A History of the United States

=702. The Industrial Period.=—While it is always difficult for people to understand thoroughly the characteristics of their own age, it seems almost certain that the epoch of Am...

=656. Character of the Administration.=—McKinley soon proved himself to possess great tact as an executive. Some of his Cabinet appointments were not good, and he showed weaknes...

=475. Secretary Edwin M. Stanton.=—The first very important event of the year 1862 was the substitution of Edwin M. Stanton[207] for Simon Cameron, as Secretary of War, January...

=418. Dred Scott Decision.=—Two days after Buchanan’s inauguration, the Supreme Court rendered a decision that had a tremendous influence on public opinion with regard to the qu...

=144. Continental Army and Commander in Chief.=—When the Second Continental Congress came together in the spring of 1775, one of its first acts was to adopt as a continental arm...

=39. The First Lord Baltimore.=—Among the most important counsellors of James I. was his Secretary of State, George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore,[30] who had been connected...

=450. From the Election to the Inauguration.=—While the South, during the months between the election and the inauguration of Lincoln, was setting up its new government and prep...

=298. Madison’s Perplexities.=—Just before Madison’s accession to the Presidency the Embargo was supplanted by a non-intercourse law which permitted trade with nations not contr...

=117. Tendencies toward Separation.=—From the first there were certain conditions that tended to force the American colonies away from the mother country. The colonists, especia...

=91. Character of the Period.=—During the first quarter, or indeed the first half of the eighteenth century, colonial history contains few salient features apart from boundary d...

=1. The Aborigines.=—When America became known to Europe at the end of the fifteenth century, it was by no means an uninhabited country. Wherever the discoverers effected a land...

=188. Change in the Commissariat of the Army.=—Nearly a year before the close of the campaigns just described, Congress had very unwisely determined to make a change in the cont...

=581. Pacific Railroads.=—The policy of helping railroad building by Federal land grants began as early as 1850, when an important grant was given to aid the construction of the...

=600. General Character of the Administration of Hayes.=—The administration of Hayes was one of adjustment to new conditions rather than one of great political innovations. Duri...

=213. Clinton’s Success in the South.=—Sir Henry Clinton, even without a very large force, found it possible to carry out his designs in the South with energy and success. Leavi...

=530. Plan of Campaigns.=—The spring of 1864 found Grant as general in chief of all the Union armies, with Meade at the head of the Army of the Potomac, Sherman at the head of a...

=282. Jefferson’s Character and General Policy.=—With the advent of the popular Jefferson as President, the aristocratic Federalists, especially those of New England, thought, a...

=514. Situation in the West.=—At the opening of the year 1863, it was evident that in the West the most important military operations would center about Vicksburg, on the Missis...

=238. Chaotic Condition at the Outbreak of the War.=—As soon as the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the members of Congress saw that some form of general government wou...

=320. Monroe’s Counselors.=—Monroe[139] was fortunate not only in having to preside over a united people, but in being able to secure good advisers. For Secretary of State he ch...

=21. The Virginia Company.=—At the beginning of the seventeenth century England undertook in earnest to plant colonies in North America. Her only important rival was France. Eff...

=562. President Johnson.=—Andrew Johnson,[262] a Democrat from Tennessee, was the only Southern senator who refused to resign his place when, in 1861, the other senators withdre...

=390. General Conditions.=—The period of controversy upon which we are about to enter, was caused by the opposing interests and feelings of the North and South on the subject of...

=644. Character of the Administration.=—Although Cleveland began his second administration with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress,—something that had not been kno...

=547. Efforts to Secure Peace by Negotiation.=—Throughout the year 1864 there had been attempts in the North, as well as in the South, to bring about negotiations for peace. The...

=177. Plans of the British for 1777.=—The British saw that if the next campaign was to be successful the war must be pushed forward on a much larger scale. They determined on th...

=351. The Spoils System.=—Jackson’s inauguration was a signal for crowds of his active supporters to hasten to Washington for their rewards. At the reception at the White House...

=629. Character of Harrison’s Administration.=—President Harrison was an able lawyer and a good judge of men, as he proved by important judicial appointments and by the choice o...

=77. Population.=—We have now learned that of the thirteen original colonies that formed the United States, all except the youngest, Georgia, had attained individual, or semi-in...

=405. Character of Pierce’s Administration.=—The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill and the war in Kansas are the most important features of Pierce’s administration (§§ 411-414...

=265. Washington as a Statesman.=—When Washington took the oath of office in New York City[104] on April 30, 1789, few people could have foreseen that the elderly, dignified man...

=377. The Issues Involved.=—As a Mexican state, Texas had extended on the south and west to the river Nueces; but her inhabitants and the United States insisted on holding to bo...

=343. The Meaning of Jackson’s Election.=—Andrew Jackson was the first man of plain birth and breeding to sit in the White House. Born on the border between the two Carolinas, h...

=368. New Parties.=—Martin Van Buren won the election of 1836 as a Democrat, for Jackson’s party, as we have seen, had dropped the word “Republican” from their name (§ 361, note...

=359. Anti-slavery Agitation.=—The tariff was not destined to remain the chief grievance of the Southerners. They were soon far more concerned with the growing agitation against...

=620. Character of the Administration.=—Ever since Grant’s administrations the strength of the two great political parties had been tending more and more to an equality. When Cl...

=335. Character of Adams’s Administration.=—Adams was a statesman of great ability and experience and of high integrity, but he represented ideas of strong government not pleasi...

1. Distribution of the Barbarous Tribes East of the Mississippi. (_Colored_) 2. French Explorations and Settlements. (_Colored_) 3. Central North America at the Beginning of the...

=275. The Election of John Adams.=—Washington’s refusal of a third term and retirement to Mount Vernon, brought John Adams[113] to the front as the natural choice of the Federal...

=257. Population and Area.=—The country over which Washington began to preside in 1789 was very different from the great nation it has grown to be. Counting about seven hundred...

475-483. The War in the West 372 484-489. The Work of the Navy 381 490-498. The War in the East 387 499-502. Public Feeling in the North and Great Britain 394 503-506. The War i...

418-422. The Supreme Court and Slavery 326 423-427. Kansas and Utah 329 428-431. The Great Debates 332 432-434. John Brown and Public Opinion 336 435-439. The Presidential Campa...

144-147. Early Movements 107 148-152. Washington in Command 110 153-158. The War in New York 114 159-160. General Condition of the Country 118 161-162. Failure of British Expedi...

656-657. The Beginning of McKinley’s Administration 514 658-670. The War with Spain 515 671-676. Consequences of the War 524 677-681. The Close of McKinley’s First Administratio...

39-41. The Settlement and Growth of Maryland 37 42-45. Development of Virginia 40 46-52. Development of New England 42 53-60. The New England Confederacy 46 61-71. Development o...

298-303. Outbreak of War 225 304-305. Exploits of the Navy 230 306-310. Reverses and Successes 234 311-312. End of the War 238 313-315. The Disaffection of New England 240 316-3...

450-453. Opening of Hostilities 353 454-458. Military and Financial Strength of the Combatants 357 459-461. Description of the Seat of War 360 462-465. Domestic and Foreign Comp...

600-603. Industrial Problems 473 604-605. Financial Problems 475 606-609. Political Affairs 476 610-613. Chief Features of Arthur’s Administration 480 614-617. Political Events...

117-120. General Causes 87 121-126. The Question of Taxation 91 127-132. The Resistance of the Colonies 93 133-135. The Tax on Tea 98 136-139. New Legislation and Opposition 100...

188-193. A Winter of Discouragement 144 194-198. Prospects Brighten 149 199-207. Conditions West of the Alleghanies 152 208-209. The Conquest of the Northwest 158 210-212. The V...

SECTION 1-3. The American Indians 1 4. Pre-Columbian Discoverers 4 5-13. Columbus and the Spanish Discoverers 7 14-16. The French Explorers 18 17-18. The English Explorers 20 19...

213-214. The War in the South 162 215-220. The Treason of Benedict Arnold 164 221-223. Causes of Discouragement 167 224-228. American Successes in the South 168 229-237. The Clo...