Hollinget 
 
 pH 8.5 
 
 Mill Run F03-219 
 
American Colonial i)istorti: 
 
 A N ADD R US* 
 
 MADE BY 
 
 THOMAS DONALDSON, Esq 
 
 BEFORE 
 
 THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 BALTIMORE, MARCH 29, 1849, 
 
 BEING THE FOURTH ANNUAL ADDRESS ' <"> TH«,1 iSSOCIATIOfl 
 
 A*' 
 
 B \ I. T I M R l 
 PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY JOHN MURPHY & CO. 
 
 No. 178 MAKKET STREET. 
 MDCCCXLIX. 
 
ADDRESS. 
 
 Mr. President and Gentlemen 
 
 of the Historical Society: 
 
 Two hundred and fifteen years ago, " the Ark" and " the Dove," 
 after a voyage of long duration, in which they were beset with many 
 dangers and but narrowly escaped disaster, at last entered together 
 the waters of the broad and peaceful Chesapeake, and steering 
 their course for the Potomac, sailed up between the beautiful 
 groves that crowned its shores. On the 25th of March, 1634, 
 being the feast of the Annunciation, with great pomp, and solemn 
 and religious rites, Leonard Calvert, and the two hundred choice 
 men who had come with him to build their homes in this land of 
 promise, formally took possession of the territories of Maryland, 
 and consecrated the soil to the cause of Christianity, and to the 
 principles of religious liberty. They were peaceful, unambitious 
 men, not led away from their former homes by the love of gold, 
 nor by the desire of power, but anxious alone to find a retreat, 
 where they might quietly reap the fruits of their industry, beyond 
 the reach of the storms of persecution. More than this, they 
 were men ready to act upon principles of the most enlarged char- 
 ity ; since they offered to all denominations of Christians the free- 
 dom they claimed for themselves. In this respect, they were far 
 in advance of their age ; and on their account our State well de- 
 serves the name so happily bestowed upon her of "The Land of 
 the Sanctuary." Mindful of the great event to which I have al- 
 luded, and of its importance as an historical fact of the greatest 
 
significance in the progress of the human race ; considering that 
 this season is associated with feelings of affectionate pride in us 
 who are politically the immediate descendants of that little band 
 of settlers; and desiring to commemorate what may be called the 
 joyful birth-day of our commonwealth ; you have most appropri- 
 ately fixed upon the anniversary week of the landing of the Mary- 
 land Pilgrims for the annual address which is provided for by the 
 constitution of your Society. 
 
 That all citizens of Maryland should entertain the pride which 
 led to the selection of this day is natural, and deserving of 
 commendation. It tends greatly towards keeping up that inter- 
 est in the history of our State which led to the foundation 
 of our Society, and on the diffusion and strengthening of which 
 we must mainly depend for our future progress. And here 
 let me congratulate you on what you have already accom- 
 plished, in the short period which has elapsed since your un- 
 dertaking commenced. Owing to some extraordinary apathy, 
 years upon years had passed away, and the sons of Maryland 
 seemed regardless of her fame, utterly indifferent to the preserva- 
 tion of her annals, and to the collection of facts bearing upon her 
 history. In most of the other original States of our Union, socie- 
 ties had been for a long time formed, and by their labors had saved 
 from oblivion most valuable materials for history, and had given 
 rise to investigations attended with important results, both local 
 and national. Not only had they exerted themselves successfully 
 to bring to light much that lay scattered in private collections, in 
 the hands of individuals, who in many cases did not appreciate 
 the treasures they held ; but the command of means acquired by 
 association had enabled them to procure from the archives of for- 
 eign governments, documents of the greatest interest and value. 
 About six years ago, however, certain citizens of Maryland deter- 
 mined that her sons should no longer be under the reproach of 
 such want of reverence, and such ingratitude toward the founders 
 and benefactors of the State. They resolved to search out, and pre- 
 serve with sacred care whatsoever memorials of our ancestors still 
 
remained undestroyed. As a means of accomplishing these pur- 
 poses, they established this Society, which has already done 
 something toward elevating the character of the State ; and the 
 constantly increasing number of its members promises a much 
 more extended usefulness hereafter. I may be permitted to say, 
 however, that the importance of the Society is not yet sufficiently 
 appreciated in our community, and that there still exists wide- 
 spread indifference and consequent ignorance, in regard to the 
 early history, not only of our own State, but of all the States in 
 our national confederacy. Such is in a great degree the case 
 through our country generally, but I fear that in Maryland we are 
 especially subject to this reproach. It would seem, therefore, not 
 inappropriate, on an occasion like the present, that I should en- 
 deavor to combat this indifference, by showing the fallacy of the 
 excuses sometimes urged for its justification, and by calling atten- 
 tion to the sources of varied interest and rational delight, which 
 are developed to the researches of the student of the early colo- 
 nial history of North America. 
 
 It is true, there are a number who are even enthusiastically en- 
 gaged in this field of inquiry, as the institution of such societies 
 as this show clearly enough ; but can there be a doubt that among 
 our educated men generally, this indifference, and this ignorance 
 in regard to our early history do in fact prevail ? It is certainly a 
 mortifying admission, but it must be made. The American school- 
 boy is well-instructed in the annals of ancient Greece and Rome ; 
 he dwells with animated delight on the exploits, the eloquence, 
 and the wisdom of their heroes, orators, and sages, and discusses 
 with enthusiasm the campaigns of Alexander, of Hannibal, and 
 of Caesar ; yet, in general, he knows but little of the founders of 
 our American States, of their arduous and persevering efforts to 
 establish civilized communities upon the shores of a new world, 
 and but little, I fear, of those brave, wise, and good men who pre- 
 sided in our councils, and fought in our battles, during that great 
 contest for liberty which followed. Every day in society, among 
 what are called well-informed men, we find those who would be 
 
ashamed to appear ignorant of the facts and characters which dis- 
 tinguished any important epoch in modern European history, and 
 who yet admit, without a blush, their want of knowledge in relation 
 to the American Colonies. All that Cromwell or Napoleon did, 
 or spoke, or fought, is familiar to them ; but with the military and 
 civil career even of our Washington, they have but a general and 
 uncertain acquaintance. They are conversant with the minute de- 
 tails of all the various stages in the eventful progress of the great 
 English and French revolutions, but of the long struggle of our 
 patriot forefathers, which was attended with such painful vicissi- 
 tudes, they know little more than the vague outlines. 
 
 Is there, then, no patriotism among Americans, that they take 
 so little interest in their own history ? Certainly, if we listen to 
 the turgid strains of hundreds of Fourth of July orations, we 
 would suppose, that never was there so enthusiastic a love of 
 country in the hearts of any people upon earth. But after all, on 
 what must all true patriotism be founded, if not on a thorough and 
 familiar acquaintance with our country's history, and the nature 
 and growth of her institutions? That which seems to accompany 
 ignorance, and makes vaunting comparisons, in which the institu- 
 tions of other countries are depreciated with contemptuous ex- 
 pressions, cannot be other than spurious — a mere vain-glory, which 
 can lead to no beneficial result, but will render us ridiculous in 
 the eyes of the world. In individual men, nothing can be more 
 fatal to all improvement of character than an overweening self-esti- 
 mation, and that, in all cases, arises from a want of self-knowledge. 
 The same thing holds in regard to nations, and he who would be 
 of true service to his country must not nourish a bigotted pride, 
 which blinds men to all distinctions of good or bad in its object; 
 but he should study thoroughly her institutions, and her his- 
 tory, and in that way ascertain the characteristic tendencies, 
 which should be either encouraged or depressed, in order to exalt 
 her to the highest attainable point of excellence. The love and 
 admiration engendered by so intimate a knowledge would be 
 
much more sincere, and much more efficient for good, than any 
 degree of pride fostered by ignorance. 
 
 Yet it would not be just to say that the neglect of our early his- 
 tory complained of, has arisen from a deficiency of local attach- 
 ment, or from any undervaluing of our own institutions, as com- 
 pared with those of other nations. How then, is the neglect ac- 
 counted for? If the question were directed individually to those 
 most liable to the charge, the answer would probably be, as it 
 has been in numberless cases, that American History, especially 
 American Colonial History, is uninteresting. If then the enquiry 
 were pushed still further, to ascertain why it was considered unin- 
 teresting, some might be at a loss for an explanation, and others 
 would give answers so partial and inadequate, that we should be 
 obliged from our own reflection to supply the reasons, which have 
 unconsciously influenced their opinions, or rather feelings, on the 
 subject. 
 
 We should perhaps be told, that the history of the several 
 American Colonies, before they became united in a national con- 
 federacy, is uninteresting, because all the transactions related were 
 necessarily on a small scale, and whatever, either of success or 
 disaster, befel those communities, could affect but an insignificant 
 portion of the human race. In each case, they were composed 
 of but a few hundred, or at most, a few thousand men, clearing 
 for themselves a settlement in the wilderness ; at one time, quietly 
 cultivating the earth and striving to surround themselves with some 
 of the comforts of their former homes ; at another, uniting with 
 their neighbors to repel the attacks of savage tribes : sometimes, 
 contending among themselves about the management of their 
 common interests, and sometimes, complaining of the inefficiency 
 or the tyranny of those who had been sent to rule over them. 
 But where the labors of the statesman, or the intrigues of the pol- 
 itician, affect, for good or evil, the welfare of millions ; where 
 hundreds of thousands are ranged on the field in bloody oppo- 
 sition, and the fate of great empires hangs upon the doubtful issue 
 of a single battle ; where the elements of a powerful nation are 
 thrown into confusion, and civil conflict threatens to destroy the 
 
8 
 
 very foundations of society ; — where the historian, it may be said, 
 portrays such exciting scenes, and treats of such momentous 
 events, the magnitude of his theme lends to his narrative a sur- 
 passing interest, and the political lessons to be derived from it are 
 of the utmost importance. Even if we should be disposed to 
 acquiesce in this estimate of the importance of a grand scale to 
 give interest and usefulness to the pages of history, the views, 
 which could give rise to a comparison so disparaging to our own 
 colonial history, seem to me narrow, and founded on entirely 
 erroneous principles. He that looks upon the history of our early 
 settlements barely as the record of individual adventures, and of 
 the struggles of various small communities with the difficulties 
 growing out of their situation in the wilds of a new country, and 
 does not connect it with the past and future, has yet to learn its 
 vast significance ; and he that is struck with the result of wars, 
 on however large a scale, and with the external or internal changes 
 of empires, yet does not consider of even greater consequence 
 the progress and development of those ideas on which depend 
 the advancement of the whole human race, is ignorant of the 
 true moral proportion of things. The settlement of North 
 America was the beginning of a new era in the progress of man- 
 kind. By it a field was opened, in which the principles of civil 
 and religious liberty might have a free growth, unchecked by the 
 fixed habits and traditional institutions of the Old World. The 
 growth of these principles, and the spirit of national indepen- 
 dence which was their natural consequence, can be distinctly traced 
 through the annals of all the American Colonies, to which they 
 give a grand unity of meaning and interest. If the effect of that 
 great awakening of the human mind, which immediately preceded, 
 and was the principal cause of the emigration to our shores, has 
 not been very much overrated, and if the practical exhibition of 
 a free government on the largest scale, in our own Republic, is a 
 fact of the highest importance, not only to ourselves, but to man- 
 kind in general, then, surely the steps which led from one to the 
 other must be traced by all thinking men. with feeling? of the 
 
deepest interest. Considered in this light, as they should be, the 
 events of our early history cannot be passed over as of limited 
 effect, merely because the immediate results are not striking ; and 
 whoever slights them on that account, shows that the range of his 
 vision is confined to a narrow sphere. 
 
 Even apart, however, from this view, I cannot help thinking, 
 that by far too much importance is generally attached to the mag- 
 nitude of space and numbers, — to what may be called the physical 
 extent of the transactions recorded in history. Men are constant- 
 ly deceived by false distinctions made between what is called 
 large and small. The philosophical naturalist recognises in the 
 minutest pebble, and in the most delicate specimens of vegetable 
 and animal life, the same wonderful principles of organization, and 
 the same exhibition of creative power, which strike the superfi- 
 cial observer in the largest forms of nature, in the majestic oaks 
 of the forest, and the unquarried Alpine peaks. Surely it ought 
 not to require much consideration to convince us, that the lessons 
 of history, also, are as well taught where the transactions are on a 
 small as where they are on a large scale. Both large and small 
 communities are composed of men. In both, there exist the same 
 motives to harmony, and the same causes of strife. In both, the 
 contests of men with each other, or with the circumstances in 
 which they are placed, bring into active exercise the same high 
 qualities of mind, and equally excite the various passions of the 
 heart. The operations of these qualities and passions in men as 
 individuals, and as associated masses, and their influence upon the 
 course of events, constitute the proper theme and the true inter- 
 est of history. The greatest living poet of our mother country, 
 found among the rustic habitations of England's most secluded 
 glens the same materials for tragedy as are commonly looked for 
 only in the highest ranks of power and splendor. "Exchange,' 
 he says: — 
 
 " Exchange the shepherd's frock of native grey 
 For robes with regal purple tinged; convert 
 The crook into a sceptre ;— give the pomp 
 
10 
 
 Of" circumstance, arid here the tragic Muse 
 Shall find apt subjects for her highest art. 
 — Amid the groves, beneath the shadowy hills, 
 The generations are prepared ; the pangs, 
 The internal pangs are ready ; the dread strife 
 Of poor humanity's afflicted will 
 Struggling in vain with ruthless destiny." 
 
 A celebrated living artist, also, commends a certain class of 
 painters, because, to use his own language, "they have shown us 
 that, in the humblest sphere in life, and amid the homeliest scenery, 
 the grandeur, the beauty, and the sublimity of Nature, may be 
 found, for that she visits all these with the same splendid phenom- 
 ena of light and shade, with which she looks on the palace, or on 
 her own more favorite haunts."* 
 
 So the Historic Muse, led by the light of a philosophic spirit, 
 will find the same grand elements of political principle and action 
 in all organized communities of people. And, as those best per- 
 form their part in life, who consider of paramount importance the 
 duties that fall to their lot, and the events they are called upon to 
 deal with, so no historian that deserves the name can well over- 
 value the particular theme he has chosen. Indeed, it seems to be 
 a common fault with those who have undertaken to write history, 
 that they distrust their own power to give interest to the narration 
 of events which they fear will be considered insignificant ; and 
 thus long tracts of years, in the infancy of States, or during 
 which no great agitation took place, are despatched in meagre 
 outlines, which afford no delight, and leave no impression upon 
 the mind. Yet there is reason to think, that the faithful record of 
 a small, and even peaceful community, if written in an earnest 
 and appreciating spirit, would be nearly, if not quite, as interest- 
 ing as a history of the vicissitudes of a large empire ; for such 
 a narration could be brought more entirely within the ordinary 
 range of our sympathies. An analogy drawn from works of fic- 
 tion would seem to demonstrate this. The tales which meet with 
 
 * C. R. Leslie. 
 
11 
 
 most favor, and are read with the greatest and most enduring in- 
 terest, are not those whose characters are chosen from the most 
 exalted positions, and whose incidents affect the largest number 
 of persons ; but such as deal with the every-day occurrences of 
 domestic life, depicting scenes which come within the sphere of 
 our personal experience, and exhibiting the operation of those 
 very qualities of heart and mind, which we see most constantly 
 called into exercise around us. It is unnecessary to allude to 
 such works particularly, because they will suggest themselves to 
 the recollection of all. There is one, however, which from the 
 nature of its details, seems more than ordinarily applicable to the 
 subject in hand : — I refer to the great work of Defoe. For what 
 reason is it the delight of young and old ? Its hero was endowed 
 with no more than ordinary capacity of mind, and possessed no 
 higher moral qualities than are found in the average of men. The 
 incidents of his story for the long term, during which he lived 
 upon his island, are in general, of the most common-place char- 
 acter, such as must have occurred to any one in the same situa- 
 tion. To devise shifts for supplying himself with food, lodging, 
 and some of the commoner comforts of civilized life, to plan and 
 execute a system of defences for his protection against the incur- 
 sions of savages, and to provide the means of escape from his 
 solitude — such is a summary of the hero's action ; while his 
 reflections, and the hopes and fears which agitate him, are 
 such as would arise in the mind of the commonest man placed 
 in the same desolate seclusion. Even afterwards, when the 
 accession of numbers placed a little colony under his charge, 
 no narrower scale could well be devised, on which to show the 
 trials and progress of an infant community in the wilds of a new 
 country. 5fet why is every part of this narrative of such absorbing 
 interest ? The answer of every one would be, because it is so true 
 to nature — so real — so exactly what we suppose would have taken 
 place under the circumstances. Does it not follow, that an exact 
 relation of what actually did take place in similar circumstances 
 must also be interesting ? And would not a true account of the 
 
12 
 
 progress and vicissitudes of almost any of our early colonial set- 
 tlements affect us in the same manner? I believe that it would. 
 The misfortune is, however, that a great deal which is presented 
 to us as history, is wanting in reality — is not indeed true. I do 
 not mean that it is false, but that it is deficient. It is not possible 
 to ascertain all the minute facts which the imagination of a man 
 of genius could supply in the composition of a work of fiction ; 
 but yet there is reason to complain of the meagreness of detail to 
 which we are generally treated, and the comparison just instituted 
 may serve as a hint in regard to the manner in which historic 
 writings should be composed. But on this topic of the historic 
 mode of treatment I propose to say something more before con- 
 cluding. 
 
 Want of grandeur and want of variety in the incidents them- 
 selves, may also be urged as additional and distinct reasons for 
 considering our early history uninteresting. Both these object- 
 ions, however, will be found on analysis nearly identical with 
 that of which I have just spoken. The grandeur of events in the 
 estimation of these objectors depends upon the number of per- 
 sons immediately engaged in, or affected by them ; and perhaps 
 by the want of variety, is meant a deficiency of such grand 
 events. The occurrences which are recorded in our colonial an- 
 nals are in themselves sufficiently numerous and clearly discrimi- 
 nated, but by those who regard them as insignificant they are not 
 deemed worthy of the name of incidents in history, though they 
 would be honored by that name, and pronounced deeply exciting, 
 if found in the pages of a domestic novel. But the true gran- 
 deur of all events is derived from the mind and heart of man, and 
 not from the " sphere, the scale of circumstance" which has been 
 well said to be " all which makes the wonder of the many." 
 Neither will any true history be wanting in variety ; for whatever 
 resemblances may be traced in the transactions of men, and in the 
 providential disposition of human affairs, and however the same 
 eternal principles are constantly illustrated by them, there is yet 
 
13 
 
 in the current of events nothing that can be called monotonous 
 repetition. 
 
 Without relying, however, upon principles like these, which 
 to some may appear to border upon subtlety, I am convinced 
 that all who are really familiar with the subject would agree, 
 that kw portions of history exceed in varied and absorbing inter- 
 est that which tells of the settlement of the American Colonies, 
 and their progress, until they became united in a common cause, 
 and under a general central government. In whatever aspect it 
 is viewed, it has the strongest claims upon our attention. In the 
 first place, the settlement of North America is connected with the 
 most important political and social developments of modern Eu- 
 rope, and was the immediate result of great causes there in oper- 
 ation. The progress of the human mind toward greater freedom 
 of action was at that time displaying itself in various forms. It 
 was first exhibited in the increased boldness of commercial enter- 
 prise. Spain was at the very height of her glory, when the discov- 
 eries of Columbus opened a new field to her ambition for extend- 
 ed dominion, and to that headlong pursuit of riches which was a 
 passion with her people. The same spirit spread to France and 
 England, and the foremost men of the time embarked in the nu- 
 merous adventures to the New World, which held out the most 
 flattering promises, both of wealth and honor. Soon after, the 
 principles of religious liberty were rapidly developed, civil war 
 agitated the States of Europe, persecution abounded, and the op- 
 pressed of every sect sought refuge on our shores from the fury 
 of intolerance. From the attempt to secure freedom in religious 
 doctrine and worship, arose what then seemed daring notions of 
 civil liberty ; for the civil power was used to enforce ecclesiastical 
 tyranny, and the mind once unchained resents all limitation of 
 thought or opinion. But in this respect there were some, who, 
 by the force of peculiar circumstances, and, perhaps, by the natu- 
 ral vigor of their minds, were far in advance of the mass of those 
 among whom they lived ; it was impossible to approach the realiza- 
 tion of their views at home ; they therefore looked with prophetic 
 
14 
 
 hopes to America as the land destined by Providence for the es- 
 tablishment of their principles, and themselves undertook to lay 
 the foundation of free governments in the wilderness. Thus all 
 the interest that attaches to these great movements in the Old 
 World, necessarily follows their results in the New. 
 
 But consider further, how various were the original characteris- 
 tics of the several colonies which constitute the elements of our 
 great Republic. Massachusetts and Connecticut were established 
 by strong-minded English puritans, men of stern religious views, 
 and earnest advocates of the principles of civil liberty ; eager to 
 encounter every hardship that a strange and inclement climate 
 and an inhospitable soil could inflict, rather than live where they 
 were obliged to conform to modes of worship of which they did not 
 approve. — In Maryland, the English Roman Catholics took refuge 
 from the mortifying disabilities and the severe persecutions under 
 which they labored in their native land, and with a liberality be- 
 fore unknown, and which reflects immortal honor on the name 
 of Calvert, proclaimed the most absolute freedom of religious 
 opinion, and toleration of every form of Christian worship. — 
 Shortly after, Rhode Island, an offshoot from Massachusetts, was 
 offered by Roger Williams " as a shelter for all who were oppressed 
 for conscience," and gathered within her limits a strange 
 medley of sects and opinions. — In Pennsylvania, its great founder 
 and his company of Friends, (of the people called Quakers), who 
 had been so long the special marks for the severest penalties, and 
 the most insulting indignities, were bent on illustrating in combi- 
 nation the principles of unresisting peace, of perfect liberty, and of 
 the most fraternal equality, both in matters of religion and civil gov- 
 ernment. — The settlements of Virginia and New York were made 
 by commercial associations, but of different nations ; and the marked 
 distinction in the character of the emigration to each was scarcely 
 greater than that which separated them both from most of the 
 other colonies. — The Carolinas were founded as a great land 
 speculation, by a company of nobles, statesmen, and philoso- 
 phers, who framed for their colonists, on the most scientific theo- 
 
15 
 
 retical principles, a system of government, which a short experi- 
 ence showed to be utterly unfit for practical use. — Georgia, the last 
 in order of time of the thirteen original States, was founded 
 on the purest principles of philanthropy and charity, as an asylum 
 where the poor might regain the comforts of home "without money, 
 and without price," and the persecuted find rest and security. — 
 But besides the colonies of the English and Dutch, the French 
 and the Spaniards established themselves on the shores of the 
 Gulf of Mexico, and in the valley of the Mississippi, and joined 
 to their commercial enterprise a missionary zeal for the conver- 
 sion of the Indian tribes. 
 
 From this hurried recapitulation, it will at once be seen 
 what great variety there is in the subject of our early history, 
 and that to each of the Colonies is attached a distinct and 
 peculiar interest. Yet, however different were the motives which 
 led to the establishment of the several Colonies, and however 
 dissimilar were the materials of which they were originally 
 composed, whether in race, in habits, or in the shade of their 
 political and religious opinions, there are observable in all, 
 certain important points of resemblance arising from the circum- 
 stances that surrounded them. In all, became soon apparent ten- 
 dencies which led to a constant assimilation. In all, there was 
 the same rapid development of the principles of liberty, the same 
 impatience of external control, and the same instinct toward 
 union with each other. Thus, in the midst of great diversity, 
 there is found that unity which makes of the whole, one grand 
 historic subject ; and it is this unity in diversity which gives to 
 every great work, either in literature or art, its highest interest and 
 perfection. 
 
 On these points of resemblance it is not my purpose to dwell, 
 for the subject pursued in detail would carry me beyond the 
 bounds of your patience ; but I will merely remind you of one 
 striking general characteristic, the source of many others, which 
 gives to the early history of America, a peculiar interest, and dis- 
 tinguishes it remarkably from the history of all the great nations 
 
16 
 
 of the Old World. I refer to the deliberate formation of societies, 
 and the institution of governments by men already civilized, in a 
 wild and uncultivated country, fresh as it came from the hands of 
 the Creator. In the Old World, the race of man became civilized, 
 and the earth yielded to cultivation simultaneously. There, amid 
 the savage landscape stood savage men, but one grade above the 
 beasts which they hunted, and with whose skins they were clothed. 
 By and by, they framed dwellings for themselves, and tilled the 
 ground for their supply of food. Then followed the association 
 of families for the purposes of mutual protection ; agriculture im- 
 proved ; arts arose to add to the comforts of life ; and some ideas 
 of government began to develop themselves, but generally in the 
 rude and simple forms of despotism. At length, nations grew up, 
 with their systems of policy, which were variously modified by 
 circumstances of friendly intercourse, of mutual conflict, of ex- 
 ternal conquest, and internal commotion ; and from such causes, 
 added to the force of custom, institutions were moulded into cer- 
 tain almost inflexible shapes by the time that the height of civiliza- 
 tion was attained. Thus, when the minds of men had become 
 ripe for the comprehension of great political questions, and able to 
 adjust the general forms and particular details of government on 
 well-considered principles, the strong barriers of prescription 
 stood in the way, and made the adoption of the wisest theories, 
 not only dangerous, but impossible. Far other was the case of 
 our North American Colonists. They abandoned a densely in- 
 habited and highly cultivated country, in which all the arts of civ- 
 ilized life had reached a high degree of advancement, and came 
 to regions yet untouched by the hand of labor, and rich in all the 
 untamed luxuriance of nature. Imagine the impression that 
 must have been made on the minds of those bold adventurers by 
 the wildness of the scenery, the mighty rivers and bays, the wide- 
 spread savannas, and the majestic unthinned growth of our 
 forests, so strongly contrasting with the trimly cultivated fields of 
 their former home. Here then was civilized man, placed in imme- 
 diate communion with the grand original forms of nature, set free, 
 
17 
 
 also, by the force of circumstances, from most of the habits and 
 prejudices acquired in his native country, and deriving independ- 
 ence and vigor of thought from the very necessity of arousing all 
 his energies into contest with the difficulties of his new situation. 
 The hardships, too, which men of all ranks had to suffer together, 
 brought out sympathies which had previously been unexercised, 
 and tended to break down merely artificial distinctions. It was a 
 natural consequence, that the principles of government adopted 
 by these men should partake of the influences that surrounded 
 them, and be more in accordance with the theoretic views of en- 
 lightened minds than any that had been in practical operation in 
 the Old World. Indeed, the rapid growth of sentiments and 
 principles, which are generally of most tardy development, and 
 fortunately so, perhaps, did, in North America, get in advance of 
 philosophical thinkers and writers ; and our history has been almost 
 taken out of the line of ordinary precedents, so that much of Old 
 World experience has been made unavailable for our example. 
 Could there, then, be presented to our consideration a subject of 
 deeper interest or of more weighty importance ? 
 
 But to ascertain the true principles of government, and trace 
 their development, although the highest of merely human studies, 
 is not equally attractive to all, and even the most philosophical 
 readers are dissatisfied if there is not something of a more excit- 
 ing nature, something of what may be called the interest of per- 
 sonal adventure. In this respect our colonial history is certainly not 
 deficient. On the contrary, it is particularly rich in materials for 
 every variety of attractive narrative, and there are some characters 
 which figure prominently in its records, whose heroic adventures 
 are scarcely less romantic than those of the knights errant of old. 
 I have already spoken of the distinguishing characteristics of the 
 different colonies, and of the various great motives which in each 
 case first prompted their establishment. But it may well be imag- 
 ined that the motives and designs which in each colony led to the 
 emigration of the individuals and families of which it was com- 
 posed, must have been still more various. Some men of bold and 
 3 
 
18 
 
 independent minds, and devout hearts, embarked with their fami- 
 lies, leaving all the comforts and delightful associations of their 
 well-provided homes, that they might find in a new country, a 
 place where they could worship God, unmolested, in the form 
 most agreeable to their conscience ; and among these, a part had 
 already suffered persecution, and a part fled from that which seem- 
 ed to be impending. There were others, whose bitter experience 
 of political tyranny had led them to adopt liberal opinions, of 
 which they otherwise would scarcely have dreamed, and who hast- 
 ened to escape the oppression which they knew awaited them. 
 Many, whose fortunes were decayed by extravagance, or swept 
 away by inevitable disaster, sought to retrieve their position, or 
 hide the mortification of humbled pride at a distance from the 
 sphere in which they had formerly moved. There were some, 
 whom a kind of romantic avarice had led away from ease and 
 competence to search for the golden treasures which were sup- 
 posed to abound in every part of America ; there were ambit- 
 ious spirits who coveted the glory of discovering new countries, 
 and founding new empires ; and souls of still loftier aim, who, urged 
 by the noblest impulses of humanity and religion, had deter- 
 mined to devote their lives to spreading civilization and Christi- 
 anity among the savage tribes of this continent. Besides all 
 these, there were men of ardent dispositions, carried away by 
 the mere love of adventure, which spread at that time with 
 a rapid contagion, and they crowded to these shores, high 
 in hope, but with uncertain aims, and full of extravagant and 
 undefined expectations. The ideal, which was mingled with even 
 the most sordid of these motives, aroused enthusiasm, and pro- 
 duced the most romantic displays of boldness, of energy, and 
 of all the highest qualities of human nature. 
 
 Let us call to mind that time, when in almost every harbor in 
 Europe, ships were spreading their sails to transport the nume- 
 rous emigrants for America, all of whom, sad as they may have 
 been at tearing themselves away from long-endeared associations, 
 yet carried with them a rich freight of imaginative hopes. What 
 
19 
 
 would we not give for the true history of the humblest of these 
 little bands, and of the individuals that composed them ? How 
 much of romance would such a narrative reveal to us, and with 
 what a warm sympathy should we follow them in the voyage which 
 was then so hazardous, and after their arrival at their destined 
 homes, through all their struggles with the dangers, difficulties, and 
 even inconveniences of their new situation. Merely in what may 
 be called the simple domestic incidents of such a story, independ- 
 ently of any extraordinary display of personal qualities, would be 
 found an interest generally attractive. It is true, that much of 
 this minute and private history is now out of our reach, but the 
 materials for such narratives are far more abundant and accessible 
 than is generally supposed, and from them a most animated pict- 
 ure might be produced of the state of society in the early days of 
 our several colonies. But if we go a step higher, and from the 
 mass, select those who were the great leaders in these various 
 enterprises, we shall find that some of the most remarkable men 
 whose names are recorded in history, were connected with the 
 settlement of our country, and that in regard to the career of 
 many of them, copious details are preserved, in which are exhibi- 
 ted the most extraordinary vicissitudes of fortune, the most ro- 
 mantic personal adventures, the greatest qualities of mind, and the 
 loftiest heroism of character. 
 
 I refer merely to such as were engaged in the discovery and 
 settlement of that part of our continent now occupied by the 
 States of our confederacy. Among the first of these was Ponce 
 de Leon, the discoverer of Florida. In his youth he had distin- 
 guished himself in the famous wars with Granada, of which Irvino- 
 has given us so vivid a picture ; in his manhood, prompted by 
 avarice, ambition, and an extravagant love of adventure, he accom- 
 panied Columbus in his second voyage to the New World ; he 
 was engaged in the wars of Hispaniola ; and after passing through 
 various vicissitudes, and when age would have tamed the spirit of 
 most men, he organized a band of superstitious enthusiasts like 
 himself, and landed them on the coast of Florida, in search of 
 
20 
 
 precious ores, and jewels, of whose abundance there they did not 
 entertain a doubt, and in search of that fountain of life, in the ex- 
 istence of which they had implicit faith, that stream which was to 
 bestow upon them all, the health, vigor, and beauty of perpetual 
 youth. 
 
 Not many years afterward De Soto came to the same shores 
 with his troop of gallant and high-born Spaniards, who, richly 
 and gaily equipped, as if they were part of a royal pageant, 
 marched through forests and everglades, through fertile valleys, 
 and over barren plains and wooded mountains, as they proceeded 
 from Florida through Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, to the 
 great Father of Waters, then through Arkansas and Missouri, and 
 down again to Louisiana. In the course of this wonderful expe- 
 dition, which occupied the space of three years, these daring ad- 
 venturers encountered the severest hardships, and had sharp and 
 bloody conflicts with the various tribes of Indians that occupied 
 the country ; but they found not the darling gold which was one 
 great object of their enterprise, nor those magnificent cities from 
 whose plunder they hoped to be enriched, nor those great empires 
 which they had aspired to make their own by conquest. The 
 career of De Soto, and the traits of his personal character, were 
 extraordinary. He fought with Pizarro, in Peru, and beside the 
 glory he there acquired by feats of arms, he shared largely in the 
 wealthy spoils of that ravaged empire. Having returned to Spain, 
 his restless and ambitious spirit could not be contented with what 
 he had already accomplished ; he summoned around him six hun- 
 dred chosen men, bold, ardent, and imaginative, like himself, and 
 with these he proposed to achieve still greater wealth and fame, 
 and attain a height of power which all his contemporaries might 
 envy. But his ambition, and his avarice, and the courage, energy, 
 and perseverance, which were always ready to second them, were 
 doomed to sleep for ever beneath the waves of the Mississippi, 
 which mighty stream, he was the first of Europeans to discover. 
 Such were some of the men with whose names the early history 
 of one part of our country is associated, and what exciting inter- 
 
21 
 
 est can be given to their adventures may be easily understood by 
 all who are acquainted with the brilliant pages, in which Prescott 
 has described the career and exploits of the conquerers of Mex- 
 ico and Peru, their kindred in race, and almost identical with 
 them in personal characteristics. 
 
 Resembling these in all their better qualities, in fearless enter- 
 prise, in chivalric bravery, in undaunted perseverance and hardi- 
 hood, but without their ferocity and unscrupulous cupidity, far 
 superior to them indeed, in all the higher moral attributes, as well 
 as in strength and clearness of intellect, were those great English 
 men, who first of their nation attempted to colonise our shores. 
 The mere mention of Sir Walter Ralegh recalls to our minds, 
 everything that is noble in character and action, and the simplest 
 narrative of his life has charms which could scarcely be enhanced 
 by the most powerful writer of fiction. We may claim, however, 
 as more peculiarly belonging to American Annals, the name of 
 Captain John Smith, one of the most remarkable, and I hesitate 
 not to say, one of the greatest men that ever lived. His career 
 was full of the most singular vicissitudes. When scarcely more 
 than a youth, he had distinguished himself as a soldier in various 
 countries, — like a knight errant, always fighting against oppres- 
 sion and barbarity. He was taken and enslaved by the Turks. 
 After his escape, and when he had enriched his mind by foreign 
 travel, while yet in his early manhood, he engaged with character- 
 istic ardor in the establishment of colonies in North America, not 
 cheated by any delusive dreams, born of avarice or the low ambit- 
 ion for conquest, but eager to found happy and prosperous com- 
 monwealths. He was a hardy, adventurous, and skilful navigator, 
 a sagacious, and strong-willed leader of men, a statesman of com- 
 prehensive and liberal views, full of resources for every emergency, 
 and administering government with the utmost wisdom, firmness, 
 and justice. He was, besides, in his private character, upright 
 and disinterested. There are few in whom all the elements 
 which form the highest style of man have been mingled in such 
 due proportion ; and though some may regard his sphere of action 
 
22 
 
 limited, because he never commanded great armies, nor swayed 
 with immediate power the destiny of a large empire, I know not 
 upon what true principles of judgment the name of Captain John 
 Smith can be excluded from the roll of the greatest and best men 
 whom the world has produced. 
 
 The early history of New England is crowded with names of 
 men remarkable in their characters and actions, concerning whom, 
 too, there exist the most ample and varied materials of biographi- 
 cal interest. It is sufficient barely to remind you, of the two 
 Winthrops, men whose minds combind in a rare degree both 
 strength and refinement, and whose benevolence and moderation 
 of spirit were allied to an unshrinking firmness ; of the younger 
 Vane, — " young in years, but in sage counsel old ;" of the 
 learned and devout, but somewhat bigotted Cotton ; the pious, 
 energetic, and enthusiastic Hooker; and of Eliot, the devoted 
 "Apostle of the Indians." 
 
 Turning now to our own State, we shall find among the leading 
 men who projected and carried on the colonization of Maryland, 
 little of the wild spirit of adventure so common in some of the 
 States, and little, perhaps, of that deep intellectual agitation which 
 so strikingly characterized the settlers of New England. But 
 such men as the Calverts are rarely met with in history, and there 
 are few, indeed, whose characters are more thoroughly deserving 
 of our admiration and study. That they, who at home belonged 
 to a persecuted sect, did establish in their proprietary dominions, 
 and maintain there as long as they held a controlling influence, 
 the most perfect toleration that the world at that time had ever 
 known, is a fact sufficient in itself to give assurance, that they 
 possessed a rare combination of the highest personal qualities. 
 
 How different from all whom I have mentioned was William 
 Penn ; yet how interesting are the particulars of his life, and how 
 singular a study does his character present? Many causes have 
 made his history more generally familiar than that of many of the 
 founders of the American colonies ; and the revival of certain 
 
23 
 
 charges against him in the recent work of Macaulay will probably 
 lead to a still further discussion of his acts and motives. 
 
 I might thus proceed, were it necessary, to demonstrate by 
 many more examples, the richness and variety of the materials 
 for attractive narratives furnished by our early annals, even when 
 viewing them apart from the political interest of the events re- 
 corded. Indeed, it is the biographical portion of history which 
 is most captivating, and perhaps, too, most profitable, to the 
 majority of readers. I fear I have already taxed your patience 
 too far, but I cannot refrain from reminding you of the history of 
 the French settlements in the valley of the Mississippi. There 
 cannot, I believe, be a more romantic and exciting story than that 
 which tells of the fortunes of La Salle, and his companions and 
 successors, in the western wilds, and of the devoted Jesuits, who 
 scorned all difficulties, and braved all dangers, to spread among 
 savage tribes those doctrines of Christianity, for which many of 
 them so joyfully suffered martyrdom. 
 
 It cannot, then, be truly said, that our early history is uninter- 
 esting, because it wants variety. On the contrary, the great diffi- 
 culty seems to be, that there is too much variety. The historian is 
 bewildered in the midst of his abundant stores, embarrassed with his 
 riches ; there are so many States, with each its separate current of 
 events, which must yet be made to turn into a common channel. 
 Those, who have attempted to write the history of the North Ameri- 
 can colonies, have in general been so intent on bringing the whole 
 subject into what they think will be considered a reasonable com- 
 pass, that they have compressed the parts so as in a great measure to 
 destroy their vitality. They have presented us with meagre out- 
 lines merely, almost as bare as a sexton's chronicle. There are 
 certainly portions of Grahame's and Bancroft's volumes which are 
 noble exceptions to this remark, but for the most part, like the 
 first explorers of California, we pass over what seem desert tracts, 
 with but little idea of the treasures they hide ; whence many 
 have doubtless been led to suppose, that there was some inhe- 
 rent deficiency in the subject itself. To be interesting or to be 
 
24 
 
 useful, history must be written in detail, and I believe that there 
 is wanting a much more extended and copious narrative of our 
 colonial times than any we yet possess. 
 
 How then can the study of American Colonial History be now 
 pursued satisfactorily ? Only by taking it in detail ourselves, and 
 mastering the history of the separate colonies. For this the large 
 number of works now published in the different States supply us 
 with ample resources. Does the field seem extensive, and do we 
 shrink from the labor ? The time required for the purpose would 
 not exceed what many among us spend during the course of 
 several years in reading the works of fiction, with which the press 
 has so long teemed from week to week. The reading public, 
 however, is becoming satiated, it would seem, with the unsub- 
 stantial fare on which it has so long fed. There are strong indi- 
 cations of the development of a more healthy appetite, and it is 
 of great importance that attention should now be particularly 
 directed to the history of our own country, that its capabilities 
 may be generally understood and fully appreciated. What neglect 
 there has heretofore been, is apparent from the fact, that of our 
 ante-Revolutionary period, there exists no complete history, of any 
 reputation, by an American author, unless Bancroft's, which stops 
 at 1748, may be so considered ; and concerning the Revolution 
 itself, we are entirely destitute of any thorough and accurate work, 
 which is destined to live. 
 
 The dry manner, in which much of our history has been written, 
 has naturally enough confirmed the idea entertained by too many, 
 that it is in itself uninteresting. False notions were for a long 
 time prevalent in regard to what was required by the dignity of 
 history. But these have now been happily dispelled. Many of 
 those familiar particulars which serve to connect us with the past, 
 which are the common points of sympathy between men of all 
 ages, which in fact give us the liveliest idea of the form and pres- 
 sure of the time described, — these are no longer discarded as un- 
 worthy the pen of a serious writer, nor are they even pushed 
 aside into the notes, or packed away in an appendix. The new 
 
25 
 
 school of historians must combine the most thorough accuracy of 
 fact with an imaginative transposition into the period depicted, 
 joining the familiar and romantic occurrences with the graver de- 
 tail, so that the narrative may present the same varied scene of 
 life which daily passes before us. We must be made to feel, that 
 men like ourselves, are acting and speaking, and that the facts 
 related are only so much added to our own personal experience. 
 Thus Arnold, whose scrupulous love of truth was his ruling pas- 
 sion, has added new glories to the annals of ancient Rome, even 
 while correcting the careless blunders of her own historians, and 
 has brought out, in the most life-like reality, the transactions of 
 those remote times, making the career of Hannibal, and of Scipio, 
 as personally interesting, and the relation of their exploits as 
 stirring to the blood as the modern story of Napoleon's battles and 
 fortunes. But while the dry stiff style of the old school is to be 
 condemned, nothing should be more carefully avoided than that 
 anxiety to produce pictorial effect, which, by the various disposition 
 of lights and shades, by the skilful heightening of color, and by 
 well-managed suppressions and exaggerations, destroys the rela- 
 tive proportions of events and characters, and leaves a false im- 
 pression on the mind of the reader, even where there is no literal 
 mis-statement of fact. The historian, who resorts to such arts, 
 may secure a large circle of delighted readers ; but, as the vanity 
 of authorship, rather than the love of truth, has inspired his com- 
 position, he can never be considered a wise teacher or a safe 
 guide. 
 
 But there is one cause of the neglect of American history 
 among us, which is, I doubt not, more powerful, and yet less gen- 
 erally recognised than any other. It is the want of a national 
 literature. I do not mean to join in the reproaches which have 
 been so often vented on this subject, nor do I mean to say, that 
 we have not as copious and as national a literature as any other 
 people would have had under the same circumstances, and in the 
 short period which has passed since we achieved our independ- 
 ence. I believe the contrary to be the fact. But literary works 
 4 
 
26 
 
 of a high order are in all countries the accumulation of time. 
 We have claimed, and do still claim, Bacon and Hooker, and 
 Shakespeare and Milton, and the other great names in English lit- 
 erature as a common heritage with those who live in the land of 
 our forefathers. And so, indeed, they are. Yet they do in fact 
 lead us away unconsciously from our own history, and they also 
 lead away our literary men from the home subjects to which they 
 would otherwise naturally tend. The standard works in divinity, 
 in philosophy, in prose fiction, and in poetry, which are upon all 
 our shelves, which have been our delight from childhood, and 
 which minister comfort to our age, are for the greater part, 
 necessarily from the Old World. Their subjects are of the Old 
 World, and from its history are chiefly drawn their illustrations, 
 and their allusions to events and to characters. To understand 
 and appreciate them, we must be acquainted with that history. 
 If in this respect we are ignorant, we are continually shamed 
 until our ignorance is repaired. 
 
 This is not only the case with those who are merely readers, 
 but even with most of our authors. Those very works of genius, 
 to which I have referred, are the models on which they form their 
 style ; and thus a constant influence is exercised on their choice 
 of subject, their tone of thought, and range of illustration. This 
 is especially observable in our poetry ; and it is therefore, that in 
 almost all the verse which is yearly published amongst us, and the 
 quantity is really surprising, we seem to hear an echo, more or 
 less distinct, of some foreign song. There is some truth, perhaps, 
 in the remark of De Tocqueville, that from many of the resources 
 of original poetry the Americans are cut off, by the want of 
 those thousand delicate associations with the past, round which 
 the imagination loves to cling; but that we possess a new element 
 of sublimity in the grand future that is opening before us, and 
 which points to a national destiny which might enflame with en- 
 thusiasm the highest order of genius. In all nations, however, 
 great poets are rare, and when Providence bestows so great a 
 blessing upon us, — when an American Milton shall at last rise, and 
 
27 
 
 in self-dependent strength give utterance to a strain in unison with 
 that grandeur, which is everywhere impressed on the natural features 
 of our fortunate land, — a strain which will be forever associated with 
 our great inland seas, with the sweep and volume of our mighty 
 rivers, the wild sublimity of our mountains, the expanse of our 
 prairies, and the majestic growth and boundless extent of our 
 forests, and with the great hopes of the American heart — then, 
 and not before, will the chain of our intellectual dependence be 
 broken. 
 
 I would not be understood to say, that we should give up this 
 heritage which we have received from our English forefathers. It 
 would be folly, indeed, if we should deny ourselves all the advau 
 tage and all the pleasures, which may be received, from the litera- 
 ture of England. But it is well to be on our guard, that it may not 
 withdraw us too much from the study of our own history, and that 
 it may not divert the talents of American writers from the subjects 
 on which they would be most congenially employed. 
 
 I have presented to you, gentlemen of the Historical Society, 
 such considerations as have suggested themselves to my mind in 
 relation to the capabilities of our own Colonial History, as a sub- 
 ject for interesting narrative particularly deserving the atten- 
 tion both of authors and readers. I am painfully conscious that 
 I have said nothing which has not often been said before, and 
 with far greater force ; but it may be useful to repeat truths, which, 
 however trite they may seem in the enunciation, have not yet 
 been recognised in practical effects. 
 
 I have spoken of our colonial history with regard to a single 
 view, — I have sought only to combat the prevalent notion that it 
 is uninteresting. Its great importance as a subject of political 
 study, it would scarcely be necessary to enforce. But I cannot 
 resist quoting the opinions expressed on both these points by 
 Grahame, a Scotchman, whose history of our colonies, in spite of 
 certain faults and deficiencies sufficiently apparent, is perhaps the 
 best which has yet been published. He says, that " American 
 history is the noblest in dignity, the most comprehensive in utility, 
 
28 
 
 and the most interesting in progress and event, of all the subjects 
 of thought and investigation." Again, he calls it, " the most in- 
 teresting historical subject a human pen ever undertook." If 
 such are the feelings, which our history inspired in the bosom of a 
 foreigner, what should be the feelings of those who are the child- 
 ren of the soil? 
 
 You are engaged, then, gentlemen of the Historical Society, in 
 a noble work. You have associated yourselves for the purpose of 
 searching out and preserving every record, every fact, and every 
 illustration, which may have a bearing on the history of our own 
 State, and of our own Continent. Persevere in your useful indus- 
 try, and gather into your magazine every fragment of truth, how- 
 ever insignificant it may at first appear. Regard not the scoffs, 
 which are sometimes directed against the spirit of antiquarianism. 
 Exactness in investigating the smallest matters will prove useful 
 in the end, although we do not at once see the connexions, which 
 really exist between minute facts and events of importance. In 
 our reverence for truth it is impossible that there ever can be any- 
 thing superstitious. The scattered bones, which seemed to their 
 various collectors to bear no relation to each other, and gave rise 
 only to indefinite wonder, the genius and learning of a Cuvier 
 united with perfect certainty into ante-diluvian monsters, whose 
 nature and habits he has accurately revealed to us. It was, in a 
 great measure, by the combination of minute particulars, scattered 
 statements or allusions in ancient authors, inscriptions and monu- 
 ments, coins and relics, that the great Niehbuhr was able to de- 
 monstrate the numerous and gross errors of ancient Roman 
 historians, and to fix a great part of the history of that nation on 
 a basis of well proved facts. How great, then, is our encourage- 
 ment, living as near as we do to the fountain heads of our own 
 history. It is our duty, and let it be our pleasure, as lovers of our 
 country, and as servants of truth, to see that from those fountain 
 heads the stream of our history shall flow on to the future time 
 Unstained with the slightest admixture of falsehood. 
 
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