Part 17

After attacking and capturing Pensacola, a Spanish fort which the English occupied, he hurried his army on to New Orleans. Nothing had been done to defend the city. Jackson immediately declared martial law. He threw himself with all the energy he had into getting New Orleans ready, for the British troops were already landing.

[Sidenote: =The two armies=]

The British general had twelve thousand veterans, fresh from their victory over the great Napoleon. Jackson had only half as many men. But nearly every man was a sharpshooter. They were riflemen from the wilds of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and every man was burning with an ardent desire to fight and defeat the redcoats.

Jackson had not long to wait. On came the British in solid column, with flags flying and drums beating. The fog was breaking away. Behind the breastworks stood the Americans with cannon loaded to the muzzle and with deadly rifles primed for the fight.

[Sidenote: =The beginning of the battle=]

The cannon were the first to fire, but the redcoats closed up their shattered ranks, and moved on. Those lines of red! How splendid and terrible they looked! The Americans gave three cheers. "Fire!" rang out along the line. The breastworks were instantly a sheet of fire. Along the whole line it blazed and rolled. No human being could face that fire. The British soldiers broke and fled.

[Sidenote: =The battle in earnest=]

[Sidenote: =The victory after the treaty=]

Once more they rallied, led by General Pakenham, a relative of the great Duke of Wellington. But who could withstand that fire? Pakenham was slain, and again his troops fled. The battle was over. The British had lost two thousand six hundred men and the Americans only twenty-one! This victory was won after peace had been made between England and America. A ship was then hurrying to America with the glad news.

[Sidenote: =Jackson a hero=]

Everywhere the people rejoiced greatly over the victory of New Orleans. Jackson was a great hero, and wherever he went crowds followed him, and cried out, "Long live the victor of New Orleans!"

For several years Jackson remained at the head of the army in the South. The Seminole War was fought, and those Indians were compelled to make peace.

[Sidenote: =Elected president=]

=127. The People's President.= The people of the United States elected Jackson president in 1828, and reëlected him in 1832 by a greater majority than before, showing that he was very popular.

[Sidenote: =Quarrels with the bank=]

[Sidenote: =Great men oppose Jackson=]

President Jackson had a quarrel with the men who were managing the United States Bank. This bank kept the money for the government. He ordered that the money of the government be taken out of this bank and put in different State Banks which were called "pet" banks. In the Senate of the United States at this time were three men of giant-like ability--Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun. They joined together to oppose President Jackson in his fight against the United States Bank. These men made many long and very bitter speeches against the president.

The Senate finally passed a resolution blaming President Jackson for taking the money away from the United States Bank. President Jackson was furious. He wrote a protest and sent it to the Senate. The people in the states took sides, and the excitement spread to all parts of the country.

[Sidenote: =Jackson and Benton friends=]

In the Senate was another great man, Thomas H. Benton of Missouri. Although Jackson and Benton had once fought a terrible duel in Nashville, they now were good friends. Benton attacked Clay, Webster, and Calhoun in powerful speeches and defended President Jackson in every way he could. At last, after several years, he succeeded in getting the Senate to expunge, or take away, from their records the resolution blaming President Jackson.

There was great rejoicing among Jackson's friends, and Senator Benton was the hero of the day. President Jackson gave a great dinner party in Washington in Benton's honor.

[Sidenote: =Nullification=]

For a long time South Carolina and other southern states had been complaining about the high tariff which Congress had passed. In 1832 South Carolina declared in a state convention that her people should not pay the tariff any longer. She resolved to fight rather than obey the law and pay the tariff. This act of the convention was called nullification.

[Sidenote: =President Jackson's proclamation=]

President Jackson was very angry when he heard of this act of South Carolina. He told General Scott to take soldiers and war vessels to Charleston, and enforce the law at all hazards. The president published a letter to the people of South Carolina, warning them not to nullify a law of Congress.

[Sidenote: =Jackson a Union man=]

These acts made President Jackson very popular at the North, where the people all believed the president had saved the Union from breaking up.

In 1837 his second term as president expired and he retired from public life after having seen his good friend, Martin Van Buren of New York, made president.

[Sidenote: =Death at the Hermitage=]

Jackson returned to Tennessee, greatly beloved by the people. There, in his home, called the Hermitage, he spent the rest of his life. He died in 1845, at the age of seventy-eight.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Eli Whitney was born in Massachusetts. _2._ As a boy he was very much interested in tools, and worked in his father's shop with all kinds of mechanical contrivances. _3._ He earned his way through college doing carpenter work. _4._ After graduation he set out to teach in Savannah. _5._ He failed to get the situation, and went to visit a friend who had taken much interest in him. _6._ The South needed a machine to separate the cotton fiber from the seed. _7._ Whitney set to work to make one, at the suggestion of his friend, Mrs. Greene. _8._ The cotton gin revolutionized the South. _9._ It made cotton raising the chief industry, and brought thousands of slaves into the country.

_10._ Thomas Jefferson, born in Virginia, loved books; while in college he met Patrick Henry. _11._ Went to the Burgesses and planned the committees of correspondence. _12._ Jefferson was sent to the Congress of 1776 and wrote the Declaration of Independence. _13._ After the war Jefferson was sent as Minister to France. _14._ Washington chose him as Secretary of State, and he founded the Democratic-Republican party. _15._ Jefferson was popular as president. _16._ He cut down expenses, and with his savings in running the government purchased Louisiana.

_17._ The Columbia River was discovered by Gray. _18._ The way to the Oregon country was made known by Lewis and Clark. _19._ The Indians received them with kindness along the route. _20._ They followed the Columbia until they reached the Pacific; Clark made a map of the region they had gone through. _21._ As a reward, Lewis was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory and Clark of the Missouri Territory. _22._ Fur traders and missionaries soon found their way to the Oregon country.

_23._ Perry went to serve against the pirates, was eager to fight the English when war broke out, and was appointed commandant at Lake Erie. _24._ Perry built a fleet and won a famous victory over the English. _25._ A gold medal was struck in his honor by Congress.

_26._ Andrew Jackson was born of poor parents; learned from the woods more than from books. _27._ Jackson was captured by the British. _28._ His mother died nursing American soldiers. _29._ He studied law, went over the mountains to Nashville, and was elected to Congress. _30._ He also served as United States senator. _31._ Jackson defeated the Indians, captured Pensacola, and won a brilliant victory at New Orleans. _32._ Jackson was elected president and was opposed in his policy by Clay, Webster, and Calhoun. _33._ Threatened South Carolina over nullification. _34._ Died at the Hermitage in 1845.

=Study Questions.= _1._ What did Whitney like to do as a boy? _2._ How did he help himself through college? _3._ Why did he go to Savannah? _4._ Whom did he meet on the way? _5._ Describe how cotton was then separated from the seed. _6._ Describe the action of the machine made by Whitney. _7._ What was the effect of his invention? _8._ How did the value of cotton shipped out of the country compare with other goods? _9._ What effect did the invention have on negro slavery in the South?

_10._ Name some things boys did on a Virginia plantation in Jefferson's time. _11._ Name some of Virginia's great men whom Jefferson knew. _12._ Explain how the committees of correspondence worked. _13._ Who were the men appointed to make a Declaration of Independence? _14._ Why did Jefferson write the Declaration? _15._ Why did French people like Jefferson? _16._ Picture Jefferson's return home. _17._ How was Jefferson fitted for Secretary of State? _18._ What were the people then disputing about, and who were their leaders? _19._ Why did Jefferson want the government to be plain and simple? _20._ Who wanted it different? _21._ Tell the story of the buying of Louisiana. _22._ Why did Americans think the buying a great event? _23._ Why did Jefferson not become president a third time? _24._ What can you tell of the friendship of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson? _25._ Describe the trip of Lewis and Clark up the Missouri River. _26._ How did the Indians on the way receive them? _27._ How did they return home? _28._ What offices were given Lewis and Clark?

_29._ What important command was given to Perry? _30._ Tell what he did when his ships were ready for the "Battle of Lake Erie." _31._ Picture the battle. _32._ What honors were given to Perry?

_33._ Where was Andrew Jackson born? _34._ Name some other boys who learned more from the woods than from books. _35._ Mention some early experiences Jackson had with the British soldiers. _36._ What other experiences did he have in the war? _37._ What led him to go to Nashville? _38._ Explain how Jackson outwitted the Indians. _39._ What did he do as a young lawyer? _40._ Tell the story of Jackson's first call to arms. _41._ Give a full account of Jackson's second call to arms. _42._ Imagine yourself one of Jackson's soldiers, and tell what you saw and heard at the battle of New Orleans. _43._ Give an account of Jackson's fight against the United States Bank. _44._ Who was Thomas H. Benton, and why did he defend President Jackson? _45._ What action did South Carolina take in 1832, and what did the president do? _46._ Where did Jackson live after his last term as president?

=Suggested Readings.= ELI WHITNEY: Brooks, _The Story of Cotton_, 90-99; Southworth, _Builders of Our Country_, Vol. II, 108-116; Shillig, _The Four Wonders_, 1-32.

JEFFERSON: Wright, _Children's Stories of American Progress_, 55-85; Cooke, _Stories of the Old Dominion_, 180-192; Hart, _How Our Grandfathers Lived_, 317-320; Butterworth, _In the Days of Jefferson_, 32-168, 175-206, 216-264.

PERRY: Beebe, _Four American Naval Heroes_, 71-130; Wright, _Children's Stories of American Progress_, 130-144; Hart, _How Our Grandfathers Lived_, 241-242, 248-249; Glascock, _Stories of Columbia_, 172-174.

JACKSON: Brooks, _Century Book of Famous Americans_, 162-172; Blaisdell and Ball, _Hero Stories from American History_, 185-198; Hart, _How Our Grandfathers Lived_, 284-291; Barton, _Four American Patriots_, 133-192; Frost, _Old Hickory_.

THE MEN WHO MADE THE NATION GREAT BY THEIR INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES

ROBERT FULTON, THE INVENTOR OF THE STEAMBOAT

[Sidenote: =How boats were driven=]

=128. The Invention of the Steamboat.= Once there were no steam engines to drive boats. On sea and river they were driven by wind, and on canals they were pulled along by horses.

[Sidenote: =Inventors before Fulton=]

James Rumsey on the Potomac, John Fitch on the Delaware, and William Longstreet on the Savannah had each invented and tried some kind of steamboat, before Robert Fulton.

Fulton was born of Irish parents, in New Britain, Pennsylvania, in 1765. At the age of three he lost his father. Young Fulton had a great taste for drawing, painting, and inventing.

He went to Philadelphia, then the largest city in the Union, when he was twenty, and engaged in painting and drawing. His first savings were given to his widowed mother to make her comfortable.

[Sidenote: =Studied under Benjamin West=]

Fulton finally decided to be an artist, and went to England to make his home with Benjamin West, a great painter who once lived at Philadelphia.

[Sidenote: =Influenced to become an engineer=]

There he became acquainted with the Duke of Bridgewater, who influenced him to become a civil engineer. Fulton now met James Watt, who had greatly improved the steam engine. At one time the young man aided Watt in building an engine.

[Sidenote: =Meets Livingston in France=]

Fulton next went to France, where he became interested in plans for inventing diving boats, torpedoes, and steamboats. Here he met Robert R. Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, then United States Minister to France. Livingston took a deep interest in his experiments in driving boats by steam, and furnished him the means to make them.

[Sidenote: =Fulton's trial boats=]

Fulton made a "model" boat, which he left in France. Shortly afterward, he built a boat twenty-six feet long and eight feet wide. In this vessel he put a steam engine. The trial trips proved beyond a doubt that steamboats could be made.

[Sidenote: =Twenty years' rights=]

Livingston believed in Fulton and his steamboat. When he returned to New York, Livingston obtained from the legislature the right to navigate the waters of the state by steam for twenty years. The one condition was that the boat should go against the current of the Hudson at the rate of four miles an hour.

[Sidenote: =Gets engine in England=]

[Sidenote: =The "Clermont"=]

Fulton got his engine from the inventors, Watt and Boulton, in England--the only place where suitable engines could be found. The engine came in 1806. A boat called the _Clermont_ was built to carry it. She was one hundred thirty feet long and eighteen feet wide. She had a mast with a sail. At both ends she was decked over, and in the middle the engine was placed. Two large side-wheels dipped two feet into the water.

=129. The "Clermont" Moves.= At one o'clock in the afternoon of August 7, 1807, a great crowd gathered to see the first voyage of the _Clermont_. Many people did not expect to see the vessel go. They believed Fulton and Livingston had spent their money for nothing. Fulton gave his signal from the deck of the _Clermont_. The people looked on in astonishment as the boat moved steadily up the pathway of the Hudson.

[Sidenote: =A great victory for Fulton and Livingston=]

The _Clermont_ kept on going till out of sight, and the crowds of wondering people went home hardly believing the evidence of their eyes. Up the river, against the current of the mighty Hudson, she made her way till Albany was reached. She had gone one hundred fifty miles in thirty-two hours, and won a great victory for Fulton and Livingston.

[Sidenote: =Name of boat changed to "North River"=]

When winter came the _Clermont_ was taken out of the water and rebuilt. They covered her from stem to stern with a deck. Under the deck they built two cabins, with a double row of berths. Everything was done to make her attractive in the eyes of the people. They changed her name to the _North River_. In the spring she made her trips regularly up and down the Hudson.

[Sidenote: =Steamboats appear on different rivers=]

=130. Steamboats on All the Rivers.= In 1809 a steamboat was built on Lake Champlain, another on the Raritan, and a third on the Delaware. From this time forward, steamboats, carrying passengers and freight from place to place, began to appear on all the great rivers in the settled portions of the United States.

[Sidenote: =People along the Ohio frightened=]

In 1811 a steamboat was built on the Ohio River at Pittsburgh. It started on its trip down the beautiful Ohio. People gathered on the banks of the river to see it go by. The steamboat, at first, made a frightful noise. Hence when it came to places where news traveled slowly, the people were sometimes frightened, and the negroes, terror stricken, ran crying into the woods.

[Sidenote: =A steamboat helped Jackson=]

In 1814 a steamboat carried supplies to General Jackson at New Orleans, and helped him to win the great battle fought there.

Seven steamboats were running on the Ohio and the Mississippi at the close of the War of 1812. Before another year went by, a steamboat had made its way from New Orleans against the currents of the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers to Louisville, laden with goods from Europe.

The steamboat had now won a place on the American rivers. It aided in the rapid settlement of the country. It made travel quick and easy, and it carried the goods of settlers up and down the rivers.

[Sidenote: =Robert Fulton dies, 1815=]

Robert Fulton died in 1815, deeply mourned by all his countrymen, and was buried in Trinity churchyard, New York City.

[Sidenote: =Steamboats carry goods up the Mississippi=]

[Sidenote: =Erie Canal across New York=]

=131. The Erie Canal.= Before Fulton invented the steamboat, supplies had been carried to the western settlers over the mountains from the East. Now, however, steamboats puffed up the Mississippi from New Orleans loaded down with goods that had been brought all the way from Europe. The settlers could get all the supplies they wanted and at a much lower cost. For this reason the merchants of New York and the East were in danger of losing all their trade with the settlers. They saw that they must have some connection with the West by water, and so they planned the Erie Canal. It took seven years to dig. When it was finished it was three hundred sixty-three miles long, forty feet wide, and four feet deep. The depth was later increased to seven feet. It stretched straight across the state of New York from Lake Erie to the Hudson River.

In the autumn of 1825, when the canal was finished, there was a great celebration. A "fleet" of canal boats carried Governor Clinton of New York and a number of other distinguished men across the state.

[Sidenote: =New York recovered her trade=]

The merchants of the East were no longer afraid of the Mississippi route, for they had a route of their own. The canal became the great highway of commerce from the East to the West and from the West to the East. New York recovered her trade, and flourishing cities grew up along the canal.

But there were cities in the East that could not use the canal. Farther south they could not dig a canal across the mountains. All their goods had to be carried over the Cumberland Gap on the backs of horses. But a new means of travel and transportation had been invented, which was to far surpass the steamboat and which was to help every city no matter where located.

[Sidenote: =The first railroad=]

=132. Railroad Building.= The first railroad in America was a very rude affair. There were no "palace cars" or steel rails, nor did the trains run at a speed of sixty miles an hour. Instead, cars that looked like huge wagons ran on wooden rails and were dragged along by horses.

[Sidenote: =Stephenson's "Puffing Billy"=]

But George Stephenson had thought out a plan for a machine that would pull the cars along by steam. He called his engine "Puffing Billy." He kept at work always improving it. In 1825, after eleven years of hard work, he made an engine that could pull both passengers and freight.

[Sidenote: =The first long railroad=]

In 1828 the first long railroad in America was started. A great ceremony took place. It was a very solemn occasion. Charles Carroll, the only living signer of the Declaration of Independence, drove the first spade into the ground where the first rail was to be laid. As he did so he said, "I consider this among the most important acts of my life, second only to that of signing the Declaration of Independence." This railroad was the famous Baltimore & Ohio.

Inventors continued to improve the locomotive. In 1831 an American company built one which ran at the rate of fifteen miles an hour. At that time that was considered a very rapid rate.

[Sidenote: =By rail from Boston to Buffalo=]

Since then railroad building and transportation have improved wonderfully. By 1842 one could travel by rail from Boston to Buffalo. But it was not until ten years later that Chicago was connected by rail with the East.

[Sidenote: =To the Pacific coast=]

Gradually the railroads spread a network over the country. In 1857 St. Louis and Chicago were connected. A railroad to the Pacific coast was much needed, and Congress voted an appropriation of $50,000,000 for the work. By 1869 the great work was completed. Other lines to the coast were started, and to-day many railroads cross the mountains, connecting the Pacific with the North, South, and Atlantic regions.

SAMUEL F. B. MORSE, INVENTOR OF THE TELEGRAPH

[Sidenote: =Morse, 1791=]

=133. The Coming of the Telegraph.= Samuel Morse was born in Massachusetts (1791). His father was a Presbyterian minister. Young Morse went to the common schools and to Yale College.

[Sidenote: =Paints portraits=]

In college he used his spare time in painting, and after graduation he went to England and studied under the best artists. He came home and for a time painted portraits for a living.

[Sidenote: =The idea came to him of sending news by electricity=]

After having spent some years abroad, in work and study, Morse was again returning home from France when the idea of sending news by electricity first came to him.

[Sidenote: =A machine and an alphabet=]

"Why can't it be?" said Morse to a friend, who answered, "There is great need of sending news by electricity." He began, then and there, to plan a machine and to invent an alphabet. This was all done on shipboard. When he reached land he went to work with a will at his new-found problem.

[Sidenote: =The hungry inventor=]

For a long time the work went on very slowly, for inventors must eat and sleep and pay their way in the world. While Morse was struggling over his machine and trying to make himself master of the strange force called electricity, he was very often hungry and at times even on the point of starvation.

[Sidenote: =Alfred Vail=]

Now came a bright spot in his career. A young man named Alfred Vail, an excellent mechanic, saw Morse's telegraph instruments, and immediately believed they would be successful. Young Vail borrowed money and became Morse's assistant in the great work. For what he did he deserves credit next to Morse himself.

[Sidenote: =Getting ready for Congress=]

[Sidenote: =Behind locked doors=]