the same time, each from a different 336 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY direction. Attacked on all sides, Ferguson's men were soon beaten. He himself rode boldly among his troops, trying in vain to rally his terrified soldiers. At last he was shot from his white horse, and the animal galloped, riderless, down the steep hillside. The English hoisted the white flag of surrender. The winter of 1780 had been one of terrible suf- fering to the American troops, — perhaps the hardest of the seven long years of war, — but the victory of Kings Mountain gave them fresh courage. The soldiers were thoroughly disheartened. They lacked sufficient food and clothing, and many were ill. After his defeat at Camden, Gates had been unable to control his men. Such was the wretched condition of the southern forces when General Greene took command. Out of Gates's entire army there were left only about two thousand men, and less than half that number were able to fight. There was no money and only a few days' provisions. Encamped not far away, lay an army of over three thousand well-fed, well-clothed, victorious British troops. You can ♦readily see how much work there was for Nathanael Greene to do. The slight limp that so nearly kept him out of the ranks was lost sight of now. Cool judgment, kindness, patience, energy, hopefulness — these were the qualities that counted in this crisis. He set to work with a will, and soon won the NATHANAEL GREENE 337 respect and affection of the troops. He contrived to get better food for them and to make every one more comfortable. Gradually he brought back the old spirit of self-reliance and hope. No one knew better than the commander in chief how hard a problem Greene had before him, and able men were sent to his aid — Daniel Morgan, the "sharpshooter," William Washington, and Henry Lee, who was known as " Light-horse Harry." At Cowpens, in January, 1781, a division of Greene's army under Morgan met the English troops under the famous General Tarleton. With a much smaller army Morgan won the day. At last our soldiers in the South had reason to take courage. At Spartanburg, in South Carolina, a large town seven miles from Cowpens, is a tall monument and on its top a bronze figure. The in- scription reads : — " To the American Soldiers, who, on the Field of Cowpens, January 17, 1781, fought victoriously for the right of Self-government and Civil Liberty. The unanimous resolve of the Congress of the United States crowns this memorial column with the form and face of General Daniel Morgan, the hero of Cowpens, who, on that field, was victorious in the great cause of American independence." Cornwallis, the head of the English army in the South, was furious when he heard of Tarle- ton's defeat. The " hero of Cowpens " knew per- fectly well that Cornwallis would send a fresh 33^ FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY force against him. Morgan felt that his tired men were not strong enough to win a second battle, so he lost no time in making a retreat. At dusk his army crossed the Catawba River. Hot in pursuit, the English soldiers reached this stream a few hours later, but rather than risk cross- ing it in the dark they waited until morning. A heavy rain fell during the night. The water rose rapidly, and the enemy were so delayed that Morgan was able to reach Greene's army in safety. General Greene saw that it would not be safe for his men to attempt to fight again while they were in such a weak condition. So he began the famous retreat that ended in American victory. This retreat was thought out with great care and skill. By the most clever planning he brought both divisions of his little army safely together at Guil- ford, where he expected that fresh troops from Vir- ginia would await him. But these regiments had not yet arrived, so Greene continued his retreat toward them. If only he could manage to get across the river Dan and into Vir- ginia before Cornwallis could overtake him ! It was a weary march, but the hardships were patiently en- dured. Week after week he marched his little band from point to point — -over hills and across streams that, for lack of bridges or boats, had to be forded. Nor did he dare to forget for an instant the danger- ous game he was playing with Cornwallis. NATHANAEL GREENE 339 One night, after a long ride in a drenching rain, Greene ahghted at a little inn in Salisbury. In reply to a question the weary general said, " Yes, I am hungry, tired, penniless, and alone." The land- lord's wife overheard the remark. In a short time a Thk Lax hot supper was placed before the hungry soldier. Then, handing him two little bags of silver that she had managed to save, the good woman said, " Take these; you will want them, and I can do without them." This spirit of sacrifice on the part of the men and women of America was the only thing that made it possible to carry on the war. At last the Dan was safely crossed. Greene had arranged many days in advance for boats to carry his men over, but when the pursuing British troops 340 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY reached the shore, they could find no way of getting to the opposite bank. For two hundred miles Corn- wallis had followed close on the heels of his enemies, but now he was obliged to halt. As soon as the Americans were rested and re- enforced by the Virginia troops, Greene recrossed the river, and at Guilford Court House, on March 15, he fought a battle with Cornwallis. Though the English claimed a victory, they were so worn out that they retired to Wilmington. General Greene now began another rapid march to the South. He wrote Washington : " I am determined to carry the war into South Carolina. The enemy will be obliged to follow us, or give up the posts in that state." His plan was to cut Cornwallis off from the English army at Charleston, and thus pre- vent his getting the much-needed food and supplies. Greene was completely successful. One after an- other the British forts in South Carolina were cap- tured. " We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again," wrote Greene. The English began to despair — the Americans to triumph. At the battle of Eutaw Springs the Americans won a great victory. The enemy was pursued by the regiments of Generals Marion and Lee for more than twenty-five miles, and over half of the English army was lost. Greene had done what he set out to do. He had driven the British out of North and South NATHAN AEL GREENE 341 Carolina into Virginia. We have already learned how Cornwallis was forced to shut himself up in Yorktown, and how Washington marched his army- down from New York and compelled his surrender. Few of the world's great soldiers ever accom- plished such wonderful work with so small an army as did Nathanael Greene in the southern states. Next to Washington he was the greatest general of the Revolutionary War. All along the line of Greene's homeward march honors were heaped upon him. Congress gave him a vote of thanks, and the grateful state of Georgia presented him with a plantation at Mulberry Grove. Here, two years after peace was declared, General Greene brought his wife to live. This great soldier, who had endured so many hardships in war, died from the effects of sunstroke at the age of forty-four. The whole country mourned his loss, and statues stand in public parks to the memory of " the man who saved the South." Things to Remember Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island, next to Washington, was the greatest general of the Revolutionary War. His ability saved the American army in the South when it had been almost entirely destroyed. He drove the British out of North and South Carolina into Virginia, and made it possible to end the war. Map Work, — Locate Savannah, Charleston, Camden, Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Guilford Court House, Wilmington, N.C, Yorktown. (See map, page 15.) XXVII. JOHN PAUL JONES Born 1747 — Died 1792 Bright flag at yonder tapering mast, Fling out your field of azure blue ; Let star and stripe be westward cast, And point as Freedom's eagle flew. Strain home ! O lithe and quivering spars ! Point home ! my country's flag of stars ! — Willis's " Going Home." America is to-day proud of her navy. When the great battle ships come together for review in New York harbor, or at Hampton Roads, or at the Golden Gate, thousands enjoy the magnificent sight. How bold and powerful they look, those giants of the sea, as they ride on the dancing water. Yet, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, America was quite at the mercy of England on the sea. The only vessels that the colonists owned were schooners and sloops that had been built for fish- ing or for trading along the coast. As soon as war became certain, the Americans knew they must have war-ships, and they began to build them as fast as they could. But money was scarce. The colonists could not build and equip a navy equal to England's, wdiich was the strongest navy of all Europe. 342 JOHN PAUL JONES 343 But if large ships and heavy guns were not to be had, there was no lack of brave men who dared to put to sea in small boats to capture English ships. Among these men was Paul Jones, who became the first great naval hero in American history. Paul Jones was the son of a Scotch gardener. He spent his childhood in a little fishing village in Scotland, where he learned to steer a boat, to haul a fish- ing line, and to love the ocean. At twelve years of age he was as strong and as well able to care for himself as most youths of sixteen ; so his father yielded to his desire to go to sea. Nothing could exceed the Paul jones joy of young Paul when, in After the etching by a. Varen. 1759, he left England as "shipmasters appren- tice " on board the Friendship. This vessel was bound for Virginia and the West Indies. Now not only would Paul realize his dream of life on the ocean, but he could also visit his older brother William, who had settled in America. William Jones wished Paul to remain on the Vir- ginia plantation, but the boy could not be coaxed into giving up a seafaring life. For seven years he sailed on the Friendship ; then he became part owner of a vessel engaged in trade with the West Indies. ..-_„_J 344 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY From this time on young Paul succeeded in every- thing that he undertook. He made a great deal of money, but that alone did not satisfy him. He studied hard, learned /P"^ to speak French and A Virginia Mansion Party managed to make friends with the best people in all the ports at which he touched. When William Jones died, Paul, then twenty-six years old, was at last willing to try life on the Vir- ginia estate. At that time he was well known to all the families of wealth and fashion living at colonial ports from New York to Charles- ton, and the old mansion which he had inherited at once opened its hospitable doors to the gay society of Virginia. He also began to take an active part in the more serious affairs which concerned his country. He became deeply interested in the questions then on all lips, "What will the British do next?" "What ought we to do ? " He attended the Virginia legis- lature and heard Patrick Henry's great speeches, and JOHN PAUL JONES 345 he made the acquaintance of Washington and Thomas Jefferson. " If you ever need my services on the sea, I am ready," said Paul Jones to these leaders of the Revolution. When the colonists began to collect their largest boats into something that could be called a navy, Jones was made a first lieutenant. His Virginia friends had tried hard to have him appointed captain. When told that instead of being captain he was only a first lieutenant, he manfully replied : " I am here to serve the cause of human rights ; not to promote the fortunes of Paul Jones." The first squadron of our little navy consisted of four ships, and of these the first to be made ready was the Alfred. From the mast- head of this vessel Paul Jones flung out the first American flag that ever flew from a war-ship. Our beautiful stars and stripes had not yet been adopted. Jones's flag was of yellow silk, with a pine tree, and a rattlesnake coiled at the roots, and bore the motto, " Don't tread on me ! " The little fleet set sail in February, 1776, for Fort Nassau, on one of the Bahama Islands, and succeeded in capturing four small English boats, with cannon and other military stores. But the most important result was that it convinced the colonists that Paul Paul Jones's Flag 346 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Jones was a man to command a vessel. This short cruise was the last he ever made when he was not in charge himself. He was given command of the Providejtce, and cruised along the coast from Bermuda to Nova Scotia. In six weeks he captured sixteen English boats and burned three fishing smacks, put ashore at a Nova Scotia port and freed several Americans whom the English held prisoners, and brought back a boat loaded with salt fish. He considered this a good six weeks' work. Sad news greeted him when he returned from this eventful trip. A party of English and American Tories, under Lord Dunmore, had completely ruined Jones's Virginia plantation. They had burned the buildings, killed the stock, destroyed fruit trees and crops, and carried off all his slaves. But Paul Jones could be a hero under all circum- stances. " This is a part of the fortunes of war," he calmly said, when told what had happened. " I accept the animosity of Lord Dunmore as a com- pliment to my devotion to the cause of liberty. I have now no fortune left but my sword." Not long after this. Congress summoned Jones to Philadelphia for his advice on naval matters. The victorious young captain proposed such a daring scheme that it startled all the members. " It is not enough," said he, " that we chase and capture English vessels on our own coast. We must cross the ocean and fight the English in their own waters.'* JOHN PAUL JONES 347 About this time Lafayette arrived from France, determined to help the Americans in their fight for liberty. He told the colonists that Captain Jones was right; that to attack the English in English waters would show them that it was not alone in America that Americans were to be feared. At length the plan was agreed to, and Jones was given a new ship, the Ranger. The very day on which Congress adopted our flag, June 14, 1777, the command of the Ranger was given to Captain Paul Jones. " That flag and I are twins," said Jones. " We cannot be parted in life or in death. So long as we can float we shall float together. If we must sink, we shall go down as one." The young women of Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, where the Ranger was built, set to work to make a flag for Captain Jones's vessel. They cut up their best silk gowns for the red, white, and blue stripes, and the thirteen white stars were made from the bridal dress of a girl who had just married an army officer. As we follow Paul Jones's fortunes, we shall learn the history of this flag. Captain Jones received orders to have his ship in readiness to set sail for France at a moment's notice. Congress was breathlessly awaiting news from New York state. Would Burgoyne succeed, or would General Schuyler's carefully laid schemes end in the defeat of the British '^. At last the joyful news arrived. Burgoyne had surrendered at Saratoga. 348 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Horsemen galloped with the tidings in every direction, riding day and night, eating their meals in the saddle, stopping not a moment for storms. On the sea, the Ranger^ with every inch of sail straining in the wind, was flying to France to carry the news to that friendly nation. Never before had the sailors on board the Ranger had such a wild passage as this. Captain Jones was himself on deck from eighteen to twenty hours out of every twenty-four. In little more than thirty days the Ranoer anchored in the river Loire. As she sailed into port, flying the new American stars and stripes, the French vessels welcomed her with a salute of guns. Thus it happened that the flag made of the dresses of the Portsmouth young women was the first American flag ever saluted by the guns of an European navy. With all possible speed Jones hastened to Paris, and placed in the hands of Benjamin Franklin the important dispatches from Washington and Jeffer- son. Captain Jones had hoped to procure in France a vessel larger than the little Rmiger, but in this he was disappointed. So, determined to make up in daring what he lacked in size, he put out from the French coast. He had one or two successful en- counters with the English at small ports ; then he met the Drake, a British sloop-of-war, in the Irish Channel. JOHN PAUL JONES 349 " What ship is this ? " asked the Drake. " The American Continental ship Ranger !' was the reply. " Come on ; we are waiting for you." A fierce battle followed. The Drake was much larger than the Ranger, and carried more guns, but it did not have a genius like Paul Jones in com- mand. At the end of an hour the crippled Drake surrendered. Thus the little Ranger was the first American vessel to cross the ocean and capture an enemy. It was a great blow to England's pride to find that one of her war sloops could be beaten by a smaller boat belonging to the " Yankee " navy. Captain Jones and his men tow^ed their prize to France. The French king could scarcely believe that the little Ranger had accomplished so much. As his country was about to engage again in war with England, he thought it would be wise to help the Americans as much as possible. So it came about that a larger vessel was given to Jones by order of King Louis XVI. Benjamin Franklin had taken a great liking to the young naval hero, while Jones felt for Franklin the respect and affection of a son. The captain loved to talk with the good doctor, and to read his " Poor Richard's Almanac." " This book," said Jones, " helped to keep up my courage, and make me persevere in my endeavor to get a ship from the French king." In honor of Dr. Franklin, therefore, and of " Poor Richard," Paul Jones named his 350 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY French boat, Le Bon Homme Richard, or Good Man Richard. With four smaller ships in his squadron, Jones set sail in the Richard, flying the flag that had come overseas on the Ranger. In the naval history of the world there is nothing to equal the glorious victory of this small fleet. " Paul Jones," Engagement between "Le Bon Homme Richard' AND the " SeRAPIS " said an English writer, " succeeded in alarming and insulting our coasts with a contemptible little squadron more than the whole navy of France had been able to do." Jones soon seized two English vessels. Then he won his greatest victory. The Richard met the British ship Serapis on the evening of September 23^ 1779- At first the English commander thought that he had to deal with a French man-of-war, but JOHN PAUL JONES 351 with the aid of a glass he made out that it was a stranger. " It is probably Paul Jones," he re- marked. " If so, there is work ahead." There was indeed work ahead ; for from seven o'clock until eleven the battle raged. The thunder of cannon and the sharp report of muskets rang out on the night air. There was little wind and the sea was calm. The moon shone so bright that it was almost as light as day. Wherever the firing was hottest Jones was to be seen, giving his com- mands in English and in French, for part of his crew were Frenchmen ; cheering forward his men, now in one language, now in the other. " When Commodore Jones sprang on the quarter-deck," said one of his sailors afterwards, " every one who saw his example or heard his voice became as much a hero as himself. The commodore had but to look at a man to make him brave." Hour after hour passed in the smoke and confu- sion of battle. At one time it seemed as if the Richard could no longer withstand the terrific fire of the enemy's guns. " Are you willing to sur- render?" shouted the English captain. Little did he know the grim determination of Paul Jones, who had resolved to win this battle or go down with his ship. In a steady voice Jones called back: " I have only just begun to fight ! " Both ships were now on fire, and the men at the pumps were working with all their might to keep 352 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY the flames under control. At last, by the greatest skill and daring, Jones brought the Richard along- side the Serapis, and with his own hands lashed the John Paul Jones boarding the " Serapis " two ships together. His hat fell overboard. An- other was handed him, but he replied: " Never mind the hat, boys. I'll fight this out in my scalp." Still the cannon boomed, still the muskets did JOHN PAUL JONES 353 their deadly work. Some of the bravest of Jones's men now managed to get aboard the Serapis. One by one the EngUsh gunners were shot down, and at last the brave English commander was forced to surrender. T\v^ Richard \\2,^ been so terribly damaged that she was fast sinking. Jones therefore removed his wounded men to the Serapis, and then watched in silence and grief the steady settling of the good Richard in its watery grave. Slowly, noiselessly, her decks strewn with the dead who had fallen in battle, Le Bo7i Homme Richard sank from sight. " To our dead, I gave the good old ship for their coffin," said Captain Jones, " and in her they found a sublime sepulcher. The very last that mortal eyes ever saw of Le Bon Homme Richard was the defi- ant waving of her unconquered flag as she went down ! " One of the greatest victories in naval history had been won. It is the only time that an English war-ship was ever beaten by a vessel not more than two thirds its strength. Jones succeeded in getting his battered Serapis from Flamborough Head to Holland, without being overtaken by the English. He then went to France, where he became the hero of the hour. King Louis presented him with a gold-mounted sword, and when he returned Congress gave him a gold medal. The American army was cheered and encouraged by such splendid support on the sea. 354 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Jones tried by every means in his power to col- lect another squadron. But America was too poor to furnish the vessels needed, and France was too busy fighting England on her own account. In October, 1780, therefore, he brought to America the Ariel, loaded with a cargo of arms and ammu- nition. Paul Jones had now been connected with the American navy for a little more than five years, and he had become famous not only in his own country but throughout Europe. The war ended before the gallant captain had a chance to fight another battle. Congress showed its confidence in her hero by send- ing him to France and to England on matters of great importance connected with the government. A few years later when Russia was at war with the Turks, she asked Paul Jones to serve as rear admiral in her navy. He at length consented, but declared: "I can never renounce the glorious title of citizen of the United States." In this conflict Jones gave fresh proof of his ability, but he left the Rus- sian navy in broken health. Jones was five feet seven inches tall, and of slender build. As he lived almost his entire life on the sea, his complexion was bronzed. His eyes were large, black, and piercing ; his voice, so powerful on shipboard, was beautifully soft and musical in ordinary conversation. He spent the remainder of his life in Paris, where he was greatly esteemed and JOHN PAUL JONES 355 beloved. He was invited to the king's palace, and entertained by the nobility. When he died, at the early age of forty-five, his death was mourned by America and France. " The Father of our Navy " was laid to rest in the cemetery for foreign Protes- tants in Paris, but his body w^as brought back to this country in 1906, and buried with every honor at Annapolis. Things to Remember John Paul Jones was the first great hero of the American navy. His ship, the Ranger, carried across the ocean, in 1777, the first American flag ever saluted by the guns of an European navy. The French king, desiring to help America defeat England, gave Jones a vessel larger than the Ranger. Jones named it Le Bon Homme Richard — Good Man Richard. Captain Jones's capture of the English Serapis was one of the most remarkable victories in the naval history of the world. Map Wo7'k. — Locate Nassau, Flamborough Head. XXVIII. GILBERT MOTIER DE LAFAYETTE Born 1757 — Died 1834 God lives and reigns ! He built and lent The heights for Freedom's battlement Where floats her flag in triumph still. Fold up the banners ! Smelt the guns ! Love rules. Her gentler purpose runs. — Thompson's " The High Tide at Gettysburg." Any one who sacrifices personal pleasure and comfort to help those in trouble does a noble thing. This is exactly what the young French- man, Marquis de Lafayette, did when he came to America to help the colonists in their effort to free themselves from King George's tyranny. Lafayette was the son of an old and honored family and heir to a large fortune. He lived a happy life, surrounded by luxury, in a chateau that nestled among the beautiful hills of France. The love of liberty and the desire to help those in need were characteristics which he early showed. When he was seven or eight years old, the farmers near his mountain home complained of a great gray wolf that broke into the sheepfold at night and killed the 356 GILBERT MOTIER DE LAFAYETTE 357 lambs. One day the boy was found roaming alone in the forest. " I am looking for that wolf," said he, "for I mean to kill it." His father died in battle a few weeks be- fore Lafayette was born, and his mother brought him up with great care. When he was sent to Paris to be educated, he was presented at court, but the pomp and show of life among the nobil- ity did not attract him. He longed for the free- dom of the forests, and dreamed that he would some day help to make life simpler and more independent. That dream came true. He was only nineteen when he heard of the struggle of the American colonists with the mother country. " France ought to aid the Americans with money and firearms," said the young enthusiast, "and we men should help them fight." Lafayette never wasted time in talking about a thing that needed to be done — he fell to work and did it. Instead of remaining at home, contenting himself with saying, " What a fine thing it would be for some of us to take a hand in that war ! " he Marquis de Lafayette From a portrait about 1825 358 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY fitted out a ship at his own expense, and sailed for America to offer his services to Congress. This had been no easy task, for Lafayette's family seriously opposed his going, all except his brave, devoted wife, who sympathized with his high pur- pose. When the king heard that the brilliant Marquis de Lafayette and a number of his friends were planning to go to America, he forbade their leaving France. So Lafayette was really obliged to run aw^ay from his own country, in order to help America. He managed to escape from French waters without being discovered, and his ship anchored off the coast of South Carolina in the spring of 1777. Washington saw from the first that here was a young man after his own heart. The commander in chief was a good judge of human nature, and he recognized the sincerity, and ability of this French- man who was so eager to help the cause of liberty. The friendship between these two men is one of the most beautiful in history. Lafayette was appointed a major general, and entered with enthusiasm upon his hard duties. He served without pay, and from his own fortune furnished clothing and camp outfits for many of the poor patriots. He wrote back to France concerning the division he commanded : " It is weak in point of numbers ; it is almost naked, and I must make both clothes and recruits. I do not want to disap- GILBERT MOTIER DE LAFAYETTE 359 point the confidence that the Americans have so kindly placed in me." His first active service was at the battle of Brandy- wine, not many months after his arrival. General Howe and Lord Cornwallis, with eighteen thousand British troops, advanced upon Philadelphia, then the capital of the country. Washington took up his position at Chadd's Ford, on Brandywine Creek, where a desperate battle was fought. While it was at its height, Lafayette saw that the Americans were losing ground. He flung himself from his horse, and sword in hand rushed forward, cheering the soldiers on to still greater effort. A British bullet wounded him in the leg, so that he had to remount his horse, but he would not leave the front of battle. Washington's army, however, was no match in numbers for the British, and the Americans were finally driven back. On the battlefield of Brandywine a monument has been erected by the citizens and school children of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the inscrip- tion reads: " On the rising ground, a short distance south of this spot, Lafayette was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, September ii, 1777." " The honor to have mingled my blood with that of many other American soldiers on the heights of the Brandywine," said Lafayette, " has been to me a source of pride and delight." Not a soldier in the whole American army re- 36o FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY joiced more at Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga than did Lafayette. Shortly afterward he received a let- ter from Paris which delighted his generous heart. ' He hastened to Washington, threw his arms around the surprised commanders neck, and exclaimed : " The king of France acknowledges the independence of America, and has determined upon armed interference in your behalf ! " In the shouts of joy from the weary soldiers at this good news, there was plenty of cheering for Lafay- ette as well as for his king. In the battle at Monmouth, New Jersey, which Washing- ton won in spite of the great- est difficulties, the Frenchman's conduct was heroic, and called forth high praise from his commander. But it was in the last campaign of the war, the siege that ended in the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, that Lafayette most distinguished him- self. For months he had been pressed by Corn- wallis, who had been chased across North Carolina by that splendid little army under Greene. At last Cornwallis intrenched himself at Yorktown. "Now," said he, "the boy cannot escape me." But Lafayette Monument, Washington, D.C. GILBERT MOTIER DE LAFAYETTE 361 fate had decreed that Cornwallis should not escape " the boy." Very skillfully had Lafayette aided in forcing Cornwallis into this trap, and with equal skill he held him there until Washington had time to bring his army of American and French troops down from New York. Then, with the help of the French squadron in Chesapeake Bay, Washington forced Cornwallis to surrender. When Lafayette returned home after peace was declared, he carried with him the love and gratitude of every American. He had left France followed by the anger of his family and king, but now that he came back a distinguished general, a close friend of Washington, and loved by the American nation, his countrymen showered honors upon him. Throughout the remainder of his life, Lafayette devoted himself to the cause of liberty in his native country. But he was destined to suffer much ; for his high ideals of patriotism and liberty were mis- understood. He even languished for years in prison, but before his death he was once more hon- ored at home as he deserved to be. When he was an old man, he came again to the country for which he had so nobly given his youth- ful services. At the grave of Washington tears streamed down his cheeks as he recalled all that Washington's love and trust had meant to him. Greene, Marion, Morgan, and Schuyler were all dead ; 362 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Lafayette was the only living major general of the Revolution. He had the pleasure of meeting some of the old soldiers who fought under him, and they were overjoyed to see their commander again. Lafayette visited all the largest American cities and was received everywhere with greetings of welcome and affection. As a token of appreciation, Congress voted him two hundred thousand dollars and a large tract of land in Florida, and when he was ready to return, ordered that a new frigate, named the Bra7idywine in his honor, should carry him to France. He died in Paris ten years later. This country will never forget its debt of gratitude to Lafayette and to his fellow-countrymen, who on land and sea aided the Americans to win the victory in the Revolutionary War. Things to Remember Lafayette was a young French nobleman, who gave up a Hfe of luxury to help America in her struggle for liberty. He was one of Washington's most trusted officers and a close personal friend. He cut off the retreat of CornwaUis from Yorktown and held him in the trap until Washington's army arrived from the north. Then, with the aid of the French squadron in Chesapeake Bay, the Americans forced CornwaUis to surrender. PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY 5. as in fate a as ill hat a as in father a as in. tall ii as in care a as in soa c as in we e as in yet KEY e as in her 1 as in fine i as in tin 6 as in tone as in hot 6 as in orb 00 as in soon 66 as tTi foot ii as in tune u as in hut 11 as in burr ou as ^■?^. out oi as in oil n as ny Albemarle, al'be-marl. Algonquin, al-gon'kin. Alleghany, al'e-ga-ni. Andr^, an'dra. Annapolis, an-nap'o-lis. Arkansas, ar'kan-sa. Armada, ar-ma'da. Americas Vespucius, a-mer'i-ciis ves-pu'shus. Bahama, ba-ha'ma. Balboa, bal-bo'a. Bobadilla, bo-ba-del'ya. Bonne Homme Richard, bon 6m re- shar'. Burgoyne, bfir-goin'. Cabot, kab'ot. Canonchet, ka-non'tchet. Canonicus, ka-non'i-ciis. Cartier, kar-tya'. Castile, kas-tel'. Cathay, kath-a'. Cayuga, ka-yoo'ga. Ceylon, si-16n'. Champlain, sham-plau'. Chesapeake, tches'a-pek. Chickahominy, tchik-a-hom'i-ni. Coligny, ko-len-ye'. Cornwallis, korn-wal'is. Cortez, kor'tez. Cr^vecoeur, krav-ker. Darien, da're-en. Duquesne, doo-kan'. Eutaw, ii'ta. Faneuil, fun 'el. Fernando de Soto, fer-nan'do da so'to. Flamborough, flam'bo-ro. Frontenac, fron-te-nak'. Gaspe, gas-pa'. Genoa, jen'6-wa. Guiana, ghi-a'na. Guinea, gin'e. Hayti, ha'ti. Herkimer, her'ki-mer, Hochelaga, hok-e-la'ga. Huguenot, hu'ghe-not. Illinois, il-i-noi'. Iroquois, ir'6-kwa. Z^Z 364 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Jacques, zhak. Jean, zhan. Jogues, zhogh. Joliet, zho-lya'. Labrador, lab'ra-dor. Lafayette, la-fa-yet'. La Salle, la-sal'. Le Boeuf, le bef . Leif, lif . Leyden, li'deii. Louisiana, loo-e-zi-a'na. Magellan, ma-jel'an. Marquette, mar-kef, Massasoit, mas-a-soit'. Matagorda, mat-a-gor'da.. McCrea, ma-kra'. Michigan, mish'i-gan. Minuit, min'06-it. Missouri, mis-oo'ri. Mobile, mo-bel'. Montana, mon-ta'na. Montcalm, mont'kam'. Montreal, mon-tri-al'. Narragansett, nar-a-gau'set. Narvaez, nar-va'eth. Newfoundland, noo'fund-land, Miia, nen'ya. Nottinghamshire, not'ing-em-slier. Oglethorpe, ogl'thorp. Oneida, o-ni'da. Oriskany, or-is'kan-i. Oswego, 6s-we'go. Palos, pa'los. Pamlico, pam'li-ko. Panama, pan-a-mah'. Pecksuot, peck'su-6t. Philippine, fil'i-pen. Pineda, pe-na'da. Pinta, pen'ta. Pizarro, pe-za'ro. Plymouth, plim'uth, Pocahontas, po-ka-hon'tas. Ponce de Leon, pon-tha da la-on. Potomac, p6-to'mac, Powhatan, pow-ha-tan'. Presque Isle, pres kel'. Quebec, kwe-bek'. Raleigh, ra'li. Ribault, re-bo'. Richelieu, re-she-lu'. Roanoke, ro'a-nok. St. Augustine, sant a'gus-ten. St. Croix, sant kroi'. St. Leger, sant lej'er. Savannah, sa-van'a. Schenectady, ske-nek'ta-di. Schuyler, ski'ler. Schuylkill, skool'kil. Sebastian, se-bas'ti-an. Seneca, sen'e-ka. Shackamaxon, shak-a-mak'son. Staten, stat'en, Steuben, stti'ben ; German pronun- ciation, stoi'ben. Stuyvesant, stT've-sant. Swansea, swon'se. Ticonderoga, ti-kon-de-ro'ga. Toscanelli, tos-ka-nel'li. Valparaiso, val-pa-ri'zo. Venango, ve-nan'go. Verrazano, var-ra-tsa'no. Wampanoag, wam 'pa-nog. Warwick, war'ik. INDEX Acadia, 136, 140. Adams, John, 259, 296. Adams, Samuel, life of, 264, 283. Albany, 118, 219, 316, 324. "Albany Plan," 220. Alexandria, 291. Alfred, 345. Algonquins, 138, Alleghany Mountains, 226, 289. Allegheny River, 226, 289. Amboy, 214. America, discovery by Columbus, 12 ; why so named, 19. Americus Vespucius, 18, 19. Amherst, General, 241. Andr6, Major, 305. Annapolis, 355. Arabia, 33. Arkansas River, 144. Armada, 47, 49, 56. Arnold, Benedict, treason of, 305, 323, 325. Atlantic Ocean, called "Sea of Darkness," 4. Augusta, Ga., 333. Avalon, 158. Aztecs, 21. Bacon, Nathaniel, life of, 200-209. "Bacon's Laws," 209. " Bacon's Rebellion," 209. Bahama Islands, 12, 345. Balboa, 23, 24, 43. Baltimore, founded and named, 164, Baltimore, life of first Lord, 157- 159 ; life of second Lord, 159-166. Beacon Hill, 103. Bemis Heights, battle of, 325. Bennington, battle of, 321. Berkeley, William, 201-209. Bermuda Islands, 346, 365. Bobadilla, 17. Boston, founding of, 103. Boston, resents England's tax, 258. Boston Common, 266. Boston Massacre, 266, 267. Boston Tea Party, 270. Braddock, 229 ; his defeat, 231, 293. Bradford, Governor, 93-97. Brandywine, battle of, 303, 359. Brandywine, frigate, 362. Brookfield, 194. Brooklyn, 300. Bunker Hill, battle of, 277-278. Burgesses, House of, 69, 205, 253. Burgoyne, General, 316 ; his defeat, 317-326. Cabot, John, life of, 32-38. Cabot, Sebastian, 33, 35, 38. California, 30, 44. Calvert, see Baltimore. Cambridge, Mass., 296. Camden, battle of, 334. Canada, explored and settled by French, 131-155 ; conquered by English, 225-248 ; 316, 324. Canary Islands, 10. Canonchet, 196. Canonicus, 93. Cape Cod, 89, 114. Cape Fear, 62. Cape of Good Hope, 24, 45. Cape Verde Islands, 129. 365 366 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Capital, established at New York, 310. Carteret, Sir George, 126, 127. Cartier, Jacques, 131-133. Carver, John, 90. Catawba River, 338. Catholics in Maryland, 158-166. Cayugas, 139. Chadd's Ford, 359. Champlain, Lake, discovered and named, 138. Champlain, Samuel de, life of, 129, 141. Charles I, King of England, 99, 159, 208. Charles II, King of England, 123, 172, 208. Charles V, King of Spain, 26. Charleston, 184, 340. Charlestown, 102, 107. Chesapeake Bay, 62 ; explored by Lord Baltimore, 160, 361. Chicago River, 152. Chickahominy River, explored, 64. Church, Captain Benjamin, 197. Circumnavigation of globe, first, 24 ; second, 45. Claiborne, William, 161. Clinton, General, 308. Clinton, Sir Henry, 333. Coligny, 134. Colonial Congress at Albany, 219. Columbus, life of, 2-19 ; discovers America, 12 ; later voyages, 14- 18, 30, 31, 33. Concord, battle of, 276. Congress, 250. Congress, First Continental, 258, 272; Second Continental, 261, 273; Provincial, 272. Constitution of the United States, 223, 309. Continental Congress, 221. Convention, Federal, 309. Corn wall is, Lord, 306-308. Cortez, 21^ 24. Cowpens, battle of, 337. " Cradle of Liberty," 264. Cr^vecoeur, Fort, 148. Croatoan, q6. Cuba, 20, 26, 247. Dan River, 338, 339. Dare, Virginia, 65. Darien, Isthmus of, 23. Dawes, William, 274. Declaration of Independence, 221, 280. Deerfield, 194. Delaware, 182. Delaware River, 120, 172, 174, 177, 301. Delft Haven, 87. Division of New World by Pope, 129. Dorchester Heights, 298. Drake, Francis, life of, 39-49. Dunmore, Lord, 260, 346. Dutch in New Netherland, 110-128 ; surrender of New Netherland to English, 124. Dutch East India Company, 111. Dutch West India Company, 124. Duxbury, 97. East Indian Islands, 12, 24. East River, 300. Eliot, John, 191. Elizabeth, Queen of England, 39- 49, 50-59. Endicott, John, 100. English driven out of Boston, 297- 299. English Navigators, 33, 39, 51, 60. Erie, Lake, explored, 147. Eutaw Springs, battle of, 340. Fairfax, Lord, 287, 288, 308. Faneuil Hall, 264. INDEX 367 Federal Convention, 309. Ferdinand and Isabella, King and Queen of Spain, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 31. Ferguson, Major, 334. Financial difficulties after Revolu- tion, 310-311. First Continental Congress, 258, 272. Fislce, John, 313. "Five Nations," 139, 155. Flag, American, first hoisted, 322 ; first carried across Atlantic, 347. Flainborough Head, 353. Florida, discovery of, 22, 25 ; con- quest of, 2(3-30 ; purchased by- England from Spain, 247. Fort Amsterdam, 118. Fort Cr^vecceur, 148. Fort Duquesne, 228, 235, 290, 293. Fort Edward, 318, 319, 320. Fort Frontenac, 146, 235. Fort Nassau, 118, 345. Fort Necessity, 229, 291. Fort Orange, 118. Fort Pitt, 235, 293. Fort St. Louis, 153. Fort Stanwix, 323. Fort Ticonderoga, 233, 297, 316. Fort William Henry, 232. Fox River, 143. France, alliance with, 304 ; surren- ders American possessions to England, 247. Francis I, King of France, 130, Franklin, Benjamin, life of, 210- 224 ; " Poor Richard's Almanac," 217; discoveries in electricity, 218, 219 ; 265, 280, 304, 309. French and Indian War, 288. French navigators, 130, 131, 135, 145. Frontenac, Governor of Canada, 146. Fry, Colonel, 290. Fundy, Bay of, explored, 136. Fur trade in America, 118, 137, 140. Gage, General, 273, 279. Gates, General, 324, 333, 334. General Court, 106, 107. Genoa, 4, 5, 33. George II, King of England, 181, 182, 241. George III, King of Great Britain, 250, 256, 258, 278. Georgia, founding of, 180-188, 341. German troops in British service, 317. Germantown, 303. Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 51. Goffe, William, 194. Golden Hind, 44, 45. Great Meadows, 228, 290. Green Bay, 143, 144. Greene, Nathanael, 306, 330-341. Griffin, 147. Groton, 194. Guilford, 338 ; battle of, 340. Hadley, 194. Half Moon, 112-118. Halifax, 299. Hancock, John, 272, 273, 280. Harvard College, founding of, 125. Harvard, John, 107. Havana, 26. Hawkins, John, 40, 48. Hayti, 16, 20. Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, 160. Henry IV, King of France, 135. Henry VII, King of England, 33. Henry, Patrick,"life of, 249-263. Herkimer, General, 322. Hessians, see German troops. Hochelaga, 132. S6^ FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Holland, refuge for Pilgrims, 86. House of Burgesses, 253. Houses of Dutch, 121. Houses of Pilgrims, 95. Houses of Virginia and Maryland planters, 164. Howe, General, 298, 316. Hudson Bay, explored, 116. Hudson, Henry, life of, 110-118. Hudson River, discovery of, 113; explored, 114, 300, 316. Huguenots, 134. Huron, Lake, discovery of, 138 ; explored, 147. Hurons, 137. Hutchinson, Governor, 267. Illinois, 145. Illinois River, 144, 152. Incas, 21. India, 5, 7, 112. Indians, 12, 21 ; appearance and manner of life, 71-82 ; treaty with Pilgrims, 93 ; famous treaty with William Penn, 174 ; war with New England colonists, 193-198, 289, 320. Iroquois, 127, 138. Isabella, Queen of Spain, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 31. James I, King of England, 62, 79, 85, 99. James River, how named, 62 ; 114. Jamestown, founding of, 60-70 ; first legislative body in America meets at, 69 ; destroyed by lire, 207. Jesuit missionaries, 142. John, King of Portugal, 8. Johnson, Sir William, 232. "Join or die," 219. Joliet, 143. Jones, John Paul, life of, 342-355. Joques, Father, 143. Keith, Sir William, 215. Kent Island, 162. King Philip's W^ar, 189-199. Kings Mountain, battle of, 335, 336. Kingston, on Lake Ontario, 146. Kingston, Rhode Island, 194. Knox, General, 297. Labrador, 34, 36. Lacrosse, 75. Lafayette, Marquis de, 306, 347 ; life of, 356-362. Lake Champlain, 316. Lake Ontario, 316, La Salle, Robert de, li€e of, 142, 155. Le Bceuf, 2«9. Lee, Major Henry, 296, 337. Lexington, battle of, 274, 275, 368. Line of demarcation, 129. London Company, 62, 87. Longfellow, 296. Long Island, battle of, 300. Long Wharf, Boston, 266. Louis XIV, King of France, 146, 153. Louis XVI, King of France, 349. Louisiana, claimed for France by La Salle, 152. Louisburg, 234. Louisville, 145. McCrea, Jenny, 320. Mackinac, 150. Mackinac, Strait of, 143. Magellan, enters and names Pacific Ocean, 23 ; one of his ships sails around the world, 24, 43. Magellan, Strait of, 22, 43. Malay Islands, 41. Manhattan Island, 117, 119. Manufactures forbidden in Ameri- can colonies, 256. Mariner's Compass, 3. Marion, General, 306, 334. INDEX 369 Marlborough, 194. Marquette, 143. Maryland, founding of, 157-166 ; dispute over boundary line, 166. Mason and Dixon's Line, 166. Massachusetts, 100 ; founding of colony, 101. Massachusetts Assembly, 266. Massachusetts Bay Company, 101. Massasoit, 92, 93, 95. Matagorda Bay, 154. Mayflower, 87-92, 101. Mayflower Compact, 90. Medfield, 194. Mexico, Conquest of, 20, 21, Mexico, Gulf of, 152, 153, 154. Michigan, Lake, explored, 143, 147, 148, 150. Minuit, Peter, 119. Mississippi River, first discovery of, 25 ; explored, 28 ; description of, 28 ; discovered by French, 143 ; explored by La Salle, 145, 289. Mississippi Valley, claimed for France, 152. Missouri River, 144. Mobile Bay, 28. Mohawk River, 316. Mohawks, 139. Monmouth, battle of, .360. Monongahela River, 226, 289. Montcalm, Louis, life of, 225-238. Montreal, how named, 132 ; found- ing of, 142, 316. Morgan, Daniel, 296, 325, 337. Morris, Robert, 302, 303. Mount Hope, 197. Mount Vernon, how named, 286 ; becomes George Washington's home, 291. Mulberry Grove, 341. Narragansetts, 93, 195. Narvaez, 25. Navy in Revolution, 342. Necessity, Fort, 228. New Albion, 44. New Amsterdam, 124. Newcastle, 172. Newfoundland, 34 ; fisheries at, 36, 105, 140. New France, 146, 238. New Jersey, how named, 127 ; set- tled by Quakers, 169, 171 ; 316. New Netherland, surrendered to English, 124. New Orleans, 247. New York, how named, 124, 126, 316. New York City, chosen national cap- ital, 310. Niagara, 146. Nichols, Colonel, 123. Nina, 10, 14. North Carolina, 54, 59. Northmen, 71. Northwest Passage, search for, 7- 18, 33-36, 111-116, 132, 143, 145. Oglethorpe, James, life of, 180-188. Ohio Company, 226. Ohio River, discovered by La Salle, 145; 226; 290. Oneidas, 139. Onondagas, 139. Ontario, Lake, discovery of, 138; explored, 145 ; 231. Orange, Fort, 117. Oregon, 44. Oriskany, battle of, 322. Pacific Ocean, discovery of, 23, 43. Palos, 9, 14. Panama, Isthmus of, 42, 135. Parker, Captain, 274. Parliament, 240. 370 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY "Parson's Cause," 253. Pecksuot, 94. Penn, William, life of, 167-179. Pennsylvania, founding of, 172. Philadelphia, 117 ; named and set- tled, 173 ; 258, 299. Philip II, King of Spain, 39-47. Philippine Islands, 24, 247. Pilgrims, 83-97. Pineda, 25. Pinta, 10, 13, 14. Pitcairn, Major, 274. Pitt, William, 235, 239, 240, 256, 327. Pizarro, 21, 24. Plains of Abraham, 235, 244. Plymouth Colony, 90-97. Pocahontas, 06, 71-82. Ponce de Leon, 21, 25. "Poor Richard's Almanac," 217, 349. Porto Rico, 16, 20, 22. Port Royal, 136. Portsmouth, N.H., 347. Portugal, 2, 4, 8, 20. Portuguese Navigators, 4, 20. Potatoes, introduced into England, 57. Potomac River, 62, 161. Powhatan, 65, 77, 79. Prescott, Colonel, 278. Presque Isle, 289. Prince Henry of Portugal, 4, 6, 7. Princeton, battle of, 302. Providence, 346. Provincetown, 89. Provincial Congress, 272. Puritans, 98-109. Quakers, 161 ; religion, manners, and customs, 167-169 ; founding of Pennsylvania by, 167-179. Quebec, founding of, 136-141 ; cap- tured by English, 137, 246. Raleigh, Sir Walter, life of, 50-59. Banger, 347. Read, Deborah, 215, 216. Representative government, 251, Revere, Paul, 274. Ribault, Jean, 134. Richelieu Island, 139. Roanoke, colony, 54. Rolfe, John, 79, 80, 81 Roxbury, 105, 274. Russia, 354. Sackett's Harbor, 333. Salem, founding of, 100. Salisbury, 339. Samoset, 92. San Domingo, 16, 18. San Francisco, 44. San Salvador, 12, 14. Santa Maria, 10, 13. Saratoga, 320 ; battle of, 325. Savannah, founding of, 184 ; 333. Savannah River, explored, 184. Schenectady, 328. Schools, 107, 164, 202. Schuyler, Philip, life of, 315-329. Schuylkill River, 172. Scrooby, 169. " Sea of Darkness," 4. Second Continental Congress, 261, 273. Senecas, 139. Separatists, 85. Serapis, 351-353. Shackamaxon, 174. Shipbuilding, 105, 120. Silk thread, production of, 186. Skraelings, 89. Slavery, 41, 80. Smith, Captain John, life of, 60-70» 84. "Sons of Liberty," 265. Soto, Fernando de, life of, 20-31. South America, discoverv of, 16, 18. INDEX 371 Southampton, 87, 88. South Carolina, 182, 187, 333, 340. Spain, 2, 8, 10, 18, 20, 46. Spanish navigators, 20, 26. Spartanburg, 337. Squanto, 92, 93. Stamp Act, 250. Standish, Miles, life of, 83-97. Stark, John, 321. Staten Island, 300. Steuben, Baron von, 304. Stillwater, 325. Studley, 252. Stuyvesant, Peter, life of, 119-128. St. Augustine, 22, 30. St. Clair, General, 318. St. John's Church, Ricliraond, 259. St. John's Kiver, founding of colony on, 134, 316. St. Lawrence, Gulf of, how named, 131. St. Lawrence River, 131. St. Leger, Colonel, 316, 323, 324. St. Louis, 153. St. Mary's, 161. Swansea, 193. Swedes, in Pennsylvania, 172. Tampa Bay, 26. Tarleton, General, 337. Taxation of colonies, 250, 258. Tea ships, 270. Texas, 154. Thanksgiving Day, first celebration of, 95. Three Rivers, 139. Ticonderoga, first battle, 138 ; great battle, 233. Tobacco, introduced into England, 57 ; cultivation in America, 80 ; used in payment of bills, 164. Tomachichi, 186. Tonty, Henri de, 146-154. Tories, 254, 346. Toscanelli, 5, 7. Town meetings, 106. Treaties, with England at Paris, 309. Treaty, Indian, with Pilgrims, 93 ; with William Penn, 174; between United States and France, 223. Trenton, battle of, 302. Tri-mountain, 103. Trinity River, 154. Turks, 4, 61, 354. United States, 223, 248. University of Pennsylvania, founded by Benjamin Franklin, 218. Valladolid, 18. Valley Forge, 304, 327. Valparaiso, 44. Van Rensselaer, Killian, 122, 315. Venango, 289. Venice, 4, 33. Verrazano, 130. Vespucius, Americus, 18, 19. Vinland, 7. Virginia, 54 ; first settled, 60-70 ; revolt against England's govern- ment, 200-209. Virginia Company, 158. Wampanoags, 92, 190. Wampum, 73, 174. War, French and Indian, 239. Washington p]lm, 296. Washington, George, journey through wilderness, 227, 289 ; with ''Braddock, 230; 284-314; appointed to command Conti- nental army, 296 ; captures Bos- ton, 297-299 ; retreat from Long Island, 300 ; victories at Trenton and Princeton, 302 ; President of United States, 310; death, 312. Washington, Lawrence, 285, 286, 291. 372 FIRST COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY Washington, William, 337. Watertown, founding of, 105. Webster, Daniel, 328. Wesley, John, 186. West Indies, 30, 105. White, Captain John, 54. Wicaco, 173. William Henry, Eort, 232. Williams, Koger, 105. Williamsburg, Va., 261. Wilmington, 340. Winslow, Governor, 195. Winthrop, John, life of, 98-109. Wisconsin, 143. Wolfe, James, life of, 239-284. York, Duke of, 123. Yorktown, captured by Washington, 306-308, 360. JAN 28 1911 > -^ >^ o o