c. Resolution of the Burgesses appointing June 1, 1774,

a day of prayer and fasting; from the _Journals_ 398

_d._ The consequent dissolution of the Assembly by the Governor; _ib._ 399

_e._ The ex-Burgesses suggest an annual Continental Congress; _ib._ 399

_f._ Letters from the Virginia Committee of Correspondence to the other colonies, conveying Virginia's suggestion for an annual Congress; _ib._ 401

_g._ The answer of Rhode Island to Virginia, with the appointment of delegates to the proposed Congress; _ib._ 403

126. A "call" for the Continental Congress from the Massachusetts Assembly (June 17) 405

127. A Virginia county (Frederick) suggests a Continental Congress and a "General Association" of the colonies (June 8); from Force's _American Archives_ 406

128. Virginia issues the first call for a provincial convention (to elect delegates to the Continental Congress); _ib._:

_a._ Suggestion from the ex-Burgesses, May 30, 1774 407

_b._ Sample notice of the call by an ex-Burgess to his county (a letter from Thomas Mason of June 16) 408

_c._ Typical call (June 27) by a county committee for a county meeting (Norfolk) to instruct delegates to the coming provincial convention 409

129. Typical Instructions by Virginia county meetings:

_a._ Westmoreland County 410

_b._ George Washington's county (Fairfax) 412

_c._ Nansemond County 416

_d._ York County 417

_e._ Middlesex County (disapproval of the Boston Tea Party) 417

130. The First Continental Congress:

_a._ The decision upon how the colonies should vote; from John Adams' "Diary" in his _Works_ 418

_b._ Adams' impressions of the meeting at its close; _ib._ 420

_c._ The Declaration of Rights; from Ford's _Journals of the Continental Congress_ 421

_d._ The Act of Association; _ib._ 427

131. Typical resolutions by a Virginia county (Prince William) approving the Association of the Continental Congress; from Force's _American Archives_ 432

132. Virginia county conventions become de facto governments (typical action by Fairfax County, organizing a Revolutionary militia January 17, 1775); _ib._ 433

133. The Virginia Provincial Convention becomes a government:

_a._ Cumberland County instructs delegates for preparation for war; _ib._ 435

_b._ The Second Virginia Convention arms and taxes the colony; _ib._ 436

_c._ The Third Convention (June, 1775) assumes the forms of a government; from _Virginia Calendar of State Papers_ 442

XXIII. Independence

134. Charlotte County, Virginia, instructs delegates (April 23, 1776) to the coming Fourth Virginia Convention to favor independence and an independent State constitution; Force's _American Archives_ 443

135. The Virginia Convention, May 15, instructs for independence and adopts resolutions for a bill of rights and a constitution; _ib._ 445

136. The Virginia Bill of Rights; from Poore's _Charters and Constitutions_ 446

137. Virginia's Declaration of Independence, June 29, 1776; from _Jefferson's Writings_ 450

138. Revolutionary State Governments:

_a._ The recommendation of Congress of May 15, 1776; from Ford's _Journals of Congress_ 452

_b._ John Adams' comment; from _John Adams' Letters to Abigail Adams_ 453

139. The Maryland Convention instructs its delegates in Congress against independence; from _Proceedings of the Conventions of Maryland_ 454

140. Lee's motion for Independence in Congress; from Ford's _Journals_ 458

141. The Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776; from Ford's _Journals of Congress_ 459

142. Anti-social tendencies of pre-Revolutionary measures:

_a._ The effect of closing the courts (Adams' account of his welcome by his horse-jockey client); from _John Adams' Works_ 463

_b._ A Tory's protest against mob violence, in a parody on Hamlet's soliloquy; from Moore's _Diary of the American Revolution_ 464

_c._ Correspondence between a Tory and a Committee, showing how the Tory was induced to sign a recantation; from Niles' _Principles and Acts of the Revolution_ 464

143. An oath of allegiance to a new State (Pennsylvania): a facsimile, from Scharf and Westcott's _History of Philadelphia_ 466

144. A Loyalist's pretended "diary" of the year 1789 (written in 1778), to show the danger of French conquest; from Tyler's _Literary History of the American Revolution_ 467

145. A statement of how the Revolution set free social forces; from David Ramsey's _History of the American Revolution_ 468

E. CONFEDERATION AND CONSTITUTION

XXIV. The Articles of Confederation

146. Debates in the Congress on the Articles; from _John Adams' Works_ 470

147. The Articles; from the _Revised Statutes of the United States_ 475

XXV. The National Domain

148. The desire for Statehood in the West, and Western self-confidence; a statement by a convention of the proposed State of Frankland 485

149. Organization of the Western Territory by Congress:

_a._ The Ordinance of 1784; from the _Journals of Congress_ 486

_b._ The Northwest Ordinance (1787); _ib._ 488

XXVI. Drifting toward Anarchy

150. Gouverneur Morris to John Jay, on the prospect of a military dictator; from Sparks' _Life and Works of Gouverneur Morris_ 497

151. Shays' Rebellion:

_a._ A statement of grievances by Hampshire County; from Minot's _History of the Insurrection in Massachusetts_ 497

_b._ Washington's alarm; letters to Henry Lee and to Madison; from _Washington's Writings_ 500

152. A shrewd foreigner's view of the social conflict over the adoption of a new Constitution (Otto's letter to Vergennes, on the failure of the Annapolis Convention); from the Appendix to Bancroft's _History of the Constitution_ 502

XXVII. Making the Constitution

153. The call issued by the Annapolis Convention for a Federal Convention; from the _Documentary History of the Constitution_ 506

154. Typical credentials of delegates to the Federal Convention (the Georgia credentials); from _Farrand's Records of the Federal Convention_ 510

155. George Mason's account of the preliminaries at Philadelphia (a letter to George Mason, Jr., May 20, 1787); _ib._ 512

156. The "Virginia Plan"; _ib._ 514

157. George Mason on aristocratic and democratic forces in the Convention at its opening (letter to George Mason, Jr., June 1); _ib._ 517

158. The "New Jersey Plan"; _ib._ 518

159. Hamilton's plan; from _Hamilton's Works_ 521

160. Character sketches of men of the Convention, by William Pierce, a delegate from Georgia; from Farrand's _Records of the Federal Convention_ 522

161. One day in the Convention,--the critical day's debate on the Connecticut Compromise; _ib._ 532

XXVIII. Ratifying the Constitution

162. George Mason's objections to the Constitution; from Kate Mason Rowland's _Life of George Mason_ 543

163. Mason's explanation of the preparation of his "Objections"; from Farrand's _Records of the Federal Convention_ 546

164. A Federalist account of how John Hancock was induced finally to support the Constitution in the Massachusetts ratifying convention; by Stephen Higginson, in _Writings of Laco_ 547

165. The Federal Constitution 551

INDEX OF SOURCES. 576

SUBJECT INDEX. 580

A SOURCE BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Allyn and Bacon. 1913.

[2] Bradford's _Plymouth Plantation_, the main source for this topic, is quoted so extensively in the _American History and Government_ that it is not used here in this connection.

I. ENGLAND IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

1. Classes of Englishmen

William Harrison, in Holinshed's _Chronicle_ (1577). Cf. No. 75 on like social divisions in early New England; and see _American History and Government_, # 65.

We in England divide our people commonlie into foure sorts, as gentlemen, citizens or burgesses, yeomen, ... or [and] laborers. Of gentlemen the first and cheefe (next the king) be the prince, dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons: and these are called gentlemen of the greater sort, or (as our common usage of speech is) lords and noblemen: and next unto them be knights, esquiers, and last of all they that are simplie called gentlemen, ... Who soever studieth the lawes of the realme, who so abideth in the universitie giving his mind to his booke, or professeth physicke and the liberall sciences, or beside his service in the roome of a capteine in the warres, or good counsell given at home, whereby his commonwealth is benefited, can live without manuell labour, and thereto is able and will beare the port, charge, and countenance of a gentleman, he shall for monie have a cote and armes bestowed upon him by heralds (who in the charter of the same doo of custome pretend antiquitie and service, and manie gaie things) and, thereunto being made so good cheape, be called master, which is the title that men give to esquiers and gentlemen, and reputed for a gentleman ever after....

... our merchants [are] to be installed, as amongst the citizens (although they often change estate with gentlemen, as gentlemen doo with them, by a mutuall conversion of the one into the other)....

Yeomen are ... free men, borne English, and [who] may dispend of their owne free land in yearelie revenue, to the summe of fortie shillings sterling, or six pounds as monie goeth in our times. ... This sort of people have a certeine preheminence, and more estimation than labourers and the common sort of artificers, and commonlie live wealthilie, keepe good houses, and travell to get riches. They are also for the most part farmers to gentlemen ... or at the leastwise artificers, and with grasing, frequenting of markets, and keeping of servants (not idle servants as the gentlemen doo, but such as get both their owne and part of their master's living) do come to great welth, in somuch that manie of them are able and doo buie the lands of unthriftie gentlemen, and often setting their sonnes to the schooles, to the universities, and to the Ins of the court, or otherwise leaving them sufficient lands whereupon they may live without labour, doo make them by those means to become gentlemen. _These were they that in times past made all France afraid. ..._

The fourth and last sort of people in England are daie labourers, poore husbandmen, and some retailers (which have no free land) copie holders, and all artificers,--as tailers, shomakers, carpenters, brickmakers, masons, etc. As for slaves and bondmen we have none, naie such is the privilege of our countrie by the especiall grace of God, and bountie of our princes, that if anie come hither from other realms, so soone as they set foot on land they become so free of condition as their masters. ... This fourth and last sort of people therefore have neither voice nor authoritie in the common wealth, but are to be ruled, and not to rule other; yet they are not altogither neglected, for in cities and corporat townes, for default of yeomen they are faine to make up their inquests [juries] of such maner of people. And in villages they are commonlie made churchwardens, sidemen, aleconners, now and then constables, and manie times injoie the name of hedboroughes. Unto this sort also may our great swarmes of idle serving men be referred, of whome there runneth a proverbe; 'Young serving men, old beggers,' bicause service is none heritage....

A. SOUTHERN COLONIES TO 1660

II. MOTIVES FOR EARLY ENGLISH COLONIZATION

2. From Sir George Peckham's "True Report"

Richard Hakluyt's _Voyages ... and Discoveries_ (1589), III, 167 ff.

Peckham was a partner in Gilbert's enterprise. His _Report_, a considerable pamphlet, was written in 1582.

... To conclude, since by Christian dutie we stand bound chiefly to further all such acts as do tend to the encreasing the true flock of Christ by reducing into the right way those lost sheepe which are yet astray: And that we shall therein follow the example of our right vertuous predecessors of renowned memorie, and leave unto our posteritie a divine memoriall of so godly an enterprise: Let us, I say, for the considerations alledged, enter into judgement with our selves, whether this action may belong to us or no. ... Then shal her Majesties dominions be enlarged, her highnesse ancient titles justly confirmed, all odious idlenesse from this our Realme utterly banished, divers decayed townes repaired, and many poor and needy persons relieved, and estates of such as now live in want shail be embettered, the ignorant and barbarous idolaters taught to know Christ, the innocent defended from their bloodie tyrannical neighbours, the diabolicall custome of sacrificing humane creatures abolished....

3. A Discourse on Western Planting by Richard Hakluyt, 1584

_Maine Historical Society Collections_, Second Series, II (1877).

This pamphlet was written by Hakluyt, an English clergyman and an ardent advocate of American colonization, at Raleigh's request, to influence Queen Elizabeth. It fills 107 pages of the volume of the Maine collections.